The Facebook of February 2010 is quite different from the Facebook of 2009 especially when it comes to Facebook Fan Pages. If you haven’t yet noticed, three very important changes have been made that significantly effect your organization’s Facebook community:
1) Status Updates are no longer guaranteed to get exposure in the News Feed.
There is a mysterious Facebook algorithm at play here and I just don’t know what it is, but I do know that with the launch of new Facebook design in early February 2010 the vast majority of Status Updates from Pages that I am a fan of are not showing up in the primary News Feed > Top News. More are seemingly showing up in the News Feed > Most Recent view, but definitely not all. I knew this change was coming and I had read that Status Updates that receive a lot of comments and thumbs up would at the very least show up in the News Feed > Most Recent, but that’s just not happening. I have always believed and voiced that 90% of the power of a Facebook Page is in the Status Updates, so having them not show up in News Feeds is a problem.
2) It is no longer obvious that fans have new Updates.
I can’t remember exactly when this change was made, but it was at least 6 months ago. When fans logged into Facebook in the upper right of their “Home” view they used to see alerts of “New Updates!”. Now the only way fans know if they have new Updates is if they go to their Inbox > Updates or if they click “Messages” on the left of the Home view (the later was just added February 2010). Coincidently, once this change was made, activity on the Nonprofit Organizations Facebook Page declined. I no longer saw surges in traffic (via Insights) on days that I sent Updates.
As of February 2 Updates had been relegated the realm of “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”. On that day I polled fans asking if they read Updates anymore, and the overwhelming response was no. BUT now that Facebook has added the “Messages” function in the upper left of the Home view, perhaps the usefulness of Updates with rise again? I’ll send an Update next week and let you know. 
3) The Pages Filter on the Home view has been removed and replaced with Ads and Pages.
The new Facebook of February 2010 no longer has a “Pages” filter in the upper left of the Home view. It used to be a feed of Status Updates from Pages you were a fan of. It’s gone. Now if you click “More” just below this space a new “Ads and Pages” hub appears. You do not see Status Updates, but rather the Ads and Pages you are an admin for. Useful for Nonprofit Admins who manage many Pages and people who buy and manage Facebook ads, but there’s no way around it… less exposure of Status Updates on the Home view is just not good for most nonprofits.
Thus, a $50 experiment with Facebook Advertsing for Nonprofit Organizations.
Facebook is entering an era of profitability. They have built the largest online community the world has ever known over the last 5 years and now they are positioned to make some serious cash. You can’t blame them for it. It couldn’t be free forever. That’s business. But nonprofits have sent out millions of e-mails and Tweets over the last few years asking supporters to “Become a fan!” thus helping Facebook become the powerhouse that it is today. So, there is a reciprocal relationship here, or at least there should be (I think).
I have read rumors that purchasing advertising will help your nonprofit get more action in the News Feeds. That seems fair. I am willing to pay $50 or $100 in advertising to get increased exposure in the feeds, but not necessarily to secure more fans. If those new fans can’t see my Status Updates, well then quite honestly, what’s the point?
- who live in the United States
- between the ages of 30 and 40 inclusive
- who graduated from college
- who are single, in a relationship, engaged or married
- who speak English (US)
Not to be confused with Text-to-Give campaigns (Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross), text alert campaigns are when individuals opt-in to be alerted of breaking news or calls to action via text message. They can opt-in by sending a Keyword (NONPROFITORGS) to a Short Code (41411), or through a subscribe page/widget on a nonprofit’s website. Text alerts can also be used to drive traffic to an organization’s mobile website and to ask people to Text-to Give.
When researching this post, I was fairly stunned by how few nonprofits have launched text alert campaigns. A year ago launching a text alert campaign was expensive, but not anymore thanks to tools like TextMarks and Ez Texting. Small nonprofits can now just as easily be early adopters of this new technology as the large national and international nonprofits. That said, below are 10 text campaigns that I was able to find through Google and Twitter searches:
1. Service Employees International Union :: Subscribe
The SEIU sends out urgent alerts and news from the field. They are using a provider that allows subscribers to enter their zip code so text alerts can be tailored to ask subscribers to contact Congress. I have only been subscribed a few days and yet to receive a text alert, but I am hoping that the text message will include a link to a mobile web page where I can easily enter my contact information to send an email to my members of Congress… from my iPhone.
The SEIU also uses more than just a subscribe web page to build their mobile list. They also Tweet and post on Facebook: Text SEIU to 787753 for mobile updates! They also feature their text alert campaign on their homepage.
2. DoSomething.org :: Subscribe
DO Something is utilizing text alerts to inform individuals about volunteer opportunities in their area. The subscribe function is featured on their homepage and they do not require individuals to enter their name or email address to subscribe to receive text alerts. Definitely a best practice!
3. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals :: Subscribe
The ASPCA is running three different text alert campaigns: 1) Advocacy Alerts 2) Cate Care Tips 3) Dog Care Tips. Not only that, after you subscribe from their website you are sent to a page that prompts subscribers to then follow the ASPCA on Twitter, fan them on Facebook, make a donation, etc.
4. World Wildlife Fund :: Subscribe
The WWF has incorporated their text alert campaign subscribe pitch into their e-mail newsletter subscribe page. Personally, I think it would be better if they created a separate subscribe page for mobile alerts and did not require individuals to sign up for their e-mail newsletter to receive text alerts. They do have a text alert subscribe box on their Facebook Page, and even though there is an e-mail field in the box, you can subscribe to receive their text alerts and leave the e-mail field blank.
5. Special Olympics of Northern California :: Subscribe
SONC uses text alerts to inform supporters about upcoming events and breaking news. They are the only nonprofit that I know of that has made the connection between text alert campaigns > mobile websites > and text-to-give. Check out their “Donate Now” page on their mobile website. Now that’s a page to be promoted in text alerts in conjunction with a timely, urgent call to action.
6. text4baby :: Subscribe
This text campaign provides free weekly updates for pregnant women. It has its own website and heavily focuses on “Text BABY to 511411″ or “Envia BEBE al 511411 para Español”. The web page with subscribe functionality is secondary. That’s a great best practice. Nonprofits should be consistently and regularly promoting their KEYWORD and SHORT CODE combination on the web, social networking sites, and print materials!
7. NARALPro-Choice America :: Subscribe
“Get Pro-Choice Text Alerts on Your Cell Phone” is the pitch and as far as I know NARAL is the only abortion rights group out there using text alerts, but again I think it is a mistake to make name and e-mail address mandatory to receive text alerts. I would also strongly urge NARAL and other nonprofits to add their KEYWORD and SHORT CODE pitch to their Twitter backgrounds!
8. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children :: Subscribe
In partnership with Amber Alerts, the Department of Justice and The Wireless Foundation, the NCMEC has launched WirelessAmberAlerts.org. Inviduals sign up to receive Amber Alerts in the area on their mobile phones. While it could be problematic for people if they are driving, receiving Amber Alerts while you are out and about in stores, at the park, at events, etc. could really make a difference in finding lost and stolen children within the critical first 3 hours.
9. Humane Society of the United States :: Subscribe
Animal lovers are some of the most dedicated activists and donors out there and the Humane Society tapped into that by becoming a very early adopter of social media. The same is true now of text alert campaigning. In fact, they were one of the first to use text alerts. I really like their text alert explanation that pops up when you click “text alerts” on their subscribe page, but again potential subscribers are required to enter their email address. I’d love to see them and other nonprofits creating “Mobile” pitch pages on their websites that include text alert subscribe information (including KEYWORD and SHORT CODE), text-to-give pitches, links their mobile websites, as well as summaries and download links to their smartphones Apps.
10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention :: Subscribe
The CDC is using text alerts and a mobile website to keep people updated about H1N1. They make it clear that all you need to do is text HEALTH to 87000 to subscribe. Text alerts are the teasers, and then subscribers click a link inside the text message that goes to a mobile web page where they can get more information… on the go, from anywhere. That’s how you do it.
Related Links:
1. 10 Nonprofit Mobile Websites
2. Mobile Marketing Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations
3. Webinar: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Successfully Utilize Group Texting, Mobile Websites and Smartphone App
February’s theme is Healing Haiti. The nonprofits below are doing excellent work in helping heal the hearts, minds and bodies of the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti:
Twitter: UNICEF
Facebook: Partners In Health
YouTube: Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
MySpace: Concern Worldwide
The nonprofits above are featured throughout the month of January on the Nonprofit Organizations Twitter Profile, the Nonprofit Organizations Facebook Page, the Nonprofit Organizations YouTube Channel, the Nonprofit Organizations MySpace, and the Web 2.0 for Nonprofit Organizations LinkedIn Group.
As more and more nonprofits launch group texting and text-to-give campaigns in the coming months, we’re also going to see more and more nonprofits launch mobile websites – or at the very least breaking news, donate now and subscribe web pages that can be easily read on mobile devices. I’ll be covering that in more detail next week, but in the meantime take a quick browse through the sites below. It becomes immediately clear that the design principles and purpose of nonprofit mobile websites are quite different from desktop sites.
