1

Not for Profits logo

(This document example was originally for a disease-related charity but the words can be massaged to suit any not-for-profit organization)

Social Media
Short Term (Two Year) Strategy
(Including Visual Identity Policy and Password Policy)

4/22/2013

Introduction
Undoubtedly, NOT- FOR- PROFIT can reach many donors, NOT- FOR- PROFIT clients and the families of those with NOT- FOR- PROFIT using Face Book, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and similar social media tools. NOT- FOR- PROFIT could use social media to drive people to its website and for these reasons NOT- FOR- PROFIT should have a presence on these social media sites. However, having a useful presence takes both time and pre-planning. The social media challenges for NOT- FOR- PROFIT are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. If it is going to be done it has to be done well. It must be monitored every few days, if not everyday, so that responses to inquiries will be made in a timely manner It must look small p professional in order to represent NOT- FOR- PROFIT well. It will take time to do this and someone must commit to making this time available to NOT- FOR- PROFIT. Who should undertake this for NOT- FOR- PROFIT? NOT- FOR- PROFIT must know exactly what it hopes to achieve from each on-line site. The goal for NOT- FOR- PROFIT can not be vague. NOT- FOR- PROFIT should not be on every site just because the site exists, it should only be on those sites that will further its goals. NOT- FOR- PROFIT needs to develop measures of progress towards its goals., then measure the results and the Board needs to review the results and take corrective action if necessary. Current NOT- FOR- PROFIT board members are not highly engaged with social media sites. NOT- FOR- PROFIT already has an uncoordinated presence on Facebook (3 ways person, page and group) and on Twitter. (varies by organization)

What are the specific social media sites all about? (The following four descriptions are quoted from Wikipedia) 1. Twitter - an online social networking service and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets". It was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity, with over 500 million active users as of 2012, generating over 340 million tweets daily and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day. Since its launch, Twitter has become one of the ten most visited websites on the Internet. Unregistered users can read tweets, while registered users can post tweets through the website interface, SMS, or a range of apps for mobile devices. Pinterest - a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more. Users
4/22/2013

2.

can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own collections or 'like' photos. Pinterest's mission is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting" via a global platform of inspiration and idea sharing. Founded by Ben Silbermann (of West Des Moines, Iowa), Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp, the site is managed by Cold Brew Labs and funded by a small group of entrepreneurs and inventors. 3. LinkedIn - a social networking website for people in professional occupations. Founded in December 2002 and launched on May 5, 2003,it is mainly used for professional networking. As of June 2012, LinkedIn reports more than 175 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. Facebook - a social networking service launched in February 2004, owned and operated by Facebook, Inc. As of September 2012, Facebook has over one billion active users, more than half of them using Facebook on a mobile device. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common-interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics, and categorize their friends into lists such as "People From Work" or "Close Friends". The like button is a social networking feature, allowing users to express their appreciation of content such as status updates, comments, photos, and advertisements. It is also a social plug-in of the Facebook Platform launched on April 21, 2010 that enables participating Internet websites to display a similar like button.

4.

4/22/2013

Social Media Strategy - A Phased In Approach

NOT- FOR- PROFIT does not currently have: expertise in social media, the experience using these tools or the volunteer time required for a full blown Social Media Communications Strategy. There is real value to NOT- FOR- PROFIT in being actively present on these sites and in having as many volunteers and Board members posting as possible (as then the posts are seen by your network of contacts as well as by the contacts of NOT- FOR- PROFIT). NOT- FOR- PROFIT already has a presence on Facebook (in 3 waysperson, page and group) and a presence on Twitter. NOT- FOR- PROFIT can not just suddenly disappear from these sites (NOT- FOR- PROFIT has about 350 followers on Facebook and Twitter sites combined) and so by default these sites should be the ones initially used under any phased-in Social Media Communications Strategy. (specifics will vary by organization) For this reason, the discussion of LinkedIn and Pinterest will be deferred to the end of this document and no plans to implement anything on these sites will start before 2014. In the meantime NOT- FOR- PROFIT should actively seek to add someone with Social Media expertise to its Board of Directors. Decision #1: NOT- FOR- PROFIT will defer any actions on LinkedIn and Pinterest until 2014. at the earliest Decision # 2: Before 2014 NOT- FOR- PROFIT will recruit (or develop) social media expertise for its Board of Directors. Decision # 3: This new NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media expertise will develop the longer term NOT- FOR- PROFIT Social Media Strategy (beyond this initial two years). Where NOT- FOR- PROFIT already is using Social Media (Twitter and Facebook) it needs to present a consistent and professional-looking face to the world. There is also advantages to presenting a similar look as are other NOT- FOR- PROFIT Societies in Canada . Decision # 4: NOT- FOR- PROFIT will have visual identity and channel harmonization guidelines for social media. They will not be prescriptive but provide guidance for those officially posting on behalf of NOT- FOR- PROFIT (see attached guidelines).

