10 Nonprofit Social Media Resolutions for 2014 (part 1 of 2)

It’s not too late to create resolutions for the New Year!

As a busy nonprofit professional, you have to wear many hats and extinguish multiple fires each day.

With technology changing so rapidly and social media moving so quickly, how will you know what to prioritize in 2014?

Here are my top 10 nonprofit social media resolutions for 2014:

1)     Eliminate silos. This is my number one piece of advice for the nonprofit marketer, especially at small nonprofits that are short on staff capacity.

In 2014, social media will no longer be the sole responsibility of one person behind a desk. Social media networks have an insatiable need for up-to-the-minute information on your organization in the form of on-the-ground impact stories, photos, short videos and updates.

One person or even one lone department cannot possibly be in all places at once, collecting and disseminating this information in a timely manner. In addition, every person involved with your organization needs to be on the same page about using social media – not just what is prohibited, but what is encouraged.

2)     Educate. With eliminating silos comes education.

Some staff members at your organization may be skeptical or afraid of social media. Some of them may not understand the power of social media or the responsibility they have as an online representative of your organization.

If the financial officer at your organization posts incriminating photos online, it will reflect on the nonprofit. If a volunteer writes a scathing review about her experience with your organization on her Facebook profile, you need to know about it and address it.

There are no lines between the personal and professional anymore – think before you tweet, and educate others.

3)     Share the load. If you don’t have one already, form a Social Media Committee.

The benefits of coordinating a dedicated group of people to do the work of your nonprofit’s social media are many. A vibrant social media strategy requires a lot more than just sending one tweet a day. There is research to be conducted, photos to take, stories to collect and comments to respond to. There are blog posts to write, posts to share and supporters to acknowledge.

Sharing the load of the social media work – brainstorming, creating, curating and promoting content – is best done within a group. Marketing and fundraising are in everyone’s job description. Without people being made aware of your organization and caring about your mission, no one would have a job – people may need to be reminded of that.

4)     Find influencers. Commit to finding and actively engaging at least 10 Online Brand Ambassadors for your organization in 2014.

Online Brand Ambassadors want to spread the word about your mission – give them the tools to do so effectively! Read more about how to identify, cultivate and acknowledge Online Brand Ambassadors.

5)     Forget your agenda. In order to cut through the noise, you need to be providing useful information to your online community – information that they will want to read and most importantly, share with their networks, helping spread the word.

Continually think about providing value and not receiving anything in return. Forget your agenda, forget promotions and announcements (unless they are of interest to your community) – start thinking about ways to build engagement and share stories that your supporters will find compelling enough to discuss, even when you don’t ask them to.

On Thursday I will post part 2 of my top 10 Nonprofit Social Media Resolutions. Please let me know how you are planning on managing your organization’s social media strategy in 2014!