I presented on how nonprofit leaders can use LinkedIn for networking, public relations and job search purposes. The presentation also covered how to build relationships, appropriate LinkedIn etiquette and strategies to become a thought leader through participation in LinkedIn groups. The event was hosted by the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington.

1. LinkedIn
Communications
for Nonprofit
Leaders
Joe Kovacs, APR
Marketing Director
September 27, 2012

2. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal-oriented Approach to LinkedIn
• Goal #1: Networking
• Goal #2: Public relations (branding)
• Goal #3: Thought leadership (branding)
• Goal #4: Job Search
2

3. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
First…Build Your Profile!
• Work history, photo, education
• Publications and certifications, skills and
expertise, recommendations
• Social networks to which you belong
• LinkedIn helps you complete your profile
3

4. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Personal Connections
Everyone relevant to your
nonprofit’s goals (colleagues,
friends, industry partners,
volunteers and customers)
Ongoing connections from
meetings, networking events
and partnerships
4

5. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Networking via Search
Find people you know and who you met at
networking events
Search for individuals in particular categories
(Premium account provides you with more filters)
Search for companies—access to their employees
that follow them
5

6. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Networking via Search – Options
1. Find people you know then connect with offline
2. Leverage current LinkedIn connection to get
introduced to someone found through search
3. Reach out to someone on LinkedIn through fee-
based InMail option
6

7. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Network Management (I)
 Don’t accept strangers’ invitations without a
personalized introduction (don’t “follow” either)
 Scan/scroll through LinkedIn 2x - 3x a day
 “All Updates”: colleague activity (social media
champions?); groups your connections join;
shares—what your connections are sharing
7

8. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Network Management (II)
 Meet people through existing network (we use
during bidding process)
 LinkedIn relationships should mirror real-life
relationships (don’t ask for inappropriate
intros.)
8

9. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Network Management (III)
 Don’t try to take online connections offline too
soon without reason; new connections should get
to know you through your posts/participation
9

10. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Branding (I)
 “Share an Update” messages—most basic
 Post articles and notes about your
company, industry, achievements, publications, events,
congratulations notices, news
 Share other people’s posts,
comments, “Likes”
 Frequency: 1x daily when
possible; “Latest Activity” shows participation
10

11. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Branding (II)
 Share 5 pieces of valuable content for every
promotional item shared on LinkedIn
 Send LinkedIn mail to connections about
events, fundraisers or accomplishments but do so
sparingly – don’t be aggressive!
11

12. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Company Branding (I)
 Post mission and services—more people on
LinkedIn than any company’s website (visibility)
 Posts: news/announcements about nonprofit
(visibility); measure impressions, clicks, shares
 Place follow company button on
website, electronic signature
and on other social networks
12

13. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Company Branding (II)
 Personal vs. company posts—some identical, others
are specific to individual or company (Joe’s e.g.: PR)
 Drive traffic to your website (get more details)
 Followers learn about your
work, achievements, employment opportunities
 # of followers not a great metric, but if the # grows, it
reflects good visibility and positive perceptions
13

14. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• LinkedIn Groups – Research and Join (I)
 Groups relevant to your industry or position
 Review discussion items and participate—ask
questions, respond with answers, post articles
 Become an influencer—begin
conversation-generating
discussions
14

15. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• Nonprofit Groups - examples
 Nonprofit Professionals  Nonprofit Leadership
 Jobs in Nonprofits Alliance
 Alliance for Nonprofit  Philanthropy Network
Management  Nonprofit CEO Network
 Nonprofit Professionals  Social Media for Nonprofit
Forum Organizations
 BoardSource
15

16. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• LinkedIn Groups – Research and Join (II)
 Your connections know when
you post a discussion item or
response to a group
 “Follow” as on Twitter—not a
good idea; use LinkedIn for
relationship-building
connections
16

17. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• Group management (I)
 People belong to groups for branding purposes
(visibility on their profiles)
 Options to receive ldiscussion items on a daily or
weekly basis, whenever they happen or never
17

18. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Branding/Thought Leadership
• Group management (II)
 Find out which connections belong to groups and
their experience interacting with the groups
 # of members may reflect popularity/usefulness
 Closed groups may have more valuable information
(less advertising) though not as much input
 Promotions tab for professional service partners
18

19. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Branding/Thought Leadership
• Relationship-building in groups
 Strategically useful to get involved in groups and
discussions w/individuals you want to get to know
 Example for GRF: Accounting Today group
 Longer-term strategy – may be better than (or
useful to accompany) a direct request to connect
19

20. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Profile tips to optimize search
 Complete profile
 Get recommendations
 Profile keywords should be carefully determined
for maximum effectiveness / “Skills & Expertise”
 “Jobs You May Be Interested In” profile item
21

21. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Search for Jobs
 Single keyword search
 Advanced search—additional search parameters
 Industry: Nonprofit Organization Management
 Left column—change parameters to see new results
22

22. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
23

23. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Company Search
 Company pages – job listings
 Job descriptions show helpful information – person
who posted, similar job, who you are linked to
 Sign up to company pages – receive feeds including
job postings
 Find recruiter for connection purposes
24

24. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni

25. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni

26. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Tools for Effective Job Searching
 Save Jobs tab / Saved Searches
 LinkedIn for mobile
 Use referrals from your network – personalize!
 Premium subscription options ($29.95 / $49.95)
• InMail – responses guaranteed, Profile Stats Pro
• Profile: Top keyword searches and # of views
• Search by salary range
27

27. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Summary: LinkedIn a Tactical Option
for Communications Planning (not a Strategy!)
• Utilize LinkedIn tools to help achieve goals
• “Color inside the lines” to avoid information overload
28

28. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Communications Planning – SMART goals
• Examples of SMART goals:
Introduce yourself to five potential new funders
over a three-month period
Connect with ten potential new volunteers
Become a thought leader in two industry groups to
generate visibility with key journalists/bloggers
Find three new jobs to apply for in one day
29

29. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Quick Summation of Other LinkedIn Features
• Apps—lots of features (add a blog, TripIt, Slideshare to
add presentations)
• Industry News—good nonprofit industry news and
sources of information to share
• Premium service
30

30. 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 650N • Bethesda, MD 20814
Connect with Us
Joe Kovacs, APR
Email: jkovacs@grfcpa.com
Telephone: (301) 951 – 9090
Website: www.grfcpa.com
Visit: