22 Ways A Blog Can Rock Your Non-Profit’s Social Media Campaign

Last week I spoke with a national non-profit who was interested in hiring me to oversee their 2009 social media campaign. Before our call, they sent me a 37-page strategic plan for using social media to enhance awareness and fundraising for their non-profit.

These women did their homework. They outlined everything they knew about the most popular social media sites and why they would be using them.

But they left out one important element:

Why social media?

The best clients I have – the ones that get results – come to me with a specific business reason. So I asked them, “Why social media? What business results are you hoping to get?”

“Most of our donors are women in their 70′s who donate less than $200 per year.” They went on to explain the obvious business reason for using social media: To better engage with a younger generation of supporters.

With a staff of two, I recommended focusing on no more than three social media tools. Get specific measurable results and experience and then expand the campaign from there. And a blog should be the starting point.

22 Ways A Blog Can Rock Your Non-Profit’s Social Media Campaign

Your blog will enable you to deepen relationships with your fans. They find fresh, relevant content that is useful them – and have a place where they feel heard.
Your blog is a powerful way to attract new visitors by demonstrating social proof.
Your blog will save you money on IT costs because blogs are easy to use and maintain.
This ease of maintenance adds to the sustainability of your organization.
People using Google will find your non-profit a lot easier if you have a blog. Blogs get much more search engine juice than traditional, static websites.
Blogs are much less expensive to host and manage than traditional websites – and most hosting companies feature “1-click” installation of blogging software, like WordPress.
Your HR recruiting strategy can be enhanced by having employees regularly blog about why they work there. And by the way, pay isn’t as important as you think.
Your key executives will learn to speak in a more human voice through blogging.
You, yourself will become a better writer through regular blogging.
You can trash your marketing theory in exchange for valuable insight into why donors really give you money.
You will employ the Law of Karma to promote your non-profit on the web.
You will experience a spike in the number of visits and depth of engagement from your fans.
You will even have parties with your blog (with horns and cake), because it actually can be fun and easy!
Your blog will be a tool to enhance and develop valuable partnerships with other non-profits.
You can increase donor conversion rates with content that is relevant and useful.
You get the support of a huge community of thousands of other non-profits.
Having a WordPress.Org blog includes access to tons of free (yes, free) software for your blog.
You’ll empower your board members to talk about why they love your non-profit. Yes – they can write, can’t they?
Instead of waiting for your IT intern to return your call, you’ll communicate urgent news very fast with your blog.
Your blog can be a tangible way to value your staff, enhancing retention.
A blog will help you refresh and refine your passion – which is the whole point anyhow. Right?
You will be able to learn more about social media just by jumping in and starting a blog.

Did I miss anything? What other benefits have you realized from blogging?

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http://communityorganizer20.wordpress.com Debra Askanase

Great post, John! In addition to the many wonderful reasons, I might add three more:
1. Asking for new ideas from your non-profit’s stakeholders on the blog.
2. Crisis management. If the organization ever encounters poor publicity, a blog is a great way to instantly re-direct and explain the issue from the organization’s point of view.
3. The blog is the historic record of the organization’s achievements and activities. Similar to the website, but with analysis of great events, accomplishments and goals achieved give every achievement further depth in the eyes of potential/actual donors.
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Deb – Wow, three more gems – and I mean gems! Thanks.
http://www.HildyGottlieb.com Hildy Gottlieb

John:
Great list – and I like Debra’s additions above as well. Three additional benefits I have found in blogging:
1) Having to develop my thinking on a regular basis hones my thinking. I am able to make my case more clearly when I’m face to face, because I have had to think it through to write it.
2) A blog provides an official-looking way of making a point. As a consultant, if I am having a conversation w/a client who says, “Yes, but my board doesn’t think so,” I can respond in a number of ways. 1- I can ask to talk to the whole board, so I can make my case directly (not always easy). 2- I can make my case to the one person, hoping they will then make my case to the whole board (SO not a good idea!) or 3- I can make my case to that person, and then write a blog post that cogently makes that case again. I can then send the link to the person I’ve talked to, telling them, “To make it easier for you, so you don’t have to explain to the board, just pass this link along to your board.”
3) From #2, in addition to making the case to THAT board, I have now made the case to a whole lot of other boards whose members read my blog, and who likely have the same arguments.

From consulting clients to the donors of a Community Benefit Organization, anyone who finds him/herself in the position of having to “make their case / overcome objections / address risk factor” should absolutely be using their blog to do so!

Again, John, thanks for posting this!
Hildy

Hildy Gottlieb
Author – The Pollyanna Principles: Reinventing “Nonprofit Organizations”
to Create the Future of Our World
http://www.realfresh.tv Chi-chi Ekweozor

You probably said this but in not as many words, John. If not, @Debra Askanase certainly addresses it:

1. You will learn to anticipate your supporters, donors and stakeholders’ needs better with a blog.

Why?

