Continue reading »]]>

How to Use Social Media for Nonprofits:

LinkedIn for Nonprofits Part 1

LinkedIn gives you access to over 135 million business people and professionals in every field

By Thomas R. Reich and Chris Romero

LinkedIn has rapidly become the premier professional communications network worldwide and a big part of social media for nonprofits.  This innovative social media site allows you to pre-screen everyone in your network, in essence permitting you to specifically design who you want to deal with in your world. When using Social Media for Nonprofits, often you end up with followers that are inappropriate for what you are trying to achieve. On the contrary, LinkedIn tries to address within social media for nonprofits, all the pitfalls in Facebook, to create a professional environment- a platform designed in your personal and professional image.

According to Patrick Schwerdtfeger, author of the New York Times best selling book “Marketing Shortcuts”, today 80% of buying or donating decisions are made before personal contact is made with an organization! A modern, successful nonprofit organization will first be searched on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all now part of social media for nonprofits. The public will also look for your website and search for your name on Google or other search engines.

In today’s society, your organization is judged by your digital presence. Remember when planning your digital

Social media for nonprofits is the new handshake!

presence: “If you try to sell to everyone you will sell to no one”.  LinkedIn can be a big part of your digital presence, and a link to other social media for nonprofit efforts and for nonprofits in general.

Remember, selling your cause to donors and volunteers is a relationship-building process, and social media for nonprofits is the new handshake. Set up properly, LinkedIn gets you the introduction to new prospects and presents your organization to them in a positive light. LinkedIn for Nonprofits all but eliminates the dreaded cold call!

LinkedIn facilitates access to a network of over 135 million business people and professionals in every field. It allows you to network, prospect, pre-qualify leads and actually generate leads without speaking to a soul! Do you think you could use such a network in your organization?

the 3 big players in social media for nonprofits

LinkedIn = Business to business and professionals

Facebook = Loyalty, engagement, and retention of existing relationships

Twitter = Additional input linked to LinkedIn and Facebook

LinkedIn contains 75% of all fortune 500 executives, has over 2million company and organization pages, and allowed over 2 billion free searches last year!  LinkedIn is the heart of social media for nonprofits and is used for prospecting and lead generation. In addition to this there are over 1.3 million small businesses and nonprofits and over 500K groups to join and become involved in.

To utilize LinkedIn and most of social media for nonprofits properly you must set up and complete a proper profile, which includes:

1)   You must complete your profile 100%

Take time, your profile in all social media for nonprofits compleatly

2)   You should have a professional head shot

3)   You must write a compelling summary, give it some thought

4)   List all your specialties not just one

5)   List all relevant experience

6)   Post recommendations Customize your profile URL

7)   Pay attention to keywords in all sections

**NOTE: Never use your logo on the LinkedIn profile in place of your personal head shot- this is not an option, this is a hard rule. You may use the

LinkedIn is the premier social media for nonprofits communication network worldwide

logo other places in LinkedIn, but not in place of head shot!  This is suggested for all social media for nonprofits, but it is most important in LinkedIn

Do add to skills list list: Sales, Meeting Organizer, Social Media Expert, Foundation Advisor, Nonprofit Consultant, Trainer, Author and so on.

DO NOT LIST: Nice Person, Cat Lover, Geek, single and looking– this is totally inappropriate for LinkedIn.

Do Include: a concise, well produced video 30 – 45 sec in length.  Introduce yourself, your cause, why they should care and how to contact you, repeat your name and cause at the end.  Again this holds true for most of social media for nonprofits components.

More to come in Part 2 of Social media for Nonprofits: LinkedIn for Nonprofits! We will discuss the Corporate page, the free mini web site, and a little more about the video section. Then we will discuss the pipeline, how to begin getting leads with searches directly from your LinkedIn FREE account.  We will also discuss joining and participating in LinkedIn groups, and wrap up this 2-part blog on LinkedIn with a discussion of what do daily and how to get the most out of LinkedIn for Nonprofits and social media for nonprofits in general

Small Business Tool Center Nonprofit Resource Center

Did you know CharityNetUSA provides help in many areas.  We are you one stop for anything from 501c3 preparation and certification in many areas, bookkeeping and marketing services.  We can help with web sites and yes even social media for nonprofits strategy.

