Time to Tap Into Your Inner Poet: ZD Technology Haiku Contest (Win $ for a good cause!)

NTEN folks probably know we're big fans of haiku (thanks in most part to Holly's particular appreciation of the form). We're glad to see member organization ZeroDivide shares our appreciation and is deploying it for educational and rewarding purposes:

The ZD Technology Haiku Contest!

From their site:

Social Media Marketing White Paper: Key Findings and Nonprofit Lessons

I came across a great white paper about the use of social media by marketers. You can download the whole report for free. Kudos to Michael A. Stelzner, the author, for putting this together and making it available.

It should be reassuring for many nonprofit professionals to learn that EVERYONE is relatively new to this stuff. One of the most common things I hear from nonprofit staff is something along the lines of, "I'm just learning about social media. Do you think I can keep up with this NTEN webinar or that conference session on this topic?"

My answer: a resounding YES!

We're all just learning about this, actually -- which is why the nonprofit community should be excited about getting in on the ground floor with these marketing tools and strategies. Too often, we in this sector think we're automatically at a disadvantage. Social media is an area the nonprofit sector has been, in many ways, leading the way!

Let's explore:

7 Keys to Effective Branding in a Social Media World

Nancy Schwartz, Getting Attention

As the nonprofit landscape gets increasingly complex, money and attention are tougher than ever to get. And, because your org is discussed on infinite communications channels, it's more important than ever to brand your organization, programs, and campaigns.

When you do so -- conveying credibility and value in a way that's easy to remember and repeat -- you'll build long-lasting relationships with donors, volunteers, members, the media, clients, and more. But it's more challenging than ever in our 2.0 world.

Here are seven keys to effective branding in a social media world:

Can Social Media Marketing and Traditional Marketing Coexist?

Maddie Grant and Lindy Dreyer, SocialFish, LLC

In a word, no.

If the goal is to integrate social media marketing into your traditional marketing, you're setting yourself up for failure. After all, traditional marketing is based on pushing out and controlling the message, targeting, and running insular campaigns. By comparison, social media marketing is based on relinquishing control, two-way communication, building community, and breaking out of campaign-thinking to build trust over time.

For many nonprofits, traditional marketing still works. Now is not the time to drop the tried and true when social media marketing is still so unproven for your organization.

So here are some social media marketing tactics that can coexist with your older tactics:

Is Your Org Rockin' the Tech? You Could be the First .ORG Ambassador!

It used to be generally agreed that the nonprofit sector lagged at least two years behind the private sector when it came to technology use. As costs have dropped and nptech savvy has risen, I think that gap has closed, dramatically. Today, there are organizations large and small doing amazing things with technology to create actual social change.

Public Interest Registry and NTEN want to celebrate that change, so we're launching the .ORG Ambassador awards. If you think your organization is rocking technology in service of your mission, you should:

> Apply today!

Nominations close April 13. This year's Ambassador will be chosen by a judging panel made up of the .ORG and NTEN teams. There are a few criteria: