Zach Bosch

The first of the articles I read is entitled “How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Spark Change”. I will share some of the points from the article that stood out to me.
First of all, it was amazing to me to read just how many nonprofits are using social media on a regular basis. According to Nora Ganim Barnes, co-author of a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, “an astounding 97 percent of nonprofits are using social media, far surpassing even the business world”. It seems to me social media is one of the most powerful tools available today when an organization is interested or needs to be in contact with its audience. There is no easier or more efficient way to disseminate information to the masses than with the use of social media.
According to the article, experts encourage nonprofits (though, I’m sure this guidance is relevant to all sectors) not to limit themselves to Facebook alone. “Don’t just do a Facebook advocacy campaign. Use an array of social-media outlets and the group’s Web site - and link them together,” says Ryan Marsh, president of the Layla Grace Children’s Cancer Research Foundation, in Cypress, Tex.
Another nonprofit, with a mission to put a stop to global warming claims that with the help of social media, they were able to mobilize activists in all but three countries worldwide.
Some points to consider when using social media within an organization include, first, think visually. So many outlets today focus on lots and lots of words to convey a message when a stirring picture or video could be even more effective and could prompt followers to forward the message on to friends, which could help to increase an organization’s circle of influence.

On a somewhat different train of thought is this article. Seemingly written to those who don’t have a firm social-networking foot-hold, this article discusses some of the potential issues an organization may encounter if they try and jump on the band-wagon without understanding what they’re getting themselves into.
One of the issues discussed is while there are many success stories, there are many instances where an organization attempted to utilize social media to no avail. There seem to be many factors in play that a lot of organizations just don’t consider including the transparency social-media demands, the amount of time social-media requires and whether or not an organization’s target audience is even social-media-savvy.
With regard to the point of transparency, one of my favorite points in this article is “So you want to seed your leadership and donor pipeline with Millennials and Gen Y’ers by reaching out to them through social networking sites? Good idea. But young folks can sniff out campaigns with ulterior motives faster than you can design them.” It’s interesting to me just how much of that “sniffing” ability is afforded through the web. These days, bull-crap just doesn’t fly as easily as it used to and it’s amazing to me just how many organizations feel differently on that topic. With social networking sites so readily available and information flowing so freely, there is no choice but to be straight with people (at least, for the most part).