& Here’s My Twitter Fine Fifty
I’m a Fundraiser…and Here’s the First Fine Fifty
Two weeks ago I blogged about the importance of creating a plan before a nonprofit or nonprofit worker joins Twitter. Inspired by this post from my friend Hillel Fuld, I have decided to post a list of the first 50 people, organizations and foundations I think a nonprofit/NPO worker should follow when they first join Twitter.
A couple of important notes about the list:
- The list is in no particular order
- People left off: it’s not because they’re not worthy- au contraire! I follow over 450 twitter handles. But in my honest opinion these are the 50 you should start with and then branch out
- I solicited ideas from friends on Twitter- though I will not quote them, I thank them for sharing their favorite tweeps with me. I followed a ton of new people based on their recommendations
- Some of my Twitter friends may feel slighted- please don’t! This is not a list of the most important or most popular- it’s a list of people/orgs I think should be followed in order to learn and understand how Twitter works. Along those lines…
- These are people that you should follow, connect with and engage. Engage does NOT mean to pester! Be thoughtful, smart and even funny. They will respond
- This list includes a little something of everything- social media, mobile, marketing, grant writing, consulting, fundraising, management and more. I am a big proponent of learning from as many different people in varied fields and expertise as possible
- I KNOW I missed some names- I would love to expand this list to 100. So if you have suggestions, leave a comment below, send me a tweet or a message on Google+
Because this is a Twitter list, I have tried to keep descriptions of each account to 140 characters or less. On the bottom, I have added a bonus: a list of hashtags of the best nonprofit Twitter chats. Look them up, find out when they take place and join the conversation. It’s a great way to meet new people (and pick up followers!!)
One final note: #FF. Follow the list below and see who they follow- they usually tweet on Friday with the hashtag #FF (Follow Friday). Click on the Twitter names- check out who they follow and you’ll find more people to follow (and people on Twitter usually follow back!!!) Twitter is about learning and engaging- the more you follow, the more you’ll learn, the more people you’ll engage with and eventually, you too will build a following.
And so without further ado…
Orgs and foundations in your area- learn from the best/worst practices of other orgs. Keep an eye on what the “competition” is doing. Connect with foundation reps
LinkedInExpert- so important to know LinkedIn & no one better to learn from
MitzvahCircle- it’s all about showing gratitude & helping others- she’s the best!
IanMAdair- great guy, very engaging, education philanthropy expert. He’s been a fundraiser, NPO CEO and more- expertise & knowledge mixed in one
ericamills- I “met” her before I joined Twitter- wonderful person, NPO pro par excellance, enjoy learning from her yrs of experience
TweetSmarter- THE Twitter authority. Excellent tweets about everything Twitter related- & great to convo with
miriamschwab- WordPress expert, really really nice person. Engage with her and you’ll learn tons
KidsAreHeroes- great charity. Even greater tweets
CKsays- my mobile “guru.” I love conversing with her, learning about the latest in mobile sites & apps (& learn tons from her YouTube videos)
johnlepp- a real NPO pro, engaging and apparently a very good cook!
zanarama- where NPO knowledge meets social media savvy- and a really great guy who loves to convo
npquarterly- plenty of great articles about what’s going on in the nonprofit world
marcapitman- he calls himself The Fundraising Coach- and he imparts his wisdom to his followers all the time. Plus, he’s one heck of a nice guy & I love to convo with him
joewaters- my authority for cause marketing, which is becoming a huge part of many NPO’s fundraising efforts. Follow him- he loves to engage
PamelaGrow- longtime NPO pro, especially in the area of grants. One of the first people I followed on Twitter- and she was one of the first to follow me back!
elincomm- a PR, marketing, media and fundraising pro who I learn a ton from- and her sunny disposition is a welcome breath of fresh air
johnhaydon- a social media and nonprofits expert- I always learn from his posts (especially about Facebook)
sldoolittle- where to begin- a) a donor stewardship and event planning master b) great to convo with c) great sense of humor d) best hashtags anywhere
GailPerrync- a seasoned NPO pro, who has taught me a lot about working with a nonprofit Board
patricksallee- fundraiser with the Red Cross who brings expertise and knowledge to the table (and you should follow the Red Cross – if only to learn from this)
gatesfoundation- because it’s always good to see what the “big boys” are doing- and I really like how they use Twitter
TheDMailMan- just started following him and already enjoying! I read his last couple hundred tweets and we can all learn about direct mail from him
tanialittle- literally the nicest person! But that’s not just why I recommend her: she’s a great fundraiser, NPO pro and I enjoy learning from her insights
jonathongrapsas- runs an agency dedicated to fundraising and campaigning and really knows his stuff. Worth following and learning from
agentsofgood- Although their name says it all, I enjoy following them and gaining insights into everything NPO related
snotforprofit- she really cracks me up! More important than that: follow her and you’ll never stop learning and understanding how things really should be in a nonprofit
kanter- the queen of social media, measurements and more. Just follow her, read her posts and learn, learn, learn
MLInnovations- a real NPO pro on the cutting edge of fundraising and always with excellent insights- and I really enjoy convos with him
askdebra- a social media expert with a great background in NPO management. I’m learning from her posts and really enjoy discussing issues with her
iheartcharity- perfect mixture of NPO expertise & mobile knowledge- as all NPO’s move towards mobile sites, well worth following her
seattledrury- clever NPO pro- management, strategy, fundraising and more
SSIReview- learn all about Social Innovation from Stanford (a pretty good place to learn from!)
