using social media to meet nonprofit goals : the...

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO MEET NONPROFIT GOALS : THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY

February 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................4

What Social Media Tools are Nonprofits Using? ................................................................6

How Effectively Can Social Media Meet Specific Goals? .................................................9

What Does this Mean for Nonprofits? .................................................................................13

About the Survey ................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix A: The Text of the Survey ....................................................................................16

Appendix B: About the Authors ......................................................................................... 20

Using Social Media to Meet Nonprofit Goals • February 2010

AUTHORS

Kaitlin LaCasse, IdealwareLaura S. Quinn, IdealwareChris Bernard, Italics Media

For more information about the authors, please see Appendix B.

HOW WAS THIS REPORT FUNDED?

This report was made possible by the generosity of:

Our Lead Sponsors, Balance Interactive, Beaconfire Consulting and Firefly Partners, who contributed fund-• ing in return for promotional placementThe Transmission Project, which builds the capacity of public media and technology organizations. Their • Digital Arts Service Corps program supported Kaitlin LaCasse and her social media research.All the individuals and consulting firms who contributed to the Idealware Research Fund—thank you!•

ABOUT IDEALWARE

Idealware, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provides thoroughly researched, impartial resources about software to help nonprofits make smart software decisions.

Nonprofits maintain a complicated relationship with technology. Most know that software can streamline their processes and help fulfill their missions more efficiently and effectively, yet lean staffing and tight budgets mean they’re unable to devote the time necessary keep up with new technologies and find the right tools.

From the most basic questions—like how to use software to help manage emailing hundreds of people at once —to the more complex—like understanding the role of social networking and mobile phone text-messaging in fundraising strategy—organizations need a trusted source for answers.

Idealware provides an authoritative online guide to the software that allows U.S. nonprofits—especially small ones—to be more effective. By synthesizing vast amounts of original research and information into credible and approachable information, Idealware helps nonprofits make the most of their time and financial resources. And our reach is expanding! Our reports have been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.


Your Website is Your Most Important Marketing Tool.

Does your website engage your members?Can you easily update your website?Do you know how social media can work for you?Can your members find what they need on your website?Is your website usable on mobile devices?

If you answered no to any of these questions we can help. Contact us today.

It's Critical. Are you getting it right?

WECANHELP

www.balanceinteractive.com 703-451-8675

Balance Interactive7.5 x 5.4 Half Page AdFebruary 2010Social Media Report

Available Now at

Idealware.org/fi

eldguide

Helping Nonprofits Make Smart Software Decisions

Available Now at

Idealware.org/

fieldguide

Helping Nonprofits Make Smart Software Decisions

P A R T N E R Sfirefly


There seemed to be little relationship between the size of the organization and the number of channels being used, or their perceived effectiveness.

We also asked how effectively each channel met three particular goals: enhancing relationships with an existing audience, reaching out to new supporters, and fundraising.

Generally, respondents felt social media channels • were effective for enhancing relations with an existing audience and reaching out to new supporters, but considerably less so for raising money.A majority, 84 percent, felt blogs were effective •

In November 2009, Idealware surveyed 459 nonprofit staff members who were already using social media at their organizations. We asked them what tools they were using and how effectively they thought those tools were meeting particular goals. Specifically, we asked about seven tools or types of tools: Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, video-sharing sites, photo-sharing sites and blogs. (See Appendix A for the full survey questionnaire.)

At a high level, results showed:Among respondents, Facebook, Twitter and video-• sharing sites were the most widely used social media channels, at 73 percent, 56 percent and 49 percent, respectively.

Many said they plan to start using social media or • additional forms of social media within the next six months—for example, 53 percent not currently using Facebook said they plan to start.A majority of respondents said they update • content regularly. Half of those update just one or two social media channels regularly, while just 15 percent said they regularly update five or more.

ExECuTivE SummAry

Facebook, Twitter and video-sharing sites were the most widely used social media channels.

A majority of respondents said they update their social media sites regularly.

