I recently attended a conference in the UK called “Digital Communications for Charities”. The lure of new digital channels is always powerful, I believe because many fundraisers and marketers have creative personalities that crave making something unique.
But, I consider a moral obligation of all charities to be disciplined about how they use their limited resources to mobilize support for their causes, and so was a bit disappointed to hear so many charities were seemingly satisfied with having “friends on Facebook” whilst being unconcerned about how this helped them achieve their organizational goals. Few seemed to know what they would do with these “friends”, whether they were in fact “new mates”, or whether they would ever make any money from them.
Like many others I started using “Facebook” last year. I think it is important to consider why people are using it, before jumping into creating a profile for your organization.
Few use it to make new friends. It mainly supports relationships that already existed. However, as well as providing a(nother) new channel for general communication of the “how’s it going?” kind, the many “applications” and “groups” that are pushed to users via their own contacts do provide ways to strengthen relationships. Be that through shared entertaining experiences, giving or receiving compliments, or expressing shared opinions.
This later attribute has already proven useful for organizations to consider. Would being a member of your group provide the means for people to express their shared values?
But what does this membership achieve? And will it ever lead to financial return?
Since I believe this is something charities should be considering, I’ve created a strategic framework which you can upload strategic-framework-for-new-tech-relationships.pdf.
I encourage you to use it as a discussion tool, and welcome any feedback or comments.
opinionaid 