A Fundraiser Dabbles In Social Media

Last week, I had the good fortune of surrounding myself with social media experts and expert hopefuls during the Social Media for Nonprofits New York City Conference.  There was a wealth of information to be learned and used, and it is days like this one that make the conference route for ongoing learning seem best –  it was great to be able to dedicate 6 hours of my time to all issues social media.

As a fundraising professional, I believe I was a minority in the audience, which is unfortunate, because my professional crowd could really learn a lot from a conference like this one. I want to share some quick take-a-ways for development folks – to perhaps help you in your quest for social media knowledge or to encourage you to attend a similar conference in your area (or this one when it comes your way).

Here are some golden nuggets I can share with you:

1. Social media tools and strategies are just extensions of nonprofits’ relationship building efforts. Time and time again, TakeTwo talks about “relationship building.” What yesterday’s conference validated for me  was that any social media effort must reinforce and support the fact that fundraising is all about relationships and building relationships – and if the strategies don’t reflect this, they won’t be very successful.
2. Social media should be used in a way that enables a give and take relationship with a nonprofit’s audience members and supporters – as opposed to a lot of talking at your audience.  Any social media strategy should incorporate opportunities for direct conversation between your nonprofit and its supporters.  For example, Facebook posts should allow opportunity for feedback, conversation – nonprofits should post pictures, ask questions, and share videos to encourage comments.  If a supporter responds to a post, respond to that supporter  – even if you don’t like the comment. Nobody likes to be unanswered – and the silence, or even worse, censorship of your audience’s thoughts and feedback could be detrimental to your organization’s credibility.
3. Your social media fundraising efforts will only ever be as good as the number of volunteers you have encouraging people’s participation and support.  Fundraising – in any form – is about the people who believe in your organization’s work. Whether trying a crowd funding campaign; raising money through your email list; or promoting your events through Facebook and other social media outlets, your efforts will only be as good as your network of supporters, volunteers, and donors. So, always focus on that – building your networks and the relationships within them. It comes first – the social media tools come second.

I learned about some great tools out there that can really help the non profits we work with fundraise. The conference was worthwhile and productive. I encourage Executive Directors, Board members, and fundraising professionals to attend a social media training conference – that way you can gain a deeper understanding of what is possible in this new era of communication. But, the formula for fundraising remains the same – and likely always will. Relationships make fundraising successful. Any nonprofit leader who understands this fully will do well by the organization they represent.