They felt social media was effective for enhancing relations and reaching out, but considerably less so for raising money.


at enhancing existing relationships, followed very closely by video-sharing sites at 83 percent, and Twitter and Facebook at 81 percent each.When it comes to reaching new potential support-• ers, most respondents (78 percent) felt Twitter was effective, followed closely by Facebook and blogs at 76 percent each, and video sharing sites at 72 percent.Of all the options available, respondents con-• sidered Facebook the most effective channel for fundraising, although only 41 percent felt that it

was, in fact, effective. Blogs were a close second at 39 percent, followed by Twitter at 30 percent.

Although Facebook was the most widely used • tool by a considerable margin, and the one that those not yet using were most likely to start, it was

Of all the options available, respondents considered Facebook the most effective channel for fundraising, although only 41 percent felt that it was, in fact, effective.

seen as the most-effective only in terms of raising money—and then, only by a small margin.

Twitter was in the top three channels for every • goal, and was considered the most-effective chan-nel for reaching potential new supporters. Respondents considered Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, • and video- and photo-sharing sites reasonably effective—at least at outreach and enhancing existing relationships. MySpace was not as well-thought-of, and ranked lowest for each of the three goals. LinkedIn was considered compara-tively effective for fundraising, but lagged behind everything but MySpace for the other goals.

Twitter was in the top three channels for every goal, and was considered the most-effective channel for reaching potential new supporters.


Next was Twitter—56 percent of respondants said they used it, and 5 percent regularly update content for their Twitter feed. In fact, a higher percentage (80 percent) of those using Twitter update content regularly than any of the other tools. Blogs were also fairly widely used and updated—45 percent of respondents reported using them, 33 percent updating them regularly.

We asked respondents to what extent they were publishing content to organizational accounts for the following tools: Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twit-ter, photo-sharing sites, video-sharing sites and blogs. For each tool, participants could respond in one of the following ways: don’t plan to use in the near term, plan to start using in the next six months, have created an account but don’t update it regularly, or have created an account and update it regularly. Note that the survey did not define “regularly,” but instead let respondents interpret it how they saw fit.

What are They Currently Using?

Far more respondents used Facebook than any other channel, at 73 percent. Even more impressive, more than half the respondents (53 percent) said they’re updating Facebook content regularly.

WhAT SOCiAL mEdiA TOOLS ArE NONprOFiTS uSiNg?

Far more respondents used Facebook than any other channel, at 73 percent.

0%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

75%

Facebook MySpace LinkedI n Twitter V ideoSharing

PhotoSharing

Bl ogs

We createdaccount, but don'tupdate regularly

We create ourown content, andupdate it regularly

Nonprofits’ Use of Social Media Channels


A surprising number of organizations (49 percent) reported using video-sharing sites, and 19 percent said they update content regularly. Just 36 percent said they were using photo-sharing sites, with 19 percent updat-ing content regularly.

LinkedIn and MySpace were the least-used social me-dia channels. Just 25 percent of respondents said they used LinkedIn, and 17 percent MySpace. MySpace accounts are also much less likely to be kept updated than other tools—just 3 percent of respondents said they update content regularly, considerably less than LinkedIn, which was still low at 11 percent.

There appeared to be little correlation between organization size and the usage of specific tools.

Note that the survey’s own distribution methods—via

Facebook, Twitter and the Idealware blog—could skew the analysis of the results. Respondents who received the invitation via these channels might be considered more likely to use such channels at their organizations.

What do They Plan to Use in the Future?

We also collected information about whether respondents not currently using social media tools plan to begin using it within the next six months. Roughly half responded positively for at least some of the tools (53 percent for Facebook, 48 percent for blogs and 46 percent for video- sharing sites), but few said they plan to begin using MySpace or LinkedIn.

How Many Tools Are They Using?

Of those respondents who said they update content regularly, the largest percentage—26 percent—regu-larly updated two channels, and 24 percent updated only one channel. Just 15 percent said they regularly updated five or more channels. There does not appear to be a correlation between the number of channels used and an organization’s annual budget.

LinkedIn and MySpace were the least-used social media channels.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


PhotoSharing

Bl ogs

Percent of Nonprofits NOT Using the Channels That Plan to Within 6 Months


(34 percent) said their organizations used social media because others were—a sign of a potential band-wagon effect we continue to hear about anecdotally.

Social media continues to be a supplemental tool. Very few respondents—just 7 percent—said they used it as a replacement for other communication channels. We asked survey respondents how effectively they

Why Are Nonprofits Using Social Media?

We asked survey participants to list all the reasons they used social media. A vast majority cited some combination of reaching new supporters, enhancing relations with existing supporters and rounding out ex-isting communications mixes. An appreciable number

Number of Channels Being regularly updated

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

One Channel TwoChannels

Th reeChannels

FourChannels

Fi ve Channels Six Channels SevenChannels

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Staffmembersaid weshould

Board saidwe should

A lot of orgsare using

To raisemoney

To reachnew

potentialsupporters

To enhancerelations w/

existingaudience

To roundout comm

mix

To replaceother

channel

Why Nonprofits Are Using Social Media


Only 26 percent felt at least one channel was effective for raising money. For instance, only 41 percent of respondents who use Facebook, the most widely used channel, felt it worked for raising money—compare that to the 81 percent who felt it worked for reaching an existing audience, and 76 percent for reaching new supporters.

All of these social media-based tactics are still fairly new. There’s also a lot of public discussion about not using fundraising as a goal or metric for social media. Consequently, it’s impossible to know whether these numbers show an actual lack of efficacy, or whether they simply reflect a general belief among organizations. However, the numbers do certainly suggest that to date, organizations have seen less proven value using these tools for fundraising as opposed to other goals.There does not appear to be a correlation between

the perceived effectiveness of different tools and organization size, nor were there any clear patterns or trends across organization size.

hOW EFFECTivELy CAN SOCiAL mEdiA mEET SpECiFiC gOALS?

perceived specific social media channels met three spe-cific goals: enhancing relations with existing audience, reaching new potential supporters and raising money. For each goal, we asked whether they “know it doesn’t work,” “doesn’t work,” “think it works,” or “know

it works.” Note that we didn’t ask how they knew it worked—therefore, these results should be considered a measure of how confident respondents were in each channel rather than proof of actual, measurable results.

Overall, respondents felt that social media worked best for enhancing relations with existing audiences, followed by reaching new potential supporters. They found it considerably less effective at raising money. Almost three-fourths (73 percent) felt at least one social media channel was effective for enhancing relations with an existing audience, while a little less (68 percent) felt at least one was effective for reaching new potential supporters.

73 percent felt at least one social media channel was effective for enhancing relations with an existing audience.

Only 26 percent felt at least one channel was effective for raising money.


audiences, as opposed to simply “thinking” they work. A very small portion of MySpace users said they “knew” it was an effective channel for the same goal.

Which tools are best for each goal? In the graphs below, we summarize the percentage of respondents who “think” or “know” that each tool works for a particular goal.

Enhancing relations with your existing audience

Respondents felt blogs were the best way to reach an existing audience—84 percent of those using blogs said they were effective for that goal. Video-sharing sites, Twitter and Facebook followed very closely behind, with 83 percent, 81 percent and 81 percent, respectively.

A slightly higher percentage of those using Facebook, Twitter and blogs also said they “knew” those tools worked better than other tools for reaching existing

enhancing relations with y our Organization's existing audienc e

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Facebook Myspace LinkedI n Twitter V ideosharing

Photosharing

Bl ogs

We think it works

We know it works

Enhancing Relations with Your Existing Audience

Respondents felt blogs were the best way to reach an existing audience. Video-sharing sites, Twitter and Facebook followed very closely.


Reaching new potential supporters

Respondents found Twitter most effective at reaching new supporters, with 78 percent, followed by Facebook and blogs at 76 percent each, and video-sharing sites at 74 percent. Once again, MySpace was seen as the least effective for reaching new potential supporters, at only 39 percent.

Although a similar number of users felt Facebook, blogs and video-sharing sites were effective for this goal, a higher percentage of Twitter and Facebook users said

they “knew” those channels were effective (38 and 33 percent, respectively), compared to only 26 percent for blogs and 21 percent for video-sharing sites.

