Microblogging and Nonprofits
The press is always breathless about what they perceive as "new" technology. What's got them all aflutter lately? Sometimes they call it microblogging, sometimes they call it tweeting, sometimes they call it SMS... it's sending text messages of less than 140 characters to several cell phones and/or via the Internet to subscribers.
Microblogs (called "Tweets" on Twitter) are a great vehicle to help organize political demonstrations in Iran (and an effective way to spread misinformation), but how can nonprofit organizations really use microblogs -- particularly with volunteers?
Microblogging works best for nonprofits when they think about such as short messages going to subscribers via cell phones. Yes, users can receive microblogs as emails, as updates in their RSS readers or as updates on a particular web page or social networking platform like Facebook on computers or smart phones, but not everyone has a lap top or smart phone with them at all times (I know you're shocked, but it's true!). Microblogging as a text message via cell phones is what truly makes the phenomena unique, and truly sets it apart from email and blogging.
Texting Your Location
A practice becoming more and more commonplace is a person sending a text message to all of his or her friends/ cell phones, or via a status message on the person's Facebook account, or via his or her Twitter account, saying where he or she is:
Jayne just entered the Starbuck's in Canby.Yes, ofcourse the practice has jargon names: mobile check-in services and location-based networking. Whatever.
Some people send these micro-messages manually to their contacts, and some people have their smart phones configured with a certain application so that their location is sent out automatically if they enter a restaurant or store that is also using the same application.
Nonprofits can leverage this practice to help create more awareness about their organization:
These messages get a personalized, informal message out to your supporters' own networks -- their friends, neighbors, colleagues. These messages from your supporters shows how active your organization is and further builds awareness about your activities. These messages can generate interest among new volunteers and new audiences, attract larger numbers of attendees to an event, and augment your other outreach efforts.
However, don't abuse this. Most volunteers, audience members, clients, etc., don't want to send lots of messages on behalf of your organization to their network, and their network doesn't want to be overwhelmed with such messages. And sending such a message should always be entirely voluntarily on the part of those you are encouraging to send this message; never make sending such a message mandatory for volunteers, for instance.
If you encourage your volunteers, event attendees, etc. to text-their-location at the start, during or at the end of an event, track the results: do you see an increase in the number of phone calls or emails to your organization regarding volunteering? An increase in phone calls requesting more information? More attendees to an event? Ask your volunteers and other supporters as well what kind of responses they get per a message they have sent out to their network.
Microblogging From the Organization
As mentioned earlier, microblogging works best for nonprofits when they think about such as short messages going to subscribers via cell phone text messaging. They also work best when they are time-sensitive, with the goal of each message being to get volunteers or others to do something immediately: going to the nonprofit's office, going to a program site, going online, making a call, forwarding the message to others, showing up on time, etc.
For instance, here are what effective microblogs to volunteers can look like:
It's appropriate for some nonprofits to have more than one microblog account. Maybe your housing manager needs such to communicate with housing volunteers, while your campaign manager needs another to communicate with her activists, and the overall volunteer coordinator needs still another to communicate with all volunteers. That's fine, however, make sure everyone who is microblogging to volunteers is coordinating efforts with each other, and that no volunteer is required to subscribe to more than one account.
Most messages sent via microblogs should still also be sent via email or posted on your online discussion group for volunteers, with much more detail (as they won't be limited to 140 characters via those tools). If the message is THAT important to microblog, then it's worth repeating via other communications channels. Remember that not everyone is reached by just one avenue of communication! Rare is the situation where microblogging will be the only way a volunteer coordinator will interact with volunteers. Don't use it as a replacement for emails, posts to online discussion groups, regular blogging... and face-to-face meetings and phone calls.
Microblogging is NOT for everyone. It's not appropriate for every nonprofit organization (and maybe most nonprofit organizations). It's also not something every volunteer and other supporter of a nonprofit wants to use.
A lot of nonprofits I have talked with abandoned micro-blogging after just a few weeks or months, because subscribers realized they really didn't want nor need frequent updates from a nonprofit organization they support and, eventually, there weren't enough subscribers to continue the microblogging effort. A tip sheet on using Twitter for nonprofits that I came across recently said, "Limit your Tweets to 5 per day, and no more than 6!" I almost fell out of my chair. I assure you: the vast majority of volunteers do NOT want to receive messages from you that often! Most people are overwhelmed with online and cell phone messages and are looking for ways to cut down, not increase, online noise. Yes, there are a few nonprofit groups out there who have microblog subscribers who love or who actually need to receive daily messages, or even multiple messages a day (such as the National Wildlife Federation - although, let's see if they are still doing so in, say, three years). If that's your situation, then hurrah for you for knowing your constituents and what they really want/need from your organization. But for the vast majority of nonprofit organizations and volunteers, microblogging multiple times a day is not appropriate, feasible or desirable.
There is the danger of “crying wolf,” using the service so often that it loses its impact. Volunteers and other supporters should know when they subscribe to your microblogging service that you will use it for critical, time-sensitive messages only, messages that require immediate attention or action. They want messages like, "Barack Obama just walked in the front door of our office and it's live on CNN", not "Our Executive Director is flying to Seattle today for a board meeting."
If you are going to micro-blog, find what works best for your organization and your volunteers, and know that your experience may be hugely different than another organization. The only way to be sure what potential subscribers to your microblog would want is to ASK THEM. Ask volunteers and others if they would be interested in receiving updates via their cell phone from your organization, and tell them what such an update might look like. Ask them what they think would be an appropriate message vs. one that should have been sent via email or posted to an online discussion group instead. Ask them what microblogs they already receive via their cell phones and why.
Evaluate Your Efforts!
Once you launch your microblogs, evaluate your efforts. If you encourage your volunteers, event attendees, etc. to text-their-location at the start, during or at the end of an event, track the results: do you see an increase in the number of phone calls or emails to your organization regarding volunteering? An increase in phone calls requesting more information? More attendees to an event? Ask your volunteers and other supporters as well what kind of responses they get per a message they have sent out to their network.
Look at your email, RSS and Twitter subscription numbers frequently. Survey users to ask what they like and what they don't about how you are communicating. Ask ex-subscribers why they left. Always have data to help you refine your micro-blogging based on subscriber (and ex-subscriber) feedback.
What's most important: measure your success with online tools by real outcomes, not number of subscribers, number of messages sent, etc.
Final Thoughts
Content is still king. The online tools you use that have staying power -- and are, therefore, worth investing in -- are those that have quality, highly-desirable content. The fluffier and faddy your messages, the shorter the time whatever tool you are using will be valuable to those you are trying to reach. Be thoughtful and be strategic about whatever communication tool you use, even the flavor of the month.
Also see:
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