Using Social Media for Donor Cultivation

National Capital Gift Planning CouncilWashington, D.C.

May 14, 2010

Overview

• Social media trends• 5 myths about social media & fundraising• 5 opportunities for social media & fundraising• Early examples of social media for planned giving• Your questions and comments

Let’s have some fun

“I wish planned giving was as much fun as social media.  Maybe then it would attract as much attention from nonprofits as Twitter and Facebook do….

“If nonprofits paid just half as much attention to getting planned gifts as they do to what they can say with only 140 characters, I'll bet their endowments, programs, and staff would be in much better shape.”

-- anonymous planned giving consultant

About Children’s National

• Founded in 1870• 283 beds• Staff in multiple sites – DC, MD, VA• PR & Marketing staff = 20 (including 6 in interactive

communications)• Children’s Hospital Foundation staff = 55• Foundation communications = 3• Social media and interactive communications is an

integrated effort of PR & Marketing and the foundation

History

• Facebook (started Dec 2007)

8,080 fans

1,792 Cause members

$1,218 raised through Causes

• Twitter (started Dec 2008)

6,189 followers

#4 hospital by followers

871 tweets

History

Special hockey

Special hockey

Special hockey

Special hockey

In a two-week period:• 600 new, passionate followers (a base that has helped

us reach 1,500+ nationwide)• $500 raised• Media exposure• “Hockey is for Everyone” partnership with NHL

Special hockey

Lessons:• Benefits of fundraising communications go beyond the

dollars raised• People want to support good causes• The cycle of engagement:

Source: A New Model for Social Media (and Traditional) Measurement, by Don Bartholomew

Myths

Myth 1: Social media will solve all your fundraising challenges.

Myths

Myth 2: Direct mail, newsletters,

annual reports, and

[fill in the blank] are dead.

Myths

Can’t we all just get along?

Myths

Myth 3: Social media is free.

Myths

Myth 4: Social media is easy.

Myths

Myth 5: Social media raises money.

“Social media doesn’t raise money – people raise money.”

-- Holly Ross, Nonprofit Technology Network

Opportunities

Opportunity 1: Take advantage of demographics (it’s not just for kids)

Females over 55 are the

fastest-growing group on

Facebook

• Facebook is growing in every age/gender demographic. Growth is faster among women than men in almost every age group.

• 45 percent of Facebook’s U.S. audience is now 26 years old or older.

• (49 percent of Children’s National Facebook fans are 35 or older.)

• More than 20 million people become fans of Facebook pages each day.

Opportunities

• 10 percent of Internet users in households earning more than $75,000 use Twitter.

• Median ages (Pew):

LinkedIn – 40

Twitter -- 31MySpace -- 27Facebook -- 26

Opportunities

Opportunities

Opportunity 2: Link online and offline efforts.

Dancing After Dark

• 1,643 people invited via Facebook• Targeted Facebook reminder to all fans under 35 in DC,

MD, and VA• Sold out – 355 attendees. More than twice as many

ticket sales as last year• 53% of attendees RSVPd on Facebook• Social media helped overcome bad email addresses and

street addresses for students and young professionals

Dancing After Dark

Opportunities

Opportunity 3: Turn supporters into champions.

Source: A New Model for Social Media (and Traditional) Measurement, by Don Bartholomew

Opportunities

Meet Joe Robert

Joe Robert

Opportunities

Opportunity 4: Deepen relationships with donors. Identify and get to know prospects.

SOURCE: Charlene Li, Tapping the Power of the Groundswell

SOURCE: Charlene Li, Tapping the Power of the Groundswell

Opportunities

Opportunity 5: Share ideas with other fundraisers and nonprofit professionals.

• Bestow CommunityFacebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Opportunities

Putting social media in action

• If your organization already is using social media, ask to link to your donor profiles, calculators, legal tips, etc.

• Make the content useful and relevant for your fans and followers, not just self-serving.

• Before a donor visit, see what you can learn about the donor on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

• Consider creating a Facebook invitation for your events.• Talk to your donors about what information they want

and how they’d like to get it. You might be surprised.

• Not using Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn? You can’t develop effective strategies for work if you’re not involved yourself.

• Ready to commit to keeping content fresh, monitoring responses, and engaging with your audience? Consider creating a Facebook fan page or group for your recognition society.

• Know who you are trying to reach, where they are, and what value you have to offer them.

Putting social media in action

Follow us, fan us, friend us

• Facebook:http://facebook.com/childrens.national

• Twitter:http://twitter.com/childrenshealth

• Flickr:http://tinyurl.com/childrens-flickr

• LinkedIn:http://tinyurl.com/childrens-linkedin

• YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/user/childrensnationalmed

Resources

Bestow Community• Website: www.bestowcommunity.org• Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bestow-Community/357732583295?ref=ts

• Twitter: www.twitter.com/bestowcommunity• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?

home=&gid=2793009&trk=anet_ug_hm

LinkedIn• Legacy / Estate / Gift Planning and Planned Giving Professionals

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=98303&trk=anet_ug_hm

Mark Miller

Director, Philanthropic Marketing & Communication

Children’s National Medical Center

MRMiller@cnmc.org

(301) 565-8507

Twitter: @mmiller20910