Twitter is growing which means there are many new users. It can be a very effective tool to reach groups, provide fundraising connections, and promote your organization with basic training. In order to help nonprofit organizations use Twitter, Nonprofit 2.0 has published a list of tips for first-time nonprofit users.
1) “Authenticity before marketing. Have personality. Build community.”
This first tip is absolutely critical. Twitter is not just a way of presenting a wealth of information. How you present your thoughts, links, information (etc.) provides people with a look at your personality. The traditional “marketing and development” ideas do not apply to Twitter. Instead, this is your chance to let your authentic voice come through. As Nonprofit 2.0 writes, “[this] is much more about having personality, inspiring conversation, and building online community.”
2) Appreciation is important--
When people ReTweet you (which is reposting your update/link etc.), it is a good practice to ReTweet them too. This does not mean instantly, but when you find things of interest on their Twitter, ReTweeting them is a nice action. By being appreciative, you stand out from others.
3) “Follow everyone who follows you.”
Many people do not want cluttered profiles and only want to read a few Twitters on things they really are interested in. For nonprofits wanting to create visibility though, this is not right. For your organization, Twitter is a service to others. By following others, it also makes it easier for others to find you.
Nonprofit 2.0 points out too that “Twitter is about conversation. You can’t have a conversation on Twitter if you are not following your followers. […] It’s a snub [to not follow]. Let’s face it… people on Twitter want to be followed. How can you build community on Twitter if you won’t even participate with your followers?”
Twitter is about community. The most successful nonprofits are those that ReTweet others and follow others.
4) To avoid clutter, use “Favorites”
If you are worried about clutter as you add followers, you can use “Favorites” as an easy tool to keep track of the people’s Tweets you are most interested in reading. As you add more and more followers, this function will become very helpful.
5) “Provide value to your followers, not chit-chat”
As an organization using Twitter, your Tweets should deal with your organization. Use a personal profile if you want to talk about what is going on in your day or more individual thoughts. The Tweets people find most valuable are those that provide content and relevant information. When your Tweets have this type of information, people are more likely to ReTweet.
6) Tweet lots of content!
‘Content and relevant information’ is not just about your organization. You can use your Twitter to serve as a “news source” according to Nonprofit 2.0. People want to learn. Tweet blog posts or other helpful information you find. Helping other nonprofits learn is important. We need to see people work together.
If you are worried about losing traffic to your own web-site or Twitter by posting other links, that is a misconception. People will continue to follow and ReTweet if they find you are a valuable source of information. It gives your organization’s name visibility as well.
7) Do not use auto-responders
If your goal is authenticity and creating community, auto responders are not the way to achieve this. It may be easier to have an automatic message to your new followers, but that is impersonal. Take the time to interact with them. Relationships are important online too.
8) “Don’t worry about those that ‘unfollow’ you.”
When you first are getting started, it could be easy to be offended when someone stops following you. Over-analyzing your actions and worrying over it will not help. Keep moving on. Now if you continue to see a steady drop in your numbers, you may want to consider your approach.
9) “Limit your Tweets to 5 per day”
Nonprofit 2.0 did a poll on the ideal number of Tweets per day people like to see. The idea of “less is more” still holds true here. Five Tweets is a better number; six is an absolute maximum.
10) You control the success of your Twitter
This could be daunting, but like all things, there is great opportunity. If you are willing to invest the thought and creativity, it can be very successful. It is a fun tool to use with the right approach. Look at it as a way to share your heart and collaborate with others.
Nonprofit 2.0 writes, “it’s about community building around your mission and programs. Just having a profile on Twitter (or MySpace, or Facebook) does not magically produce any results. You have to work these profiles.” This is absolutely true. The amount of effort you invest plays a significant role in your growth.
Take some time to read other bloggers or look at other people’s Twitter feeds to get started in finding ideas of how and what to post. It will always be a learning process, and you will continue to develop as you use Twitter. Now you just need to get started!
Additional information taken from Nonprofit 2.0's article "10 Twitter Tips for Nonprofit Organizations."
-- Jessica High is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is a subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online