PowerPoint for the November 14, 2013 Volunteer Administrators of Midcoast Maine Fall Conference at the Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine.

1. Using Social Media to
Engage Volunteers
November 14, 2013

2. Agenda
• Strategic planning
• Marketing your volunteer outreach
• Top social media networks
• Things to know
• Tips for making social media manageable
• Analytics and content calendars
• Resources

3. Social Media and
Volunteering
1. Know what you’re already doing
2. Cover your bases – get the basics down
3. Think creatively
4. Evaluate
Results:
Happier, more dedicated volunteers
More support for your organization

4. Strategic Planning
• First, outline your current activities. Identify:
•
•
•
•
•
What works well
What isn’t working
What steps you can take to improve
Who is responsible for each task
How work will be evaluated
• Clarify your design template – have a consistent
look, feel, style (colors, fonts, etc.)
Social media is a supplement,
not your entire strategy

5. Sample strategic plan

6. Your social media strategy
Focus on recruitment and retention of volunteers
HOW?
• Incorporate media that appeals directly to your
volunteers – thanking them, highlighting their work
• Tell donors who your volunteers are and why they
decide to participate with your organization.

8. You have time
for social media
• Don’t be
intimidated!
• Plan out your
content 1-2 weeks
in advance
• Graphics can take
less than 10
minutes to create
Women’s Equality Day post

9. Take original photographs!
Always try to take pictures of your own volunteers and supporters!
Get permission to post pictures online
If you can’t use new images, use Library of Congress, Wiki/Flickr Commons

10. Humor, creativity, brevity
Recruit volunteers with funny, innovative content

11. Highlight your volunteers
Show your appreciation for your volunteers. The Rainier Valley Food Bank
profiles its volunteers on a regular basis (every 1-2 weeks), including a quote
from each person.

12. Share “behind the scenes”
Organizations that showcase fun
experiences will attract good
volunteers.
Pictures from charity:water’s Halloween costume
content.

13. Know your audience
Posts from Curtis Memorial Library FB
Embrace inside
references

14. Partner with other
organizations
Lent Madness was
sponsored by Forward
Movement (Episcopal
Church). Lent Madness
increased FPC
Facebook likes 200+
each month
2013 Lent Madness winner, Frances Perkins

15. Remember these rules
• Start small
• Don’t force people to sign
up or post online
• DON’T BE STUPID

16. Websites
Your website should be under control before you engage
with other social media!
• A website is the first place people look when
researching an organization
• Blog and write frequent posts
• Keep your website up-to-date
• Remember: Simple is better
Good example: charity:water

17. Rainier Valley Food Bank

18. Rainier Valley
Food Bank
Post volunteer
opportunities and job
descriptions on website
Job descriptions can also
be posted on Idealist or
LinkedIn
Advertise these
opportunities on Facebook
and Twitter

19. Habitat for
Humanity LA
• Website’s volunteer
page includes a rotating
stream of photographs
• Recent Facebook page
posts: video of house
construction, photos
from volunteer event
• Pay attention to the
terminology used

20. Facebook
• Facebook is the dominant
social media network
• Facebook’s popularity is
decreasing
• Wide audience of all ages
(1.26 billion users)
• Teenagers are not actively
participating
• Facebook should be
central to your social
media strategy
• Increasing concerns about
privacy, leadership, and
frequent design changes
that annoy users

21. Facebook Tips
Pictures and brief videos are most popular
Keep posts short: 3-4 sentences
Update cover page regularly – aim for at least once a month
Make sure your logo fits correctly

22. Connecting with volunteers on Facebook
Post volunteer profiles – “Volunteer of the Week”
Post videos of people discussing why they volunteer
Say thank you

23. Events
Share information
about upcoming
service events
Don’t forget to share
photos!
Remember special
months: e.g. Domestic
Violence Awareness

24. Tag yourself!
Bring props or signs to events
and share these photos
online
www.facebook.com/GetVolunteer
ing
Ask volunteers to submit &
tag themselves in
photographs
www.facebook.com/foramericorpsa
lums

25. Ask questions
• “Our subject this month will be men and
volunteering. Do you know any men that inspire
you with the way they invest their time? We want
to hear about it.”
• “What motivates you to volunteer?”
• “When did you start volunteering?”
• “What is the most life-changing thing you have
been taught?”

26. Share information
Articles:
Quotations:
“Volunteering can help lead to
a longer life”
“Volunteers do not
necessarily have the time;
they just have the heart.” –
Elizabeth Andrew
“Volunteering is associated
with 27% higher rate of
employment”
Statistics:
“According to a 2010
study, 58% of Canadian kids
ages 15-24 years old volunteer.
What could we do to get that
number up even higher?”
…and pair with questions!
“How do you find time to
volunteer?”
https://www.facebook.com/GetVolunteering

27. Graphics/Memes
Look at content aggregators:
•
George Takei
•
I F’ing Love Science
Malaria No More, Planned
Parenthood, AmeriCorps, Spec
ial Olympics, & Girl Scouts
create original graphics with
consistent themes

28. More graphics

29. Twitter

30. Twitter
• Post updates, tag friends and organizations, share
images, use hashtags to follow trending information
• Emphasis on real time
• What is Twitter currently used for?
•
•
•
•
informal conversations between friends
journalists/citizens to cover breaking news
comedy
live-tweeting television shows and other events
• On its way to being the dominant social media
platform

31. Tips for Twitter
•
•
•
•
140 character limit
Be witty, creative, and/or succinct
Post regularly (1-3 times daily)
Tag people and/or organizations in every post

