…and Google+ Will Be Perfect For NPO’s
I’m a fundraiser… & Google Plus will be great for your nonprofit.
So if you’re like most nonprofits, you have a volunteer or very part-time worker who spends a little time weekly updating your org’s info on various social media platforms (I HATE that word!). If you’re lucky, your org. employs a Community Manager to manage all your social media activities. Let’s look at where they might be spending their time:
Email Facebook Twitter
Skype Flickr YouTube
Updating Blogs & RSS feed
Various chat programs
Updating online calendars
And potentially more. That’s A LOT OF PLACES TO BE AT ONCE!!!
Over the weekend my friend David mentioned to me his theory of “Social Media Burnout.” Basically, there are too many outlets for people to control, not enough time/energy to respond to everything and work productivity suffers.
Nonprofits especially suffer because they have little or no budget to hire someone to manage their online presence- and in the end they’re there but with little interaction with followers.
And then along comes Google+ and social media managers begin to develop a nervous tic.
Email, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Chat, RSS, Blog…oh my!
“ANOTHER social media platform (that dreaded word again!) we have to be on?!”
Now…before your org. screams “enough is enough!” hear me out because Google+ is going to make your life EASIER.
I have been fiddling with Google+ for the last few days and under one roof you have many of your social media needs- with potentially more to follow.
+1 Maybe you use Skype? Google+ has “Hangout” where up to 10 users can video chat. Imagine being able to communicate with volunteers or program directors in different cities at once. Bye bye Skype!
+1 Heck- in “Hangout” you can watch YouTube videos together. Nonprofits- have a new promotional video but need to discuss internally? “Hangout” can bring the relevant parties together for a discussion. Hello YouTube!
+1 Have pictures? Google+ automatically syncs with Picassa. Bye bye Flickr!
+1 Wanna chat? Google+ has the same chat feature as Gmail. Bye Bye IM!
+1 Oops- forgot to mention: Google+ is totally synced with Gmail. Bye bye dedicated mail (nonprofit@nonprofit.com)!
+1 Google+ has a feature called “Sparks” which allows you to see the latest articles on topics of your choosing. Bye bye Twitter trends and RSS feed!
+1 And now for the best part: Google+ at its core is almost exactly like Facebook and its stream is reminiscent of Twitter. Meaning, yes you guessed it…Bye Bye Facebook & Twitter!
Ok, so maybe that’s a little extreme. Your org. won’t be leaving Facebook and Twitter any time soon and rightfully so. BUT you have to consider a resource which puts everything under one umbrella with one login.
For fundraisers, program and volunteer directors, the Google+ “friends” system is great. In Google+ you create “Circles” and updates that you post can be delineated for specific “Circles.”
For example: you can create “Circles” titled Donors, Volunteers and Workers. Whenever you wish to post a Stream (Google+ equivalent of Facebook’s status update), you can choose who should see the post. This allows you as a nonprofit to create messages tailor made for each group- with a click of the mouse.
There are those who will be reluctant to turn all their info over to Google. Heck, just ten years ago Microsoft was considered this and when Google started, its slogan was Do No Evil.
I get it. But step back a minute and think: Everything under one roof necessary to communicate, engage and connect with donors, followers, volunteers and workers online. Nonprofits: What could possibly be better than that?!
PS Wonder if Blogger (Google owned), Google Music and Google Calendar will eventually be available through Google+…Then everything really will be in one place.
For a great look at Google+ from Chris Brogan
If you’re on Google+ you’re invited to add Fundraisin Is Fun to your circles!
Yup, spent a decade in nonprofits and did everything from CEO to PR, marketing, event organization, fundraising, grant writing and everything in between.