Ten Reasons Nonprofits Need Social Media

I was working on a project for work, and googled why do non-profits use social media. Not one website that I found gave me a straight answer. I found tips, tricks, websites, examples, info graphics and case studies but no one could give me a cut and dry explanation.

 Ten. I came up with a list of 10 reasons nonprofits use social media. Now, you may be thinking duh Sara, of course that is why they use it. In fact that is why everyone uses social media for profit and non-profits alike. 

I found something out more interesting than just these ten reasons though; most non-profits don’t understand why they are using social media. They only know that they have to use it to stay afloat. If you don’t know why you are doing something then can you really get the most out of it? If you are just going along with tweeting, a fan page, groups etc. then is it worth it? 

When I started here (last semester for a class, now as a job yay!) social media was not an important aspect of this small nonprofit. Most of their competitors are not using it, and they are understaffed.

To me that is not an excuse, that is an opportunity.  I was giddy when I was asked to start helping them with their PR (not just social media) even if it is only part time. Not just because I wanted a job, but because they have a great message and need some help getting it out there.

I was all smiles once again when a coworker asked If I could put together a social media plan. Not just what we are going to tweet and when we will do it, but why we should be on twitter and other sites in general.

That is how I came to trying to figure out why nonprofits benefit from social media, and how I came up with these 10 steps. Trying to find a website that isn’t selling you something, trying to get you to use certain products, or pushing their consulting firm is hard to do. So here it is folks. The top ten reasons nonprofits should, would, could and have to use social media to stay alive.

1.       It gives them a larger audience
2.       It allows people to donate without having to get off the couch
3.       Their message can be spread further
4.       It is less costly than some traditional tactics
5.       Interaction
6.       Brand awareness
7.       Create partnerships
8.       Gives them a voice
9.       To stay competitive
10.    To get attention

What do you think of these 10 reasons? Should I have more? Or should some of them be taken off?  There are many ways to do each one of these, and many products and people that can help. Sometimes, when your trying to find a simple answer though, google can be overwhelming. It can also not sort things how you want them, give you too many ads and frustrate you. Feel free to use my list and prove to your boss, board of directors, or nonprofit in general that social media is here to stay, you better jump on now. 

 - Sara Alderman | @Sea6789