Do you want to punch above your weight?

One of the latest reports from the reliably excellent nfpSynergy, the Social Media League Table has just come to our attention. And we wanted to tell you about it, particularly because it backs up what we’ve been saying in our blogs over the past couple of months: that it is well worth investing time and energy in your blogging and tweeting – and also, they tell us, in YouTube-ing and Facebook-ing.

Here’s why: because 96% of the top 50 fundraising charities use some form of social media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or blogs. There really does seem to be some correlation between an organisation’s social media presence and their fundraising success. In fact, nfpSynergy tells us that the commercial world has a lot to learn from the charity sector:

“When the top 25 fundraising charities are compared with the top 25 FTSE companies by market capitalisation, charities are far ahead in terms of use of social media, with three times as many YouTube subscribers, eight times as many Twitter followers and ten times as many Facebook ‘likes’ on average.”

They go on to stress that social media act as a great leveller in the communications field. Just as we all said about the web and email before them, they are cheap and simple to use and are an effective way for organisations of any size to reach & engage with their supporters.

Interestingly, the report notes that arts, animal and cancer charities seem to use the social media platforms to the greatest effect: a challenge, perhaps, to those of us working in other parts of the charitable sector? It’s certainly never too late to start: in fact, it’s sometimes a real advantage to get into something a little later. You can learn from what other organisations have done and find out far more easily what works best.

So if you haven’t yet given social media a try, go on, do it. It’s worth it...

(And if you need help getting started, take a look at our online resources – it really is incredibly easy to do...)

Yet more on cookies...

Well, we promised to keep you updated about the UK government’s decision about how they would interpret the new EU amendment about the use of cookies on websites. So here - hot off the press - is the latest from Ed Vaizey, UK Communications Minister.


As anticipated, the UK government will not be taking a hard-line approach to the EU regulations. The regulations will be implemented using a two-tier approach:

1. As we reported last time, a solution is being sought with the major web browsers to provide a way for users to give ongoing permission for cookies to be used. According to a DCMS spokesperson, the result is likely to be a button in the browser window.
2. Where behavioural advertising is concerned, users will probably be notified of the use of cookies with an icon in the corner of web ads. If users don’t want their online behaviour to be tracked, they’ll be able to click on the icon and opt out.

The DCMS statement explains:

“A one size fits all solution is not appropriate to the UK. Flexibility is essential for innovation and new business models.”

Although the EU regulations are supposed to be in force by 25 May, Mr Vaizey has admitted that the UK will not meet the deadline.

“We recognise that work on the technical solutions for cookie use will not be complete by the implementation deadline. It will take time for meaningful solutions to be developed, evaluated and rolled out,” he said.

He has also confirmed that the Information Commissioner’s Office will not take action to enforce the new regulations while the new systems are developed and implemented. He didn’t say how long this process is expected to take.


So... there is definitely no need for charities to panic. Now we know the likely form that UK regulation will take, we can start to reflect on our own use of cookies and think about how we can incorporate the anticipated two-tier system into our own web practice.


Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8454365/Government-bows-to-advertisers-over-web-privacy.html

Tell me a story: Effective Online Comms #5

We’ve noticed an increasing amount of talk about storytelling recently. And it’s been a real passion of mine for years, as my colleagues and ex-colleagues will attest, remembering the reliable (and I daresay boring) question at every campaign planning meeting: “But what’s the story here? How can we tell the story?”

Human beings like to tell stories – it’s one of the things we do. We all form narratives about our experiences and about the meanings that these experiences have for our lives.
In addition to this, we all like to hear stories. We connect so easily and immediately when we are told a good story. So why don’t charities always think about this when planning their communications?

I don’t know the answer to that... But I have found some great material online to help you think about telling your stories. If you’re interested, have a read of the articles below. Let me know if you come across any others.

