Everybody Wins! USA National Executive Director Rich Greif
Everybody Wins! USA is a national literacy and mentoring non-profit organization whose use of social media to spread their message has been very impressive. Non-profits, like small businesses, authors, entrepreneurs or speakers, frequently face limited marketing and publicity budgets and stretched-thin human resources. We asked National Executive Director Rich Greif to share some of his insights into using social media platforms to increase brand awareness, raise funds, promote a cause and develop relationships that could lead to a broader reach for a non-profit. We think these insights can be used by any individual or business to develop a stronger social currency for their brand.
I would say we are running relationship-building campaigns not fundraising campaigns.
RATZLAFF:
Rich, Everybody Wins USA! is a non-profit and the need to attract both volunteers and donors is a reality. Has social media helped you in those goals?
GREIF:
Social media has been a game-changer for us in building the awareness and relationships that have lead to more volunteers and funding opportunities. Through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and our blog, we have grown our relationships with existing partners University of Phoenix and Pitney Bowes, and formed new partnerships with the children’s reading website MrsP.com and children’s book donation organization First Book, among others. Social media has helped position us as a leading advocate for children’s literacy and mentoring and brought us a level of visibility and credibility that would have taken years to build through other channels.
RATZLAFF:
You’ve been very effective in finding potential funding sources and using the Events application to spread the word. Can you tell us a little bit about that strategy and how it’s worked?
GREIF:
One of the keys to building relationships through social media is to find like-minded people that share a passion for what you do. One ongoing strategy for us is to search for people or groups with keywords that fit our mission. As you build a following, you’ll find certain people are your strongest followers and supporters. When you’re running a special campaign, it’s often helpful to target your most loyal followers to help spread the word. We’ve used Facebook groups and events to identify and engage targeted groups of 200-300 people at a time which has helped us immensely.
RATZLAFF:
How do you like the Causes application? It seems like the ability to donate directly from Facebook is a good thing. True?
GREIF:
It’s helpful to have a direct way on Facebook for people to donate. We used the Causes application with the Chase Community Giving Challenge campaign last fall. We reached out to our friends and fans to donate on one specific day with a minimum $10 donation. With minimal effort, we raised close to $2,000 which is pretty good considering there were no upfront costs.
However, many people assume the Causes application is run by Facebook which it is not. Still, people are concerned about privacy issues and information being shared with Facebook whether it is run by them or not. Additionally, the Causes application is another place on Facebook where a nonprofit can host members. This can be confusing and duplicative if your nonprofit is already running a group or fan page. The Causes application has far less media rich options to communicate with members on a regular basis, so if you are starting out, it’s important to explore which Facebook options will best meet your goals.
RATZLAFF:
You’ve run short term fundraising campaigns on Facebook and Twitter and longer term ones. Does one work better than the other? If so why?
GREIF:
I would say we are running relationship-building campaigns not fundraising campaigns.
The relationships are ultimately what leads to greater awareness, partnerships and funding. Some of our efforts are short-term campaigns. On Twitter, we were a featured TwitCause last fall where we would receive a donation every time someone included the hashtag #Read2Kids in their Tweet. We were also featured causes in the recent Pepsi Refresh Project and Change.org Ideas for Change competitions. How you use social media depends on whether you are asking followers to donate, retweet a message, click on a link, or vote for a campaign.
Facebook and Twitter each have their advantages and limitations. On Twitter, influential posts can reach a wider audience if they are retweeted, while Facebook users seem to repost content less often. On Facebook though, you can send an update to all your fans or group members at one time, while there is no similar function on Twitter. And since you can simultaneously post on Twitter, Facebook and other tools, it’s important to strategize how your post can work best with all of these mediums.
RATZLAFF:
What one piece of advice would you give to other non-profit organizations about growing their brand awareness using social media?
GREIF:
I’ll give you two key pieces of advice. First, social media is about building trusted relationships and creating meaningful dialogue. To do that, you need to be a champion and resource for your issue or cause and not just your organization. Part of Everybody Wins! USA’s mission is to be a leading advocate for the importance of reading to all children, not just the ones in our program. If you only promote your organization, that is not a dialogue. We want to foster a culture of reading to children and share all the great work that is happening. As a result we are rated the most influential literacy organization on Twitter by wefollow.com.
Second, just like in the real world, building trusted relationships through social media takes time. There are no shortcuts. You have to devote the time on a consistent basis to be seen as a credible source. If you are committed to growing and strengthening the reach of your nonprofit through social media, then you have to make that a part of a person’s job or figure out the structure that will work for you. Too many nonprofits have casually waded in and out of the social media waters because they’re expecting to see an immediate return or they are not prepared to devote the time to it. Social media is not a get rich quick scheme, but if done with authenticity and commitment, it can take a nonprofit to a whole new level of visibility and opportunity.
Readers can find more information on Everybody Wins! USA on their blog and Facebook Page.
That was a wonderful read,I just now subscribed to your feed.