Networking to Non-Profit Success

Building relationships through traditional and social media networking

opportunities.Presented by:

Pete ParkerNon-Profit Consultant & Community Volunteer

www.parkerdevelopment.com

Today’s Intentions

Describe the purpose of networking Define two powerful networking methods Share the values and potential pitfalls of

networking Introduce social media networking Demonstrate a fun networking activity

Ultimately, the big reason we’re discussing this topic is to generate greater support (financial and voluntary) by building stronger relationships with our existing constituents, as well as connecting with potential supporters and the larger community.

Why so involved?

Community goodwill Make connections Build networks Recruit new volunteers Connect with key, potential donors Demonstrate community commitment Incredibly fun Community knowledge Serve as a resource Demonstrate leadership Set a good example for my children and others

Networking…what’s it all about?

net⋅work⋅ing[net-wur-king] –noun

A supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.

If you ask me, I might say it’sa means of building community from which to generate interest, involvement and support.

Ask staff or board leaders and you might hear…a means to generating strong supporters to provide necessary funding.

What’s our current view of networking?

essential 93.1%neutral 6.9%distraction 0.0%

Does your employer view networking as essential or a distraction?

According to local non-profit leaders in the positions of…Executive Director/President/CEO 28.1%Director of Development 15.6%Development Officer 15.6%Director of Marketing 3.1%Marketing Officer 3.1%Program Director 6.3%Program Officer 3.1%Administrative 6.3%Grants Manager 3.1%Corporate officer 3.1%Board Member 3.1%Consultant 6.3%Unemployed 3.1%

Really, why is networking important to fundraising?

The primary value found in networking is support generation. It’s an arsenal in each organization’s marketing and fund development process.

Key contributors are interested in playing strong roles in understanding the organizations they support. This includes operations, programs, staff, volunteers, as well as mission and vision. Many donors are as eager to learn as much about an organization and its key players as much as development staff wanting to know all they can about their key donors.

It’s easy and scary.

Successful networking requires a few things.

Passion for your organization

Desire to generate support

Willingness to step outside the “comfort zone”

Time – whether it’s attending meetings and activities or additional hours online

Endorsement from your employer

Money – for memberships and activities

Networking Essentials

Define your purpose of networking Identify the desired outcome(s) Who are you targeting? What’s your budget (time, dollar,

resources) Do you have organizational support? How committed are you? Is it a part of your marketing and fund

development plans?

Traditional Networking

Where do local non-profit leaders network?

Association of Fundraising Professionals 25Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce 7Human Services Network 6WIN 6EDAWN 5Young Professionals Network 5Young Non-profit Professionals Network 3American Marketing Association 2American Association of Grantwriting Professionals 1NCET 1Planned Giving Roundtable 1PRSA 1Rotary Int'l 1Soroptimist 1Sparks Chamber of Commerce 1VISTA/AmeriCorps 1A2N2 0BNI 0

Based on our desired networking strategies, should we continue as is or make changes to fulfill our goals and plans?

Relationships are critical to success; so often,

knowing the right person to ask is as valuable as

knowing the answer yourself, if not more so.

Being well-connected is the ultimate source of

personal effectiveness and advantage. And it's

now a case of shared success - with what you can

give being as important as what you get out of

your networking success.

You said it yourself, look what traditional networking can do for

your organization.

Answer OptionsVery

importantSomewhat important

Somewhat unimportant

Very unimportant

Creating awareness 24 6 1 0General public engagement 20 10 1 0Volunteer engagement 19 9 2 1Donor engagement 24 5 1 1

Who has experienced success from traditional

networking?

Social Networking

What do we know?

Answer OptionsNever heard

ofVaguely familiar

Somewhat familiar Very familiar

Blogging 0 7 12 11Microblogging (e.g. Twitter) 3 17 7 3Podcasting 3 12 12 3Online video 0 7 12 10Social Networking (e.g. MsSpace, Facebook, etc.) 0 7 11 12

How familiar are you with the following social media tools?

How many of us use it?

Answer Options Currently use Plan to use Plan to useChoose not to

useBlogging 10 3 3 8Microblogging (e.g. Twitter) 4 2 3 13Podcasting 4 3 5 11Online video 6 4 6 6Social Networking (e.g. MsSpace, Facebook, etc.) 12 2 3 6

Which of the following types of social media does your organization use?

