Demonstrating Board Leadership with Facebook

I write and present about how small nonprofits should use social media.  It is a key tool in the building relationships toolbox today.  But I am usually writing about it from the standpoint of what a nonprofit should do.  This is about what Board Members should do.  I often am with an Executive Director and a Board where a Board member begins to grill the ED about their facebook page – is it up yet?  I haven’t seen it.  You really need to post more…yadayadayada.  The EDs are frequently defensive in response and mention how much time it takes and they are trying.  I’ve heard this conversation many times with small nonprofits.  Both sides are not happy with the status of the facebook page.  The Board Member wants more attention given to facebook.  The ED sees it as not worth the effort it takes.  The conversation always moves onto something more important and it is gone…and only maybe forgotten.

So what should Board Members be doing with their nonprofit and facebook anyway.  Here are the very basics.  It is for people who are already on facebook.  If you are not on facebook,  I am not suggesting you do this.  In fact, if you are not on facebook, you may not have any idea what I am talking about in this article.  If that’s the case, I apologize.  But if you are on facebook Mr. and Ms Board Member listen up….

Facebook is all about the conversation.  When you go on facebook for personal use, think about being at a cocktail party friend raiser for your nonprofit. It’s your job to make conversation.  Put that hat on and go to it.

It has always been a Board member’s responsibility to be an ambassador for the organization, introduce friends to the organization and invite friends to fundraising events. That hasn’t changed but the 21^st century brings some new ways of doing those things.  Whether you are 21 or 71 (Let’s say that’s the age range of 99% of Board members) chances are  good – okay not 100% - that you are on facebook.  Facebook is a powerful tool for nonprofits today and many, even small nonprofits have a staff member or volunteer toiling away to keep a presence on facebook for their organization.  Their presence could be enhanced immeasurably by Board members taking very simple steps. In many cases a nonprofit’s online impact can multiply ten to twenty times or more than its current impact if board members took a few little steps.  Using facebook is one way a Board member can exercise its Board Leadership responsibility.

What Nonprofits are trying to do with Social Media

·       Engage existing supporters

·       Find potential new friends (donors, volunteers, etc)

·       Find volunteers

·       Find people who are interested in attending events

·       Identify potential Board Members

·       Build better relationships with all of the above people

·       Get donations

The last one – get donations - comes later.   First you have to do all the other things. Board members can help with some of or all of these goals by just incorporating their nonprofit into what they already do with facebook.  I am not talking about asking your friends to give money online.  If you feel comfortable doing that, by all means, go ahead. But that is not what I am suggesting here.  I am talking about how you can be an ambassador online just by tweaking – a very little bit – what you already do.  Let’s look at the possibilities.

Your nonprofit probably has a facebook page. But it may not have a lot of activity or people who see it.  The real value of having a facebook page for a nonprofit is to have it come up in people’s newsfeed. Very few people will go directly to the page.  Here are a few things you as a Board Member can do:

1.     Like the organization’s page

 An organization page is different than a friend’s page and getting  people to “like” the page takes some effort.  You can help.  Once 25 people “like” the page, the nonprofit can claim the name so that they can promote it.  The url will be http://facebook.com/nameofnonprofitpage.  

If your nonprofit is new at facebook, make sure that you like them – so that they can as quickly as possible claim their facebook url.  If they are already established, you want to like them because then they will come up in your newsfeed and you’ll be able to do the next steps easily without having to think about going to their page.

2.     Like comments and comment on the page’s posts

The only way most people will see what is posted on the organization’s wall is if it comes up in their newsfeed.  Many people see “highlighted stories” first – rather than “most recent stories” - which filter out lots of recent stories. A post is much more likely to be in the highlighted posts feed if it has likes and comments.  If three board members just clicked the like button on a wall post, it will greatly enhance the likelihood of the post appearing in more people’s newsfeed.  Comments and likes also cause people to read the entry and join the conversation.  Engaging people in conversation is an important opportunity that facebook provides, but just like at a cocktail party it takes someone to start the conversation – you can be that person.  I routinely respond to nonprofit’s wall postings with clicking the like button or commenting on events I attended.  It takes seconds and can help their visibility in newsfeeds a great deal. It also can be a conversation starter.

