Twitter for Good: a non-profit must-read on how to change the world one tweet at a time.

Technology is changing us, and we now have the unique opportunity to find innovative ways to use technology to help change the world. Twitter is one tool in the process.  As a simple platform where open communication reigns, Twitter elevates the individual voice; the strength of its platform is the strength of the users. In this way, individual activism can change the world. 

– Claire Diaz-Ortiz

InTwitter for Good, Claire Diaz-Ortiz, the head of corporate social innovation and philanthropy for Twitter, gives non-profits a game plan to accomplish this vision of changing the world one tweet at a time.
Claire writes about a five-step framework for non-profits to be a force for good and shares the stories of groups and individuals such as Room to Read who use this framework. She calls it T.W.E.E.T. (Target, Write, Engage, Explore, Track).

Here’s what she says about each step:

(1)   Target – It’s important for non-profits to answer the essential questions, “Why is my organization using Twitter?” If you can’t answer the question and are on Twitter, Claire says you’re likely wasting valuable time and resources. Here are the three most common types of Twitter accounts held by non-profits:

• Informational accounts – tend to have a professional tone
• Personalized Accounts – take on the voice of a key individual within the organization
• Fundraising Accounts – have a specific fundraising purpose

(2)   Write – Tweet like Kanye.  Using the example of rapper Kanye West, whose un-edited and humorous tweets have gotten a lot attention, Claire advises non-profits to follow Kanye’s example when getting started on Twitter:

• “Bite the bullet” and get started with enthusiasm.
• “Let it all hang out” and  “err on the side of over-exuberance” as you begin a Twitter campaign.
• “Fail fast” and don’t be afraid to try new things to find your Twitter feet.

(3)   Engage – Use hashtags wisely, respond with @replies and use lists. Claire has tons of advice in this department. She warns that using too many hashtags in a single tweet will make it look like spam and that having way more re-tweets than tweets of your own will make it look like you have nothing to say. Asking questions in your tweets is a great way to engage your followers.

(4)   Explore – Keep your eyes open for new information and potential new followers. Don’t live in a bubble. Claire tells an exploration success story of Abby Falik, the CEO of Global Citizen Year and the connection she formed with author and New York Times journalist Nick Kristof.
(5)   Track – Measure your progress. Claire suggests several potential metric points, including the number of tweets per day/week/month, Percentage of tweets with photos, and the number of @mentions. She warns not to measure success by the number of followers you have. With a single re-tweet, your influence is potentially limitless.

Thanks for sharing your expertise, @ClaireD . We’ll see you on Twitter.

If you don’t have a Twitter account, get started using Claire’s T.W.E.E.T. framework today. Don’t forget to follow @Fundly to learn more about our social fundraising platform and for all the latest in the world of non-profits, fundraising and social media.

Five social media experts to follow on Twitter

There are a lot of people out there using social media to write about social media, philanthropy, fundraising, and the intersection of all three. Here are five stand-out voices that any non-profit will want to hear.

(1)   Claire Diaz-Ortiz @ClaireD – Author of Twitter for Good and the leader of social innovation at Twitter, Claire is the leading expert on using social media for good. To stay in the loop about how your non-profit can use twitter to be a better force for good, ClaireD is a must-follow.

(2)   Beth Kanter @Kanter – Author of Beth’s Blog: How Non-profits can use Social Media, Beth has been writing about social media and the non-profit world for years. One of the first social fundraising gurus, she is full of wisdom and sports one awesome cowboy hat.

(3)   John Wood @johnwoodRTR – John left Microsoft and founded Room to Read (@RoomtoRead), an organization on a mission to educate children around the world. Currently, an alarming 300 million children will never receive an education. John and his team are on an inspiring mission to change this.

(4)   Jen Preston @NYT-JenPreston – Jen writes about technology and social media for The New York Times. She’s one savvy journalist who stays connected with what’s going on in the world and what’s going on in the world of social media. Follow her to stay in-the-know.

(5)   Charity:water @charitywater – With more than a million followers, Charity: water is an awesome model of a non-profit that uses social media well. With photos of the day and a wide variety tweets, Charity:water is a charity to emulate.

Of course, don’t forget to follow @Fundly and @DavidJBoyce1 to keep up with the latest trends in social media, philanthropy and non-profit fundraising.

Who else belongs on this list? Share with us the voices that matter most to you.