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NCCCF Webinar Social Networking for Fundraisers Tips for Building Strategy to Gain ROI. Presented by Wendy Davis SunGard Higher Education. The reality of our problem….
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NCCCF WebinarSocial Networking for Fundraisers Tips for Building Strategy to Gain ROI Presented by Wendy Davis SunGard Higher Education
The reality of our problem…. Charitable contributions to colleges and universities in the United States declined 11.9 percent, to $27.85 billion, according to results of the annual Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey, released today by the Council for Aid to Education (CAE). The 2009 decline is the steepest in the survey’s history. In 1975, however, the inflation-adjusted decline (11.6 percent) was slightly larger than in 2009 (11.5 percent). Over the past ten years, contributions to higher education institutions have increased an average of 4.1 percent per year. From: Council for Aid to Education (CAE) Press Release dated February 3, 2010
Meeting Roadmap • Definitions of Social Network and Social Networking • Discussion of Facebook • Strategy • Uses for Engagement • Uses for Fundraising • Return on the Investment • Discussion of Twitter • Strategy • Uses for Engagement • Uses for Fundraising • Return on the Investment • Concluding Thoughts • Open Lines for Discussion
Social Network An association of people drawn together by family, work or hobby. The term was first coined by professor J. A. Barnes in the 1950s, who defined the size of a social network as a group of about 100 to 150 people. Source: www.PCMag.com
Social Network Service “A social network service focuses on building social networks or social relations among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities.” Source: www.wikipedia.org
Facebook = Social Network Service Source: www.wikipedia.com
A Public Service AnnouncementOther Social Networking Services Most Widely Used in North America: MySpace and LinkedIn Source: www.wikipedia.org
A Public Service AnnouncementOther Social Networking Services • Widely Used in Europe • Decavenne, Tagged, XING, Badoo, Skyrock • Widely Used in Central and South America • Orkut, Hi5 • Widely Used in Asia and the South Pacific • Friendster, Mixi, Multiply, Orkut, Wretch, Xiaonei, and Cyworld • Widely Used in India • Orkut, Facebook Source: www.wikipedia.org
It’s all about strategy…. • Facebook Engagement Strategy • Facebook Fundraising Strategy
Engagement Strategy CONNECTIONS!
Key Message: Facebook is about personal connection • Facebook connects people • YOU invite people into your personal network • Connections are not limited to distinct groups • High School Friends • College Friends • Friends from “back home” • Power of the crosspollination of connections • Friends of Friends
What is your strategy for connecting people to each other?What is your strategy for connecting people to the institution?How does Facebook fit into that strategy? (Does it?)
Engagement Strategies:How do you connect people to the institution? • Affinity Groups • Formal (like the speech team, the basketball team) • Can be “official” institution pages • Should have a strategy for managing “rogue” pages that present as “official” pages • Fan Pages • Informal “Fan of those who lived in Williams Hall, 2nd Floor” • No control over these, but that is OK • Make sure you are paying attention to what “connects people to each other”
Facebook GROUPS have security that PAGES don’t have • Facebook’s groups are analogous to clubs in the offline world. • Groups can be secured to a particular network or the entire Facebook community. • Groups have administrators that manage the group, approve applicants or invite others to join. Source: www.mashable.com
` Mt. SAC Group associated with an EXPERIENCE related to the PLACE
College of the Sequoias-Nursing School Alumni, a Profession and Program
Facebook Pages “Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.” Source: www.mashable.com
Key Message: Facebook is about affinity Facebook connects people who want to associate with groups and causes • This moves from social networking to the realm of “online community.” • Facebook is a mashup of a social network and online communities.
ROI on Engagement Strategies for Facebook Pages • Organizations posted to their Facebook Pages about six times weekly. • 2.5% of each organization's Facebook fans took some sort of an action weekly such as contributing wall posts, "likes," or comments. • Generating a high fan rate is important, since news feeds carry that activity to potential new fans. • Facebook fans grew by 3.75% monthly. However, it’s important to note that 2% of Facebook fans either removed themselves or chose to hide the news feed monthly. Source: Social Media Benchmark Study
BFAN-Bradley Forensics Alumni Network • Officially sanctioned affinity group • Organized group with elected board • University staff member manages relationship with the network board
Intent • Build community among alumni for the purpose of assisting the mission of the current team and advancing the team back to national championship status. • “Remember When” Quality • Engagement with “generations” before and after yours • Engage with current students • Volunteer coaching • Volunteer judging • Alumni Work Weekends • Fundraising Campaign to endow scholarships for the team “Formed in 2006, BFAN seeks to strengthen Bradley University by connecting members, coaches, and friends of the legendary Bradley speech team back to each other, the forensics program, and the University.”
Regular events: work weekend, conference calls, volunteer opportunities
“Real Time Chats” to see national results posted and awards ceremony.
Evolution from Engagement to Fundraising • Long term vision of the founders of BFAN to raise funds to support the team • Long-term engagement with University officials to coordinate an effort • Progress was stalled until a development officer who “got it” was assigned to our cause • In the interim….. • Over 200 alumni and friends (about 1/3 of the known alumni with an affiliation to the team) have engaged via Facebook • On-Line has converted to “in person” support of the team • Facebook is a vital communication tool for the board and the alumni
What is the Return on Investment for this type of approach? • What is the “investment?” • Relatively low cost of investment • Viral nature of Facebook • Leveraging of personal connection to extend to groups/pages • Increased “value” if content is meaningful, timely and relevant • What is being measured? • Number of group/page members? • Quantifiable • Meaningful Engagement? • Qualitative • How can we measure that fundraising dollars were a direct result of Facebook “investment?” • Mainly anecdotal • Difficult to measure
Another approach… Use your Facebook pages/groups to promote your official web pages with fundraising information
What is the Return on Investment for this type of approach? Return on Investment is essentially the same argument previously discussed.
www.causes.com Another approach…Facebook Causes
How successful are Facebook Causes?: A question of ROI To Nonprofits Seeking Cash, Facebook App Isn't So Green Though Popular, 'Causes' Ineffective for Fundraising Washington Post , April 22, 2009 • Fewer than 1% of people who join a cause donate to it • 25,000,000 people on Facebook have joined causes • 185,000 people have donated to causes • Median gift is $25.00 • The MAJORITY of causes have received no donations • Fewer than 50 of the 179,000 group related causes have raised $10,000 • Nature Conservancy and Students for a Free Tibet have reached over $100,000 Source: www.washingtonpost.com