3.      Initiate posts on the organization’s wall.

Facebook pages where only one person is posting are boring.  Different people posting will make it more  attractive.  So….. Initiate posts.  It is so simple.  Here are some examples:

“I am really looking forward to going to the ABC Nonprofit’s Fall Fundraiser.  They are honoring Joe Smith this year and he really deserves it.  Do you know Joe?  Would you like to sit at a table with me?  Let me know”

“Wow!  I had a great time at the Reading Festival for kids in Newark hosted by PCCI.  I am on the Board and I volunteered for the day.  The kids really enjoyed it and there were so many interactive things for them to do. It was all about literacy, the arts and having fun. I just love being part of this organization.”

4.     Initiate posts on your own wall.

You can take the same comments and post them on your own wall.  This may cause some people who see your posts in their newsfeed to check out the organization’s page and like the page.  It is my experience that when I post about nonprofits that I am involved with the posts get likes and comments.  This tells me that my friends like seeing these brief updates of what I am doing with nonprofits.

5.     Post pictures

Did you attend an event and take pictures?  Post them on facebook – on your wall and the organization’s wall.  Or tag them to your nonprofit.  Don’t forget to post a caption identifying the nonprofit.  People love to click on pictures on facebook.

These are all very simple ways that you, as a Board member can be an ambassador for your nonprofit.  If 10 people did one of these things once a week, a nonprofit’s facebook page could become a strong relationship building tool.  It would only take between one second and a few minutes a week to do it.

Another hidden value to Board Members engaging with an organization on facebook is the morale builder and encouragement it gives the page administrator and staff.  Often staff feels removed from the Board.  The reputation of the Board with the staff can take quite a leap if you are engaged on facebook. The page administrator will be energized to be more pro-active when they see that people are engaged on the page.  And engagement begets more engagement.  Before you know it a nonprofit’s facebook page is doing what it was supposed to do.

Many nonprofits, including a large number of small nonprofits, have a facebook page these days.  But they are underachieving the opportunity to build relationships with supporters. Board members have the ability to help catapult this friend raising tool to a much higher level. 

And this will be you if you do all these things:

I hope this article has given you something to think about.  These are all easy things to do but they can have a big impact if enough people take just a few steps.  And I promise it won’t seem like work at all, once you dive in, you’ll enjoy it.

The Relationship between Offline and Online Giving - This Infographic by Frank Barry Says It All

A big thank you to Frank Barry at Blackbaud for sharing this WOW! infographic which tells the story of the relationship between online and offline giving better than any words or traditional charts can.  Infographics are the new in way to present data in an engaging and understandable way. 

Have you considered using infographics to present information on your website?  In your marketing materials?  Your Newsletters?  You may want to put learning more about infographics on your list of things to learn this year - its on mine.

See Frank's article here.

 

New Year's Resolutions - Not Goals - for Nonprofit Leaders

For the last four years I have asked nonprofit thought leaders in my LinkedIn network to contribute to this list of recommended New Year’s resolutions for nonprofits.  It is interesting to see the tone change from year to year.  This year the tone is clearly on “Be the best you can be.”  It is upbeat and forward looking – so very refreshing to be at this crossroads.  The advice runs the gamut from down to earth basic and practical to more philosophical and broad in scope.  And….All of it is so RiGHT ON! 

I recommend that you peruse this list and find what inspires you to add or adapt to your own resolutions fo 2012.  I have grouped them into two categories for “ease of absorbing the ideas.”  You can click on the name of each of the contributors and link to their website for more fascinating insight and advice for nonprofits.  I thank the contributors – profusely! - for taking the time share their wisdom and experience with us.

Development/Fundraising

I’ve noticed that the fundraising experts are usually straightforward, no nonsense get to the points types.  But this year we have a mix of approaches. Marc Pitman, Jay Frost and Linda Lysakowski stay true to that characterization but Pamela Grow recommends a long term perspective.

