Developing the Israeli Third Sector: NP Tech Launches GuideStar Israel

In early August, NP Tech launched Guidestar Israel. It took almost five years to make GuideStar Israel a reality, and it is an incredible resource for Israeli nonprofit organization. The GuideStar project was established as an unique cooperative venture by the Ministry of Justice, JDC-Israel, and Yad Hanadiv with the objective of developing civil society in Israel. NP Tech (established by JDC-Israel and Yad Hanadiv) is the operating organization behind GuideStar Israel. It provides services and activities designed to help social organizations make information and communications technology (ICT) more accessible to social organizations to reach their goals. NP Tech wants to create a “socio-technological market” in which different providers offer their products for social activity advancement, internet... Continue Reading

Designing Social Media Engagement

Social media is ALL about engagement. However, it’s not so easy to create engagement. In fact, it’s darn challenging, as so many organizations and brands have discovered. Creating engagement is one-third natural confluence and two-thirds design. Thoughtfully designed social media programming generates the natural confluences of interest, participation, and content that ultimately … creates engagement. A comprehensive social media strategy should include designed participation opportunities on every platform that add value and creates deeper loyalty. The key to designing engagement is understanding the value that you can add to each channel and conversation, and programming for it. No one wants to visit a Facebook Page that is a replica of the content offered on the website. No one wants to subscribe... Continue Reading

Why You Can’t Think About Social Media In A Vacuum

Social media strategy and practice is so much richer when ideas are shared and commented upon. Beth Kanter famously sets up wikis to share and gather knowledge for almost all of her projects, and uses her official Facebook Page to source ideas and get feedback. Linkedin groups emphasize knowledge-sharing. Brands have marketing and project management teams that collectively think about their social media. We are all trying out social media in new ways, while dealing with a geometrically increasing amount of data and information, and staying on top of ever-evolving platforms and new channels. We all need a social media support team. Last week, I had the privilege of working with a nonprofit team to brainstorm for two days about their social media. Not only was it fun, but what came out of the two days... Continue Reading

What Makes A Killer Social Media Press Release?

Last week, I received an absolutely incredible press release; a vivid, kinetic preview of an event, the ROI Summit, entitled “The Future is Here.” The ROI social media press release (SMPR) included photos, a twitter pitch, recent news, online resource links, featured Summit participants, videos, and of course…the pitch. Toby Dershowitz, of The Dershowitz Group, was kind enough to talk about how the company crafted the SMPR, best practices, how to measure the success of a SMPR, and predictions about the future of the social media press release. What did you want to feature in the ROI social media press release? We wanted to highlight three things: The vision of Lynn Schusterman, who has made the ROI Community her signature philanthropic project. The members of the ROI network – their... Continue Reading

10 Trends in Sustainable Social Media

A recent Reuter’s article: Top Ten Trends in Sustainable Business, focuses on the best trends in “green business,” I’m struck by how many of the points are applicable to sustainable social media. Here are my top trends in sustainable social media (hat tip to Reuters): 1. A deeper understanding of what sustainable social media means. Sustainable social media is not about creating a Facebook page so people can find you, or tweeting your blog posts automatically, it’s about long term engagement. Sustainable social media means creating conversations, really listening to your stakeholders’ needs, bringing stakeholders into your company for their input, and creating long-term strategies for deeper two-way engagement. If you have a deeper understanding of what sustainable social media means, you’ll... Continue Reading

Listening Posts: The Six Free Listening Tools You Cannot Do Without

So many more organizations and people are engaged in social media today than they were a year ago. What that means is that so many more people are talking about your company, your competitors, your employees and your brands today than they were a year ago. At least, that’s the potential. According to Forrester Research, the number of US regular social network users has doubled since 2007. So, are you monitoring the conversation? Have you set up your listening posts? Simply put, email alerts (daily, or in real time) are the best way to make sure you are not missing out on any online mentions relevant to you or your company, positive or negative. I’ve compiled what I believe is the “do not miss,” list of (free) email listening tools your organization should use. There are a lot of great paid... Continue Reading

Don’t Start What You Can’t Maintain: The Back Side of Social Media

Social media is FUN. You get to make new friends. And pass along really interesting information. You get to ask others to help you change the world and support your cause. You meet all sorts of wonderful, generous people. But what are you really doing? You are creating gathering places, living rooms for discussion, kitchens for cooking up ideas, in order to develop real stakeholders. Social media is, after all, an engagement strategy. You want to create online ties that engage, create relationships, and move people to act on behalf of a cause, company, or organization. After you spend all that time creating those relationships, you have to commit to maintaining them. What happens when you can’t be there all the time that your stakeholders want to drop by? Or if you decide it’s just too much work... Continue Reading

Where is The Open Source Organization?

Almost a year ago, I wrote a blog post entitled “The Non-Profit Quarterly Report.” In this post, I argued that nonprofit organizations should offer online quarterly reports, and mimic the transparency exemplified by Jonathan Schwartz’ online quarterly reports. (Jonathan is the CEO of Sun Microsystems.) John Maeda, President of the Rhode Island School of Design and social media advocate, argues that “in many cases complete clarity should be a leader’s goal rather than complete transparency.” If you combine the concepts of organizational clarity with transparency and inclusionary decision making, then you create a new type of organization: The Open Source Organization One organization has stepped up to the plate to show us how it’s done: PresenTense Group. The PresenTense Group calls itself... Continue Reading

What Are the Challenges to Social Network Fundraising?

Proving that social media can be used to raise significant funds for nonprofits is “the brass ring” that every nonprofit utilizing social media wants to reach. But it is quite an elusive brass ring! There are a number of challenges to overcome before social network fundraising is as easy (and fruitful) as email donation solicitation, offline donation appeals, or the “donate now” button on the website. On the other hand, social network fundraising is growing: both by adoption, use and acceptance. This post explores the existing challenges to acceptance and raising large amounts of funds using social networks – and brainstorming ideas to overcome the barriers. Here are some thoughts about the leading challenges in social network fundraising: Cultural: Social media is still primarily Social Except... Continue Reading

How a Facebook Event Transformed an Organization

This is an in-depth analysis about how one organization used Facebook Events to tie online and offline organizing, and how it transformed the organization in the process. Sviva Israel utilizes community organizing techniques and social media to stimulate real world action and create environmental awareness. I don’t know of any other group that has mastered the art of the Facebook Event to this extent. It is my pleasure to feature for this Blog Action Day Sviva Israel’s Eco Lights campaign. Sviva Israel began as the dream of Carmi Wisemon, a veteran environmental activist, and his wife Tamar, a journalist and marketing director. They wanted to connect Jewish environmental education with youth, educators, and their families to lower environmental impact. Soon after establishing their nonprofit, they... Continue Reading

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