Non-profits use Social Media to Raise Awareness

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Stretching the dollar by finding cheap or free ways to create publicity seems to be a constant struggle for many non-profits. They can now use sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to help raise awareness for their cause. The beauty of these sites is that they're free of charge!

The potential for growth with social media is endless. One organization, American Board for Certification of Teaching Excellence, has become a model for other non-profits. The goal of the organization is to encourage ¨mid-career professionals to consider a career in teaching.¨ Mike Holden, director of public relations, tells more about how the organization created a team to focus on social media outreach. The team asks employees to encourage their friends and families to visit their sites so the company’s message is spread by people that are known and trusted.

Meeting and goal setting has become a big priority for the team. Every two weeks, they come together to brainstorm and set new objectives. Their response on Facebook has been especially successful with fans of the page tripling in numbers over night! This word-of-mouth marketing is a great tool for non-profits because it uses the social network of employee’s friends and families to get started. To read more about the effective use of social media for a non-profit, check out this article on Ragan.com by Sarah McAdams.