by Mordecai Holtz

“I’m the marketer. The fundraiser. The volunteer coordinator. The case manager. The …”

Anyone who works in the nonprofit sector can relate to this laundry list of responsibilities. And when we add social media into the mix, well, we might as well throw all of our time management skills out the window, right?

We’re all jugglers. Juggling is not easy, and it takes a lot of practice.

When juggling so many different roles in an organization, it’s hard to excel in anything.

It seems like we’re always working hard to maintain the status quo without really progressing or completing our tasks.

If social media truly is such an integral part of the nonprofit marketing mix, how do we incorporate its strengths and achieve a balanced schedule, without getting sucked into it all and causing our other ‘juggling balls’ to land on the floor?

Here are 5 ways to become a more professional juggler

1. Strategize – the best juggling tool is to devise a clear plan beforehand. Use the tactics and platforms that generate the best results for your organization to succeed. In this case, it’s ok to “drop” the rest. In most cases, there are tools that help streamline your social media workflow.
2. Identify – Before you can really focus on the important things, you need to be pinpoint distractions. Turn off all text message alerts, Facebook and Twitter message alerting services. Take note and as you get the urge to be distracted, pause and return back to the important. Hold yourself accountable to stay away from Social Media when you know that you should be concentrating your efforts in other areas of your work.
3. Socialize – social media is all about active listening. It’s not about posting a clever tweet or spamming. And in order to continually see growth, don’t forget to make time to meet new people on Twitter, leave comments on new blogs, and add Facebook friends. Build time in your daily schedules for expanding your network, too.
4. Be Consistent – Whatever time you can allocate to social media, make it count. The point is not to give up, but keep your presence visible and genuine. Checking Social Media, for a limited amount of time in the morning, noontime and in the afternoon before the end of day is a good recipe.
5. Share – This is a tough one. Rather than try to continue to juggle all by yourself try passing some of the responsibilities or sharing. With social media, sharing can actually have a positive ROI as your co-workers can help increase the number of posts by finding their groove at different times than yours.

Has social media been added to your juggling routine? If you’re spending too much time on social media marketing, and not seeing a return on your investment, it’s time to reevaluate your strategy.

Take control of your day and get more done!  Be accountable and in charge of your time.

Mordecai Holtz is an experienced nonprofit professional in the fields of community organization, program development, administration and management for almost 8 years. Mordecai is well versed in social media and enjoys consulting with small businesses and nonprofit organizations to reach their fullest online potential. Follow Mordecai by reading his blog noholtzbarred.com or on twitter @mordecaiholtz