nfptweetup

Kevin Baughen attended this year’s event and wants to explain why what he learnt at the NFPtweetup, wasn’t quite what he expected.

Actually, this title is a bit misleading in that social media is such a dynamic area that there is nearly always something new to learn from pioneering types and organisations who are prepared to invest a little time (and occasionally funds) into trying something unproven.

That said, amongst the excellent presentations and conversations at last night’s 11^th event, there were still a few surprises for me that I thought I’d share:

1. Some charity organisations were at the vanguard of the social media movement and actually using social media tools and approaches to engage with their staff and supporters before it was coined social media.  Adrian Cockle’s session showing just some of the ways that WWF are using these tools highlighted a couple of examples of early adopter behaviour not always credited to the charity sector.
2. There was actually very little content about Twitter specifically!  This might sound daft for a meeting that’s labelled a tweetup and it certainly isn’t a criticism.  It’s just very clear that Twitter is only one tool which needs to be integrated with others to generate maximum benefit from our social media efforts.
3. People think QR codes will work just because they are cool and funky.  Ashley Clarke of beautiful world shared a cracking example of London Underground advertising which used these tools, no doubt placed because of the tech-savvy and cosmopolitan nature of commuters.  But, escalators move too quickly for anyone to get a good scan/photo on their phones and, wait for it… there’s seldom enough signal underground for phones to open the associated web pages!  Doh! Shouldn’t fitness for purpose be the only test we use to judge whether a social media tool is viable or not?
4. Amnesty UK’s Digital Editor Sam Strudwick shared an outcome that on the face of it seems blatantly obvious but should probably have occurred to more of us sooner.  Donors engaged through social media channels might prefer their money to go towards something tangible and of direct, linked benefit, rather than an overarching project.

Amnesty’s campaign to encourage people to buy radios rather than donate money during their Break the Silence campaign in Burma last year, delivered much better than expected fundraising results.  In many cases, the ‘donations’ doubled from expected levels and were generated from new audiences that hadn’t been involved with the charity previously.

And the biggest non-surprise?

Integration is key to success.  I’m so glad to have heard this countless times throughout all the sessions and the breakouts.  No tool (including web, social media, PR etc) stands alone and all the successes we heard about from pretty much every organisation relied on the integration of social media with other marketing and communications tools.  This also means integration across teams and departments – yes that means considering fundraising and campaigning objectives at the same time…

It ain’t rocket science and reinforces what many of us in the sector have been saying very loudly for a while… there are no prizes for using social media well; we win by using social media AND other activities to deliver what we always needed to deliver.

Here’s to the next event and even more shared learning, updates and surprises.

Image by Carol Garbiano via sxc.hu

Kevin is a founder for bottom line ideas,  a company that links organisational strategy to realistic marketing, communications and fundraising strategies.

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Keeping on top of everything going on in the digital realm is no mean feat. So in one handy presentation I’ll be looking at the main trends that have been emerging in the news over the last few months and looking at their possible impact on digital strategies. I’ll be looking at the following;

• Social search and referral
• Campaign monitoring
• Growth of mobile

Within each area, I’ll give some practical advice so you can make the most of the latest developments and new technology. Following that, I will be running a breakout session to answer any questions you may have.

Can’t wait to see everyone for what is sure to be another brilliant NFPtweetup!

Ashley Clarke – beautiful world

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With NFPtweetup just around the corner, I thought a great success story might inspire people to get in the digital mood and get out their tweeting thumbs. A lot of people talk about social media in terms of ROI and fundraising, but sometimes it’s worth something that you can’t put a price on.

Four days, 2.1 million signatures, 192 countries and 10 territories: Social media fights Ugandan anti-gay legislation

A social media movement has made history for Ugandan citizens, an international community of LGBT supporters and human rights activists across the world. Millions took to their keyboards and touchpads following news last week that Parliament in the Pearl of Africa were trying to re-introduce an ‘Anti-Homosexuality bill‘ which could sentence ‘offenders’ to death. Upon hearing the proposal, the global neighbourhood pulled themselves together through various social media channels and collected more than 2.1 million signatures in firm opposition to the Ugandan Parliament.

The bill was met with two powerful adversaries, AllOut, an organisation defending LGBT rights, and Avaaz, a political activism website who both set up powerful and wide-spreading campaigns through social media and other online channels. The weight behind the combined movements managed to successfully force out the genuinely threatening proposed law just four days after they launched.

Bishop Christopher Senyonjo in Uganda highlighted the importance of campaigning across the world.
“International pressure is necessary, these are issues of justice and love for other human beings … Personally, it means a lot to me to know that my brothers and sisters in the USA and Europe and other countries in Africa are in solidarity with us in opposing this bill.”

On 13th May, Avaaz posted this on their site: ‘Over 1.6 million of us signed the petition opposing the anti-gay bill, tens of thousands of us called our heads of state, and we helped make the attack on gay rights in Uganda a major international news story — and it worked.’ Similar triumph was felt from the AllOut team. ‘Over 500,000 around the world signed the petition to stop Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality bill. The international outcry was heard and Ugandan Parliament has adjourned for this session – but the fight isn’t over yet’

The success is testament not only to the power of the human spirit but also a well run campaign on a wholly suitable medium; an instantly updatable, global and straightforward mode of communication which people are already engaged with. AllOut co-founder Andre Banks attributes around 60% of their website traffic over those crucial days to Facebook and Twitter. This doesn’t even account for the huge amount of news and buzz offline or on other websites that was created thanks to the high public profile it was allowed through Facebook and Twitter. Social media has always been quite a successful medium for lobbyists and campaigners, but events this week have really shown how quick and impactful it can be in the face of injustice.

Personally, I noticed the AllOut campaign through my Twitter feed, and signed my name and email address to the bill so instantly and easily that I could’ve easily forgotten all about it had I actually ticked the ‘opt out’ box for notification emails (they’ve got me there). Having never engaged with the organisation before, I’m almost sure that I wouldn’t have had the chance to put my name to a campaign that I’m more than happy to support without hearing about how simple it was to get involved through social media. I don’t think it’s that people wouldn’t have cared about the campaign had it not been so accessible, it’s that even if they had had the opportunity to happen upon the news elsewhere, there are so many injustices that need changing, that a small clicktivist (although I’m hesitant to use that term as it’s loaded with negative connotations) task allows people to feel like they’ve really contributed – without getting lost in the ocean of tricky asks and long emotive copy that many of these equally (for the most part) worthwhile campaigns are inhabiting.

Lucy J – beautiful world.

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