32. Twitter for nonprofits
• Use as a content
aggregator
Create lists to
scan for relevant
tweets
• Follow new
people/organizations
regularly
• Twitter is less popular
in Maine – but great for
solidifying partnerships
with national
organizations

33. Connect with your volunteers
• Incorporate Twitter in your social media volunteer recruitment
strategy
• Thank your volunteers over Twitter
• Thank new followers individually
• Ask volunteers and supporters to participate on social media.
Offer rewards, e.g. best photograph taken by a volunteer at
an event.
• Answer questions or coordinate real-time events
• Post links to volunteer profiles on Facebook, website

34. Connecting with
hashtags
Use relevant hashtags (but
only 1 or 2 at a time)
Create your own or use
already established hashtags
like #volunteer or #voluntweet

35. Publicize your
Twitter feed
Habitat for Humanity Los
Angeles includes link to
Twitter feed directly on
their homepage

36. YouTube/Vimeo
• YouTube – owned by Google – dominates the
market
• Vimeo is an older service, now primarily used by
professional filmmakers
• Both services post long videos
• YouTube for Nonprofits Program

37. YouTube/Vimeo
• People don’t watch long videos. Aim for 2.5 - 3
minutes
• Make sure videos communicate the right messages
Tips for creating videos
• Flip cameras, iPhones
• http://freemusicarchive.org

38. Zombie apocalypse

39. Zombie-repellent kittens
www.spcawake.com/zombies

40. “Instagramers be like”

41. “Instagram: Not just for
#hipsters”

42. Instagram versus Flickr
• Instagram owned by Facebook – Flickr owned by
Yahoo
• While professional photographers use
Flickr, individuals use Instagram. Organizations
use both
• Both sites provide filters, editing tools

43. vs.
United Way for
Southeastern
Michigan
American Red Cross

44. LinkedIn
• Networking site primarily used for hiring
• Review resumes, recommendations, and
endorsements
• Great for making new professional
connections, such as recruiting board
members, interns, and volunteers
• Making a play to be one of the dominant social
media sites

45. LinkedIn company page
Set up a profile so you have a presence in the professional world.

46. Pinterest
• Digital scrapbooking – An online community that
shares info through images.
• Great for beautiful photographs or infographics
• Less useful
• For those not focused on cooking, DIY, home
improvement, or lifestyle advice
• For those who don’t have a graphic designer on staff
• Inspirational/aspirational

47. Pinterest boards

48. Tumblr
• Microblogging site owned by Yahoo
• Less formal than a website, more formal than most
social media
• Design is completely customizable
• Uses scrolling format
• Good starting point for groups not ready for a
website
• Showcase photos, gifs, videos, etc.

49. Examples of
blogs
Your L.L.Bean
Boyfriend
http://yourllbeanboyfriend.tumblr.com
Modern Farmer
http://modfarm.tumblr.com

50. wellesleymag.tumblr.
com
Tumblr
Great for projects or groups whose work is slightly separate from your main
organization (i.e. your volunteer network)
Examples: Wellesley alumnae magazine Tumblr

51. Secondary sites
Google+, Reddit, Digg, etc.
• Less worthwhile investing time in unless you have
the major sites down.

52. Vine/Instagram
Video/Snapchat
Things to know
Keys to success
• Vine – 6 second video
• Humor works well
• Instagram video – 15
second video
• Opportunity to convey the
character of your team
• Snapchat – sends videos
or photos that delete after
delivery
• Can show off how much
you’ve accomplished in a
short period of time
(growing a
garden, repainting a
building, etc.)

53. Newer sites
Concerns
• Creativity is a necessity…but taking the time to
prioritize creative thinking will help your
organization in the long run
• Make sure videos highlight your organization’s
productivity
• Snapchat – used frequently by teenagers and for
explicit photos

54. Vine
You can do a lot in 6 seconds
Humans of New York
Created by Jerome Jarre, who
asked, "What is the most
important message you would
like to share with the world
right now?"

55. Tell a story

56. Hunt for new
treasures
Send your volunteers on
an adventure and share
their stories!

57. Content calendar
• A content calendar is integral to your strategy!
• Identify types of material you post and diversify
content
• Divide up responsibilities between staff members
– each person knows when he/she posts
• Ensures you post material on a regular basis

58. Social media
sites work
together
Post information on
more than one media
stream!
Write blog post on
website, advertise on
Facebook and
Twitter, post
accompanying photo on
Instagram

59. Analytics
• Facebook, Twitter, Hootsuite have functions to
analyze posts
• Google Analytics for website
• Compile your statistics regularly
• Analytics will help figure out what is working and
what isn’t
• Make changes accordingly!

60. Analytics
You can track all of your digital media analytics at once!

61. My favorite tools
• Feedly
• Hootsuite
• Picmonkey
• Easl.ly/Piktochart

62. Feedly
• Content aggregator that subscribes to website’s RSS feed
• Replacement for Google Reader
• Great for locating content for newsletters, professional
development

63. Hootsuite
• Schedule posts in advance across your social networks
• Review and tag your network of professional peers
• Shorten hyperlinks

64. PicMonkey
• Easily create graphics
and collages
• Great alternative to
Photoshop
• Free and paid
subscriptions

65. Infographics
There are free online
tools to create
infographics
• Easl.ly
• Piktochart
(subscription option)

66. Do your research!
See what other organizations are doing
Contact your favorite organizations with questions
Finally, HAVE FUN

67. Resources
• Nonprofit Marketing Guide (Kivi Leroux Miller)
• Beth’s Blog (Beth Kanter)
• Network for Good blog
• Wild Apricot blog
• “Social Social,” social media blog by Rob Gould in
the Portland Press Herald.
• Social Media Breakfast monthly meeting in
Portland