Raising money for your organization

Overall, respondents were much less likely to find social media effective at raising money. In addition, this was the goal where the playing field seemed to even out for the tools. There was substantially less of a difference between the effectiveness of the specific channels for raising money.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Facebook MySpace LinkedI n Twitter VideoSharing

Sites

PhotoSharing

Sites

Bl ogs

Think it worksKnow it works

raising Money For y our Or ganization

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


PhotoSharing

Bl ogs

Think it works

Know it works

Reaching New Supporters For Your Organization

Raising Money For Your Organization


That said, 41 percent said they felt Facebook was effec-tive for this goal. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said blogs were the most effective for raising money, but just 8 percent said they “knew” blogging was effective, compared to 18 percent for Facebook.

Roughly the same percentage “knew” Twitter and blogs were effective, but just 32 percent felt Twitter was effec-tive overall. Surprisingly, LinkedIn was seen as on-par with Twitter and video-sharing sites, with 30 percent, the only goal for which that tool was ranked near channels like Twitter or Facebook. Photo- and video-sharing sites followed, with 28 percent and 27 percent respectively.

There was substantially less of a difference between the effectiveness of the specific channels for raising money.

As with the other goals, respondents who used MySpace were much less likely to feel it was effective at raising money.

Across all channels, respondents were more likely to “know” they didn’t work for raising money in compari-son to the other goals. In fact, 74 percent of respondents who felt LinkedIn was not effective for this goal said they “knew” it didn’t work, along with 66 percent of MySpace users, 58 percent of Twitter users, 55 percent of Face-book users, 54 percent of those using video-sharing sites, 53 percent using photo-sharing sites, and 47 percent of those using blogs.

Across all channels, respondents were more likely to “know” they didn’t work for raising money, in comparison to other goals.


WhAT dOES ThiS mEAN FOr NONprOFiTS?

So how should nonprofits interpret this information when considering social media tools for their own goals? This was just a preliminary survey which we plan to follow up with substantial research to help under-stand some of the driving factors behind the results, but early analysis suggests some interesting possibilities:

Facebook was most used, but not necessarily most effective. Although Facebook was the most widely used tool by a considerable margin, and the one that those not yet using were most likely to start, it was seen as the most-effective only in terms of raising money—and then, only by a small margin. Other channels were seen as being as effective or more so for the other two goals (enhancing relations with an existing audience and reaching new potential supporters).

Nonprofits found Twitter quite effective. Twitter was in the top three channels for every goal, and was considered the most-effective channel for reaching potential new supporters. Anecdotally, a Twitter feed is also often less time-consuming to maintain and update than, say, Facebook or a blog. This may make it attrac-tive for some nonprofits.

Blogs were also effective. Though often time con-suming to write, blogs were ranked among the top-three channels for every goal, and highest for one—engaging an existing audience. They were also a close second to Facebook for fundraising. It appears organizations saw returns on their efforts, which may lead other organiza-tions to consider blogs—if they can invest the time.

Video- and Photo-sharing sites are worth consider-ing. A surprising number of respondents used video- and photo-sharing sites and found them effective—particularly to engage existing audiences and reach new ones. Video sharing was seen as somewhat more effective than photo-sharing for these goals.

In our follow-up research, we’ll investigate how organizations are using these sites. In the meantime, it seems they’re worth considering as part of your communications mix.

MySpace was not widely used, nor considered comparatively effective. The least widely used of the tools, MySpace was also the lowest-rated for every goal in the survey. Although it might be useful to reach particular niche audiences, it does not seem worth investing in for a broad-based online communications strategy.

LinkedIn also does not appear particularly compelling for goals beyond fundraising. LinkedIn was more widely used, and considered more effective, than just one other tool—MySpace—though it ranked about evenly with a number of other tools for fund-raising effectiveness. While it’s possible that LinkedIn is useful for goals not well-covered in the survey (like proactively identifying possible organizational partners, supporters or donors through others people’s contacts, for instance), it does not look particularly compelling for broad-based communications.

