From Facebook to Twitter: Social Networking to Help Your Cause

There has been a great deal of discussion about social networking for nonprofits. While the discussions often center on how to use these tools, it is rare to find discussion of successful strategies.

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts is one organization that is using social networking effectively. The Sitar Center, located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC, provides opportunities to at-risk children, youth, and their families to explore music, dance, drama, writing, and visual art. This interview with the Sitar Center's Executive Director, Ed Spitzberg, details how the organization successfully utilizes social networking tools.

Ed Spitzberg, executive director of the Sitar Center for the Arts.

What moved you toward an online strategy for Sitar?

Sitar Arts Center serves the community around us and creates a community within our doors. Sitar's community is active in spreading the word, as well.  Volunteers bring in other volunteers, donors bring in other donors, and families bring in other families. As an arts education program for primarily low-income youth, we've got a positive story that people love both to tell and hear. Since much of our external community is on Facebook (especially donors and volunteers), it seemed like the nature and structure of Sitar would be particularly suited for social networking.

Who on your staff was involved in overseeing the project?

What are you learning in the process?  Results?

Our plan has always been to use Facebook Causes to get a large membership base, keep that base informed of Sitar events and news, and then fundraise from them. So far, so good on steps one and two, and we're about to embark on step three. We launched a "membership drive" in our Cause to get 1,231 members by last December 31, and if we reached that goal a donor would give us $2,500. Not only did we succeed--we now have over 1,400 members and are in the top 2.5% of "arts and culture" Facebook Causes worldwide--but we also raised an additional $1,100 without actively fundraising!

How do you keep interest going with your Cause group?

We've been sending Cause members monthly updates, with additional alerts when we have exciting news to share. 

What do you plan to do next on Facebook?

We are about to enter a June Facebook fundraising campaign where we will ask our large base of Cause members for small gifts. Our hope is that we will be able to raise nice additional end-of-fiscal-year funds via Facebook with limited staff time, based on the foundation we have built. We'll see if that ends up being true - both in terms of fundraising success and the staff time involved.

Any lessons learned thus far?

1. Getting users to join your cause (or page, or profile) is the most important thing, along with getting them to tell their friends. 
2. It is also very important to remember that this is truly a social medium, and not the same as an e-mail distribution list. We need to motivate our members to tell other Facebook users about Sitar, ask them to join, and ultimately, perhaps, ask them to give.
3. It's important not to look at this as a fundraising "cure-all."
4. Engage your members/fans/friends regularly but not so often they regret joining.
5. Actively look at the staff time involved so that it doesn't cannibalize other effective efforts. 

Anything you'd like to add?

We have talked about Twitter, but have not explored that in depth yet, and likely won't until we're farther with our Facebook plans. We'll know that our Facebook Cause is a success when I see someone at Sitar Arts Center for our Student Showcase Week who learned about the event from our Facebook update, and learned about Sitar from one of their Facebook friends.

To view Sitar Center's Cause on Facebook, visit: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/73902/16814637?m=fc770456.

For more information about the Sitar Center, visit: http://www.sitarcenter.org/.

If you haven't yet used social media for your organization, these links may be helpful:

• The American Cancer Society explains social media for nonprofits.
• Interactive Insights Group provides a tutorial on social media.
• DIOSA Communications specializes in webinars teaching the basics of utilizing the social web.
• The writers at 360 Degree Digital Influence blog have creative solutions for using social media to respond to a crisis.

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