Using Social Networks

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Permalink Reply by Alnisa Allgood on August 12, 2008 at 8:25am

The distinction between enabling conversations and an online community. How do engagement strategies and skills differ or are similar?: by Beth Kanter
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2008/08/the-dinstinctio.html
I came across a post from Rachel Happe at the Social Organization blog called "Social Media Is Not Community" which gets at the heart of the confusion. Rachel observes that the concept of social media and the concept of community are often used interchangeably and they are not the same thing. She says that social media can help foster communities but it is limited to a conversation around content.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Sweitzer-Beckman on August 20, 2008 at 11:42am

I'm interested in using social networking to advance the reach of non-profits, especially in terms of fundraising. I liked this list as a good place to start:

http://www.fundraising123.org/article/11-steps-success-social-netwo...

I think the most important thing to remember is that Facebook (for example) might not be for everyone - unless you're trying to reach the college-educated, recent graduate crowd (the main population that uses FB). Just because it's popular doesn't automatically mean it's worth the time to put staff time into using a social networking site.

I went to a great talk earlier this year in San Francisco at the Foundation Center about the use of social networking. This consultant basically said that FB and the numerous other social networking sites can be a great way to get your message out to people - but it probably won't bring in a lot of money through fundraising. Facebook does have a Causes feature, but it's been calculated that the old standby of a paper mailing appeal nets more than a Facebook Cause does for the same organization. His reasons were that the users of Facebook tend to be younger (and have less money to give), and that people trust sending a check more than entering their credit card information into the Facebook Cause application.

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Permalink Reply by Alnisa Allgood on August 25, 2008 at 12:13pm

Mike Sweitzer-Beckman said:

I'm interested in using social networking to advance the reach of non-profits, especially in terms of fundraising.

Just as brain fodder, take a look at this:

Retweet via @jcolman: Beth Kanter raises $2,500 for Cambodian kids in 90min. http://snipurl.com/3jmf8 at Gnomedex! Digg It!!

Basically it's the story of Beth Kanter raising money to send some Cambodian kids to college, using social media, ChipIn!, PayPal, and some motivated challenges. Obviously, access to influential individuals or situations can be incredibly useful. But even without that strategic use of targets, goals, and challenges can make a fundraising target hit a sweet point that increases potential to give.

Here's the starting story: http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2008/08/help-me-send-le.html
And here's the follow-up: http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2008/08/how-long-does-i.html

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