1. National Public Radio
m.npr.org
2. Special Olympics of Northern California
sonc.mobi
3. World Wildlife Fund
www.wwf.mobi
4. Dolphin Communication Project
m.dolphincommunicationproject.org
5. National Geographic
m.nationalgeographic.com
6. Sharp HealthCare
www.sharp.com/m
7. Harvard Business Review
m.hbr.org
8. National Wildlife Federation
www.nwf.mobi
9. The Nature Conservancy
m.nature.org
10. Cyber Bulling UK
m.cyberbullying.co.uk
Most of these sites I found through Google searches and on Twitter over the last few months. There doesn’t seem to be very many nonprofits who have mobile websites or mobile-compatible web content. If your nonprofit has a mobile website, please post the link in a comment below. It’s only recently that I had the realization that it makes little sense to link to desktop sites in text alerts (or in smartphones Apps) and I’ll be watching this trend closely in the next months. Thanks!
Related Links:
1. Mobile Marketing Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations
2. Mobile Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations LinkedIn Group
3. Webinar: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Successfully Utilize Group Texting, Mobile Websites and Smartphone Apps
4. Mobile Marketing Services by DIOSA Communications
What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know About GuideStar, Network for Good and Social Media Fundraising
1. Social media fundraising is built upon and empowered by the GuideStar database.
2. All 501c3’s in the United States have profiles on GuideStar.
3. Network for Good uses the GuideStar database to distribute online donations made on their website and on their partner websites.
4. Network for Good has partnered with Give a Tweet, Change.org, Razoo and Facebook Causes (just to name a few!).
5. Therefore, all nonprofits inside the GuideStar database also have profiles on Network for Good, Give a Tweet, Change.org, Razoo and Facebook Causes.
Those five points made, if your organization has old information inside of GuideStar, then you have old information on Network for Good, Give A Tweet, Change.org, Razoo and Facebook Causes. If your organization receives any donations on these sites, then it’s mailed to the address in GuideStar so you want to make sure that address is current.
I worked at various nonprofits from 1997-2006 and updating Guidestar was one of those “To Do’s” that was always last on my list. Updating GuideStar is a bit tedious because you have to enter a lot of financial data, but in this new era of social media fundraising, keeping your organization’s information current in GuideStar is an absolute must.
If you have not updated your entry in Guidestar recently, please visit Guidestar’s Nonprofit Resources. If you are not sure whether your nonprofit is in Guidestar, please visit GuideStar.org and in the “Search” box enter your EIN number with the dash [XX-XXXXXXX]. If nothing comes up, then your organization is not in Guidestar. See GuideStar’s FAQ for more infomation or e-mail them at nposervices@guidestar.org. Good luck. The good news is you only have to update GuideStar once a year!
FourSquare is definitely starting to catch on with enterprising techie folks that love to be early adopters. That’s a good a sign. Most check-ins revolve around restaurants and cafes, but below are five simple ways you (and the nonprofit techies) can also use FourSquare to promote the nonprofits and causes your care about:
1) Add Nonprofit Venues
Adding a Nonprofit Venue on FourSquare just takes a few minutes, but it’s crucial that you do it right the first time. Make sure you spell out the name of the nonprofit. Don’t use acronyms. Add their address, phone and Twitter ID (search their website and Google to see what their Twitter ID is). Add the “nonprofit” tag as well as the city and state the nonprofit is located in tag. After you have added the nonprofits venue, please check-in! If you are new to FourSquare, please read my detailed post about correctly adding nonprofit venues to FourSquare.
2) Add Nonprofit Tips
Much of the FourSquare community is built around the idea of adding “Tips” to venues. Tips are featured on individual user profiles as well as on venues. When you add a new tip it also allows you to add a website link. If by rare chance, the nonprofit has mobile website, link to the mobile version of the nonprofit’s website because in time most people will be clicking and viewing the link on a mobile device. Tips are a great way to promote nonprofits to the FourSquare community.
3) Add Nonprofit To Do’s
FourSquare allows to you create a To Do list that is featured on your profile. When you complete items on your To Do list, you then accrue points and eventually badges. Individuals can also add your To Do’s to their To Do lists. To Do’s are also featured on the iPhone and Android Apps, so you can easily help promote nonprofits and causes you care about to your friends on FourSquare by adding To Do’s that feature nonprofits… and hopefully your FourSquare friends will add a couple of your Nonprofit To Do’s to their lists!
4) Check-in at Nonprofit Events
Over the next year we are going to see a lot of nonprofits get creative with checking-in at events on a group level. Whether that’s checking-in at fundraisers, protests, board meetings, on Capitol Hill, etc., the possibilities of group check-ins are pretty exciting. For now, since the FourSquare community is relatively small, simply check-in every time you personally attend a nonprofit-related event.
5) “Shout Out” about nonprofits and socially responsible businesses that support nonprofits
Shout out’s don’t exist on the desktop version (except on FourSquare’s mobile website) of FourSquare since most check-ins are meant to be done on the go via smartphone’s, but on the smartphone App version of FourSquare “Shout Out’s” (like Tweets or Status Updates) can be attached to check-ins and broadcasted to your FourSquare friends.
