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Making pumpkin cookies? Can we have some? If you like what you read, support us by becoming a member. INTRODUCTION Social media isn't a buzz or a fad: it's a manifestation of the amazing changes that are taking place in our societies every day. Never in history have so many voices had so many chances to be heard. That's what our We Are Media project, and this issue of NTEN Connect, are all about -- making your voices heard. Thanks to support from the Surdna Foundation, we're working with Beth Kanter to develop a social media curriculum for the nonprofit sector. We're doing it all the Web 2.0 way: over 150 people have shared advice, stories, links, and inspiration. Here, we give you a few of their voices, as We Are Media contributors explain how they approach planning, listening, storytelling, and building the buzz. When you're done with this month's newsletter, please do two things for me. First, vote. Second, remember to renew your NTEN membership! We've grown fond of you and would like to keep you around! Best, Holly
Election 2008 is remarkable for many reasons. For the first time in U.S. history, the candidates for president have raised more than $1 billion. Voter registration is headed for new highs across the nation -- with a firestorm of newly registered voters under the age of thirty. And early voting levels -- 2.2 million ballots as of this writing -- indicate a massive, record-breaking turnout on Tuesday, November 4th. Because campaigns employ such a variety of communications tactics to win an election -- from door knocking to lawn signs to TV commercials -- it may be hard to determine exactly what role social media tools have played in this historic year. But, clearly, the campaigns have made social media a central strategy in their Donor, Volunteer, and Voter mobilization efforts. As agents of social change, there is a great deal the nonprofit sector can learn from Election 2008.
Social media is all the buzz these days. For associations and non-profits wondering how to get in the game -- or how to figure out whether they should -- listening is the place to start. Listening means finding the online social spaces where your audience is already communicating, monitoring the conversations that happen there, and gathering intelligence you can use to better understand your audience. Because social media is open and public by nature, listening is not only welcome -- it's expected. Best of all, you can get started for free!
The ability to have conversations with members and supporters is the most exhilarating part of the new media landscape for advocacy groups such as ours. We no longer just shovel stuff out there, not knowing if it ever reached anyone or what they thought of it. Advocacy is now a multi-way street, with information coming in and going out -- and nuance being added to the message as it evolves. Consider Kenevan McConnon, a Colorado blogger. This May, having just gotten his rebate check from the government, he began looking around online for something to spend it on. Then, he spotted his ACLU renewal form. He had been putting off renewing, for no particular reason, but when he saw the notice sitting on his desk he had an A-HA moment. He realized he could spend his money on that most quintessential of all "made in America" items -- the United States Constitution --and decided to send the entire rebate to the ACLU. But that was only the start.
As social media grows in popularity, one fact cannot be ignored: if used well, it can generate impressive amounts of traffic and increase engagement around your cause or organization. If ignored, however, it can lead to tears of anguish and people punching their computers. I spend a lot (and I mean a lot) of time trying to figure out how to use social networking, bookmarking and news sites to enhance the National Wildlife Federation's online presence. The work I've been doing with my large non-profit can be translated to even the smallest message. There are several key techniques for dispersing information effectively. These overall strategies aren't anything new in the marketing world: Social media is just a new way to do old business. The tools may have changed, but the need for knowing your audience, having an end goal, testing theories, and acting on lessons learned remains the same.
Recently, I sent an email to our current members, thanking them for being part of NTEN in 2008 and reminding them about early renewal. It made me think back on 2008 and how much NTEN has grown -- in community and activity -- over the past year.
Your guide to the resources that will help you put technology to work for your cause. This month, all of the links are courtesy of We Are Media. Add your voice to the discussion today!
Share Your Story And by "your", we mean your supporters, because with Social Media, they're the ones extending your brand. You just need to give them a little shove in the right direction sometimes. If you haven't read Seth Godin's seminal "Flipping the Funnel", yet, you should start there. The Rapleaf Business blog also has some great advice on incorporating user generated content instead of working from scratch. What's that you say? It may be easy for big groups, with photogenic interests -- like the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Habitat program or The Nature Conservancy's nature picture contest -- to use something like Flickr, but you're too small? Balderdash! Poppycock! Take a look at what the Learning Community is doing. Or the Women's Museum. Flickr makes it easy to get started! Then, of course, there are blogs, and podcasts, and video, and... (Those are all "How-to" links, by the way, but) if you're short on time, here are 50 Web2.0 ways to tell a story. Determine the ROI of Social Media NTEN's own Holly Ross suggests a simple formula: (Time & Money Saved + Money Earned) - (Time & Money In) = ROI. That sounds about right. Money earned is easy, but how do you figure if you're saving time and money? Well, The Social Organization has a piece on "Collecting All Social Media Metrics". That's a start. Dow Jones, of all places, has a white paper on "Tracking the Influence of Conversations". (We imagine many of the conversations they've been hearing over the past month involve Chicken Little.) All you wannabe bloggers should get a kick out of "The ROI of Blogging". (And you have read Andy Carvin's "12 Ways to Sell Social Media to Your Boss", right?) Then there are some straight ROI articles: "ROI: The Null Hypothesis" and "What's Your Return on Your Social Media Investment". Geez, there's just too much to cover for one little section of one little newsletter. But that's why we helped start We Are Media! We hope that, after you've read through it, you'll consider adding to the conversation. 
A monthly roundup of our favorite (zombie-related) nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog.
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RENEW TODAY!It's October, which means early renewal for 2009 memberships here at NTEN. We hit a lot of new milestones in 2008, and hope you'll continue to be a part of NTEN in 2009. After all, without you, there's no us. (We could've made a bad play on words there, but we respect you, so we didn't.) IT STAFFING SURVEYIt's time for our annual IT Staffing Survey, and we need your help! If you make technology decisions for your nonprofit, please take the survey. Then pass it on to a colleague. It only takes 10-15 minutes. When you're done, check out last year's report to find out if you're being paid enough. THE COVER OF THE, UM, NTEN CONNECTNovember is Member Appreciation Month at NTEN, a time to celebrate the best thing about us: you. As part of that, the next issue of NTEN Connect will be created by our Members. If you'd like to contribute -- an article, something you like, a recipe for pumpkin cookies -- shoot an e-mail to editor@nten.org, and we'll see about getting your smiling face into these pages. (You could forward 5 copies to your mother, but one will probably suffice.) UPCOMING WEBINARS
NTEN members save up to 50% on our topical online classes. Upcoming webinars include:
MEMBER DISCOUNTSYour NTEN Membership lets you save on a host of products and services: Reel Logix nFocus Software |
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NTEN CONNECT is the monthly e-newsletter of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN). |
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Lauren-Glenn Davitian, 
Maddie Grant and Lindy Dreyer, 
Karen Curry, 
Danielle Brigida, 
Annaliese Hoehling,