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How nonprofits can use social media

Nonprofits have embraced social media as a way of engaging members and supporters, increasing issue awareness and raising money. These blog posts offer practical ways your organization can harness the power of social media to work more effectively and drive social change.

Social media for small organizations: Why size matters

June 6, 2011

This blog post was written as part of a series, but it’s a post that many organizations could usefully read on its own. If your organization has fewer than 100,000 members, you need to recognize the constraints that size imposes on your social media strategy…and develop a social media plan that can work effectively at [...]

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The 5 requirements for using RSS aggregation to build your online presence

October 15, 2010

If your organization’s online audience is smaller than a million, an aggregation-based web site may be your best best for creating a lively social media presence. This posts maps out the 5 essential ingredients for a successful aggregation strategy.

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13 tips for using Facebook events instead of pages, groups or apps

October 7, 2010

If you’re creating a participatory project on Facebook, consider creating an event rather than a Facebook page. An event can provide an easy way of inviting people into your Facebook conversation, and you can use these 13 tips to make the most of it.

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9 questions to ask before starting a nonprofit technology project

November 6, 2009

Whether you’re a tech professional who wants to lend your time to a good cause, or an NGO that needs a new web site, your online efforts can benefit not just one organization, but many organizations facing similar challenges and opportunities. These 9 questions will ensure your nonprofit project has the maximum impact.

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Social media and the health sector: an introduction with case studies

September 23, 2009

Social capital, understood as the density of relationships and trust within a community, is a key determinant of health. Individuals are happier and healthier in communities with high levels of social capital, and high social capital communities have stronger economies and more stable political systems. This post provides an introduction to the role of social media in building social capital, illustrated with examples of how health care organizations are using social media for storytelling, connecting and knowledge management.

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Engagement planning worksheets to engage your users and move them to action

May 27, 2009

It’s often hard for nonprofits to figure out how they can engage people effectively online. It’s hard enough to get visitors to your site or social media presence, let alone drive them effectively towards action. This post gives you two tools that can help: a user profile worksheet, and an engagement planning worksheet.

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Social media for social enterprise: How your non-profit can earn revenue with Web 2.0

January 18, 2008

A social media site thrives on active and ongoing user contribution. That typically demands ongoing infusions of content, skilled animation, participation incentives — all of which cost money.The great news is that social media sites offer at least as many opportunities for revenue generation as for spending.

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Change status: Facebooking and Twittering for a new world

October 1, 2007

How to use status updates — like the ones you post to Facebook and Twitter — to help drive social change.

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6 best practices for non-profits using web 2.0

September 28, 2007

“Which nonprofits are using Web 2.0 technology in an innovative way to listen and talk with their clients and constituents and further their missions?” I answer this question with 6 best practices we’ve observed among our clients and colleagues.

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Choosing a platform for the telecentre.org network

August 6, 2005

When we recommended Drupal as the platform for telecentre.org back in 2005, we anticipated the emergence of what is now one of the most widely-used tools for nonprofit technologists. The process we used to evaluate platforms, and the questions we asked, are the same questions you should be asking about your software choices today.

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