Facebook’s coming IPO has shone a spotlight on the financial upside of social media, but it’s important to keep in mind how much potential social platforms hold for serving the public good. Social media is helping advance the mission of non-profit organizations across a broad range of issues. In fact, nonprofits account for some of our industry’s most successful and impactful social programs that serve to elevate visibility, advance messaging across a broad range of constituencies, and assist with fundraising.
The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. last week hosted the first in its series of “Social Media 4 Social Good” events featuring interviews with strategists and entrepreneurs who are “using social media to make positive contributions to the world.” At the event, UN Foundation’s VP of Communications and Public Relations Aaron Sherinian emphasized how digital tools have broadened international reach and changed communication approaches in the world of nonprofits, international development and global health.
Sherinian also highlighted several examples of effective social media campaigns, including the UN Foundation’s Girl Up campaign and USAID’s FWD, which he described as a “genius use of social media.”
The impact of social media has been particularly striking in times of crisis as organizations have used digital platforms to mobilize mass audiences for rapid response efforts and donations. Two of the most recognized examples of this are what occurred around the tsunami in Japan and the earthquake in Haiti. We’ve seen the impact of relief organizations such as the Red Cross turning to online and mobile platforms to provide up-to-date information on events and to solicit donations from concerned citizens from around the world. In fact, a Time magazine story last year explored how “social media is changing disaster response”
In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti,Xenophon Strategieskicked into high gear, handling virtually all elements of disaster response communications on behalf of the Salvation Army. Social media came into the mix as Xenophon gathered information and packaged it for internal and external consumption. In addition to press releases and media alerts, Xenophon created blog stories and Facebook and Twitter posts. The Salvation Army’s blog saw thousands of click-throughs, serving as one of the main pathways to donations via the Salvation Army’s online donation system. The organization’s Facebook page welcomed 3,000 new fans, with its Twitter account gaining 350 new followers within a week after the earthquake.
Social media has also proven to be a powerful tool for communicating with donors and advocates on a sustained basis. In an age of shrinking or uncertain budgets, social media provides nonprofits with an affordable way to reach and engage constituencies, helping to build deeper and more personal relationships with supporters.
Social media also enables communities to mobilize with amazing speed. In the immediate aftermath of the London riots last year, Londoners, linked by Twitter, turned out in impressive and inspiring numbers to clean up.
Although many public relations firms count nonprofits as paying clients, firms also are creating innovative social campaigns on a pro bono basis, building on our industry’s longstanding tradition of doing good and giving back. Last year, GolinHarris promoted an auction benefiting the Education Fund, a nonprofit that provides school supplies to Miami public schools. The GolinHarris team established a Twitter presence for the event, leveraged a pre-existing Facebook page, and engaged local influencers to use their social platforms to raise awareness about the event. As a result, the event raised $100,000, up from $80,000 the year before, and generated 47 stories in local and Spanish-language media.
Small, local pro bono campaigns like this can make all the difference for nonprofits, but they can also yield great benefits for firms. Innovative social campaigns often lead to increased visibility for a firm. In addition, firms working on these initiatives can offer employees across the organization a chance to work on new and interesting projects with colleagues they might not ordinarily interact with. Pro bono investments also serve as a powerful recruitment and retention tool, since many people (especially Millennials) gravitate to employers that care passionately about working with non-profits and leveraging their skill sets to advance social good. Finally, pro bono projects of any kind can help firms build relationships in local communities that often lead to lucrative paying work.
The starting point for engagement is developing and sharing compelling content. This is where public relations firms can bring the most value. We know how to get key stakeholders such as influencers, community leaders and supporters to rally behind a cause — we do that every day. And, it’s incredibly satisfying and vital to put our capabilities to work for worthy causes that make a difference in the communities where we live and work.
Although firms are already doing so much for nonprofits using social media, we can do more. The explosive growth in the social space creates new opportunities every day for firms to design creative and innovative communications programs. It’s an important opportunity for our industry to demonstrate our corporate citizenship.
Be sure to celebrate the work you’re doing both internally and externally. At my firm, we hold a “Making a Difference” competition where our people vote on the top three pro bono initiatives our teams have supported around the world. We make additional donations to those organizations and give awards to the teams working on those programs for the innovative and inspiring work they do on behalf of these organizations in their local communities. Also, think about how you might concentrate your efforts to support a handful of major initiatives, so that you can have more impact.
The Council of PR Firms hopes to generate more discussion and enthusiasm among our member firms around working with non-profit organizations. To that end, starting today, we will be posting examples of some of the exceptional work from our colleagues. Please take a moment to share some recent examples with us.
This originally appeared on the blog of the Council of PR Firms on February 17, 2012.