A Primer  on Social Media  for  Nonprofits

By Frank Barry

Remember the places you choose to engage should be places that make sense based on your objective.

Create an organization Facebook page. This provides an outlet for any of the more than 200 million Facebook users who already want to connect with your organization on Facebook in a simple way. The first version of your page can be very simple, and you can launch it in minutes. To get started, it doesn't need to do much more than greet your supporters and provide a link back to your website.
Create a Twitter account. This gives your organization a voice to speak within the micro-blogging world. To get started, send out updates about newly available Web resources, events or programs your supporters will be interested in. Include links to the root content on your website.

5. Evolve.
Now you have an objective, dedicated staff, a way to listen and measure results, as well as a foundational presence in the social-media landscape. Reflect on what you've learned in your first few weeks of watchful monitoring, review the program examples talked about in the "Pursing Objectives" section above, and formulate the plan for your first social-media campaign. Your supporters are out there waiting to engage. Ready? Go! FS
(This article was excerpted from the Blackbaud whitepaper, "Nonprofit Social Media Primer." Download it here.)

Frank Barry is director of professional services, Blackbaud Internet Solutions. Reach him at frank.barry@blackbaud.com