Find the Right Social-Media Enthusiast for the Job

One of the main reasons I initially approached FundRaising Success about covering social media was because at the time (now more than a year ago), there seemed to be hesitancy about the how, what and where of social-media fundraising, and who to go to in order to find the answers to those questions. What a shift from how things are today!

I won’t go into the whole debate over what makes someone “qualified” to be classified as a social-media expert, mostly because I don’t believe there is such a thing. There are people who understand the landscape of social networks — generally, however, this does not an expert make. Think of the many ways different people, organizations and businesses interact on social networks. Can someone really claim to be an expert in all of those situations?

I consider myself to be fairly savvy in the workings of social media — but exclusively around nonprofits, community building and engagement. If Pizza Hut approached me and asked me to run a social-media campaign where the winner received a free year's worth of deep dish, I would be completely out of my element. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in Pizza Hut's application of social media; of course I am, but in context to if/how that strategy could be applied to nonprofits.

So with that it seems we have gone from very few options in terms of outlets for consultation on social media and its application regarding organizations, to now an overwhelming amount. To help cut through all the noise, I want to introduce you to the term social-media enthusiast. A social-media enthusiast breathes, sleeps and eats social media, and also tends to have a niche within social media. Some focus solely on nonprofits, other strictly Facebook applications, others on making websites socially friendly. They love the concept of social media and enjoy watching it evolve as people and technologies advance.