Do People Really "Like" Your Facebook Page?

Here's a sobering reminder for you: Just because your nonprofit's Facebook page has a lot of "Likes" doesn't mean people actually like it.

Carie Lewis, director of emerging media at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), said at a a session at the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) in San Francisco, Calif., that success on Facebook is no longer about how many friends you have. "It's what happens after the 'Like' that matters," she explained.

Lewis went on to present research that revealed an average 90 percent of people who click "Like" never visit the page again, so it's imperative for your organization to come up with reasons for users to want to read your content. As easy as it is to click the "Like" button, it's even easier to click "unlike" or "hide content."

How do you make content more interesting for users? Lewis suggested the following tips:

• Answer everyone.
• Connect with your über-fans.
• Maintain a consistent voice.
• Provide exclusivity.
• Create your own memes.
• Plan it out; but be flexible.
• Don’t be so serious all the time.
• Make real-world events social.
• Use photos and video.
• Show people how their time, money and efforts make a difference.
• Pay attention to feedback.
• Make friends, cross promote.

Things Not To Do On Facebook

Creating a great Facebook page is a lot harder than it sounds. It's easy enough to create an account and keep supporters up-to-date about your organization's mission, but there's more to it than that. To create a truly effective social media presence on Facebook, you should look to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

HSUS has more than 100 pages on its Facebook network, with six full-time staffers and a social media intern dedicated to keeping them updated. If that sounds like a lot of work, it's because it is. That's the kind of effort you need to be successful with the popular social network.

During a session at the annual Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC), titled “Why I Don’t ‘Like’ You,” Carie Lewis, director of emerging media at HSUS, offered some suggestions about nonprofit should not do on Facebook:

• Post too much or too little.
• Only talk about yourself. Constituents can see right through it if all you’re doing is self-promotion.
• Post nothing but text, with little or no video or images.
• Sell, sell, sell. If all you do is push your products or ask for donations, it could feel like a used card lot.
• Ignore questions or disable comments. If constituents just wanted to read, they’d go to your website; social networks are social.
• Automate posts. Facebook users might not be on Twitter, so talk to them like Facebook users, sans hashtags.
• Not link to social media from your website.

Attracting Volunteers With Facebook

It's hard to come up with more than a few people in our lives who aren't using Facebook.  Even if you don't use it much for personal reasons, you probably use it to attract people to your nonprofit's website and to engage supporters.  But did you know it's also a good way to attract new volunteers?

If you aren't using Facebook to bring volunteers to your organization, you are missing out on a key recruitment tool.  So how do you do it?  Let's just say it's a little more complicated than posting a status update that reads "We need volunteers."  Here are five ways to effectively use Facebook as a volunteer recruitment tool:

• First of all, you need to make sure the people you want to reach are even using Facebook.  The site usually attracts a younger audience so if that's not the demographic you want, then it probably doesn't make sense to use it extensively.
• Think about the kind of posts that will attract volunteers.  Avoid direct appeals in favor of photos, videos, or recaps of past volunteer events.  These serve a dual purpose: They recognize past workers while showing potential volunteers what they can expect if they work for you.
• Make sure you're attracting the right people—if there's a minimum age or some other qualification, make that clear in your posts.
• Offer a diverse array of volunteer opportunities, and make sure to have rock-solid practices for training your volunteers.  In short, prepare your organization for volunteers as best you can—and then begin recruiting on Facebook.
• Maintain good general Facebook practices, and make sure all the other groundwork -- from your organization’s main website to volunteer management guidelines and processes to a policy for Facebook commenting -- is in place.

Now that you have these best practices in mind, you are ready to start posting.  Let us know your experiences with using Facebook as a recruitment tool in the comments section.

You can read more tips like these by signing up to our weekly e-newsletters.

How Will Facebook's IPO Affect Charities?

The social networking behemoth Facebook filed papers yesterday to raise $5 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) of stock.  This is good news for Facebook employees and their investors, but what does it mean for charities?  It depends on who you ask.

MSNBC ran a piece on this subject yesterday, and it suggested that this new influx of wealth to Facebook employees could mean big bucks for nonprofits.  Why?  Facebook has provided their employees with stock incentives over the years, and they will be able to use these to cash in on the IPO.  Experts like Rob Mitchell of Atlas of Giving told MSNBC that when individuals' personal wealth increases, it makes them more likely to want to start a philanthropic legacy.

Patrick Rooney, executive director of The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, agreed with Mitchell, citing studies that show entrepreneurs are about twice as generous than people who inherit their wealth.

All of this doesn't guarantee that these new millionaires will start donating to charity.  In fact, there are some who don't think Facebook employees are all that likely to start being philanthropic, at least not immediately.  Robert Frank, a writer for The Wall Street Journal, told MSNBC that he thinks they are much too young to think about starting their philanthropic efforts.  He argues that they are still in the "accumulation phase" of their lives, and want to focus on changing the world through their company, not their philanthropy.

Charities will ultimately see a lot of money come in as as result of Facebook's IPO.  It's just a question of how soon.  You can read the full story on MSNBC.