If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to Set up a Charity, Nonprofit or Foundation please contact CharityNetUSA by visiting www.CharityNetUSA.com or by calling, toll FREE 1.877.857.9002.  Please FOLLOW us on Twitter and LIKE us on Face Book to receive free daily tips and tricks as well as notification of our FREE Award Winning Webinar series!  Now is the time to start a small business!

Continue reading »]]>

Twitter for Nonprofits Tips and Tricks:

An Amazing Search and Free Nonprofit Tool – Twitter for Nonprofits

For years you have heard Twitter, Twitter, Twitter, and SEO this and Social Media that.  You have heard that Twitter for Nonprofits is great and saves time and money, but what can Twitter for Nonprofits do for you, something that shows real results for Philanthropy.

With so many options in the internet jungle, Twitter for Nonprofits is one that will get your organization seen.

You finally figured,” OK we will Set up a Twitter account“, you built a nice home page and gathered followers, now what?  At first look Twitter for Nonprofits is just a Social Media Network, a short concise social messaging system.  I am about to show you that Twitter for Nonprofit

Twitter for Nonprofits is an amazing Tool

is a vast FREE Nonprofit Business Tool.

Let’s look at two ways Twitter can assist you and help bring you donations and volunteers, all free!  Sound like a Twitter for Nonprofit Tool you want to hear more about, read on!

When was the last time you searched a specific topic or question on Google, Bing or Yahoo and actually got the perfect answer without finding advertising for virtually anything, most not even related to your search; I’m waiting??

Twitter is an amazing search tool, since Twitter has no advertising involved in the search process; you are more likely to receive tangible results to your query.

Here are some tips and tricks to get tangible search results.  Using this Fantastic Tool, Twitter for Nonprofits

becomes more useful!

Here is a step-by-step guide:

1)   Go to your Twitter Home Page

Effective Questions On Twitter for Nonprofit is a great Tool

2)   Click on the search box

3)   Type in a short concise question  (Example; Do Ask “How do I Facebook” Don’t Ask “How do I delete a like on Facebook”)            Simple is best

4)   The results bring up a long list of Tweets

The Results cover many topics but in my search I wanted to know how to delete a person from my Facebook page.  3 Tweets from the top said “New question and answer, how do I delete one person from Facebook highlights section.  This sentence was followed by a link, I clicked it and was lead not to an advertisement for web services, but right to a list of questions and answers about Facebook, my answer was there.

For the Fun of it tweet your own name or that of your business.  I “Twitter Searched” Thomas R. Reich and got some interesting results.  This is another Twitter for Nonprofits Tool to see if others are Tweeting about your charity, or about you, and again it is always free to Tweet!

The point is you will get actual results from Twitter users like you.  The results may not be what you wanted, but they are honest, not influenced by pay-per-click structures that haunt the big search engines.  You never see banner ads on Twitter, just pure results, from real potential customers.

Twitter for Nonprofit searches are not for sale to advertisers making it a great Tool for those wishing to answer a question.

Now, try it, play around with different searches and ask yourself; “What have I learned about a FREE Twitter for Nonprofit Tools that can help my business?”

1)   Twitter is an alternative search tool to the                                                                                              big search engines

Asking Questions and giving Answers can be an effective Twitter for Nonprofits Tool

2)   Answers are usually contained in links with Twitter

3)   The new Twitter accounts I am seeing have tweets that are answers to specific questions.

4)   Did I just learn a new trick, a Twitter for Nonprofits Tool to make my own tweets more broadly read?

5)   Now Create some answer Tweets of your own, in your area of expertise!

We, here at CharityNetUSA are always looking for ways to help our friends.  When we find ways to make your Charity, Nonprofit or Foundation run more smoothly, we all benefit.  Help us help you help others, leave suggestions for topics of discussion below.  Remember, CharityNetUSA is still asking for topic suggestions for our 2012 webinar series, and we have gotten some great suggestions so far.