And to whet your appetite, here are 3 Dos and Don’ts courtesy of a recent Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com newsletter:


DO

1. Talk about real people (even if you change their names)
2. Structure it well (with a beginning, middle and end)
3. Remember that the main character is the person you’ve helped (not your organisation )

DON’T

1. Sanitise your story (keep it authentic, warts and all)
2. Include unnecessary details (less is more)
3. Weigh it down with facts and figures (keep it human)

Want to find out more?

• How storytelling builds movements: http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2011/4/4/storytelling-up-close-and-personal.html
• Stories every nonprofit should know how to write: http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/resources/storytelling/three-stories-every-nonprofit-should-know-how-to-write/
• Some good examples of not-for-profit storytelling: http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/resources/storytelling/examples-of-nonprofit-stories/

More cookies

Last week we published a blog about the new EU amendment about the use of cookies on websites and its potential impact on our sector’s use of the web.


At that time, our advice was a winning combination of ‘Watch this space’ and ‘Don’t panic’. So thanks to Sue for bringing to my attention an update in the form of a DMA article covering a recent speech by Ed Vaizey MP, Communications Minister, where he speaks further about the issue.


We are glad to hear that he has stressed that he is not “a big fan of regulation”, describing the Amendment as:

“... a good example of a well-meaning regulation that will be very difficult to make work in practice. If we get the implementation wrong, it will seriously hamper the smooth running of the internet, and it's therefore a provision that should concern the consumer as well.”

According to Mr Vaizey, the Government is busily working with browser manufacturers to explore the browser enhancements which would provide easy-to-use settings for cookies.
All of which is very good news.


Apparently, full details of how the revised directive will be implemented are going to be published shortly. So again, watch this space...


Read the Minister’s speech in full: http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/ministers_speeches/7997.aspx

Why Twitter? Effective Online Comms #3

Twitter, twitter, tweet, tweet: that’s all you hear, see and read wherever you turn these days. So we get it, it’s a popular trend. But is there a good reason for doing it? What benefits can tweeting bring your organisation?

Twitter is all about communication. There are 2 main things you can do:

1. Listen *
2. Converse *

The listening part is about noticing:

• who is saying what
• who is doing what
• what doesn’t appear to be being done by anyone.

All of which can give you loads of useful information about your place in the debate/marketplace – both where you are and where you could/should be. A kind of free market research - which for not-for-profit organisations is incredibly valuable.

The conversation part is a little different. It’s where you:

• ask and answer questions
• share information and ideas
• connect with people who care about the same things as you.

This is your chance to give. To share your knowledge and ideas, to answer other people’s questions. And as you build up connections with other people who share your passions, you create opportunities to ask for help and support for your organisation.

Given our understanding that our success rests on our ability to build relationships with our supporters, can we really afford not to explore Twitter?


*Thanks to Amy Sample Ward for this helpful terminology.


Want to find out more?

• Sue Fidler on how to get started with Twitter and other social networking tools http://www.suefidler.com/sn/

• Amy Sample Ward on using Twitter to build a community & recruiting volunteers http://amysampleward.org/2011/03/27/using-twitter-to-build-a-community-and-recruit-volunteers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amysampleward%2FcTgy+%28Amy+Sample+Ward%27s+Version+of+NPTech%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
  

How Mother’s Day could raise you extra income (and Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day...)

We’re all constantly in search of new and reliable ways of increasing our organisation’s income. So the recent report by Mintel – brought to our attention by Charity Greetings (thank you) about the greetings card industry has some welcome – and to me, at least – surprising news.

Did you know that 1 in 5 people would like to buy charity cards all year round, not just at Christmas? I was amazed to hear this – and to realise how few charities are taking advantage of this. Many of us already sell Christmas cards, so we know it works – and also understand how to do it.

So how about expanding your sales of greetings cards beyond Christmas and exploring how you can tap into this untapped market throughout the rest of the year?

Read more

The Mintel report is expensive - £1500 – but you can read the key points online: http://oxygen.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen/display/id=537947