4/22/2013

Current Social Media Situation

Face Book Person Page: On Face Book, in order to have a page for an organization, one of the members of that organization must have a personal Facebook page (a person) and link the organizational page (a Page) to that person. Carol Cottrill set up a personal facebook account under the name NOT- FORPROFIT Executive Director. Face Book thought this was her first and last names. Organizational or Place Page: Once the person page was set up then Carol created an organizational page entitled NOT- FORPROFIT Society of NB. This page comes up showing as a Place in Face Book searches. Organizational pages are Places and they do not have friends but people can Like their page. NOT - FOR- PROFIT Society of New Brunswick is Liked by 56 people. This means whenever something is posted to this page it automatically shows up in the News Feed of those 56 people. Group Page: Any person on Facebook can create a group and invite anyone to join their group. ). Only Group pages allow you to post PDF documents, such as newsletters. Once they are posted you can provide links to them on your Person page or your Organizational/Place page and that is useful.. You can also provide links to them on Twitter. Without a website that we can edit and post PDF documents to we have had to use this group page as an alternative way to make our documents public. Worrisome things about NOT- FOR- PROFIT on Face Book at the present: 1. Facebook does not automatically shorten web links that you post but there is a function on Face Book that can shorten long weblinks to a short url with fb.me in it. If the links are shortened then they continue to work where long links that take up two lines may not work any more. NOT- FOR- PROFIT needs to learn how to use fb.me urls. Facebook Searchesyou may type in NOT- FOR- PROFIT or NOT- FOR- PROFIT and be pleased to see our pages pop right up in the search but they do not pop up for other people. I searched for the place and group pages for days and could not find them. FaceBook tailors searches to what you like and have been to before and so since the Board members like NOT- FOR- PROFIT they will get items related to NOT- FOR- PROFIT in their searches but others do not. A stranger or a new client could put NOT- FOR- PROFIT in the search window and never get our pages. I have answer for this problem. It is mitigated by having all of our pages linked (by friending, liking or joining) all the other NOT- FORPROFIT pages in Canada. If someone finds NOT- FOR- PROFIT Canada or NOT- FORPROFIT BC they can see our names on those pages and so get to us. The long term Social Media Strategy will need to address this search challenge and maybe NOT- FOR- PROFIT will pay a fee in future years to come up more often in searches if it is viable.
4/22/2013

2.

Twitter Tweets on twitter can only be 140 characters or less but you can include links to Facebook or websites and these are not included as part of your 140 characters. Twitter shortens the links you post so they are manageable if someone wants to copy them but they still work well. Tweets can easily be made from smart phones, including uploading links and pictures. All tweets can be automatically posted to the Face Book Person page. Decision # 5: Until a social media expert is in place, NOT- FOR- PROFIT Directors and the Executive Director will install Twitter on any non-work smart phones they may have and tweet once per week on behalf of NOT- FOR- PROFIT (not everyone once per week, but taking turns so that there is one NOT- FOR- PROFIT tweet per week and stepping up and tweeting if no one else has done it yet that week). Note: too many tweets is as bad as no tweets per week! This will ensure the Face Book page also gets posts of one a week due the automatic link between twitter and the Face Book Person page. Pictures (screen shots) of the NOT- FOR- PROFIT Face Book and Twitter account pages are shown on the last 6 pages of this document.