Because by blogging regularly about your actions/achievements you will get a better feel of what they like or dislike about what you’re doing.

Great list. Thanks for sharing.
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Hildy & Chi-chi – Thanks so much for adding to the list. I’m considering the publication of a comprehensive document about blogging ROI and business value.
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http://www.radian6.com Amber Naslund

Hi John,

Great list! I love the points about giving your stakeholders a voice. I find blogs to be so much more of a real-time feedback mechanism. It’s a testing ground, too, for ideas and soliciting feedback from your community that might otherwise take time and more cumbersome effort through traditional mechanisms like surveys. It’s more informal, but that more casual conversation I think encourages commenters to be more “themselves” and provide honest, off-the-cuff input.

Non-profits are especially in a position to tell lots of great stories about the work they’re doing and the communities they’re affecting in a positive way. Blogs can be great anthologies of the impact they’re having on the people that need them most.

Great insights, John. Thanks so much.

Best,
Amber Naslund
Director of Community | Radian6
@AmberCadabra
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Amber – Thanks for the added insight into how blogging can be used as “survey” of supporters.
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http://charliefourwhiskey.com Robert Ford

John,

This is a great article.

I always tell my clients (a mix of non-profits, and small to medium size businesses) that blogs are one of those foundational building blocks of a social media strategy.

It is amazing the insights you get when you watch what people read on your blog, and then what they do with it, e.g. forward to others, post it on other social media sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, etc.), comment, blog about it themselves, etc.

One rule of thumb from all of the non-profits that I’ve worked with is that people like human interest stories. They like to be able to put a face to the people or cause that they’re helping, and if (for confidentiality reasons) you can’t highlight success stories, then highlight your team.
http://www.fundraising.co.uk Howard Lake

Thanks. That’s a very useful list, not least because you link in almost every point to another one of your posts that explains your point in more detail.

I’d suggest two more reasons:

1. A blog offers your supporters (and would-be supporters) an opportunity to share their content with you, whether it is a comment, a web link, or an embedded video or image.

2. (This really follows on from your #17 point about extensive free software/plugins). A blog can act as a hub for your other social media activities and thereby promote them e.g. by displaying a feed of your organisation’s Twitter posts, YouTube videos, delicious.com bookmark links etc.
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Howard – Great points. Chris Brogan refers the a blog as the “hub” and other social media sites as “outposts”.
http://www.cchs.org/blog Jeff P

Thanks John for being such a great resource for us non-profits as well as an encourager to keep going. Much appreciated!

Two more reasons for the blog in a non-profit: It’s a chance to show your expertise in your particular field, it also allows you to recognize some of your staff by having them add a post when appropriate. And that staff post can speak volumes about your org as opposed to a corporate voice.

Keep this info coming – invaluable stuff!
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http://www.bloggingforboomers.com bloggingbetty

This is an amazing and awesome list. The comments have also enhanced the post with even more insights. I know of a non-profit site that has actually utilized all the points that were made. They work with a team of editors that are all professionals in their niche. The site, http://www.beintheknownj.org is growing and constantly look for ways to connect with other non-profits on Twitter, Twine anda few of the video sharing sites. But, their best is still yet to come so keep watching.
Keep up the great work, this site is a course within itself.

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Many report that they are already feeling the pinch as organizations have decided to: reduce or cancel health coverage, increase employee co-pays and share of insurance costs, hold down wages, shift to part-time employees, or even reduce mission-critical services.

Previously nonprofits have relied on decent benefits as a strategy for attracting and retaining quality staff. Employee retention issues aside, this trend toward cutting benefits also has the potential for nationwide ramifications, as the nonprofit industry is the fourth largest industry in the U.S. pest control mesa
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So it’s really that blogs create good points in promoting a website or the business itself.
I'm keeping on blogging and blogging. Thanks for sharing this brilliant information.

http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

You're welcome, Allyn!

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Social media are not only a way for businesses to interact with consumers but also a source of networking and communication between people. Popular networking sites including Myspace, Facebook and Twitter are social mediums most commonly used for socialization and connecting friends, relatives, and employees.
Social media can be said to have three components;
Concept (art, information, or meme).
Media (physical, electronic, or verbal).
Social interface (intimate direct, community engagement, social viral, electronic broadcast or syndication, or other physical media such as print).
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I have to agree with the poster above in that the comments help to make the site grow. as more and more people comment the site gains popularity and exposure. Good post. can I link to this from my blog?
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Great list! I love the points about giving your stakeholders a voice. I find blogs to be so much more of a real-time feedback mechanism. It's a testing ground, too, for ideas and soliciting feedback from your community that might otherwise take time and more cumbersome effort through traditional mechanisms like surveys.
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http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Robert – Great tip about the human interest stories.