FirstGiving/HelpAttack! Webinar Questions and Answers
Last week HelpAttack! and FirstGiving partnered to give a webinar on Best Practices in Social Media Fundraising. It was a blast! So many excellent people attended and brought with them fabulous questions. Here are answers to some questions we weren’t able to get to during the webinar.
Ehren will be writing an entire blog post dedicated to Facebook tab questions. Here are a couple of resources to tide you over until then: Create Custom iFrame Tabs on Your Nonprofit’s Facebook Page Custom Design Your Nonprofit’s Facebook Timeline How to measure Facebook Custom Tabs in Google Analytics with UTM Tags (Video Tutorial)
Without further ado, here are the remaining questions. Thanks for all of your thoughtful interaction!
Q: Why not pin or post a company logo? Is it because it’s too boring or is there another reason? A: Sure, one pin of your company logo or your corporate sponsor’s logo, but according to Noland Hoshino, “Pinterest is about curating inspiration.” Use Pinterest to captivate and attract your followers with engaging and inspiring images.
Q: With the video “thank you” for specific donors, is that something you post publicly or send only to them? I assumed you would send that only to them and create/post a generic one – is that right? A: Share the individual “thank you” publicly. They inspire other supporters to take action by providing social proof that other people are. It also shows current and potential supporters that you value them!
Q: What were the names of those donor databases? A: Blackbaud, Convio, SalsaLabs to name a few.
Q: What is average amount of gift via social media channels? A: The average monthly gift via HelpAttack! is around $25.
Q: What’s a “bot”? A: Automated computer programs that pose as people, but just send out spam.
Q: Social media fundraising works best with which of the following age groups? 13-18, 18-25, 26-40, 40+, or does it matter? A: Nearly everyone under 35 uses social media, but the 40+ group is the fastest growing demographic. Here are some great resources on the topic: Study: Ages of social network users Who’s Driving Twitter’s Popularity? Not Teens Who Uses Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, & MySpace? 4thQ & 1stQ Stats and Analysis Facebook Demographics Revisted – 2011 Statistics
Q: Is there something you have to do to create it, or do you just write # and then what you want the hashtag to be? A: All you have to do is use the “#” symbol. For example, “fundraising” becomes “#fundraising”. The next step is to use the hashtag you’ve just created. HelpAttack! allows you to use them for fundraising campaigns. Other ideas: Mashable: HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Twitter #Hashtags
Q: Is it ok to share corporate logos of sponsors on our Facebook and Twitter? A: Businesses usually love exposure of their logo and name. To be safe, check with them before posting and make sure you follow the terms and conditions of whatever platform you’re using.
Q: If you have time, can you go over Facebook Causes – how do you get started? A: Here is some information on Causes: Causes reinvents itself as a campaign center
Q: I’ve tried to learn more about the people who like our Facebook page, but I can’t find out why they liked or how they found us. What is the secret? A: You can ask them via a direct message or put out a general ask on your page. Make sure it is a personal message and not spammy. That could turn people off.
Q: What scheduling tools are available for Facebook? A: Hootsuite is a great one.
Q: How do you name your social media site? Should it be by a personal name or by organization? A: Name your site with the organization’s name. If you have one person who sends out the updates, add that to the information sections. It could be as easy as easy as, “Tweets by Allison” or “Updates by Bill”.
Q: How do you figure out what a Facebook follower is worth, and how do you explain that to a boss who has never used Facebook? A: There are many ways to think about this. The average number of Facebook friends is around 150. If someone who likes your organization’s page shares something that you post, you are reaching an additional 150 people (on average). You could take this number and calculate how much it costs to reach that many people in traditional ways such as direct mail to get a dollar amount. Here are some other resources with more ideas: How Much is One Facebook Fan Worth? How Much Is a Facebook Fan Worth? $10. Or Possibly 2 Cents.
Still have questions? Have anything to add to the answers here? Please post to the comments section below.
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