20 ways social media can help nonprofits build relationships
Mar 24th, 2009 by Amy Southerland
It’s easy to look at the expanding universe of social media tools and wonder “What can these tools do for my nonprofit? How are we supposed to use them? How does all this apply to what we do?” - and then throw your hands up in confusion or frustration.
The truth is social media is highly flexible and always evolving. Not only are there a wide variety of social media tools and social-networking platforms to choose from, but you can also use each of those tools and platforms in many different ways. So don’t get caught up in the technology - and don’t just decide to do what others are doing.
Start by thinking about the social component of social media. Sit down and make a “relationship wish list” and prioritize which types of relationships are most important to your organization right now. Then you can select and implement social media tools based on those relationship-building goals.
Here are 20 areas where social media can help nonprofits build relationships. Your team can probably think of many more possibilities, depending on your mission, ways of working, and the communities you serve.
1. We’d like to attract more volunteers like our best volunteers
2. We need to find more specialized volunteers (Speaker’s bureau? Administrative help? Skilled labor? Technology gurus?)
3. We’d like to empower our volunteers to be stronger advocates
4. We need to cultivate new board members (or board committee members)
5. Our board members would benefit from stronger relationships with board members at other organizations (in our community, or that do what we do)
6. We’d like to have more corporate volunteers
7. We need more corporate sponsors for special events
8. We need to broaden of diversify our donor base (geographically? demographically?)
9. We need to reach more new donors
10. We need more in-kind donations of specific items
11. We need to raise community awareness about a specific issue we work on that’s misunderstood … or changing … or emerging
12. We need to engage in more community organizing and advocacy
13. We need to attract new staff members (or interns)
14. We have staff members who would benefit from better support systems in our community
15. We have staff members who would benefit from stronger local and national networks in their fields of expertise (other nonprofits? public sector? academics?)
16. We need to build stronger relationships with staff at like-minded nonprofits in our community … or other communities
17. We’d like to be “on the radar” of more community leaders and policymakers - and included in more conversations about the community we serve
18. We’d like to connect with more trusted resources who can “filter” good information (e.g., best practices, research) that will help us do our jobs better
19. We have knowledge and expertise that would benefit others in our community if we could share it easily
20. We have knowledge and expertise that could benefit others across the nation (or around the world) who are trying to make a difference on similar or related issues
These are all relationship wishes where social media can play a role in helping you achieve your goals.
Which ones are most applicable to your nonprofit? What would you add? Which are in your top 10? Your top 5?
