Can Nonprofits Survive The Recession (Part 3)?
OPENING UP A NEW WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES
FIVE DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Networking is an essential skill. It is the key to building a strong base of constituents, supporters and volunteers. And in these economic times, your network becomes an even more vital resource.
The business of sustaining nonprofit operations is about relationships and building on that business is about building and maintaining good relationships. For nonprofit organisations, relationships are all there is that stand in the way of failure or success. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.
These axioms are particularly relevant for New Zealanders. That’s because we have a ‘do-it-yourself’ sort of culture. Sometimes, this preference makes it difficult for ask help from others. It pays not to forget that other people may like to help you achieve your goals, especially if you are able to make it hassle-free and an enjoyable experience for them.
One shouldn’t think that networking as looking for sales opportunities either. Used car salesmen do that. But if you think of it as building relationships, networking becomes a superfluous task. Most people like connecting with others but if you’re too focused on pursuing a sales pitch it could lead to some unfavourable results
When conversing with people face-to-face or over the Internet follow up with anything you say you will do promptly. This leaves an impression that you are reliable and credible. Being honest and authentic are also attributes that are absolutely crucial for networking. These are the enduring qualities that clearly help achieve superior performance in good times. They are of even greater significance and importance in the current, much tougher economic environment. People in your network will discern this and you will sooner gain their trust and respect. Treasure your good reputation and protect it because it will open doors to opportunities that you otherwise would not have had operating in isolation.
New Zealand is about three to five degrees of separation and if you have developed a network of people you’re bound to have contact with pretty much everyone in the country and those with much influence. That’s how it works.
Obviously, the Internet is the best tool around for networking. That’s great because you don’t always have to be out most of the time pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, attending events and conferences or cocktail parties. At the end of the day you can go online and network while still in the office or even when you get home.
THE VALUE OF NETWORKING ON THE WEB
Social Media on the Web is all about networking. Those who build capabilities to engage it end up harnessing what people may be able to offer by way of help, support and information. The society you live in is comprised of people involved in civil society – businesses, the community sector, government funding agencies, corporate sponsors, institutional and individual donors, advocates, supporters, volunteers and other charity organisations. By building a proper network on the Web, you are in fact enhancing the internal efficiency of the organisation you lead or work in. With increased visibility, delivery of services, launching a new programme, attracting skilled employees and strengthening capacity to raise funds from the public at large become less of a challenge.
Social networking websites such as Bebo, Facebook and Twitter (to name just a few in no particular order) can be a nonprofit’s winning ticket to accessing the millions of users who are now all interconnected. However, it makes sense to look before you leap into this vast ocean that offers a good number of opportunities for your organisation.
As I mentioned in my blog entry WHY CONVERSATION AND STORIES MATTER word of mouth on the Web is the fastest and most influential promotion there is today. When a message resonates with someone and they pass it on to a group of friends within minutes it can reach thousands of people. If your organisation can create an online message that is both compelling enough to spread, but also firmly supports your charity brand’s values and objectives, you’ll have a winner on your hands.
Here now is a suggested approach to getting your feet wet in the social networking sphere of Web 2.0.
1. PICK THE RIGHT SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE. It pays dividends to start small, with one to two social networks, rather than trying to take the entire virtual world by storm all at once.
2. FIND AN ‘EXPERT’ WHO CAN GUIDE AND HELP YOUR ORGANISATION. Get that person’s expertise involved so you won’t be starting from ‘scratch’.
3. EXTEND YOUR REACH. Select a social network and then use a ‘scattershot’ approach. That is, don’t just set up a profile. Create a group and attract more supporters that way.
4. PREPARE TO LOSE SOME CONTROL. There is no way you can vet every word of every person who wants to be your friend or join your group on a social networking website. On some sites, you can set up an approval process for ‘comments’ that people post but if you go this route, make sure the approval process is reasonable and fast.
5. KNOW WHO IS ALREADY PRETENDING TO BE YOU. Don’t be surprised or offended when you find out that there may be some social networking website groups for your organisation that you did not set up. Such unofficial profiles are probably created by enthusiastic supporters without your knowledge. If you find such a profile, reach out to that person. He or she may be a committed supporter who might be willing to promote your content.
6. MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION. Make your organisation’s profile look good. Control what it will look like on other people’s friend lists — pick a great picture and title. That will get noticed soon enough.
7. POST YOUR EDGIEST, MOST VIRAL CONTENT. Social networks are at their best when people passing YOUR content around and they will only pass it around if it is creative. Look around, see what others are doing and come up with a jazzy profile name. Use video and interesting or colourful graphics. If it does not make you think ‘Cool!’ then it is probably not viral. You will need to go back to the drawing board and might do better with a campaign or a specific gimmick rather than just a generic page plugging your nonprofit.
8. FIND OUT WHICH OF YOUR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS ARE ALREADY ON SOCIAL NETWORKS. Survey members and friends of your organisation and find out who has social networking website account profiles or belong to other social networks. You’ll be surprised that many of them do. Send them an e-mail inviting them to become your friend or to join your group.
9. COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK FRIENDS ON A REGULAR BASIS. Update your social network pages with new content. Better still, link your organisation’s official website to your pages and create more interest and participation. After you do this, take advantage of the special features that may be available on other users’ profiles to get the word out on important issues and drive people to your pages and your organisation’s website. Don’t be static, think dynamic.
10. DEVOTE STAFF TIME TO MAKING YOUR ORGANISATION’S SOCIAL NETWORKING EFFORT A SUCCESS. Assign a staff person to accept friend requests, post comments on other people’s social networking site pages, and invite others to become friends. Achieve critical mass. That is what social networking is all about. If you don’t have a staff person to do this for you, consider outsourcing the tasks to someone who can do it for you on a contract basis.
11. CULTIVATE YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK ‘FRIENDS’. Eventually your nonprofit organisation will want to start turning your ‘friends’ into advocates, volunteers, sponsors and donors. Make sure your social networking pages always feature lots of opportunities to get involved. But be specific when you do ask your friends to do something for your organisation and always let people know what happened at an event or with a campaign even if they did not participate. They might get involved the next time.
12. THINK OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON THE WEB AS A VALUABLE INVESTMENT THAT APPRECIATES OVER TIME. The mostly younger people IN THE 18- to 35-age group you will deal with are the supporters, volunteers, sponsors and donors of tomorrow. Don’t forget too that the 35- to 65-age group represent a growing percentage of people who are active in social media networks in addition to a growing list of employees and executives of businesses and government agencies who could also end up supporting your organisation.
Don’t waste time! Get into the game now and learn how to use social media to your organisation’s advantage. Don’t allow yourself to get left behind for good.
Other related blogs:
Can Nonprofits Survive The Recession? – Part 1
(Light At The End Of The Tunnel)
Can Nonprofits Survive The Recession? – Part 2
(The Trigger That Creates Potency)
(A Tremendous Opportunity For Nonprofits)
(Building Communities On The Web)
To learn more about what the author of this blog and his company do for nonprofits, please click on this link.