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"Fundraising and Social Media"

October 29, 2009 - Program Summary

Tyson Goodridge

Social media is a hot topic for fundraisers but since WID members have more to talk about than fan pages and tweets, Tyson Goodridge explored social media from a fundraising standpoint. This sold out program promised a basic understanding and implementation strategies for your nonprofit. Mr. Goodridge's presentation was much more than that. 

Before presenting, he reviewed the WID attendee list and which organizations were represented for the brown bag lunch. Since every organization present used some sort of social media amongst the fundraising tools, he explored a bit deeper than basic understanding. WID members expressed interest in hearing about: return on investments; personal versus professional media issues; the benefits for independent consultants; the actual fundraising possibilities; and possible legal issues. 

Mr. Goodridge explored not only the basics, examples, best practices, actual raised money, measurability, and tips. After offering a few statistics and real life examples about how quickly social media dispersed information and how influential it can be, he engaged the group in a friendly conversation about when these sites and programs are or aren't raising money. One of the biggest take-aways from Mr. Goodridge was that a nonprofit's contacts and relationships are priceless. He urged that social media is not meant to replace fundraising but can increase visibility. The site whether it's facebook, twitter, linked in, or used in combination needs to be tailored to reflect the organization, the message, and the audience. His live examples showed pages, sites, and blogs that correspond with the marketing these organizations have worked so hard to produce. 

The conversation also represented those organizations who have struggled with "fans" or "friends" making efforts to support the organization when in actuality it takes a lot of effort to control and use that representation beneficially. Coca Cola was a prime example of Mr. Goodridge's suggestion to use this, and not wasting time trying to control it.