I know some people are still skeptical about the value of Twitter. I was in that camp and still don’t do much tweeting. Yet, I am keenly aware that Twitter is a powerful tool that is quickly becoming an important communications and engagement channel and one that users are always surprising me with new and creative ways to use.
You might have read in the June 17th issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy about how a small social service charity, Thompson Child & Family Focus, based in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, created a special “Twitter table” at its annual luncheon, filled it with social networking savvy supporters who tweet a lot, and let them reach out to their extensive networks of friends and followers, ultimately raising an additional $4000 for the charity during the event.
Well one creative idea begets another. So here are a few Twitter suggestions to consider as you plan for the fall fundraising and donor cultivation season.
- Summer Camp Scholarship Tweet Out: During parents visiting day, organize a camp-wide tweet to raise funds to make camp available to more families in need.
- Rosh Hashana Recipe Tweet Up: Start a promotional campaign to get the best 140-character holiday recipe file; link to full recipe area on your website. Give a prize iPhone to the winner.
- Organize a Twitter Rosh Hashana Tashlich prayer service to cast away our sins in the depths of the sea. Encourage people to tweet; cast their sins away virtually and at the same time make a gift online to help victims of the Gulf oil spill whose waters are despoiled by the sins of others.
- Give priority seating to your cadre of Twitter-supporters at your next event and encourage them to tweet the proceedings; announce a new campaign; identify 10 new followers for your organization.
Well that is a start … am sure you have even better ideas … send them along – no, tweet them to me.
Gail Hyman is a marketing and communications professional who currently focuses her practice, Gail Hyman Consulting, on assisting Jewish nonprofit organizations increase their ranks of supporters and better leverage their communications in the Web 2.0 environment. Gail is a regular contributor to eJewish Philanthropy.
Gail-
Great ideas! Twitter is one more communication platform that CAN be used effectively with the right strategy and content. Ultimately the success will hinge on:
- Does you organization have many supporters/constituents using that platform?
- Have you determined that the platform is strategically important as part of your overall communications and outreach strategy?
- Are you offering compelling, engaging content via that platform?
- Are you coming up with creative ideas to leverage the power and reach of that platform (like the ideas Gail has provided here)?
It would be great to hear other organizations’ creative ideas that have worked effectively using Twitter and other social media platforms. Any takers?
Kevin
I think Jewish learning is critical to the future of the Jewish people but why is the Global Jewish Day of Learning being held at the same time as the General Assembly. Or are the organizers coordinating with the GA leadership? I certainly hope so.
Our Jewish community is not that large that two community-wide events of significance should be held around the same time. Even in small communities, there is an attempt to coordinate events by having a community calendar.
Is there any way to change the day? Clearly, the GA cannot change as that involves travel and hotels already booked.
Edith Samers
Great ideas! The value of tweet ups should not be underestimated. It’s the best way to strengthen a virtual online relationship.