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RSS FeedNonprofits: Is investing time/money/resources to adopt social web strategies worthwhile?
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| Yes | 65% | 53 votes | Total: 81 votes | |
| No | 35% | 28 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIn our current time and place, it is imperative for non-profits to embrace social web strategies. At its most basic, a successful nonprofit relies on donations to a cause. In order to raise the money needed it must gain recognition of both their name and their cause. Or in simple terms, to receive donations it needs to go where the people are. And the people are hanging out in droves on the world wide web of social networking!
"It was a different time and place as I proudly put on my witch costume, picked up the little orange box and went trick or treating for Unicef. We knew everyone on the block and those pennies added up."
One of the current benefits to be gleaned from the merging of both non-profits and the internet is the availability of rankings for non-profits. Web savvy people of all ages can now verify that money goes where money is promised in a fair distribution with other real expenses such as overhead. The internet is watching the non-profits dollar and feeding back their findings. If you have a respected organization, the web is your friend. And, the internet doesn't require postage.
"We just brought our orange boxes back to school and off they went. Helping unknown children in faraway places. Gosh we were proud."
Another success for non-profits is their ability to bring in new donors in varying capacities. An organization needs money, but a successful nonprofit also needs committed people. Today's young generation has been raised on instant access. By using the medium they are most comfortable with for outreach, the rewards may include gaining their talents for ongoing participation with an organization.
"We got too old for trick or treating and somehow we just left the orange boxes behind. Guess they weren't cool enough anymore. Or maybe they just disappeared. I don't know."
But perhaps the overwhelming best reason to utilize social networking is really simple. We give money to those we love, those we respect, those people and issues that have a true personal impact on our lives. Sometimes it our house of worship, other times a disease that a family member or friend has battled and sometimes its political. But we give to causes that we can see and feel. By establishing a presence and creating a dialog on the social webs of today, a nonprofit can build energy that will sustain them tomorrow.
"We didn't have safe parties for Halloween then. Didn't have to screen our candy for poison. We could just go out and trick or treat. Can't simply have our kids do that anymore. Times have changed. But you know, I bet I'd click on that orange box if I saw it again. Might feel good. Trick or treat for Unicef. Click."
Learn more about this author, Stefani Deoul.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
No
While many praise the glories of a social web strategy, for many non-profits such strategies are distracting at best and huge money pits at worst. A strong communications program requires that organizations define their target audiences, key messages and most effective distribution channels. The social web channel may be right for some audiences at some times, but it is certainly not the panacea for every non-profit's woes.
For organizations that regularly rely on broad appeal and distributed fund raising from lots and lots of volunteers, a social web strategy may make sense. For example, study-abroad programs and many disease-fighting organizations come to mind. However, local hospitals, community centers and homeless shelters are not likely to find a reliable source of new volunteers and new networks that make the investment make sense. In the long run, getting to know your donors and getting them to connect with your organizationnot with Volunteer Jane Doe who will be running for something or other this Octoberis likely to yield a bigger payoff.
Some web enthusiasts chant, If you build it, they will come. They emphasize the noisy world of communications in the 21st century, and propose more noise as the only way to reach future generations of donors. While web-based social networking does enable frequent communication with many people, it is by no-means as cheap as its proponents claim. By the time you add up the cost of creating and maintaining the hardware, software, and technical and content staffing, expenses can soon outpace your direct mail budget.
And honestly, how many of those web communications will have a positive impact on their intended recipients? I have certainly regretted opting-in for the all-too-frequent occasional emails from many a good cause. In fact, some of these organizations became downright annoying and I hope never to see their names again. And how many of you simply don't open emails from those people who tend to send too many jokes, chain letters and solicitation emails?
In Building Donor Loyalty, Adrian Sargent makes a compelling case for focusing on the lifetime value of a donor. On average, personalized communication yields higher loyalty and overall giving than a typical churn and burn direct mail, email, or social networking strategy. Donor response rates from snail mail and email continue to decline while costs continue to rise. Sargent's researchand the experience of thousands of experienced non-profit leaders and other fund raiserspoints to sustained, personal, meaningful contact as the better investment.
Learn more about this author, Susan S. Flaherty.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
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