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Allyson Kapin 5 min read

Nonprofit Weekly Picks

Should CEOs and Executive Directors Use Social Media? 

I get asked this question a lot. Should Executive Directors be tweeting or be active on Facebook? Blogger and social media trainer, Beth Kanter says "It depends."

"There are definitely some benefits to having your Executive Director or CEO being present on social media channels.  They can provide a human face to your organization's work, a unique viewpoint, and serve as a thought leader in your field," said Kanter.

To be successful, EDs need to be authentic and not use ghost writers. They also need to be comfortable with technology and being transparent, Kanter said.

Beth also lists some great ED's who really get social media including Holly Ross of NTEN and Scott Harrison of Charity:Water.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Is Microgiving the New Layaway?

It's no secret that nonprofits have had to get creative to raise money online in this down economy. Joanne Fritz of About.com, takes a look at how donors are relying more on microgiving than ever before. One of the best examples Fritz sites is a comparison of the average donation made during the 2004 Tsunami ($208) and the recent Haiti earthquake ($109). Why? Because a big chunk of donations were raised via mobile which only allows between $5 and $10 donations.

"Many donors are also finding it's easier on the wallet to set up month-by-month giving plans or payroll deduction through their employers," says Fritz.

Read the full article here.

5 Real Challenges For Non-Profit Texting Campaigns

While mobile fundraising made record history in response to the tragic Haiti earthquake, many fear that "texting to donate" will be the next shiny object syndrome. Geoff Livingson wrote a great follow-up post on Mashable about the challenges in running mobile campaigns.

"Close examination of texting-based fundraising reveals a wide variety of barriers for 501c3s, including the use of mandatory foundations and ASPs (application service providers) to interact with carriers, a stringent vetting process to become accepted, limited donation amounts of $5-$10, limited short codes, and shared costs with partners (in some cases, the wireless carriers). Even after setting up text-based fundraising mechanisms, non-profits face the challenge of limited function integration, and appealing to donors," said Livingston.

Read the full article here.

Frogloop's Top Online Fundraising and Social Media Articles:

 

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Allyson Kapin

Allyson has been named one of "Top Tech Titans" by the Washingtonian, one of the Most Influential Women In Tech by Fast Company, and one of the top 30 women entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter by Forbes for her leadership role in technology and social media. As Founding Partner of Rad Campaign, she leads the firm's client and online strategic services. For over a decade Allyson has helped non-profit organizations and political campaigns create dynamic and award-winning websites and online marketing and recruitment campaigns. She works side-by-side with her clients to meet their web needs and maximize their online effectiveness to create real world impact.

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