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AFP Radio, Live from TechKnow: Hear from the Best Technology/Philanthropy Speakers Around

There’s still time to register for TechKnow (www.afptechknow.org) but if you can't make it to the event in person, here are two ways we will bring the conference to you—absolutely free! The following shows will broadcast live from the TechKnow Hub expo floor, June 4 and 5, from noon to 1 p.m. (Eastern Time).

Monday will feature Charity:Radio, with hosts Jonah Halper and Brian Reich, and they will be sitting down with Cisco's technology evangelist, Carlos Dominguez, American Red Cross' social media champion Laura Howe and Tonia Zampieri (Mobile Strategist for Atlantic BT), who will discuss how charities can implement a mobile strategy and technology roadmap. To listen in to the show, simply stay on the line when we call you on Monday, June 4, at noon EST / 9 a.m. PST!

Tuesday will feature The Nonprofit Coach with Ted Hart Web/Radio Show. Ted will be hosting Steve Wozniak (invited, co-founder of Apple); Cheryl Black (Blackbaud), who will be presenting on infusing social media campaigns with personality; and Robin Fisk (ASI) who will discuss how charities can best integrate all things web and technology. To listen to the show, simply go to: http://tiny.cc/hart05052012 on June 5 at noon EST / 9 a.m. PST.

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You Get More With Facebook Than You Give—Is Your Organization Stepping Up to the Challenge?

By Derrick Feldmann

The Pew Internet and American Life Project released findings recently on the effect of Facebook “power users.” The researchers analyzed 269 Facebook users and their activity over the course of one month. In that month of analysis, it was discovered that 20 to 30 percent of the survey sample represented power users – people who sent friend requests, added content and liked content of their friends at much higher rates than the rest of the sample.

The heart of the research details one important finding: because of these power users, there is a consistent pattern that Facebook users receive more from these individuals than they give to others. This means that, overall, users will get more friend requests, will be “liked” more often than they “like,” and receive more messages than they send. In addition, it was even discovered that users comment on their friends’ posts more often than they update their own status.

What does this mean for nonprofit organizations? Here are three suggested applications.

Work harder to use conversational engagement on Facebook.
Organizations need to spend more time developing conversational content through Facebook rather than employing typical blast-message approaches. If we know that users are more willing to comment on the postings of others than update their own status, we should be prepared to create conversational updates that focus more on pulling the user to comment rather than posting static messages.

Draw in users with comments to create better feedback mechanisms.
Organizations should be spending more time working to engage users within the content of their posts.  Each post contains “content” - information, knowledge and stories that lead to discussion. As an organization, you must look at each post and ask yourself, how can I discuss and converse with my community about the knowledge and information shared? What are the questions that I can generate, the additional information I can present on the topic within the post, and the various viewpoints we can position the post to generate action by the Facebook community? In addition, consider searching Facebook user content and commenting on, or providing feedback on, conversations relevant to the issue or cause. This will help to encourage more commenting and Facebook interaction among community members.

Understand power users and their effect on your cause.
Facebook users that have substantial followings are called “power users” because as they continued to grow the amount of friends, they started to increase commenting, posting, liking, and other forms of engagement within their network. As an organization, you should determine the effect of the power user on your cause. Although their actions within Facebook might have increased, it does not necessarily mean their influence has climbed to new heights. Some power users, after all, may not be influencers. This is evident in the main finding that these power users are driving activity, but that users are not reciprocating at the same rate. Their following may be just listening and viewing information but not responding. Therefore, nonprofits must understand how to effectively utilize power users in their network and whether or not the posts or comments from these users will generate action, awareness or conversation on the organization’s behalf.

Ultimately, we need to remember the conversational power of Facebook. It is a medium of interaction and engagement. Consider this: Is it the reach or viral nature of your organization’s message that’s important? Or is it the number of engaging conversations your community members have about your cause?

To access the Pew study, go to www.pewinternet.org.

Derrick Feldmann is CEO of Achieve, based in Indianapolis. He will present a session at the AFP TechKnow Conference titled “Taking Facebook to the Next Level,” based on recent research and case studies. He’ll also give a talk at “AFP Live” in the TechKnow Hub expo on how the design of a website affects donor behavior.

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IRS Webinar This Week: "Starting and Operating Charities for Disaster Relief," Plus Archived Presentations

This Wednesday, May 30, the IRS is offering a webinar for exempt organizations in the U.S. explaining the basic requirements for staring a tax-exempt charity and the ways new and existing organizations can properly provide disaster relief under federal tax rules. The live presentation will be 2 p.m., Wednesday, May 30. See the link the electronic version of eWire to register. In early June, this presentation will be posted on the IRS Video Portal (www.irsvideos.gov) where you can also view these webinars related to exempt organizations:

• Starting off Right – What New 501(c)(3) Organizations Need to Know
• Starting off Right - What New NON-501(c)(3) Organizations Need to Know
• International Activities of Domestic Charitable Organizations

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AFP and The Globe and Mail Release Special News Insert on Philanthropy

Read AFP’s special coverage of philanthropy in Canada that appeared in Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail on Monday, May 28! Go to www.afpnet.org to download the insert.

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The 2012 AFP Awards Nomination Materials are Here!

Nominations for the Barbara Marion Award for Outstanding Leadership to AFP and the Charles R. Stephens Award for Excellence in Diversity are due Tuesday, July 17, 2012. Honor the best and brightest, submit your nomination today! ***Please note that AFP’s awards program is undergoing significant changes. Nominations for the Awards for Philanthropy and Excellence in Fundraising will be accepted later this year. See the 2012 AFP Awards nomination booklet for more details. Go to www.afpnet.org/awards.

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Free Webinar: May 31, 2012: Highlights from The 2012 Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report (Blackbaud)

Join Blackbaud, NTEN, and CommonKnowledge for an interactive discussion exclusively for AFP members that shares results collected from their fourth annual benchmark report. This data will help you make more strategic decisions about how to invest resources (time and money!) into your social networking efforts. See the link in the electronic version of eWire.

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Read the May/June 2012 Digital Issue of Advancing Philanthropy!

Innovation requires a huge ability to step outside of your comfort zone, and most people aren’t willing to do it. However, entrepreneurial leaders are transforming the way organizations, donors, volunteers and constituents interact with one another to accomplish greater social good—and they are reinventing the way nonprofits work. Go to www.afpnet.org to read the digital issue of Advancing Philanthropy. Also, please remember that there is no print edition of the May/June magazine. If you have questions, please contact Jackie Boice at jboice@afpnet.org.

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Upcoming AFP Webinars:

Big Gifts for Small Shops (June 6, 1-2:30 p.m. ET)

When you're a small organization, you may look at larger institutions and the gifts they secure as impossible for you to get. But small shops can make connections and build relationships to develop big gifts, too. Learn how to secure major gifts with core fundraising techniques, even when you don't have a lot of hands to do the work. Presented by Alice L. Ferris, MBA, CFRE, ACFRE and James Anderson.

The Feasibility Study...Start to Finish (June 21, 1-2:30 p.m. ET)

This energetic session covers the entire feasibility study process from start to finish—why and how the study can lead to greater fundraising success, what you can expect to learn from the study, and how you can apply this to enhance your organization and its fundraising…whether you proceed with a campaign or not. Presented by Jill A. Pranger, ACFRE.

Register today by visiting www.afpnet.org and clicking on Professional Development.