Marc Pitman:  I'd highly recommend people ask more. Readers of my blog or of my book "Ask Without Fear!" will know that I believe in a holistic approach to fundraising. But I'm seeing more and more fundraising folks that crowd out the "ask" for other aspects of fundraising. (If I hear "friendriasing" one more time!!!!) Friends are very important, but even they know that you need to raise money. So in 2012 ask more!!    

Jay Frost:   Here are my top five...

1) Respond to every donor. Personally. Every single time. And, as much as possible, do so by the donor's preferred means of communication.

2) Know your donors. Conduct sufficient research to develop growing and deepening relationships, both at the major gift level and in every segment of your constituency.

3) Ask. Often. Through all available channels. Just because mail or phone worked yesterday doesn't mean it will work tomorrow. And just because it doesn't appear to be a big source of revenue today doesn't mean it won't tomorrow either. If social media fundraising seems like a fantasy just remember how we all felt about email fundraising ten years ago.

4) Ask broadly. America is a rapidly diversifying philanthropic marketplace. We owe it to our causes and organizations to open the doors to a much wider community of supporters.

5) Go Global. Wealth and philanthropy are expanding rapidly around the world. Social media is opening avenues to reach audiences in places we once thought too far away to solicit support. This is a perfect time to begin cultivating an international donor constituency.

Linda Lysakowski:    

1. Resolve to involve my board members in fundraising and get them the training and education they need to be effective fundraisers.
2. Resolve to clean up our donor database so we can be more hi-touch in addition to being hi-tech!
3. Resolve to regularly assess our development program and see where we can improve
4. Resolve to make at least three personal visits to major donors each month.
5. Resolve to involve my CEO in the donor identification, cultivation and solicitation process.

Pamela Grow:   I’m urging organizations to focus on the lifetime value of a donor – for long-term success.   Resolve to cut the nonprofit jargon, learn how to market and, lastly, try exploring outside-the-box educational venues. Rather than signing up for yet another AFP workshop, try attending an Internet marketing seminar or even taking a sales workshop. Get outside your comfort level.


Mission, Operations, Evaluation, Creativity, Boards

Anne Ackerson:   "We are, therefore we have value" is NOT the nonprofit mantra for the 21st century. Nonprofits of all stripes should resolve to better understand their value and impact in a rapidly changing world and they should embrace using a variety of ongoing evaluative methods to get at the heart of why they're important to others.

Clearly, many segments within the sector do this quite well already, but many, many others simply have no handle on how to evaluate their impact, much less understand WHY it is important to do so. However, audiences can be fickle things unless there's real meat on the value bones. Mere window dressing doesn't cut it -- audiences and their support will move on to a hundred other charities where the value proposition is clearer, brighter, more meaningful and delivers on the mission promise.

TerrieTemkin:     I would say that boards and staff should resolve to add more play to their work. Research tells us that it makes us more creative. Today, we need creativity more than ever.

This means pushing back when the strong personalities - we all know who they are! - state emphatically that they don't want to waste their time with games or "touchy-feely" activities.

Susan Detwiler   I hope that nonprofits resolve to pay attention to aligning their internal operations with their mission. It brings lasting positive effect on delivering the mission when every policy and decision is weighed against the effect on the mission.

I think that one of my own resolutions for 2012 will also be of value to nonprofits leaders.  It is simply to eliminate some of the “busyness” that takes so much time, and adds so little value to my life.  This busyness is cluttering my brain and keeping me from more in depth thoughtfulness.  In 2012  I plan to fight back the sound bite life and give the “blue chips” the attention they deserve. 

I am moving into a new more spacious office space courtesy of my adult son moving into his own apartment.  Moving is always an opportunity to get rid of stuff and get organized.  It is also a get time to reflect and have a fresh start.  So I am looking forward to the type of year Anne talks about above with “real meat on the value bones.”  I also hope to take Terrie’s advice and “add more play to my work.”

I hope you found value in this list of recommendations.  I certainly did – and inspiration too!  Thanks again to Marc, Jay, Linda, Pamela, Anne, Terrie and Susan for sharing such great ideas with us.  Please leave your comments and join the conversation.

Wishing You Joy, Courage and Vision

Dear Friends,

I wish all of you a joyous holiday season and a blessed New Year. This holiday letter is being posted both at Marion Conway – Nonprofit Consultant and The Grandma Chronicles.

