1. Reserve a YouTube.com URL to match your Web site. It’s important that your organization’s YouTube URL match your Web site’s URL in case you ever promote your YouTube channel in print materials or in your e-mail signatures. For example, Big Cat Rescue: www.bigcatrescue.org www.youtube.com/bigcatrescue Even if you don’t plan on using YouTube immediately, sign up and grab that URL before someone else does! PLEASE NOTE: When signing up for your YouTube account, your “username” becomes your YouTube URL! So, in this example, Big Cat Rescue has the username “bigcatrescue.” 2. Use your organization’s logo as your channel’s profile picture. Odds are that
Read MorePerson: Heather Mansfield
Advisor 07/15/08_Quote
“It has to be said … that age plays a huge role in successful social networking. Trust the younger people in your organization, and give them the green light to move forward. They are passionate about these sites. They know how to work them, and it’s important that you empower them and give them the resources they need.” — Heather Mansfield, owner of Los Angeles-based Web marketing firm DIOSA Communications and keeper of the Nonprofit Organizations MySpace site, in her story, “Makin’ It on MySpace,” in the July issue of FundRaising Success.
Read MoreMakin’ It on MySpace
In 2001, I launched a small, Web-based nonprofit organization called eActivist.org. Like most other small nonprofits, we were strapped for cash. At the time, “Donate Now” buttons were the latest and greatest in nonprofit fundraising, and I had the highest of hopes and expectations for this new and cutting-edge technology.
Read MoreScary New Worlds
A few years ago, I jumped into the virtual world known as Second Life. I created an avatar that was much thinner, much prettier and decidedly more exotic than I am (she looked a lot more like Angelina Jolie than she did me), and I gave her a cool name. The fact that I don’t remember what it was should tell you where this is heading. When I finished the creation stage — voila! — there was Margelina (we’ll call her, in retrospect), tall and beautiful, and standing completely naked in this weird, other-wordly place that was rather dark and just a little menacing.
Read MoreMySpace Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations
Heather Mansfield, owner of Los Angeles-based Web marketing firm DIOSA|Communications and keeper of the Nonprofit Organizations MySpace site, offers the following best practices for creating a presence for your nonprofit organization on MySpace. Visit http://diosacommunications.blogspot.com for a more detailed explanation of each of these points, as well as tips for using Facebook, YouTube, Change.org and other social-networking sites to engage with donors and other supporters. Design 1. Center your Friends and Comments sections. 2. Link to your organization’s Web site. 3. Use your organization’s logo for your default MySpace profile image. 4. Don’t use an acronym for your MySpace profile name. 5. Don’t “Add”
Read More