Can You Be On Too Many Social Media Websites?

To continue with this week’s theme of social media platforms, I thought I’d highlight some of the lesser known websites available to help you connect to more donors. Beyond Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn there are additional networks to connect with people, such as Google+, Tumblr and Pinterest. Can your organization be on too many social media sites? On one hand no because the more people who hear about your cause, the more likely you are to reach potential donors. On the other hand, there are only so many hours in the day and resources to devote to online fundraising. Where should you invest in the technological avenues of public relations and development?

Let’s first establish that in this day and age a well-designed, content-rich, and engaging website and a Facebook account are simply must-haves. These are the foundational pieces that every organization needs to attract and maintain supporters. From donor communication to event updates to online donations, these two tools are a necessity to be maintained and used on a regular basis. LinkedIn and Twitter are also viable outlets that are popular with connecting to others. From professionals to news updates, these sites are also great to belong to.

Now for lesser known websites, which one is right for you?

Google+ – This relatively new social media site is similar the more popular sites but has an interesting twist. With Facebook you post a comment and it displays for all of your friends to see. With Twitter you share short news statement Tweets with your followers. On LinkedIn you connect with other professionals.

Google+ allows you to do a bit of each: on this site you create circles so you can choose who you want to share information with whether it is a life update for friends, a news story with others with your political views or industry information with professional colleagues. A nonprofit using this site could easily create circles for different levels of donor giving, a circle for board members, and a circle for volunteers with upcoming opportunities. The beauty of this is that you get to dictate who sees what messages. As with other sites, you can still share photos, links and videos.

Tumblr – Designed with more of an artist’s vibe and geared towards visual appeal, this social media site would be perfect to tap into if you’re a nonprofit focusing on the arts. Boasting as the site that is promoting the “instablogging movement,” this unique platform takes the mystery out of blogging and reblogging. The posts are more in depth than Facebook and obviously are quite different than Twitter’s limited character usage. If you are a nonprofit supporting advancement in the visual arts, why not feature a specific artist’s paintings, a certain time period of works or one genre of medium such as oils or chalk. What can you post? Pictures? Yep. Videos? Yep. Music? Yep.

Pinterest – Not since Facebook has a site taken off with such speed and intensity. It seems like everywhere I look and every friend I talk to has something to say about this phenomenon. Most women I know who use this online bank of information access crafting ideas, fashion tips and recipes, but many professionals are using it for event planning ideas and fundraising suggestions. You can share your upcoming concerts, favorite artists, popular music selections, or upload pictures. You can gain followers and highlight guests that you are supporting or featuring. Another use may be to post how to set up an auction, how to create a kid friendly after-school program classroom or craft ideas that would work well in a senior’s center. The possibilities are endless!

Social media is as vast and varied as nonprofit organizations themselves. Facebook is a catch all net, LinkedIn is geared towards professionals, Twitter provides snappy news bites, Google+ segments your contacts and Tumblr and Pinterest are great for arts and media focused organizations. Once you’ve determined which platforms are best to connect to your donors, focus your energy on the top three and then guide them to your website or Fundly site. The more traffic you can attract, the better!