Status Update Ideas For Facebook

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook.  It's what all the cool kids are talking about these days.  Anybody who's anybody has one.

In all seriousness, having a social media presence is pretty important these days, especially for nonprofits.  Not only can you find new supporters you might not have otherwise reached, it also is a place where your followers can converse, and get the latest updates on your mission.  Since Facebook is the big kahuna of social networking sites, it's important that it provides maximum engagement for your supporters.  One of the best ways to do this is to write great status updates.  In her book Social Media For Good, Heather Mansfield provides five ideas for status updates:

• Success Stories: Supporters like to know that the dollars they are contributing are going towards successful causes.  Fill them in on how their contributions are helping to fund successful programs.
• Photos: We live in a visual culture.  Post photos directly to Facebook of your organization's latest events or just show people what your office looks like.
• Videos: Videos are also an effective visual tool for your Facebook.  Try sharing a new one at least two or three times a month.
• Breaking News: The great thing about social media is it allows you to communicate with your followers instantly.  When something big happens, take advantage of this by letting people know.  The news can be summarized in a few sentences for your status update.
• Call To Action: Have a fundraising campaign coming up?  Use your Facebook status to get your followers to participate.  You can also do this for petitions or other special events.

New Weekly Discussion on Our Facebook Page

Just wanted to let everybody know about a new feature we have just launched on The NonProfit Times' Facebook Page: weekly discussion topics.  It works like this: every week we will post a new topic on our page, with the hopes that it will spark a lively, yet respectful, debate.  Here is our topic for this week: Is social media more useful for nonprofits when it comes to fundraising or advocacy?  If you have some time, be the first to participate in what should be a great debate!

Facebook 'Causes' Launches New App to Help Fundraising

These days, it is almost impossible for a nonprofit (or any company, for that matter) to get away without a Facebook page.  The social networking site is not only an invaluable resource to update followers on the latest news, but it can also be a good fundraising tool as well.  And with the latest application from Facebook Causes, that just got a little easier for nonprofits.

Causes, an online advocacy/fundraising application in Facebook, recently launched a new update called "Give a Minute."  What is it, exactly?  Well according to a post on their official blog, it is a simple application a nonprofit can add to their Facebook page that allows users to complete short (around 30 seconds) activities that, when completed, will give a charitable donation to the organization.  This donation is usually in the range between 10 and 50 cents, but these can most certainly add up the more people complete them. 

To learn more about "Give a Minute" and Causes, visit their blog.

Facebook Feedback

In case you don't know by now, The NonProfit Times has a Facebook page.  If you haven't already, you should friend us so you can get the latest nonprofit news sent directly to your Facebook feed.

While we are pretty satisfied with the way our Facebook page is currently run, we know there are always things we can do to improve it.  Perhaps we need to do more nonprofit news updates, or initiate more discussions or debates.  Whatever the case may be, we want to hear from our readers.  If you have a moment, head on over to The NonProfit Times Facebook Page and vote in the poll we put up.  We do listen to your opinions, and we will do our best to deliver the content which gets the most votes in the poll.  So what are you waiting for?  Make your voice heard!

Win a Chance to be Featured in The NonProfit Times' Newsletters

Now is a chance to get your organization out to an even wider audience. It's simple, over the next month (so ending on about May 5th), we want you to respond to this post on our Facebook page with the craziest fundraising ideas you have come up with. Tell us the details of the idea, whether it worked, and what you learned from it.

Every week, The NonProfit Times' staff will pick one of these ideas and include it in one of our weekly newsletters that reach over 75,000 subscribers. We will also include a link back to your website, so be sure to include that as well! Good luck!

Celebrities join the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS

The singer Alicia Keys has created a project aimed at supporting families in Africa and India which have been affected by HIV and AIDS. She's called it “Keep A Child Alive”. This video highlights some of the innovative steps that celebrities are taking to lend their support to creating awareness about this worldwide health dilemma. Some of the names that have joined forces with Keys in this endeavor are Serena Williams, Lady Gaga and Usher.

Avoiding social networking for a day
A number of celebrities are committed to staying away from social media devices and applications for a day in a move aimed at fundraising in aid of the AIDS awareness initiative that Alicia Keys has created. Other names that have lent their support to the event are Elijah Wood, Justin Timberlake and Kim Kardashian, to name a few. Each of the celebrities in question have committed to raising one million dollars each in aid of HIV and AIDS research, and in tangibly bettering the lives of those who suffer from this illness. It is an online marketing strategy that is sure to bring in a huge amount of support for this worthy cause.

Making a bold statement
As part of their efforts to encourage charitable donations on the part of their fans, each celebrity has created what has been dubbed a Last Tweet and Testament video which will be used in ads in which they can be seen stretched out in a coffin. This striking move is sure to grab the attention of millions of fans around the world, and hopefully inspire a huge amount of donations. Alicia Key has stated that it's important to utilize the power of social media tools in raising awareness about this important issue. This is certainly a video worth watching if you are in any way interested in playing a part in the fight against HIV and AIDS.