Giving Guru Beth Kanter is the author of Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media, one of the longest running and most popular blogs for nonprofits. She is a frequent contributor to many nonprofit technology web sites, blogs, magazines, books, and is a much in demand speaker and trainer. In 2009, she was named by Fast Company Magazine as one of the most influential women in technology and one of Business Week's "Voices of Innovation for Social Media." She is the 2009 Visting Scholar for Social Media and Nonprofits for the Packard Foundation. Beth will be available to answer your questions about social media for nonprofits on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 1PM EST. Submit your questions in the comments of this post, or check out the many ways to ask our Giving Gurus.
As many of you who read my blog know, I am an early adopter of social media and set up my listening post 5 years ago to scan for people, trends, and ideas related to social media and nonprofits. Listening and engaging with people has been critical to any success I’ve achieved as a social media practitioner.
For the past five years, I’ve been teaching social media workshops for nonprofits and lately doing deeper dives on the techniques of listening both for nonprofits and in my role as Visiting Scholar at the Packard Foundation. Last week, I had the pleasure of co-leading a deep dive on listening with practitioner, Wendy Harman, from the Red Cross for NTEN's WeAreMedia project.
The presentation below is a remix of a remix of a remix. My sources of inspiration came from my personal learning wiki, WeAreMedia listening resources, and Marnie Webb's slide deck. Our session covered:
Last month, I wrote a guest post for Brian Solis titled "Listening Literacy for Nonprofits" which outlines some of the basic how-to's. But that was last month's thinking; the Webinar gave me a chance to reflect and incorporate new learnings, particularly with some of the professional tools.
Doing a living case study with Wendy Harman provided a chance to catch up her current practice.
My take aways from the session:
How is your organization listening through social media channels? What have you learned?
Tags: AGC beth kanter gear up for giving radian6 social media wearemedia
I just wanted to say thanks for another wonderful and insightful session today!
I have loved learning more and more about how to use social media to raise awareness (and money!) for my cause... it really is very fascinating how quickly everything is happening and how useful social media is.
I'm a high school student but work every day at home to enhance my organization's presence and to learn more about how to successfully use the many social media tools. A copy of any of the books you mentioned would be a great way for me to learn even more and share what I've learned with staff members and other volunteers!
- Dylan Conn 29 Sep 09, 21:12Thank you for a great session today!
We recently established a (volunteer) social media advisory board, complete with local social media gurus, board members and staff, to craft our social media strategy and assist with executing/implementing our action steps. This may be something for other nonprofits to consider.
Thanks for hosting a great session!
- Michelle Ray 29 Sep 09, 14:59What a vital resource these webinars have been -- as a "social entrepreneur" I've seen how even ONE person can affect enormous change for good -- social media helps little "David beat Goliath" -(Goliath being obstacles to mobilizing interest/people/support/funding,etc.). Would love to receive a copy of your books, Twitterville or Trust Agents, before launching my latest venture benefitting struggling Hurricane Katrina et al jazz&blues musicians. -- Thx, "L'il Davey"@yevettak [at] hotmail [dot] com
- Sandy 29 Sep 09, 14:23So much info, and startlingly, much of it makes sense! The fog IS lifting!
Beth (as always) de-mystifies and excites about the big picture and the little pictures of nonprofits' adoption of social media for social change.
Thank you for being so accessible. And helpful. And FUNNY
Jill Frank
I would love to win Trust Agents to read and hare with others at Blood Centers of the Pacific. We are in the first year of our trek into social media and are definitely learning along the way. Trust Agents seems like a great way to see what advice we can gain from the business world to benefit our interactions through social media with our blood donors, recipients, and just community in general. Thanks Case Foundation and Beth for a great Q&A today!
- Ashley Messick 29 Sep 09, 14:05Great Q and A session today! I learned a lot.
