<img src="//bat.bing.com/action/0?ti=5065582&amp;Ver=2" height="0" width="0" style="display:none; visibility: hidden;">
Update from Care2
A community for good
helping you find great people
Contact | +1 (888) 655-8345
Request a Quote
  • Home
  • Recruit New Supporters
    • Overview
    • Audience Profile
    • Methodology
    • Pricing & ROI
    • Partner Network
  • Resources
    • Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Webinars
  • Advertise With Care2
    • Overview
  • Care2 Engagement Blog
Care2's Digital Engagement Blog
Learn how to grow your nonprofit through Donor Recruitment, Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media with Care2’s team of expert nonprofit professionals.

Online engagement: old favorites and new tricks

by Madeleine Milan on Jun 13, 2011

One of the great (and frustrating) things about online communication is that the channels and tools, and the way people and organizations use them, are always changing. Great because it keeps things interesting and (hopefully) helps you connect with your audiences in new and deeper ways. Frustrating because keeping up with best practices and new tactics can feel exhausting, particularly when you’re already pressed for time and budget.

Understanding how other nonprofits develop their online engagement strategy and manage their online presence can often help though.

With that in mind, I recently sat in on a my colleague, Farra Trompeter’s Online Engagement class at Milano, the New School for Management and Urban Policy.  At the session I attended, Farra brought in four smart nonprofit online marketing and communications managers to share how their organizations engage people online. Kyra Stoddart from Amnesty International USA, Daniel Buckley from Food Bank for New York City, Danielle Brigida from the National Wildlife Federation, and Johannes Neuer from The New York Public Library, all develop online engagement strategies for their organizations and do the hard work of using the tools day in and day out. Here are some of the key lessons I took from the great insights they all shared:

 

Old Favorites

You’ve probably heard these before (I know I have), but, for me, they’re always worth reiterating: 

Start with your mission and with clear goals.

Each presenter started by stating his or her organization’s mission and online engagement objectives. A great reminder that, no matter how much potential a new online channel, tool, or feature seems to have, how you approach it and what you do with it (if anything) should always start with understanding how it relates to your organization’s mission and broader goals.

Don’t neglect email or your website.
Even though nonprofit social media usage is growing, websites and email are still at the heart of online engagement. Each of the speakers reminded everyone that they still see more action and traffic coming from their organization’s website and emails than from other online engagement channels.

Make it easy for people to take action.
Whether it’s with a custom Facebook landing tab (like Food Bank for New York City’s, a carefully thought-out online form (like The New York Public Library use), or a campaign page that pulls actions together in one place, all of the organizations that presented take steps to make it easy for their supporters to take action and see great results.

Learn by doing.
Blog posts like this are all well and good, but the best way to learn about new tools is by using them. Danielle in particular advocates trying out social media tools in a small, low-key way to help figure out how they might be useful for reaching and engaging your organization’s audiences.

 

New Tricks

As for new things I picked up from each of the presenters, these were the ideas that stood out most for me:

Use an internal social network to help find content for external communications.
Social media isn’t just a tool for engaging your external audiences. You can also use it to engage staff, particularly if your organization is spread across lots of locations. The National Wildlife Federation, for example, uses Yammer to allow staff across the country to keep each other updated and connected about what’s going on in their program or region. It also makes it quick and easy for staff who manage the organization’s many social media profiles to find content and answer questions.

Find new ways to connect the offline world with the online one.
Each of the organizations that presented had found interesting ways to connect the real world with the online one. The New York Public Library, for example, uses signs and QR codes in its physical locations to drive people to connect with it online. Amnesty International USA uses Foursquare to expand its reach and educate supporters, by leaving tips at locations connected to the human rights movement. And Food Bank for New York City uses Twitter to involve individual donors in events that they wouldn’t normally be able to participate in, like its annual gala.     

Consider investing in a social CRM tool to manage your online relationships.
Since you invest so much time and effort in finding and cultivating your organization’s friends, fans, likers, and followers, it may well make sense to invest in a tool that helps manage your relationships with them even better. The National Wildlife Federation uses Small Act’s Thrive to identify influencers, understand supporter’s interests, and tailor their communication with people based on that information.

Are there other new tricks your organization is using to engage people online? How can you see yourself applying some of these new ones? Share your thoughts in the comments.

To find out more about how Amnesty International USA, Food Bank for New York City, the National Wildlife Federation, and The New York Public Library approach online engagement, check out their individual presentations at the end of this post.

Madeleine Milan is a Strategist at Big Duck, a marketing and communications firm that works exclusively with nonprofits to help them raise money and increase visibility.