If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to set up and service a Charity, Nonprofit or Foundation please contact:

Nonprofit Tool Center Nonprofit Resource Center

CharityNetUSA by visiting CharityNet USA or by calling, toll FREE 1.877.857.9002.  Please follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to receive free daily tips and tricks as well as notification of our FREE Award Winning Webinar series and more information on Twitter for Nonprofits!

Continue reading »]]>

Social Media, SEO and Your Web Site, What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know; What You Must Do in 2012 to Survive the Raging River that is the Internet!

 By Thomas R. Reich and Chris Romero

Why are Social Media, and the internet Important to you as a Nonprofit Director today in 2012?  First let’s look at Social Media and how it can help your Organization in a number of ways.  As an invaluable tool of today’s Business, Social Media can work in conjunction with your website to help create an amazing internet “mailing list”.  But what do Social Media, your Web Site and the Internet as a whole have in common and how are they important to your business in 2012?

Think of the days before the internet revolution, an organization would design a flyer if the organization had a siginificant product or service to launch they would probably make a nice brochure.   In order to give the work a professional look the organization would use the services of an outside company to finalize the art work and prepare the piece for the printer.  At that point the piece would be sent to the printers to print it and to the fulfillment house to begin addressing the finished brochures to your established mailing list.  If the release was important enough, the organization might even buy one or even several additional targeted mailing lists to reach thousands or tens of thousands of potential customers, many of the brochures  would be thrown away some would be read,  and a few became leads.

The point is, there was cost involved in traditional marketing and the design process, the mastering and printing process, the addressing of the pieces to be mailed, the costs of the mailing lists and finally the postage charge of sending your beautifully prepared work of art out to the “targeted” masses.  Fortunately, the internet cuts many of those costs with its no cost mail delivery.   Heck, it has effectively bankrupted our postal system.  However, there are still costs involved.  Advertising is never entirely free, but the cost of not using cutting edge methods to reach your potential customers is not only foolish but may kill your organization.

In the past, when you used a print house, you didn’t bring in an offset press to your facility, did you?  You probably used a fulfillment center to address and mail the thousands and thousands of pieces as well, right?  We must understand there are still costs involved in a properly executed Social Media and SEO campaign.  Lists of targeted “addresses” still cost money, SEO or Search Engine Optimization is an art, and unless you are a big enough organization to have a specialist in house this should be out sourced and is an ongoing, never ending process.

If an outside advertising firm or art house was used to make brochure designs in the past, perhaps you should use professionals to do this process for your Nonprofit’s on line materials as well.  Just because you can buy a copy of Adobe In Design, having this or other programs does not mean you could or should consider doing all the design work in house.  There are specialized professionals to which design for use on the Internet is second nature.  Your brochure must be top notch, professional and induce a potential customer to call your office.  If you couldn’t create a finished brochure in-house in the 90’s your organization would probably still be best suited to have this done professionally by a proven expert in your market.

What you can do is learn to manipulate Social Media for nonprofitsin such a way as to accumulate large “mailing Lists”.  You can develop a Social Media Profile to point back to your company’s website.  A website  that represents your Nonprofit and its dealings 24 hours a day 7 days a week, but again, it is best to accept guidance from a professional to make this website as outstanding as possible.  Twenty years ago when showrooms were the rage, an organization would hire a decorator to guide them as to what colors to use what drapes the material to use for the carpets and the look of the display tables.

Website SEO Social Media and Nonprofits

They would have custom wall hangings and mock ups of their services, maybe even miniatures of a facility or the new building they hoped to build, made by a professional miniature model maker.

Today, you website is your display room.   It must be perfect, it must represent you, it must be interactive as if a representative, one that you trained and trusted, was there with the potential donor.  Your Organization must have a professional and targeted Web Site, linked to Social Media and maximized for SEO, or you are throwing money out the door.  Just as we discussed with the brochures, the costs are significantly reduced, but you still may need professional help.  Do you really want to trust your main showroom design to the receptionist?  You may be surprised, but in many cases it is the receptionist  who many Boards get to pick a template from a free site, one of those do it yourself domain hosting destinations advertised so much today, later, leaving the important decisions of picking the type fonts and colors to, yes, the receptionist!

