Social Media for Social Good: A How-to Guide for Nonprofits

Spread your message instantly and easily—even on a shoestring budget

“In a world that seems to be overpopulated with social media experts, Heather is the real thing. Her passion and intuition have made her an invaluable resource to the nonprofit community.”
—Danielle Brigida, digital marketing manager, National Wildlife Federation

“For over 10 years Heather has been my primary reference point for all things pertaining to online community management and social networking for nonprofits. All of us here at TechSoup deeply respect, value, and recommend her work.”
—Susan Tenby, director, online community and social media, TechSoup.org

“Heather has been a real change maker for Safe Kids. Whenever we have a question about social media we always return to Heather’s blog Nonprofit Tech 2.0 for advice, and no doubt we will be regularly using her book too.”
—Line Storgaard-Conley, director of interactive services, Safe Kids USA/Safe Kids Worldwide

“Heather practices what she preaches: she is passionate about social media, and she is a friendly and generous member of the nonprofit community. When I want to know what my organization should be doing, I first turn to Heather’s blog and LinkedIn Group.”
—Erica Burman, director of communications, National Peace Corps Association

“We use something we’ve learned from Heather almost daily. Social media is a critical tool we use to help gain support for our military families and wounded warriors, and because they deserve our best efforts, this book will be within reach on all our desks.”
—Susan Miller, director of online communications, Operation Homefront

About the Book

“Web 3.0” is already here. Is your nonprofit ready? With Social Media for Social Good, it will be . . . even if you’re so behind that you’re not sure what “Web 3.0” means.

As a nonprofit, you’re most likely used to working at a disadvantage. Recent economic factors have required many organizations to slash budgets, implement staff cuts, and depend upon volunteers or already overworked nonprofit staff to manage their social media and mobile technology campaigns.

Luckily, the dedication of your staff and volunteers, when combined with the wisdom presented in this book, is all that your nonprofit needs to harness the power of social media. Give your team a wealth of Web wisdom to match its passion, and you’ll quickly discover that the playing field suddenly seems a whole lot more even and that social media success lies literally at your fingertips.

Enter Heather Mansfield. When it comes to nonprofit communications, she is the social media expert. Nonprofits and social media are her passions, and she loves to make them work together. That’s why communications staff at organizations like the National Wildlife Federation, the National Peace Corps Association, Safe Kids, TechSoup.org, and Operation Homefront, to name a few, are among her devoted fans. What Mansfield has taught them, you’ll learn in Social Media for Social Good—from basic best practices to advanced strategies that are guaranteed to keep your supporters engaged and growing in numbers. Learn how to:

• Inspire fans, followers, and friends to transition from passive interest to active involvement in supporting your mission
• Implement an integrated communications and fundraising strategy that maximizes the ROI of your nonprofit’s website and blog, e-newsletter, social networking communities, video and digital photography libraries, and mobile technology campaigns
• Understand and navigate legal and privacy issues
• Use social media and mobile technology to nurture current donors—and build your list of new donors
• Track and report the effectiveness of your efforts

Imagine the kind of nonprofit communications and fundraising success your organization could achieve if only you had the resources. Social Media for Social Good gives you the tools to stop imagining—and start doing.