 

Amnesty International USA Engagement Media Overview—Kyra Stoddart

 

Food Bank for New York City Social Media Presentation—Daniel Buckley

 

National Wildlife Federation’s Social Strategy

 

New York Public Library eCommunications and Social Media—Johannes Neuer

 

Topics: Social Networking, Online Organizing, Online Marketing, Web 2.0, Trends

Madeleine Milan

Subscribe to Email Updates

Subscribe to RSS feeds
New Call-to-action
New Call-to-action

Recent Posts

Posts by Topic

  • Online Fundraising (337)
  • Social Networking (333)
  • Trends (303)
  • Web 2.0 (230)
  • Online Marketing (165)
  • Online Advocacy (159)
  • Technology (127)
  • Nonprofit Events (94)
  • Marketing Research (89)
  • Email Marketing (83)
  • Online Organizing (75)
  • nptech (64)
  • Nonprofit (62)
  • Misc. (60)
  • Mobile (48)
  • Care2 Webinars (46)
  • Care2 News (39)
  • Video (37)
  • Nonprofit Benchmark Studies (33)
  • Integrated Marketing (27)
  • Metrics (25)
  • Lead Generation (24)
  • Guest Blogs (23)
  • fundraising (23)
  • Digital Strategy (21)
  • Case Studies (20)
  • Conferences (20)
  • Volunteering (18)
  • Direct Marketing (17)
  • Social Media (17)
  • Cause Marketing (13)
  • Online Advertising (13)
  • Care2 Case Studies (12)
  • Direct Mail (12)
  • Marketing (11)
  • Crowdsourcing (10)
  • Awards (8)
  • email fundraising (8)
  • SEO (7)
  • Blogging (5)
  • E-newsletters (5)
  • COVID19 (4)
  • Social Justice (3)
  • organizing (3)
  • remote work (3)
  • research (3)
  • web development (3)
  • CRM (2)
  • Google ads (2)
  • activism (2)
  • advocacy (2)
  • crowdfunding (2)
  • data (2)
  • donor data (2)
  • facebook (2)
  • payment processing (2)
  • peer-to-peer fundraising (2)
  • Democracy (1)
  • Election2020 (1)
  • Giving Tuesday (1)
  • Online Learning (1)
  • Politics (1)
  • Qgiv (1)
  • ROI (1)
  • SMS (1)
  • Twitter (1)
  • Voting (1)
  • Wordpress (1)
  • acquisition (1)
  • analytics (1)
  • board management (1)
  • business (1)
  • cyber bullying (1)
  • data security (1)
  • eBooks (1)
  • engagement (1)
  • harassment (1)
  • microsoft (1)
  • mobile fundraising (1)
  • mobile giving (1)
  • monthly giving (1)
  • online donations (1)
  • online harassment (1)
  • petitions (1)
  • report (1)
  • software (1)
  • survey (1)
Expand all