Especially as I am getting older, Christmas is a time of reflection for me.  It is a time to be thankful for all our blessings, for appreciating family and friends, and for sharing with others.  It all brings joy.  I have turned down the lights in my office, lit candles in the window and am playing Christmas Chant. It is my routine for writing this Holiday message.  I can feel the peace of Christmas as I let go of the busyiness of the day filled with grocery shopping and cooking for Christmas Eve and Day.

This year has again been filled with the joy of grandparenting.  Our grandson is now 2 1/2 years old and he brings new energy to our lives every day.  I enjoy writing about him at The Grandma Chronicles and “shouting out with joy” about all of our adventures together.  This year Zach helped bake Christmas cookies for the first time and he is already a pro – enjoying all the tasks from slicing cherries, breaking eggs, using the electric mixer and spooning cookies on the baking sheet.  My husband had the courage to let him use a knife with supervision and Zach had the courage to use the electric mixer by himself. These pictures show how he approached this all with thoughtfulness. I had a vision of him enjoying baking cookies with Grandma and experienced total joy at the way he jumped in.  In less than two weeks Zach begins pre-school and both he and my daughter Fran, will have to show some courage as they let go of each other.

This past year has been another difficult one for the nonprofit community. Funding continues to be a challenge while demand is strong.  2012 may be the time for nonprofits to take a serious look at their vision and how they can get where they want to be.  I have seen in the last few months a new interest in strategic planning.  I wish you success with your planning – keep it focused on your mission and realistic and also have the courage to try new things.  How nonprofits deliver services, how they build relationships with all their constituents, how they fundraise – it is all changing.  Just as families and businesses are changing how they deal with a changed economic climate, it is time for nonprofits to think beyond a “make it through” mentality and look at fundamental changes that may be in order. 

This year my consulting work expanded to include quite a bit of speaking and I found that I really enjoy it.  Need a speaker in 2012?  Let’s talk.  I worked at blogging at three blogs and hope to blog more often in 2012. I have lots of other goals for 2012 but I’ll write about that at a later date.

Last year I wished you all joy, pride and a spirit of action.  This year, I wish you joy, courage and vision.  It is time to look beyond the coming year and visualize your path to the future.  Have the courage to take some big steps.    

Grandparents, parents, nonprofit friends and the nonprofits you work for will be in my prayers as I attend services on Christmas Eve.

May You Have a Blessed and Joyous Holiday,

Marion

Need a Holiday Gift for Someone in the Nonprofit Community - A Curated List of Books

This is the third year that I am making a list of books that you might want to consider giving to your nonprofit friends. This is a curated list - I asked leaders in the nonprofit community to contribute to this blog post. This year’s contributors to this list are Marc Pitman, Gail Perry, Maria Semple, Linda Czipo, Amy Sample Ward and a few of my own.




Amy Sample Ward

Amy Sample Ward was clearly thinking about new ways of thinking about organizational structure and people working together when she recommended this trio:
The Future of Nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in the Digital Age
by David J. Neff and Randal C. Moss

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations (Hardcover)
by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom

Humanize: How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World
by Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant

These books are sure to give you a whole new outlook about how your organization can be successful in the future.



Linda Czipo, Executive Director of the Center for Nonprofits in New Jersey was also thinking about developing stronger nonprofits when she recommended:

Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability
by Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman. Linda gives it a rave review with these comments: “It helps guide organization managers through crucial analyses (fund raising profiles, program and organizational viability, etc.) in a very accessible manner. Great blend of user-friendly prose, matrices, and diagrams to help organizations sift through the "tough questions." Very useful.” Every year I add some books to my own reading list as I put this one together and this is certainly a must read for me this year.



Marc Pitman

 Marc Pitman has been reading books about human behavior and as the "fundraiser extraordinaire" that he is, he knows that understanding human behavior is a key to successful fundraising. Here are his recommendations:

Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin and Robert B. Cialdini. If you read Influence by Cialdini – this is the sequel with lots of examples of the principles.

How We Decide
by Jonah Lehrer. This book describes the neuroscience behind decision making, and is a good compliment to Yes!