Future Social Media Opportunities

At the moment, NOT- FOR- PROFIT is not equipped to take on adding any additional social media sites, such as Pinterest. NOT- FOR- PROFIT needs to primarily focus on getting its new website operational and interactive. However, it is important to mention LinkedIn as it is a business site. It could be used to fundraise for a very special occasion (not repeatedly). If every Board member had a profile and had personal connections (the LinkedIn version of Face Books Friends) then a plea could be sent out to all the connections of all the Board (I have 160+ connections at the moment and so seven Board members could potentially have a reach to over 1000 people). A special event (this is not a perfect match as connections tend to be country and world-wide and not local) or a special plea to buy 4 wheelchairs (or similar) might meet with success. There are NOT- FOR- PROFIT groups on LinkedIn with Organization pages and I follow some research pages for things relevant to tweet or for newsletters so there are many opportunities on LinkedIn but mostly it represents people who have access to corporate donations and/or who have higher incomes on average and so can/should be targeted for special fundraising and/or planned giving. This also could backfire quickly if done too often, if not planned properly as there will only be one chance or if it seems self-serving. This is a future opportunity fro NOT- FOR- PROFIT to consider when it has the expertise to do so.

4/22/2013

NOT- FOR- PROFIT Social Media Visual Identity and Channel Harmonization Guidelines
1. 2. 3. NOT- FOR- PROFIT will have a presence on any existing or future social media that the NOT- FOR- PROFIT Board feels it is appropriate to join. All Board members and staff are free to post as NOT- FOR- PROFIT but their posts must meet the NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media visual identity guidelines. All NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media will allow the public to post. It is understood that posts by others will not meet the NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media visual identity guidelines but no changes will be made to these posts (including taking them down) unless the posts include bullying language, profane language or illegal activities. Advertisements posted by anyone other than NOT- FOR- PROFIT will be removed immediately. NOT- FOR- PROFIT will use the NOT- FOR- PROFIT logo (not necessarily the national NOT- FOR- PROFIT logo) at least once, the NOT- FOR- PROFIT logo colours as much as is in good taste and lots of photography on each social media site on which it is active. NOT- FOR- PROFIT Tweets on Twitter will be linked to its Facebook people page so that all tweets become posts on Facebook. Other social media sites will be linked as allowed by those sites and as is deemed appropriate (For example: Linked In (business site) would not be an appropriate place to post a Facebook post (friend site)) The NOT- FOR- PROFIT website will be the defining example of the NOT- FORPROFIT on-line presence. As such, as much as possible, other social media tools must try to present the same image of NOT- FOR- PROFIT so that taken together as a group it is apparent there is a theme in design, colour and style running through all the social media tools and the website itself. The designs do not have to be the same but they must look coordinated. NOT- FOR- PROFIT will strive to have a similar look and colour as other NOT- FOR - PROFIT provincial societies on social media without copying the designs exactly.

4. 5.

6.

7.

8.

4/22/2013

NOT- FOR- PROFIT Password Policy

1. 2. 3. All NOT- FOR- PROFIT board members, and the current Executive Director will have easy access to all NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media usernames and passwords. No one else will be given access to any NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media usernames or passwords. No one will change any social media NOT- FOR- PROFIT username or password without immediately emailing the change to all NOT- FOR- PROFIT board members and the current Executive Director. No new NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media usernames or passwords will be created using the first names, last names or the personal email addresses of any NOT- FOR- PROFIT board members, and the current Executive Director. When members depart the NOT- FOR- PROFIT Board of Directors or cease to be employed by NOT- FOR- PROFIT they will delete all records of NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media usernames and passwords fro their electronic systems and paper files. No former NOT- FOR- PROFIT Board members or former NOT- FOR- PROFIT employees or contractors will ever attempt to access NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media except as a public guest or friend. They will not sign in to the NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media sites. Once every 24 months the Executive Director will change all the NOT- FOR- PROFIT social media passwords and distribute the new password(s) to all current NOT- FORPROFIT board members (no former members), and the current Executive Director.

4.

5.

6.

7.

4/22/2013

Screen Shots
The following is a screenshot of the NOT- FOR- PROFIT Twitter page as seen from another persons Twitter account. I searched for NOT- FOR- PROFIT when signed in as myself and so I see all the NOT- FOR- PROFIT tweets in one place. If I had signed in as NOT- FOR- PROFIT and gone to this page it would have shown me a newsfeed of all the tweets made by those Twitter pages which INOT- FOR- PROFIT is following. The format of the page would be the same just the Tweets section would reflect different content. This page has a nice clean look to it and fully meets the NOT- FOR- PROFIT logo and colour criteria. (attach sample screen shots)

4/22/2013