I want to learn one of the books because I work at a small non-profit that helps immigrants and we have just started a Facebook Fan Page, Causes page, and Twitter Page. I am really excited about this project and am eager to learn as much as possible! Please pick me! :)
- Kristin Lilly 29 Sep 09, 14:03In trying to suck every little bit of information from Beth's "Ask the Guru" session today, I thought a little bit about relocating to live on her doorstep.
On second thought, she may not want a stalker (complete with two children), so the books Twitterville, Trust Agents and Digital Habitats may be enough to get me by without resorting to uprooting my family.
I like the post above about the iPhone app - anything on the horizon for android phones such as the MyTouch?
- Vikki Baptiste 29 Sep 09, 14:03The smartphone stuff kind of scares me...I may be the only social media NPO manager that doesn't use or know anything about cell phones! But, aside from that, the cost of texting/smartphone features can be expensive. How do you justify those extra costs for a new venture that may or may not pay off?
And I would happily be entered into the #agc drawing for any of the 3 books! Thanks, Beth and Case!
- Barbara Christensen, Conservation Northwest (WA) 29 Sep 09, 13:51My organization recently revamped their website and I'm helping them develop a social media strategy....and we need help using the web to build influence, improve our reputation and build trust ;)
With our new website we have a fresh slate, and I want to use this book to help optimize our new beginning on Web 2.0
- Jessica Fillinger 29 Sep 09, 13:48I would ask:
Is your organization ready to be a learning organization? That is value "mistakes" as opportunities to learn and improve what you're doing?
Does your leadership understand the potential value and is willing to invest in low risk experimentation?
Can you articulate a clear set of "starter goals" that might incorporate learning?
Can you shape and identify a beginner starter project (s) that doesn't take too much time?
Are you ready to engage and build relationships with your stakeholders?
- Beth Kanter 29 Sep 09, 11:59Question: Our social media efforts are happening in a lot of different places. How do we cohesively tie these efforts together and is this important to do?
First, your efforts should be linking to or supporting your overall communications efforts. You should also have specific learning goals initially and ways to measure your effort that let you improve what you're doing.
Go through all your social media activity - ask is this strategic? Is it engaging people and build relationships? Or is it random and helter skelter?
A couple of other points:
* Are you strategically and artfully cross--polinating? For example, on my Facebook Fan Page - I don't post or automatically stream my blog on the wall. But, I do share links to my Facebook posts of interest to that audience on a one-up basis. The reason - the goal for my FB Fan Page is to have a place to have bits of conversation about what folks want to know about FB.
Also, if you should definitely tie together your social media efforts with your web presence. Make sure that people can find your Twitter or Facebook from your web site. I'm amazed at how many web sites I see from nonprofits - where you have to look for a long time to find the FB badget or it is stuck at the bottem of the page.
- Beth Kanter 29 Sep 09, 11:56Andy,
I'm embrassed to say that I don't have an Iphone -- and it is on my list for 2009 -although after seeing this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cambodia4kidsorg/3905020688/
I'm going ot have to get some better discipline! And, looking forward to entering the modern world with a smart phone!
- Beth Kanter 29 Sep 09, 11:51Sorry, but I can't help myself after seeing the previous post asking about the evolving world of smartphone apps. Full disclosure -- this is a shameless self-promotion. MTB Mobile has created an app for the iPhone called NonProfit 2.0(i) that is a quick, easy and attractive way to make connections with supporters and prospects. It integrates posting to social media (Twitter and Facebook) and enables two-way conversations between nonprofit organizations and supporters -- and among supporters themselves. More info is available at http://www.mtbmobile.com.
Beth, I thoroughly enjoy your blog and your Tweets, and RT you often. Thanks for your work in this area!
- Andy Wollen
- Andy Wollen 29 Sep 09, 9:24What do you see in the evolving world of smartphone apps in helping social enterprises / nonprofits listen and engage with their constituents/clients and donor base?
What are some of the pains and challenges for nonprofits in taking on this dynamic world of phone apps?
- Yin Ling Leung 29 Sep 09, 1:04
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