What’s its importance?

Answer OptionsVery

importantSomewhat important

Somewhat unimportant

Very unimportant

Creating awareness 14 12 2 0General public engagement 9 14 3 2Volunteer engagement 8 10 5 5Donor engagement 7 9 6 6

How important is social media to your...?

Questions to ask

What is important to your organization?

Why are you getting involved in social media?

What’s your goal? Is it traffic? Fundraising dollars? Recruiting volunteers? Reducing attrition? Re-engaging lost contacts or lapsed donor? Public Relations? Create responses/action?

Success will mean that you attained your goal, so first you need to decide on your goal. Once you know a firm idea of your goals then you can select which tools and tactics to use, and the metrics to measure against. Obviously learning which tool is appropriate for which purpose is important.

What are we currently using?

Answer Options Me OrganizationFacebook 14 11MySpace 7 4Twitter 4 5Ning 5 4Change.org 2 2LinkedIn 5 0

Face to Face Comparison

Date Range: 1/2008 to 1/2009

Social Media Site People Month Δ      Year Δ     

MySpace 58,555,800 -1.7%   -5.3%  

Facebook 68,557,534 14.9%   125.6%  

LinkedIn 11,274,160 20.6%   146.4%  

Twitter 5,979,052 34.7%   812.7%  

Change.org 715,162 71.9%   2003.9%  

Participation Percentages

MySpace Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Change.orgGenderMale 42 45 53 47 38 Female 58 55 47 53 62

Age3-11 3 1 - - 1 12-17 29 30 1 1 5 18-34 45 47 30 47 19 35-49 15 13 46 31 31 50+ 8 9 24 21 44

BackgroundCaucasian 69 74 80 82 80 African American 12 13 8 7 7 Asian 4 6 8 5 4 Hispanic 14 5 3 5 5 Other 2 1 2 2 4

Children?No Kids 0-17 52 57 80 74 84 Has Kids 0-17 48 43 20 26 16

Income$0-30k 21 15 12 21 30 $30-60k 27 25 20 28 23 $60-$100k 27 31 30 24 24 $100k+ 25 30 38 27 23

EducationNo College 53 42 24 37 33 College 38 43 50 46 45 Grad School 10 15 26 17 23

Statistics from quantcast.com

Wh

o’s

usin

g w

hat?

SMART Strategy

Your networking strategy (traditional and social) needs to be SMART:

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result-Focused and Time-specific

Use the grid below to set your objectives and, on a regular basis, evaluate using a point system.Objective Specific Measurable Attainable Result-Focused Time-Specific

Source – Beth Kanter

http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2009/02/just-how-smart-are-your-social-media-objectives.html

So, why do we network?

Identify potential supporters Aid in cultivating of existing constituents Create awareness Share stories, distribute message Increase network of connections Learn about your organization (word on the street,

misperceptions, strengths, etc.) Learn about other organizations (key players, fundraising

progress, etc.) Mine for supporters (potential sponsors, volunteers,

gatekeepers, etc.) Test and perfect your elevator speech Identify community needs and concerns Create opportunities

The core is found at strengthening your organization.

Supporting Links

We Are Media – www.wearemedia.org Beth Kanter – www.bethkanter.com Nonprofit SOS – www.nonprofitsos.blogspot.com Corporate Dollar – www.corporatedollar.org Quantcast – www.quantcast.com Tech Soup – www.techsoup.org Chronicle of Philanthropy – www.philanthropy.org Mobile Giving – www.mgive.com Tip Joy – www.tipjoy.com

The following sites were visited when piecing this presentation together. The final two are online giving sites, which support Twitter.

Networking is a ton of fun and the possibilities created are

endlessThank you very much.

If you’d like a printed version of the presentation, just send an email topetep@nevadaphilanthropy.org or call 333-9444.

You can also find me atwww.myspace.com/zonaspidey

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=570098975

www.linkedin.com/in/peteparkerwww.twitter.com/zonaspidey

www.change.org/profile/view/50769

Okay, it’s time for some fun. Grab your business cards.