Two other good fundraising building block books are by two of the contributors of this list.

Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion Into Action (AFP Fund Development Series) (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series)
by Gail Perry

"Panning for Gold: Find Your Best Donor Prospects NOW!"  by Maria Semple is an interactive e-book with links to 75 websites used by prospect researchers. Vist Maria’s website to download this book. http://www.theprospectfinder.com/id12.html.


Encore Recommendations
Books recommended over the last two years and now recommended again include:

Ask Without Fear!: A Simple Guide to Connecting Donors With What Matters to Them Most by Marc Pitman

50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop
by Amy Eisenstain

The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change
by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine

The Pollyanna Principles: Reinventing "Nonprofit Organizations" to Create the Future of Our World
by Hildy Gottlieb

See the links to those posts at the end of this article.

Now for my picks.

I have to include You and Your Nonprofit: Practical Advice and Tips from the CharityChannel Professional Community
- I am proud to be a contributor to this book featuring over 40 contributors with articles on a wide range of topics important to nonprofit professionals. It features practical advice and tips from the Charity Channel Nonprofit Professional Community. This is an excellent on the shelf resource for new and experienced nonprofit leaders alike. There is a 25% discount until 12/31/11 if referred by a contributor. See the sidebar for details.

I’d like to also include a couple of good children's books for your holiday gift list. My favorite is
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters
by Barack Obama
I reviewed this book featuring stories about American heroes and beautiful illustrations at my other blog – The Grandma Chronicles. This book is one of those that should be on every child’s bookshelf.

Kate Smith Milway has written another excellent book for children: The Good Garden: How One Family Went from Hunger to Having Enough (CitizenKid)
is about a young girl in Hounduras who learns new farming techniques at school, uses them and home, and grows food that can be sold in the local market. This book takes a difficult subject and tells an upbeat story. 

I hope you find a book that is of interest to you on this list. I know that I have. The list goes the gamut from philisophical and strategic to the practical and down to earth. The common thread is the interest these books should have for the nonprofit community.  I thank Amy, Gail. Linda, Maria and Marc for their thoughtful contributions to this list.

Some Related Links:

A Wish List of Books for Nonprofit Folk - 2010
Nonprofit Books That Make Great Holiday Gifts - 2009

Books to Add to Your Reading List in 2010 – The Well Known and a Few Discoveries (2009)
You and Your Nonprofit – Just Published!
Of Thee I Sing - A Letter to my Daughters by Barack Obama 

Lets Start a Movement for Small Nonprofit Day

American Express has sponsored “Small Business Saturday” to encourage people to shop in small businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving for several years. If you haven’t taken advantage of it before – I have– American Express will give you a $25 statement credit for shopping at a small business that takes your American Express card – when you shop on Small Business Saturday. You have to register online first – but, gee, this is a pretty good offer.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving I have made it a practice to shop downtown in nearby Montclair at a qualified small business. And I always “double up” being a good citizen by making sure that at least one of my Christmas gifts is a fair trade product. Our family favorite past fair trade purchase was these beautiful napkins by Global Mamas. We use them all the time.


Anyway – I have a proposal – lets also make the Saturday after Thanksgiving – Small Nonprofit Day. The lion’s share of giving goes to large nonprofits – for many reasons. This is actually true of my personal giving too because I believe in the effectiveness of large organizations such as Oxfam America.

But I always allocate a portion of my giving to small, more local nonprofits. They may not have fancy websites, a great facebook presence and professional appeal letters. But they are an important part of the fabric of our communities – especially today.  There are more people than ever using food banks, libraries, attending church run programs, etc.

Just as the excellent American Express campaign promoting small business is having an impact on small business, I believe that having it also be Small Nonprofit Day can also be a boom for small, locally based, nonprofits. I hope American Express considers expanding the focus of the day and I hope you – members of the nonprofit community - will join me in spreading this idea.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and the whole holiday weekend. On Thursday I cook for 20 people, on Friday I recover and on Saturday I shop – locally. Also, I’m thinking about the nonprofits I will be donating too …. on Saturday.

