BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
Nonprofit groups continue to struggle through tough economic times, when donations drop and need rises.
Often, the first budget cuts come in the marketing department--which a nonprofit marketing expert calls shortsighted.
But there is one marketing tool that requires few resources--social networking Web sites.
With the two largest sites, MySpace and Facebook, attracting 115 million viewers each month, the online networks offer a wealth of potential.
"The reality is many people don't understand everything nonprofits contribute to their own community," said Nancy Schwartz, who advises nonprofits on marketing. "Social media has been particularly useful in bringing some of these stories back home and enhancing the understanding of what they do."
Rappahannock United Way already uses MySpace and Facebook.
"It's been a really effective way of reaching people, and it doesn't require any cost," said Sarah Walsh, development director for the group.
The organization typically tries to attract new donors and volunteers by more old-fashioned methods: handing out flyers, giving presentations and printing brochures.
"It's really just pounding the streets, putting up posters, handing out brochures," Walsh said. "Things that take a lot of time and cost a lot of money."
For now, the area United Way chapter will use both new and old methods. But as times get tighter, officials might save money by cutting the old-fashioned methods, Walsh said.
Schwartz, based in the New York City area, recommends just that.
"Start by first sticking a toe in the water--don't dive in full body--and get out there," she said.
And don't expect fabulous results right away, she said.
Walsh said her group hasn't raised much money through social networking, because most users are teens and college students, people who don't have much disposable income.
"Most nonprofits aren't using this stuff to huge
She recommends that nonprofits stick to the basics. A good, well-researched marketing plan remains a necessity, she said.
Know your audience, and if they're using social media, start a page, Schwartz said.
As social networking sites rise in popularity, chances are that any group's audience will be using the sites. Both Facebook and MySpace originally attracted only teens and college students, but users now include people in their 70s.
"It's been huge," Walsh said. "We've tapped into a whole new group of people we normally wouldn't reach."
gettingattention.com nancyschwartz.com facebook.com myspace.comAmy Flowers Umble: 540/735-1973
Email: aumble@freelancestar.com
Facebook and MySpace might not be the best fundraisers, but the sites can offer a lot more to nonprofits. A Sarasota, Fla., domestic-violence group, for example, used MySpace to educate middle-schoolers. The agency set up a page, and youths flooded the site with questions. But in school presentations, the kids were too shy to ask any questions. It took two hours to launch the site, and less than an hour each month to maintain. The group includes guides and advice on its site. An employee also created a Facebook page, which attracted several volunteers. --Nancy Schwartz |
Nonprofits have other options, too. Rappahannock United Way, for example, uses evite.com to invite people to events, cutting down on stationery costs. The group also runs an e-mail group, where different agencies send out notices about events, people needing help and excess donations. Nancy Schwartz worked with a historical group that posted photos of its site to Flickr.com. About 1,000 people came to the group's Web site from Flickr. YouTube, a video-sharing site, also has been a popular choice for nonprofits. And blogging remains an easy way to share agency details with the public, Schwartz said. |
| 2004
Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard dropout, launches Facebook; MySpace also debuts this year. 580,510 new visitors to social 115 million users of Facebook and MySpace, each, in a month 72 million unique visits to MySpace 36 million unique visits to Facebook 57 percent of teens going online watch videos at sites like YouTube. 55 percent of American teens use Facebook or MySpace. |