savvygrants- love to convo with her- because she knows so much about nonprofits and especially grantwriting
Markyphillips- a top marketing guy for nonprofits, unbelievably helpful and extremely knowledgeable about fundraising campaigns
NolandHoshino- he’s humorous, creative and innovative- and uses that to teach followers about all social media outlets
mcahalane- a fundraising pro with lots of experience. More important: very helpful, engaging and happy to share
FundraisingAuth- folks, he IS an authority on fundraising and you absolutely should follow him
Philanthropy- another great place to find relevant articles and posts
FundraiserBeth- she’s been fundraising for years, she knows her stuff, she loves to engage and discuss. One of my fav tweeps
NTENorg- at the crossroads of nonprofits and technology
sashadichter- I just found him last week- but went thru his last couple hundred tweeps and he’s a thoughtful, insightful biz dev guy
mikibellon- learn all about philanthropy, technology, CRM’s and more
geoffliving- a communications and public relations strategist for nonprofits. Also, really thoughtful insights and engaging
GordonJayFrost- over 25 years of management and fundraising experience. Plenty to learn from
DannyBrown- a marketing and social media expert- great posts, engaging
npshana- one of my fav fundraisers- I learn a ton from her and really appreciate her knowledge, expertise and dedication to engaging
eventsforgood- helping nonprofits plan fundraising and other special events
GrahamRichards- seasoned fundraising and NPO vet, social media smarts, humorous, engaging and a really nice guy
schutzsmith- strategic marketing for nonprofits, tells it like it is- and that’s a good thing!
LucyInnovation- a really innovative thinker with excellent insights into marketing, fundraising and more
Bonus: StarlightFL- a small nonprofit in Florida. Follow them and feel good!
Bonus Hashtags: Take a look at this post- on the bottom is a list of a number of Twitter chats for nonprofits. Let me add three more:
#LinkedInChat- Tue night at 8 PM EST
#fundchat- Wed nights at 9pm EST
#GivingShow- a half hour radio show hosted by Michael Chatman- he has top guests from the nonprofit world and you’ll learn plenty
Yup, spent a decade in nonprofits and did everything from CEO to PR, marketing, event organization, fundraising, grant writing and everything in between.
August 8th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Don’t forget the #smNPchat! Every other Friday at noon (ET).
Thanks for the inclusion, and thanks for this fabulous resource! Found a few new people, myself!
August 8th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Thanks so much for including NTEN (@NTENorg) on your top 50 list! For a bit of added value, our program team now live-tweets many of our webinars using the hashtag #NTENlearn so be sure to follow along there for highlights, links and tips from experts every week.
August 8th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Thanks for including me in your list…and saying such nice things!
And thanks for creating this list – so useful, I’m gonna try to meet these people.
August 8th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
This is a great list! I feel like I’ve been doing this for a while, and there are still great nonprofit pros that I haven’t found yet. I’m always looking to add!
August 8th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
OMG, thanks for including me on the list with such Twitter powerhouses! Great list, I’m making sure I’m following all of them right now!
August 8th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
This is great. Thank you
We are a new non profit and you have a been a great help to us.
Sincerely,
Mary Coovert Holeman
August 8th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
Wow! What a great list. I think I follow 80% of this list, but after reading who’s who I bumped it up to 100% Thanks for including me in the cast of such great talent — including YOU!
All the best,
Noland
August 9th, 2011 at 1:36 am
Thanks for the list, my Twitter feed just got richer! And I appreciate the link to my post on 30 Super Useful Nonprofit Hashtags and Twitter Chats. Great suggestions for more.
Cheers,
Kerri Karvetski
August 9th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
I remember when Hillel Fuld published his first fifty people to follow om Twitter and I thought it was a great idea then, too. Thanks for the nonprofit fifty. Looking forward to the next iteration of this list, already!
One of the things about most of the people on the list is that they will really engage in thoughtful, sometimes even provoking, conversation via Twitter (you included). That’s when you really get to know a person and his/her value to your thinking. Thanks for including me in this list – I’m very honored and flattered.
August 9th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
my pleasure Miriam!!!!
August 9th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
because I’m having a problem replying to each individual comment (BOO!)…let me say thank you to EVERYONE who has commented on my post. The best part is hearing that people found new people to follow and learn from on Twitter- and that people on the list have many new followers! woohoo!!!!
August 9th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
I’ve been working my way through the list. It’s definitely a great resource. Thanks for sharing, Ephraim! You definitely have some people who ‘wrote the book’ on this subject on your list
August 11th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
What a great list! Sort of like a mix tape for Twitter.
Dave Tinker, CFRE (@davethecfre)
August 11th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Thanks very much for this list, i like it. Many interesting people to follow.
August 12th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Fantastic list!
August 14th, 2011 at 7:26 am
Thank you for compiling this and for including me in it. I’m honored. While I was already Following most of the folks on your list, I was not Following them all. I am now. Your list is a terrific resource that I’ve been happily sharing with others. Again, thank you!
August 21st, 2011 at 2:08 pm
You always have the best info. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
August 21st, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Wonderful article….I need to follow some of the amazing NPO pros that have slipped by me. As always love your postings and advice; looking forward to our Google+ meeting this Tuesday!!