Twitter was in the top three channels for every goal, and was considered the most-effective channel for reaching potential new supporters.


In November 2009, Idealware conducted a survey of staff members at nonprofits already using social media channels and asked them about their experience with the tools. In addition to demographic data, we asked about their reasons for using social media, the goals they were trying to reach with social media, and the perceived effectiveness of using social media channels for specific goals. Specified channels includ-ed Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, video- and photo-sharing sites, and blogs. (See Appendix A for the full survey questionnaire).

We distributed the survey invitation to Idealware’s list of approximately 10,000 people, through the Idealware Twitter and Facebook accounts, and to the Progressive Exchange and NTEN Discuss email discussion lists. It’s difficult to judge how many people saw an invitation to take the survey, since some people passed it on to others, but we estimate around 15,000 people.

The survey invitation specifically requested that the survey be taken by staff members from nonprofits already using social media, and we received 459 responses. Not everyone who saw the invitation fell within the target audience of staff members at nonprofits using social media, so it’s difficult to judge a response rate. However, it’s clear that only a small percentage of those who saw an invitation responded. Those who did showed a reasonable distribution across different nonprofit sizes and types (see section titled “Respondent Demographics” for more detailed information on the demographics).

This survey was not intended to be representative of the nonprofit sector at large, but to gather informa-tion from an informal sample of nonprofits already

using, or interested in using, social media. While there’s no way to assess how representative our sample is of the entire realm of nonprofits using social media, we have no reason to believe it is substantively biased in any one direction.

Respondent Demographics

The 459 respondents were fairly representative of organizations in the sector that use social media:

OrgaNIzaTION’S PrIMary ISSue-areaSAnimal-related 10Arts, Culture, Humanities 39Civil Rights, Social Actions and Advocacy 40Community Improvement 18Crime and Legal-related 8Diseases, Disorders and Medical Disciplines 12Education 64Employment 6Environment 42Food, Housing and Shelter 21Health Care, Mental Health and Crisis Inter-vention

33

Human Services 37International, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights 11Mutual and Membership Benefit 9Philanthropy, Volunteerism, Grantmaking 28Public and Societal Benefit 33Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness and Relief

7

Recreation and Sports 6Religion-related 18Science and Technology 14(blank) 3grand Total 459

ABOuT ThE SurvEy


Respondents were also asked about the size of their organization’ annual budget:

WhaT IS The aPPrOxIMaTe aNNuaL Bud-geT OF yOur OrgaNIzaTION?None - all volunteer 15Below $100,000 43$100,000 - $250,000 43$250,001 - $500,000 47$500,001 - $1 million 91$1 million - $2 million 55$2 million - $5 million 61$5 million - $10 million 34$10 million - $25 million 33More than $25 million 31(blank) 4grand Total 459

Within their organizations, respondents themselves primarily filled the roles of communications/market-ing and executive management.

WhaT IS yOur PrIMary rOLe WIThIN yOur OrgaNIzaTION?Development/Fundraising 47Executive/Management 107Finance/Operations 5Jack/Jill of all trades 55Marketing/Communications 113Other 25Programs 33Technology 68(blank) 6grand Total 459


AppENdix A: ThE TExT OF ThE SurvEy

Hi, thanks for your time! We are researching nonprofits’ use of social media, and by answering this survey today, you are helping us figure out exactly how organizations are (or are not) using social media.

The results of this survey will be published so that nonprofits can gain more insight into how their peers are using social media. We hope to shed light on which of these tools work best in reaching particular goals.

Your responses to this survey will be anonymous.

