NonProfits can use Twitter to successfully engage donors, create event buzz, recruit volunteers, and gain exposure. Find out how to best use this powerful tool.

1. Twitter for Non-Profits Presenter: Liz DeLoach, Social Strategies Sponsors: Palmetto Technology Hub Charleston County Library December 2, 2010

3. Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service ( www.twitter.com ) enabling users to send and read brief updates. Tweets are text based posts of up to 140 characters that display on your profile page and those of your followers. It’s free , easy to use, and available anywhere you have an internet connection. Palmetto Technology Hub www.scpath.org What is Twitter? Why is it relevant?

4. You can follow people, businesses, and organizations and get important info about them. You can post links, pictures, and send private messages. It’s brevity is one of its best features, allowing you to cover more ground faster than with other social mediums. You can talk to others and use Twitter to connect with donors and encourage supporters to engage with you. Palmetto Technology Hub www.scpath.org

12. Palmetto Technology Hub www.scpath.org Getting Started Set a Social Media Policy, and considering the following: Who will update the Twitter account? One employee or a team? Tools like CoTweet and Hootsuite make it possible for multiple staff members to collaborate and schedule tweets from a single tool. How often? I recommend three to four updates per day to give your name a consistent presence in follower’s timelines. Early to mid morning, late afternoon, and evening are good times.

14. Setting Up Your Twitter Account

18. Search Resources

19. Search Resources

22. How do I determine who to follow? Palmetto Technology Hub www.scpath.org How often do they tweet? Are their tweets of interest and value to you and your organization? Are they conversing and responsive to others? Do they have a good “mix” of tweets? Do they Retweet good info? That’ s a sure sign of a generous tweeter.