#dpusocial

Social media allows for much more than collecting donations; savvy non-profits are also using social channels to attract new supporters, raise awareness around issues, and put pressure on politicians and corporations. Here is an example of a non-profit that use social media successfully to further their cause…

Amnesty International

One of the most recognizable non-profits in the world, Amnesty International has found success with social media by mobilizing their large support base and wielding their influence to make change.

Dialogue with People in Power

Amnesty International uses their social profiles to encourage politicians and lawmakers to support their issues.

By tweeting this in front of their nearly 100,000 Twitter followers, it also puts pressure on the politician since it’s done in front of such a large audience.

To continue our theme with live-tweeting, here are some other tips to follow when tweeting life for an event or conference: 

Post only the most interesting quotes made and stats presented by event speakers. Listen carefully and be selective. The goal is not to repeat verbatim all that is being said, but rather to share the most impressive highlights. It helps to take notes using Word or a notepad during the presentation and then craft  tweets and updates perfectly — correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation—before posting on mobile and social media.

Write in the third person. People are following the event, not the reporter.

Embed the most powerful quotes and stats on images and then upload them to mobile and social media.

Use the event hashtag in every tweet, update, and post.

On Twitter, don’t  tweet or retweet more than 10 times per hour or risk overcluttering the home feed of  followers. On Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Tumblr  post only two or three times daily. For Instagram, upload a photo once or twice per hour.

Throughout the day, photograph attendees and ask them to provide one statement about what they have gained from attending the conference and share their responses on mobile and social media.

Conduct video interviews with speakers and attendees and host the videos on YouTube or Instagram. Always include a video description and if possible, an introduction and closing slide (created in advance).

Create a slideshow of the venue, staff and volunteers, and sessions with good attendance. Be creative and capture moments that are both serious and light-hearted and ensure that all photos have captions.

At the end of day, write a blog summarizing the day’s events and incorporate photos and videos.

Intermingle marketing and fundraising content with live reporting.

Retweet the speakers and attendees that are also live reporting on the event.

Throughout the day share links to the event home page as well as the event agenda. Announce new speakers by linking to their bio and headshot.

If the event is several days long, share a blog post summarizing the days activities as the last tweet, update, and post and let followers know what time the event begins and when live reporting resumes the following day.

As mentioned in the previous blog, it is very important to have a strategy for your nonprofit, especially when you are dealing with social media. Think about what goals you want to achieve, if you have sufficient man power to achieve these goals, what social platforms you want to utilize, what plan/methods are you going to use to achieve success. These are all important questions to keep in mind when beginning to create a strategy for your social media plan. 

Here's an example given by nonprofitabout.com on how you can structure your plan.

1.  Create a Social Media Committee.

2. Plan.

3.  Get organized.

4.  Create policies.

5.  Choose Channels.

6.  Listen.

7.  Work smarter.

8.  Create great content.

9.  Plan on getting visual.

10.  Measure and improve.

If you are wondering how much time nonprofits should be spending on social media the following blogs can help you determine that: bethkanter and impatientoptimists

Knowing how much time to spend can help you assign teams to different social platforms and allow you to become and active and reachable member for those interested in your organization. 

Here’s a simple 5-4-3-2-1 plan that your nonprofit can follow created by the impatient optimists blog:

- 5 days a week, post to Twitter

- 4 days a week, post on Facebook and Google+ 

- 3 days a week, post to Pinterest and Instagram

-2 days a week, post on your blog

- 1 day a week, post on Vine, Instragam (Video), Youtube, or SoundCloud