About Your Organization

1. What is your primary role within your organization? (drop down)Executive/ Management• Programs• Technology • Marketing/ Communications• Development/ Fundraising• Finance/ Operations• Jack/ Jill of all trades• Other•

2. What is the approximate annual budget of your organization? None - all volunteer• Below $100,000• $100,000 - $250,000• $250,001 - $500,000• $500,001 - $1 Million• $1 - $2 Million• $2 - $5 Million• $5 - $10 Million• $10 - $25 Million• More than $25 Million•

4. Which of the following best describes your organization’s primary issue area?

a• nimal-relatedArts, Culture, Humanities•


Civil Rights, Social Action, and Advocacy• Community Improvement• Crime and Legal-related• Diseases, Disorders, and Medical Disciplines• Education• Employment• Environment• Food, Housing and Shelter• Health Care, Mental Health, and Crisis Intervention• Human Services• International, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights• Mutual and Membership Benefit• Philanthropy, Volunteerism, Grantmaking• Public and Societal Benefit• Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness and Relief• Recreation and Sports• Religion-related• Science and Technology•

Social Media Use

5. To what extend does your organization (not you personally) currently publish content with your own account (i.e., a Facebook page, Twitter account, or YouTube Channel) using the following tools:

We don’t plan to use this in the near term

We plan to use this within the next 6 months

We have created an account, but don’t regularly update it

We have created our own content, and update regularly

Don’t Know

FacebookMyspaceLinkedInTwitterVideo-sharing sites (i.e., YouTube)Photo-sharing sites (i.e., Flickr)Blogs

6. Why is your organization using social media (check all that apply)A specific staff member said we should• Our Board said we should• A lot of other organizations are doing it• To raise money• To reach new potential supporters•


To enhance relations with our existing audience• To round-out our communications mix• To replace another communications channel we were previously using•

7. To what extent do you feel that the social media tools below have been successful for enhancing relations with your organization’s existing audience?

This goal does not apply

We do not use this channel

We know it is not working

We think it is not working, but aren’t sure

We think it is working, but aren’t sure

We know it is working


8. To what extent do you feel that the social media channels below have been successful for reaching new poten-tial supporters for your organization?








9. To what extent do you feel that the social media channels below have been successful for raising money for your organization?







FacebookMyspace


LinkedInTwitterVideo-sharing sites (i.e., YouTube)Photo-sharing sites (i.e., Flickr)Blogs

9. Anything else you’d like to add? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As part of this research, we are conducting a series of telephone discussion groups to understand key factors and considerations in more detail, about the ways in which nonprofits use social media. Additionally, participants will be able to learn from their peers about successful (or not) tactics for specific goals. Would you be willing to partici-pate? If so, please enter your contact information. We will only use this contact information to follow-up about your participation in the discussion groups. Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________Email: ___________________________________________________________________________________Organization: ______________________________________________________________________________


AppENdix B: ABOuT ThE AuThOrS

Kaitlin LaCasse

Communications and Social Media Specialist, Idealware Kaitlin oversees Idealware’s research on social media methods and strategies for nonprofits, as well as Idealware’s own communications and social media tactics. She conducted the survey and analysis, and wrote the text of the report.

Before coming to Idealware, Kaitlin worked in the Marketing and Public Relations department at Upromise Investments, the leading administrator of 529 college savings plans. While with Upromise Investments, Kaitlin spearheaded a variety of com-munications campaigns, including the launch of the company’s consumer-facing website, and played an integral role in the company’s marketing and public relations strategy. Prior to her position at Upromise Investments, Kaitlin was a Teach for America corps member in the Rio Grande Valley, TX. Kaitlin received a B.A. from Colgate University, with concentrations in Political Science and Spanish.

Laura Quinn

executive director, Idealware As Idealware’s Director, Laura leads Idealware’s activi-ties to provide candid information to help nonprofits choose software. Through research, reports, articles and training, Idealware allows nonprofits to make smart, informed software decisions. She oversaw the research and writing for this report, and edited the final version.

Prior to Idealware, Laura founded Alder Consulting, where she helped nonprofits create internet strategies, select appropriate software, and then build sophisticat-ed websites on a limited budget. She has also selected software and conducted user research for multi-million dollar software and website implementations with such companies as Accenture and iXL. Laura is a frequent speaker and writer on nonprofit technology topics.

Chris Bernard

Italics MediaChris, a freelance writer at italics media, edited all of the text throughout this report. He’s been a senior copywriter, a marketing communications specialist, a newspaper managing editor, a journalist and a tech writer. He’s won awards for his journalism, columns, public relations and other work, as well as for his photography.

using social media to meet nonprofit goals : the...

Documents