The Value of Online Presence (Both Yours and Your Constituents')

Steve Stegelin

In these connected times, a majority of adults have an online presence, from a personal blog to a social media profile page. As a result, knowing where you can interact with your donors online can provide a important link to them and help drive your fundraising efforts. Through a constituent's online activities, you can learn about their interests for more personal interactions and look for opportunities to promote their engagement with your mission. On the flipside, since donors spend a good bit of their life online, your organization should have a similar presence on social networking sites to enhance your fundraising efforts and interactions. When supporters "like," "follow," or "connect with" your organization through social media, you can communicate with them directly to develop the good will that leads to charitable giving. 

 

On a constituent's record, you can view where to find and engage them online — up to five websites and profile pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn — under Online presence under Constituent summary (and you can select and more for a full list, should they have more than five). In the database view, you can add and manage these web addresses under Links on the Bio 1 or Org 1 tab of the constituent's record. To display a nifty icon for quick identification — such as the Twitter bird  next to their handle or an  next to their Facebook URL — for a location under Online presence, make sure to choose the appropriate social media app in the Type column under Links. With this information, you know where to find the constituent and cultivate their relationship online. For more details, check out the Online Presence Help.



Knowing where to find your donors online is only half the battle! To help cultivate relationships with constituents, your organization should likewise develop an online presence on social media networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn in addition to its website. As you connect with your supporters in social media, keep these best practices — from the Social Media Best Practices Help — in mind.

• Share a story, not a sales pitch. Use social media to build trust with constituents and move them toward advocacy. Post stories that inspire, inform, and entertain your supporters, and they're likely to share your message with others and generate good word-of-mouth marketing.
• Increase traffic on your website. To help refer your social media followers and friends back to your organization's website, include its URL in any profile information and post stories that link back to the site. To help drive Facebook friends to your donation page, be sure to include a Donate Now call-to-action button on your profile page (see the Facebook Help for more details!).
• Build email lists and volunteers. To help create lists for future communications, post contests, petitions, and tips that encourage supports to provide their email addresses. To increase volunteerism, use social media to recognize your volunteers and share photos of past volunteer opportunities. 

Social media enables you to build a two-way street with your donors so you can interact with them online and create a space where they can easily find and engage with you in return. In short: Get social!