Book: ‘Social Media Tactics for Nonprofits’

Nonprofit tech maven Beth Kanter has said that "101 Social Media Tactics for Nonprofits," a new book by Melanie Mathos and Chad Norman, "is like having two very tolerant and technologically savvy friends sit down with you and share their wisdom and experience about social media tactics."

"Melanie and Chad have patiently and generously shared their best secrets and time-saving tips to help nonprofits quickly implement social media," she wrote in a recent blog post at Beth's Blog. "Aside from the great step-by-step 'cheat sheets,' the book also profiles stories from 113 nonprofit organizations to illustrate the techniques."

Here, FundRaising Success e-chats with Mathos, senior public relations manager at Blackbaud, and Norman, Internet marketing manager at Blackbaud, about the book and social media.

FS: With all of the buzz out there around nonprofits and social media, what makes your book stand out?

The authors: It isn't about why you should do it. It is instead a field guide that provides actionable tips on how to do it with proven, free tools. And, there is a continuation of the learning on the blog at 101smt.com.

FundRaising Success: How important is social media shaping up to be for fundraisers? Is anyone making money?

The authors: Social media is perhaps one of the most direct and best ways to interact with potential supporters on a regular basis. So from that perspective, it is invaluable! As far as real dollars go, there are many organizations raising money with the help of social media, including nonprofits in the book like Livestrong, 
charity: water and The Nature Conservancy.

According to the 2011 Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report, Facebook is the most popular commercial social network for fundraising, with half of nonprofits responding that they have used the platform to raise money from individuals. The key is, however, to not view social media as a silo, but as a component of an integrated marketing/fundraising plan. That is particularly important when it comes to peer-to-peer fundraising.