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Q&A with Beth Kanter: Non-profits and Social Media

document Distributed Knowledge

February 16, 2011

Q&A with Beth Kanter: non-profits and social media
Author: Andrea Weinfurt

When it comes to social media strategy for nonprofits, Beth Kanter is the cream of the crop. Her blog, Beth¶s Blog, regularly discusses how nonprofits can use social media engagement for a greater cause. Beth also founded the Zoetica Salon on Facebook, along with Geoff Livingston, Kami Huyse and Julie Pippert. The project, launched in December 2010, has already brought more than 7,000 non-profit leaders together to engage in informal peer learning about non-profits and social media. The free forum has a monthly theme where the group can discuss resources and participate in discussions. In preparation for the debut of our new webinar, Social Media Engagement for Non-profits, I posed some questions to Beth to get some more insight on what makes some non-profits better at social media than others. Andrea: Can you pinpoint one time-saving tip as a ³must do´ for people working non-profits who are developing a social media strategy? Beth: The single most important tip is to ³time box´ your social media work. It can be open-ended and if you give a specific, limited amount of time ± you¶ll be far less likely to waste time. Another technique is to think of your social media time as ³grout´ ± fill in time at specific points during the day in between tasks that require more concentration and attention. Andrea: What are some non-profits who are excelling at social media and why do you think they¶ve been able to do so well? Beth: There are lots of them ± hard to choose just one. The Red Cross is a great example ± they¶re early adopters. They are good listeners, know how to engage and empower people to spread their mission. Also, they are very willing to connect and engage with ³free agents´ hyperconnected activists who can spread their mission further.

Andrea: What is the main challenge facing non-profits in social media? Do they face the same challenges as other brands? Beth: The big challenge is about mindshifts ± making the time to learn a new way of working. That means taking something off the to do list. So, it is hard to make that change. Andrea: Journalists have begun to ³crowdsource´ when writing their stories, do you see their version of crowdsourcing to be different than the one described on your blog? Should non-profits regularly crowdsource on social networks? Beth: Crowdsourcing is a great way to engage people in your cause or organization ± people love to be asked their opinions. Crowdsourcing is a technique, but it should have a clear goal.

Summary Beth Kanter gives some insights on what makes some non-profits better at social media than others.

Description According to Beth Kanter, "Crowdsourcing is a great way to engage people in your cause or organization – people love to be asked their opinions. Crowdsourcing is a technique, but it should have a clear goal".

I totally agree with Beth!

Tags: Beth Kanter, Crowdsourcing, Engagement, non-profits, Social Media, webinar, Zoetica Forum

Posted by Luis Enrique Morales

Feb 17, 2011 04:59 pm GMT Viewed 3903 times

Author: Andrea Weinfurt Source

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