Your Web Site is your showroom.  Like it or not, that is the reality of 2012. Your Organization can no longer call it “that web thing”, you can no longer ignore it, because your competition is not ignoring the Internet!  With a well planned strategy, good branding, and exceptional brand maintenance, your Web Site, in conjunction with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and other Social Media resources, can be a better tool than direct mail ever was.  It combines direct mail with lead generation, a show room and even demonstration area or Update from the site of a particular project with the clever use of video and YouTube.  Beyond this, with the use of things like Google analytics, and the clever following of the right competition or peers  on Twitter and facebook,(see other blog postings on BizCentralUSA that cover these subjects) you can know more about your market and your competition than you could have dreamed of in the past.

The Internet is not a fad, Social Media is not a fad, and your Organization’s Web Site is as important as your home office, perhaps even more important, since it can be seen instantly around the world.  These are the facts of 2012.  Isn’t it time to at least ask some questions, hear some advice, talk to some Internet professionals and see what can be done to strengthen your position in the new world of 2012?  The Internet is now a raging river of unrelated data, but  with proper guidance and direction your company can build an internet strategy that can be an island with a beacon of direction and light in the center of that raging river of potential customers!

Before you waste one more cent on Yellow pages, and obsolete printed mass mail material which must then use postage, take a little time and listen to an updated strategy that could bring your Nonprofit, with all its quality and good will, smoothly into the New Year.  Make 2012 the year you truly wade into that raging river that is the Internet and tame it!

At CharityNetUSA, we have been on the cutting edge of internet strategies and Social Media Marketing since 2003.  We can’t start the conversation without a call from you!  We are here to help your Nonprofit.  Give CharityNet a call and let’s discuss an Internet and Social Media Strategy.  With the right SEO and Social Media Operation, combined with a fantastic, targeted Web Site, we can help you make 2012 a record year for your organization, and help increase your Internet exposure to the world!

** If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to the Non-profit community, please contact Chris Romero at CharityNet USA  by calling 1.877.857.9002 ext 509 or emailing him Chris@BizCentralUSA.com  Keep visiting www.CharityNetUSA.com .  Please follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to receive daily tips and tricks!

Continue reading »]]>

One increasingly important marketing tool for nonprofit organizations to utilize is social media.

The first step to social media websites for nonprofit organizations is to pick the right social networks. Don’t dismiss smaller sites simply based on their sizes. Smaller sites may have members that are more focused.

If you have never created a social media page you may want to consider hiring a nonprofit marketing professional to design your page. You may be able to have a volunteer create the page free of charge. Having a professional looking page will give a good first impression of your nonprofit organization. Make sure that your organization’s profile looks good.  You can also control what your organization will look like on other people’s friend lists. Be sure to pick a great picture and title that will get noticed.

With millions of individuals already on social media and networking sites, chances are many of your members are already actively participating. Survey your members and find out who has MySpace profiles, Facebook accounts, Twitter Accounts, or if they belong to other social networks. Send them an e-mail inviting them to become your friend or to join your group.

To keep your page fresh and exciting, update your pages with new content regularly. Use MySpace ‘bulletins’, Nonprofit Twitter ‘Tweets’ and Facebook ‘notes’ on other users’ profiles to get the word out on important issues and drive people to your page.

Assign a staff person or volunteer to accept friend requests, post comments on other people’s pages, and invite others to become friends. The more people that follow your profile, the more people will become aware of your nonprofit organization.

The ultimate goal of social media and networking online for nonprofit organizations is to start turning your ‘friends’ into activists, donors, and volunteers. Make sure your social networking pages always feature lots of opportunities to get involved. Also include donation opportunities on your social networking pages. Even if you do not raise much in the short run, it helps to set expectations for the future. Be specific when you do ask your friends to do something for your nonprofit organization. Also always let people know what happened at an event or with a campaign even if they did not participate. They might get involved the next time.

Hopefully this article has given a simple social media breakdown for nonprofits. As the number of people that use these online social media and networking sites continues to grow, the importance of having an online presence on these sites will become increasingly critical for nonprofit organizations. Just remember that the more people that you have as friends online, the more people are aware of your organization and the more potential volunteers and donors you will have.