If you are at business venue that supports nonprofits, shout it out! For example, yesterday I checked-in to Lowe’s who is donating $1 million to Haiti relief (forgot to mention they are donating the funds to the Red Cross). Friends could view it on their smartphones and it is archived under my “History” on the desktop version:
Related Webinar:
How Nonprofit Organizations Can Utilize Group Texting, Mobile Websites, and Smartphone Apps
HOW TO: Launch an iPhone App for Your Nonprofit for $25 a Month [Offer Extended to July 31, 2010]
In October 2009, I wrote about a build-it-yourself iPhone App development service called SwebApps that was waving set-up fees (normally $400-800) for nonprofits until 12/31/2009. I personally took advantage of the offer and built an App for Nonprofit Tech 2.0. The App was recently approved by Apple and now I am making some last minute changes at SwebApps, and plan to launch the App next week.
In the meantime, and thanks to an article by CNBC yesterday called Your Smartphone Can Change the World, One Dollar at a Time, SwebApps has extended the free set-up offer to nonprofits to 7/31/2010. After you build your App, all you need to do is pay the $25 a month hosting fee. The cool thing about this service is that the App background and App buttons are completely customizable. With just a little graphic design help, you can easily brand the App yourself.
So, here’s the original article:
HOW TO: Launch an iPhone App for Your Nonprofit for $25 a Month
Have some fun with it! As I have said many times before, early adoption is key when it comes to new trends in the nonprofit sector. Those nonprofits that create iPhone Apps first will get the most downloads and the most buzz. We saw that with social media in 2008 and 2009, and the same will be true of mobile technology in 2010.
Related Webinar:
How Nonprofit Organizations Can Utilize Group Texting, Mobile Websites, and Smartphone Apps
I like Facebook. Mostly to stay in touch with close friends. It’s great for that. I don’t play Farmville or Mafia Wars. I don’t invite people to Causes. But I am a fan of my favorite nonprofits on Facebook. I do see their status updates. I do occasionally give thumbs up, and sometimes I’ll even comment. I have donated to nonprofits that I have seen on Facebook (on their website). Yes. I do like Facebook and I like nonprofits on Facebook.
But I must confess that I sometimes think that Facebook is overrated as a communications and community-building tool. Nonprofits with national and international name recognition do great on Facebook in terms of growing a large fan base, but many small to medium-sized nonprofits struggle to achieve the elusive Facebook ROI (Return on Investment) – website traffic, new e-mail newsletter subscribers, mobile subscribers, online donors, thumbs up and comments i.e, community engagement, etc.
I created and manage the Nonprofit Organization Facebook Page. Compared to Twitter and MySpace, it’s been a much more difficult community to grow and engage. That would be fine if the ROI was there, but even with over 7,000 fans ROI-as-defined-above is elusive. I get little to no website or blog traffic from Facebook (most comes from Twitter and LinkedIn). Very few new e-mail newsletter subscribers. And when I poll my webinar attendees about where they first heard about the webinar… the results are always the same: 1) Referral from friend 2) My Blog 3) My e-mail newsletter 4) Twitter 5) Other 6) Facebook.
In my webinar about Facebook I am pretty honest with nonprofits about this. Feedback from individuals and nonprofits tell me that 90% of the power of a Facebook Page is in the “Status Updates”. Folks aren’t reading “Updates”. They don’t click on the Tabs often. Thumbs up and comments are difficult to inspire. And I have to promote the page like crazy outside of Facebook to get fans. Most of my fans come from sending out a Tweet on Twitter. Am I doing something wrong? Is Facebook ROI there, but not possible to track since most fans are silent on Facebook?
I read a stat once that for every new fan that a nonprofit drives to Facebook, Facebook then earns $7 in advertising revenue per new fan. I am not sure if that’s true (can’t find the stat now), but it made sense to me and I do often wonder if Facebook gets more out of nonprofits using and promoting Facebook, than nonprofits get out of Facebook? Will the new Pages and toolset help, or hurt future possibilities of increased ROI-as-defined-above?
When asked recently to speak on a True Spin panel about Facebook success stories, I thought of the same one’s that I’ve heard over and over again for the last few years. Mostly large nonprofits with a full-time social media staff who are very good at community-building, have tons of great content, and e-mail lists of tens of thousands of people that they can tap into to “Become a Fan!” Most small and medium-sized nonprofits can’t relate to those success stories.
So, I need your help. I need some new success (or-not-so-successful) stories for my panel, and for my webinars. New Year, new Facebook success stories, new strategies. Particularly from small to medium-sized nonprofits. Please. And thank you. And remember, I started off saying that I do like Facebook.
