Social Media Communication for Education Foundations

1. Social Media Communication for Education Foundations

3. Social Media • refers to the collection of technologies that captures communication and content across individuals, their friends, and their social networks. Examples are Facebook and Twitter. • These are also examples:

5. Which Technologies? New technologies emerge constantly. Don’t get overwhelmed by the choices. Pick what you CAN do and be consistent.

7. Reasons Why You’re Not Using Social Media Yet: • Lack of resources to manage social media • Lack of knowledge about which tools to use • Doubt whether it will work or not • Confusion about how social media fits within fundraising and communication strategies.

8. Why Use Social Media? • Engage with stakeholders to build relationships • Enlarge your efforts quickly, easily, inexpensively • Use a variety of tools to engage in different kinds of conversations with stakeholders • Social media is a contact sport -- you have to actively give it a try to make it work

9. Reasons why you’re not using social media yet: • – Lack of resources to manage social media • – Lack of knowledge about which tools to use • – Doubt if whether it will work or not • – Confusion about how social media fits within a fundraising strategy • Close the important loop that should exist between the district, the education foundation, and education foundation donors. The result is the district receives financial support of a critical need area and donors get the important confirmation that their gifts are truly making a significant difference in the life of their schools. • Organize scarce resources for maximum impact. These key changes in fundraising involve how we package and sell our mission, inspire an internal culture, partner with the community, and support our schools, students, and district staff. Foundation D School Donor

10. The Big 3 • Website • Email / eNewsletter • Facebook Start Simple, but START!

11. WEBSITE • Keep content current; keep calendars timely - don’t have dead content (ex: sign-up for events already past) • Videos need written captions with searchable keywords - Google can’t search a video.

12. Other Resources:Google for Nonprofits

16. Email / eNewsletter • Increase your reach --grow your distribution by adding emails from PTO lists, Organization lists (marching band parents, athletic boosters, alumni association) • Any organization which asks you for money should be willing to share their email distribution so their constituents can become your donors • Send happy news to your stakeholders at least once a month - not ALWAYS an “ask” • Create a publication schedule

17. Publication Schedule

20. The Plan to Get Content • Grants Funded = Built-in Content + THE GRANT RECIPIENT WRITES IT FOR YOU!! • Call out the teacher who received a grant; encourages more teachers/staff/parents to ask for money; highlights the need for more $; let them help you spread the word about the good works your foundation is doing and the need for more donations; show your donors what you did with their money • “Grant Spotlight” - creates pride in your school district • Focus on grant awarded by building -- increase awareness of teachers/activities by building

21. Fantasy • I’m going to get email addresses of everyone in my district/town/county into my database • My website will have 50,000 hits a month. • I’m going to get on Facebook and update the status of my Foundation daily. My goal is 10,000 Facebook Friends. • I’m going to Tweet three times a day.

22. Reality • You’re only one person (maybe two) • You may be part-time or a volunteer • You don’t even have time to write thank you notes to donors, let alone be on Facebook for your Foundation. • Your website is controlled by the district, not you. • You aren’t sure social media is for you after all.

24. Save your sanity • Create content that is easy to remix and share through other channels • You have to stimulate an emotional incentive for people – so they feel a sense of pride and joy when they forward your foundation’s story to their friends • Make sure your content is shareable, and ASK for it to BE shared

25. FACEBOOK • Facebook -- get on it; learn to do it from your smart phone; link your other communications as a start • Set up your Facebook Fan Page

28. Get help from a Teen • First time in history younger generation teaches the elders • Creat a “Social Media Internship” • Recruit help from a high school student -- • Looks good on their college applications

29. Other Resources

30. BTW, What is that squiggly-line square thing?

31. What is that squiggly-line square thing? • QR Code = “Quick Response Code” created to store more data than a bar code - came from the auto industry • Read them with your smartphone:Go to the app store for your device and search for a “QR Code reader” • Generate them: http://www.the-qrcode-generator.com

33. Final Thoughts/Q&A • Social Media complements & integrates into your overall strategy. • You don’t have to be an “expert” • Start small, experiment, be authentic, build on what works. • Just do it!