Authors List

  • Allyson Kapin (578)
  • Justin Perkins (54)
  • Hatef Yamini (41)
  • James OMalley (40)
  • Clinton OBrien (26)
  • Avi Kaplan (25)
  • care2team (24)
  • Jocelyn Harmon (17)
  • Ned Baker (16)
  • Jordan Wait (14)
  • Eric Rardin (13)
  • Justyn Hintze (9)
  • Lesley M. (9)
  • Geoff Livingston (8)
  • Karen Taggart (8)
  • Randy Paynter (8)
  • Care2 Team (7)
  • Carrie Saracini (7)
  • Amy Sample Ward (6)
  • Claire Kerr (6)
  • Matt Howes (6)
  • Alan Rosenblatt (5)
  • Neal Gorenflo (5)
  • Rob Wu (5)
  • Salima Mangalji (5)
  • Adrienne Royer (4)
  • Caitlin Ochs (4)
  • Heidi Bucheister (4)
  • Kara Fujita (4)
  • Ryann Miller (4)
  • Shayna Englin (4)
  • Allyson Kapin and Jared Seltzer (3)
  • Craig Newmark (3)
  • Dana Weissman (3)
  • Heather Holdridge (3)
  • Mark Rovner (3)
  • Michael L. (3)
  • Nancy Schwartz (3)
  • Susan Higgins (3)
  • Abby Jarvis (2)
  • Agata K. (2)
  • Alia Mckee (2)
  • Amil Husain (2)
  • Ann Yoders (2)
  • Colin Delany (2)
  • Deanna Zandt (2)
  • Frank Barry (2)
  • Garth Moore Michael Silberman and Liz Butler (2)
  • Gerard Tonti (2)
  • Ghazal Vaghedi (2)
  • Hilary Treat (2)
  • Holly Ross (2)
  • Ifdy Perez (2)
  • JD Lasica (2)
  • Jared Seltzer (2)
  • Jill Foster (2)
  • Justin Perkins and Mirm Kriegel (2)
  • Karen Zapp (2)
  • Kelly ONeal (2)
  • Kevin Carroll (2)
  • Kevin Gilnack (2)
  • Larissa Lawrence (2)
  • Maddie Grant (2)
  • Rachel Hartwick (2)
  • Robin Reed (2)
  • Shabbir J. Imber Safdar (2)
  • Steve Daigneault (2)
  • Steve MacLaughlin (2)
  • Ted Fickes (2)
  • Addison Waters (1)
  • Ailea Sneller (1)
  • Alejandra Guerrero (1)
  • Alexandra Bornkessel (1)
  • Ali Cherry (1)
  • Allen Kramer (1)
  • Allison Fine (1)
  • Allison Van Diest (1)
  • Allyson Goldsmith (1)
  • Amy Eisenstein (1)
  • Andrew Berry (1)
  • Anna Richter (1)
  • Annaliese Hoehling (1)
  • Ashley Hansen (1)
  • Beth Kanter (1)
  • Bethany Hertel (1)
  • Brock Warner (1)
  • Candace Clement (1)
  • Candace Cody (1)
  • Carl Diesing (1)
  • Casey Golden (1)
  • Cassandra Smallman (1)
  • Charles Lenchner and Elana Levin (1)
  • Chris Burley (1)
  • Craig Grella (1)
  • Daniel Bennett (1)
  • Danielle Marshall (1)
  • Darian Rodriguez Heyman (1)
  • David M. Lawson abd Lori Hood Lawson (1)
  • Debra Askanase (1)
  • De’Yonté Wilkinson (1)
  • Duane Raymond (1)
  • Elissa Leif and Barbara Haupt (1)
  • Elliot Greenberger (1)
  • Farra Trompeter (1)
  • Garth Moore (1)
  • Grant Cobb (1)
  • Grant Hensel (1)
  • Gretchen Barry (1)
  • Hilary S. (1)
  • Holly DeRuyter (1)
  • Ira Horowitz (1)
  • Jacob Smith (1)
  • Jacqueline Christy (1)
  • Jared Schwartz (1)
  • Jason Mogus (1)
  • Jeb Banner (1)
  • Jen Nedeau (1)
  • Jenna Sauber (1)
  • Jennifer Jones Ingram (1)
  • Jessica Edmonson (1)
  • Jessica Teal (1)
  • John Haydon (1)
  • John Killoran (1)
  • Joleen Ong (1)
  • Josh Hirsch (1)
  • Karen Kitchens (1)
  • Karen Uffelman (1)
  • Kari Saratovsky (1)
  • Karrie Wozniak (1)
  • Katya Andresen (1)
  • Kayla Coleman (1)
  • Kevin Penny (1)
  • Kira Marchenese (1)
  • Kivi Leroux Miller (1)
  • Lars Hasselblad Torres and Kate Mytty (1)
  • Laura Quinn (1)
  • Lori Finch (1)
  • Luis Hestres Kimberly Fountain and Alex Bea (1)
  • Madeleine Milan (1)
  • Mal Warwick (1)
  • Mari Tikkanen (1)
  • Marisa Taylor (1)
  • Marnie Webb (1)
  • Matt Hugg (1)
  • Melanie Mathos (1)
  • Michael Hoffman (1)
  • Michael Khoo (1)
  • Michael Silberman (1)
  • Michelle Coyle (1)
  • Michelle Murrain (1)
  • Moira Edwards (1)
  • Murad Bushnaq (1)
  • Nick Black (1)
  • Rachel Phan (1)
  • Rella Kaplowitz (1)
  • Riche Zamor and Matt Kelley (1)
  • Robbie Bernstein (1)
  • Robert J. Rosenthal (1)
  • Russ Ostler (1)
  • Sara Choe (1)
  • Sarah Massey (1)
  • Seth Oldmixon (1)
  • Shabbir Imber Safdar Kate Harle Dale Anania (1)
  • Shana Glickfield (1)
  • Shaun Dakin (1)
  • Shayna Englin and Shabbir Safdar (1)
  • Shirley Sexton (1)
  • Stacy Laiderman (1)
  • Stephen OKeefe (1)
  • Steve Andersen (1)
  • Steve Peretz (1)
  • Steve Shattuck (1)
  • Suki Lee (1)
  • Theresa Anoje (1)
  • Tim Forbes (1)
  • Tim Robinson (1)
  • Tracy Viselli (1)
  • Veronica Wilson (1)
  • Wayne Elsey (1)
Expand all

Logo-white

Care2.com is an online social action network with over 50 million members around the world. Hundreds of nonprofits and socially conscious brands work with us to connect with our highly engaged members and recruit new donors, members, supporters, and customers.

+ Learn more about Care2

Overview

  • Recruit New Supporters
  • Audience Profile
  • Methodology
  • Pricing & ROI

Contact us

Redwood City, CA
94065
United States
+1 (888) 655-8345
nonprofitservices@care2team.com

Learn with Care2

Care2's Digital Engagement Blog

Community Building Resources

Follow us:

Twitter

Linkedin

Facebook

 

Copyright © 2015 Care2.com | All Care2 terms of service and privacy policies apply
Featured logos are trademarks of their respective owners. Third party trademarks, logos and trade names appearing on the site are the property of their respective owners.