My local favorite is PCCI where I am Board Secretary. PCCI provides after school tutoring and mentoring to children in Newark, NJ by committed volunteers creating a one on one bond with a child and an adult and bridging urban and suburban communities. Our combination of one on one paring of adult and child and being volunteer powered makes our service both personal and efficient. I invite you to support PCCI with me today.

Click here to make your donation to PCCI through Network for Good.  (Note:  I LOVE Network for Good.)

Check out Trade for Change for fair trade items …My Global Mamas napkins are the best and aren’t the little girls dresses the cutest ever.  If you go to Amazon and search on fair trade lots of choices come up too.

Anticipation – Year End Fundraising – Let’s Look in the Crystal Ball and Beyond

At this time of year nonprofits have a lot of anticipation and worry about their year end fundraising. Fortunately, there are a few clues of how things might work out from surveys and results for 2011 so far. In good times they generally predict expected increases. In bad times they predict expected decreases. The good news this year is that the predictions are mixed and also had some good tidbits to take heed of.  So lets look in the crystal ball...and beyond.
This article provides key 2011 fundraising results highlights from three different perspectives. Blackbaud is based on actual giving using hard statistical data - year over year for the same month. Fidelity Charitable conducted telephone interviews with donors and the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) polled nonprofit organizations. They each have something different to offer and you can read the reports for more details.

I will also be writing a companion piece at the Nonprofit Capacity Building Blog where I’ll write more about the NRC report.

The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving
The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving reports that overall giving increased by 6.8 percent for the 3 months ending August 2011 as compared to the same period in 2010. The Index is a broad-based fundraising index that reports total giving trends of 1,276 nonprofit organizations on a monthly basis. It is based on actual giving statistics from nonprofit organizations of all sizes - both offline and online. Although there are large variances when broken down into segments this is certainly overall good news. For more details and new results every month, visit the blackbaud website.

Fidelity Charitable
Fidelity Charitable, the nation's largest donor-advised fund program, reports that despite continued economic challenges, the 502 donors surveyed remain committed to charitable giving. 72% of donors plan to maintain or increase their level of charitable giving this year compared to last year. This number is up from 63% in 2010. An additional piece of good news from this survey: 64% agree that charitable tax deductions have no impact on their giving.

Fidelity has no vested interest in online giving or nonprofits using social media so it is of particular interest to see what they found in their survey. Their respondents are people over 18 who participated in a telephone interview and said that they expected to give $200 or more in 2011. The survey was conducted in mid-October 2011 - this is very fresh data. So does the Internet play a role in charitable giving and what online resources do potential donors use? This survey sheds some light on this subject.

42% use online resources to find information about charitable organizations
     31% Internet search engines
     20% Social media sites

Of all donors surveyed, 40% report they are using some form of technology to make charitable donations this year.

25% organization's website

21% personal fundraising web page established by a friend or family member

10% other – including text to give

The importance of face to face has not died just yet. 51% say they will make donations this year by attending, donating to and/or purchasing items at a charitable event.
See the full Fidelity Charitable story here.

Nonprofit Research Collaborative
This comprehensive report provides survey results from 813 responding charities about their fundraising results and approaches in the first half of 2011. This report does not have hard data like Blackbaud but it is loaded with insight about what is working. Some of the key findings are:

Compared to 2010: 44% of responding charities reported increases in funds raised; 25% said giving was the same as in the same period the prior year; and 30% saw a decline.

Almost all methods of increased investment in fundraising saw increased results at about 30% to 36%

The biggest increase was special events, where 46 % of responding charities reported an increase.

Download the full report via Guidestar here.

So what’s the bottom line here. I think all this means that you have the potential to do better with fundraising in 2011 than 2010 but you have to invest in making it happen - it won’t just happen by hoping it will. Invest in online and offline - there is potential in both.

2010 wasn’t a great year for fundraising so increasing from that base isn’t all that great, but considering the continued economic situation it certainly is good news that donors aren’t – and don’t plan to - give up on charitable giving.

A companion piece to this article “Show Me the Money -  Where Nonprofits Should be Looking" at the Nonprofit Capacity Blog covers what the Nonprofit Research Collaborative reported on what nonprofits are increasing their fundraising efforts on and what is working for them.