Recently I read on Katya’s Marketing Blog that Facebook has surpassed Google in terms of popularity.
It does make sense that you can waste time on Facebook much longer than you can waste time on Google.
But, what does this really mean for US? I still argue that Facebook is not an effective place to market your business or get donations for your nonprofit.
I don’t know anyone aside from Beth Kanter who has raised any significant amount of money with Twitter OR Facebook, and I consider myself fairly well informed.
Feel free to prove me wrong, leave a comment, tell me how much money you’ve raised on Facebook. I want to hear what you did to get those results!
Just because a lot of traffic is there doesn’t mean it’s the RIGHT traffic for your nonprofit to get exposure and donations with.
I’ve recently been reading a bit of Dave Navarro and Naomi Dunford, who are not only excellent writers, but excellent internet marketers, as well, and they say, “Traffic? So What! What about sales?” And so, that is true. What about your donations and earned income for your nonprofit?
You can check your web stats 10x a day, but that doesn’t change you not getting the donations you need, through your website or in other ways. So, how do you get potential donors to give to you, if stats aren’t the answer?
Make a case, and make the ask, make it over and over, and partner with other nonprofits to expand your impact and reach.
You don't have to be him!
So often, I see nonprofits get tied up in how they have to act alone, be kind of like the lone ranger on a white horse, riding off into the sunset. That, my friends, is a recipe for BURNOUT!
It’s not about Facebook versus Google. It’s not about getting millions of visitors to your website. It’s about getting people there who WANT to give to you, who have been PRIMED to give to you through consistent nonprofit communications.
How can you communicate more with your donors? Have a partner who will promote your nonprofit to their list as well!
Who can you connect with in your particular position this week? If you’re a development associate, are there other development associates you can reach out to? If you’re a development director, is there a sister organization in town that you can meet with and talk about pooling efforts and resources to improve your quality of life?
If you’re an executive director, how can you take the time to network with people who have bigger networks than you, and hopefully make the connections that allow you BOTH to apply for that next government grant, together, and get it?
Forget popularity contests. Start focusing on connections.
Wow Pam,
Thank you for that thoughtful response!
I agree. Social media is PERFECT for growing your list, and then, of course, you have to WORK YOUR LIST, this seems to be the theme of this week, whenever I talk to nonprofit leaders. I ask them if they are “working their lists” and even if they have 2,000 subscribers, they say NO!
And often the reason is, “I hate constant contact.” Isn’t that sad? I think if you’re unhappy with your email software, you should switch to something easier to use! I personally have tried both Constant Contact and Aweber, and I prefer Aweber. How about you?
I see the success of things like the birthday wishes on Causes generating hundreds — sometimes thousands — in donations. But, as I’ve noted in the past, for as many Causes donations as I’ve made (and I’ve made quite a few), I’ve yet to receive a thank you from the charity. Of course a $5,000 donation is nice but how can the nonprofit build upon those relationships and turn them into future donations? One-time donations do not build sustainable funding.
In my ever-so-humble opinion the best use of social media is to BUILD YOUR LIST. Email is the real online tool for developing relationships (of course you’ve got to know how) and the latest stats bear me out on this one. Facebook and Twitter are both great for growing your email list.