February 5, 2015
Social media is a pervasive and powerful tool for nonprofits.
Social media is a pervasive and powerful tool for nonprofits. The organizations that can harness the power of having an instant form of communication and connection with contributors, volunteers and other stakeholders can increase the success of many different programs, fundraisers and other aspects of operations. Nonprofit events, no matter their purpose, can be boosted with some coordinated social media efforts. So how can nonprofits take into account the unique aspects of events – their one-off nature, their high level of importance relative to the amount of time they’re allotted – when using their social network presence as a promotional tool?
Here’s some advice on getting the best return when promoting events on social media:
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[item]Plan each phase early: Having a social media plan is a good best practice in general, but there are specific considerations to make when it comes to promoting events. Segmenting the types of posts is important. One simple strategy is to focus on being promotional in the beginning, then offer live or after-the-fact updates from the event itself, and the results and future plans to be sent out in the days and weeks afterward. It may seem obvious to read now, but some nonprofits run into trouble when they don’t carefully plan ahead before the event.[/item]
[item]Segment by channel: Event 360, a team of event management specialists, stress the importance of accounting for each type of social media. Playing to the strengths of channels such as Twitter or Instagram is important because they are inherently limited in the types of information being shared. More details can be provided on Facebook or through links to a write-up on a nonprofit’s website. On the other hand, Instagram is great for photos taken at the event and Twitter is powerful when it comes to sharing bite-sized pieces of pertinent information, such as total attendance or contributions gathered.[/item]
[item]Encourage participation: There are plenty of opportunities to encourage followers to promote an event through social media – and to encourage stakeholders at an event to start following a nonprofits presence on these channels. Everything from a simple request in the invitations to mentions at the event itself can boost social media recognition. This approach also opens the door to crowdsourcing some of the photos and other posts that attendees will inevitably make.[/item]
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We’ve been a member of First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program since 2011 and highly recommend joining. The program is terrific and allows us to earn interest on our own funds while still meeting the state’s requirements on unemployment payments. In addition, the staff are great and always helpful sorting out any questions we may have. Thank you all!
CCSCT was approached by First NonProfit to discuss its Unemployment Savings Program and ways the program could significantly reduce the amount of unemployment taxes we were paying. At the time, our agency was paying approximately $80,000 per year. First NonProfit conducted an analysis to determine if making the switch would be in our best interest, and it clearly was based on our circumstances. The first year on the program, CCSCT saw a 70% reduction in its unemployment costs and each year, continues to experience further reductions as a result of having minimal claims. Some additional benefits of the program including having a fixed annual cost, an interest-baring reserve account, professional unemployment claims management and representation at all unemployment hearings. This has been one of the best decisions we have made.
We first started using First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program when we were a small startup nonprofit. We didn’t have an HR department and needed expertise in the event that an unemployment claim was made. We knew we were eligible to be a reimbursing employer, but weren’t sure how to navigate that process. They made it easy to set things up, plan for, and then manage claims when they came at a very reasonable cost. The amount of time and stress they’ve saved us dealing with all this has been worth way more than the cost. We’ve now grown to a large nonprofit and do have an HR department but have no plans to stop using their services. I highly recommend them to every nonprofit I come into contact with!
Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
Because INCS advocates for the operating conditions that allow charter public schools to provide high quality public education, partnering with First Nonprofit was an easy decision. First Nonprofit’s unemployment programs provide our member schools two operating elements crucial to their ability to provide high quality public education: savings and budget certainty. Capable, committed teachers are the key to student success. By participating in the unemployment insurance savings plan, charter public schools gain peace of mind and are able to invest more money in their teachers.
It has been our sincere pleasure to maintain a strong, vibrant business partnership with First Nonprofit. We greatly admire their strong industry knowledge, technical expertise, constant professionalism, knowledgeable and dedicated staff. They are always extremely responsive, personable and provide us with the necessary guidance and recommendations on a numerous variety of employment scenarios.
NYCON members who use First Nonprofit’s programs enjoy enduring savings and improved efficiency. Our association knows that success, because from the beginning, we achieved the same great benefits. Great savings, seamless technology, and responsive service. NYCON highly recommends First Nonprofit’s remarkable unemployment solutions.
Visually Impaired Preschool Services has been a client of First Non-Profit since it was first offered as a benefit of VisionServe Alliance. We completed a thorough evaluation of cash savings to our agency before taking advantage of this wonderful benefit and it has been a very wise decision. Our experience with the processes from accounting to claims have been professional, expeditious and easy.