We all know that sharing is the gold standard of social media. Likes and comments are all well and good, but getting someone to share, to retweet, to repin, to regram – that is what exposes your content to a wider audience. Sharing is more powerful as it requires more engagement than passively, scrolling, reading or even clicking “like” on …
What the Social Media Success of the ALS #IceBucketChallenge Can Teach Nonprofits
I am sure that you’ve seen it by now – a Facebook friend posting a video as they get doused by a bucket of ice water, all in the name of raising awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. From Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to Scott Brown to Wally the Green Monster (Red Sox mascot), …
How To Use Social Media To Connect With Donors & Supporters
Yesterday I presented a webinar with 4Good and Nonprofit Webinars on the topic of using social media to connect and build relationships with donors. The slides and audio are up on their website if you want to experience the entire webinar (I promise it’s worth it!) Click here. I have embedded the slides from SlideShare below. Let me know what you think! …
It’s Never Too Early To Start Your Year-End Fundraising Campaigns
September is the ideal time to begin your end-of-year fundraising campaign. Donations jump 163% in December, and the average gift size increases by 36%! So what are you waiting for? This neat infographic from Salsa Labs features details about end-of-year giving and more. They also have a helpful free e-book you can download, called the Essential Guide to Year End Fundraising for …
You Can Now Save Links On Facebook To Read Later – And It’s Awesome
Have you ever been browsing Facebook, on mobile or on desktop, and wanted to save something that you saw in your News Feed to read later? I used to take screen shots of the post on mobile and then have to remember to check my photos later to find the information. Now I can save these posts within Facebook, with just …
What #SaveMarketBasket Can Teach Nonprofits About Social Media & Inspiring Passion
Born and raised north of Boston, MA, I am acutely familiar with the regional discount grocery store chain Market Basket. It’s where everyone I know shops for their food. Until recently. Market Basket has about 25,000 employees (non-unionized) and 71 locations in 3 New England states. I won’t go into too much detail about the recent goings-on, but in the …
Are You Totally Missing the Point of Social Media?
I know a lot of nonprofit professionals and marketing professionals. They have two things in common. Both groups want to know the most surefire and fastest way to grow their fans and followers on social media channels. (I mean, who doesn’t?) I think they are missing the point. To illustrate: Here are 3 common questions I receive every day in …
My Big Fat Problem With Social Media Measurement
Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s fantastic when nonprofits want to measure their social media efforts. In fact, it’s vital – consistent measurement is something I strongly recommend (a.k.a. require) of all my clients. Without measurement and analysis: How will you know what to improve upon? If you don’t know where you want to go, how will you know …
4 Ways to Use Social Media to Strengthen Donor Relationships
Donor retention (how many donors continue to give to your organization after their first gift) is at an all-time low. It’s abysmal and worrisome. The Association of Fundraising Professionals found that 70% of all donors that nonprofits recruit into giving a gift never donate again to that organization! Can you imagine if Coca-Cola or Nabisco lost 70% of their customers …