Social Networking for Nonprofits: Increasing Engagement in a Mobile and Web 2.0 World

From time to time, new technologies completely rewrite the rules for how we do business. In the last several decades we have seen global changes resulting from general adoption of computers and the Internet. Now, social networking specifically online social networking is once again transforming everything. If organizations want to stay competitive and avoid replacement by online rivals, they need to learn and adopt social technologies. In his book, Andy Steggles addresses two main audiences: those with little or no understanding of social technologies and those who are quite familiar with the general principles but want to take it to the next level. As it turns out, both parts are valuable for both audiences. Section I, Social Consumers, addresses that more basic audience, the ones who want to know answers to such questions as, What is the social web? Where do you find it? What are the core components? How do you use it? How do you attract users, retain members, and build on community? It also addresses legal concerns and liabilities. What makes it valuable for those who already have some experience with social technologies is that it reminds you of things you might not think of, such as listening to what people are saying about your organization (because the conversation is happening whether you hear it or not). Section II addresses organizations that have already built a significant social presence and want to bump it up a few notches by becoming social providers, or in other words, setting up their own social networks. Although this section may seem pretty advanced, it provides a vocabulary and understanding of concepts that are useful to know on many levels, including sections on search engine optimization (SEO), how to make money, and using mobile technologies.

Andy Steggles is the chief operating officer and social strategist for Higher Logic LLC, a social media and mobile software company for associations and nonprofits. Prior to joining Higher Logic, he spent 10 years as the chief information officer for the Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS), where he headed, among other things, their social strategy initiatives. His first experiments in using social media happened in 2004-2005, when he recognized how useful the web could be in renting out vacation properties and launched Holiday Home Rental LLC (holidayhomerental.co.uk), which grew to more than 20,000 rental properties and generated more than 150,000 pages of user-generated content. After this experience and the results of more country-specific rental sites, Steggles understood clearly that social media could affect search engines and began developing software to test the uniqueness of content to find out how well it would do on a search engine.

ASAE is a membership organization of more than 22,000 association executives and industry partners representing more than 11,000 organizations. ASAE members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. ASAE is the preeminent source of knowledge, learning, community, and advocacy for the field of association management. ASAE s publishing imprint, Association Management Press, reflects the ASAE mission by publishing relevant, reliable content focusing on helping professionals tackle their organizational leadership and management challenges.