I recently had the pleasure of running a LinkedIn workshop to members of the Seashell Trust’s multi-disciplinary team. Wendy Bray, Fundraising Manager said; “Ann ran an interactive training session at Seashell Trust and it would not be an overstatement to say she has revolutionised the way we use LinkedIn here across so many of our teams with very real benefits already. She very quickly understood our business and our needs and the training she delivered was exactly right to engage the team and show them the benefits very quickly.”
Mobile technology and social media are changing the way people donate and interact with charities. Donations through websites, social media and apps now account for £26 in every £100 donated in the UK, with an annual figure of £2.4 billion now being donated online* If you would like to read more about my work with the trust you can check it out here.
So, what does the future hold for charities and trusts? Social media can only play a bigger part in supporting your charity’s efforts in more ways than you might thin:
Building your Charity’s Brand
Social media is key in positioning your charity and helping your audience to find out more about what your charity represents. It is important to consider what impression you want to give your audience through all types of content, video as well as written content and what tone of voice do you want to adopt?
Bringing your Community Together
Social media can offer your charity the opportunity to bring together like-minded individuals. For example, if your charity supports those with a specific form of cancer, create a virtual community where those living with this illness can also support each other. Your charity can then become a hub, bringing these like-minded individuals together, generating discussion and ideas, as well as increasing the voice of your supporters.
Fundraising for your Charity
Probably one of the most important aspects why charities continue to exist and social media represents a great opportunity to communicate and reach a wider audience than might have been possible before. Create a list of decision makers, businesses and high-level bloggers who will all be more than happy to support your fundraising and campaigning efforts.
Finding Volunteers for your Charity
Are you currently looking for volunteers, the chances are that you probably are, and social media is a cost-effective way to help your charity find them? Ask your audience to help by sharing and retweeting. Remember to be clear about who your ideal volunteer is. For example, you might be looking for a specific local demographic, try creating a group and start spreading the word.
Summary
More and more charities are using social media as a very good cost-effective way to communicate putting a strategy in place is essential. Before you a start understand your audience, what are you trying to achieve and how will you action your strategy.
If you think I can help your charity please contact me on 0161 826 7181 or email info@bizwizuk.co.uk or alternatively please, check out the following resources:
* http://www.wired.co.uk/article/charity-and-social-media
http://www.bizwizuk.co.uk/free-resources/pdf-downloads/
https://www.skillsplatform.org/charitysocialmediatoolkit/
By Ann Davies, Director