Got tips about how nonprofits can best use LinkedIn to connect with donors, potential supporters, others?
I'm going to be compiling a list of tips for how nonprofits can best use LinkedIn. Would love tips and also examples of nonprofits actually successfully using LinkedIn.
Good Answers (5)
Jono S.
VP, Marketing & Sales at Event 360
Best Answers in: Nonprofit Fundraising (3), Nonprofit Management (2), Events Marketing (1), Public Relations (1)
1) Keep your your LinkedIn "company" page (www.linkedin.com/companies) updated
2) Make the Most of Your Profiles: Ensure every employee, board member, and volunteer has a LinkedIn profile with links to your website that also references that they "work" for your organization so their profiles get linked to your "company" page
3) Find a coupon code for free LinkedIn advertising (www.retailmenot.com/view/linkedin.com) and test running some advertisements for your organization or its events
4) Leverage 3rd party applications. Have every employee use BlogLink to link to your blog's RSS feed and/or Twitter feed to their LinkedIn profile.
5) Be able to communicate the importance of LinkedIn to your key stakeholders -- data helps: http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/images/HubSpot_LinkedIn_Infographic-resized-600.jpg
6) Promote your profile everywhere. Include a link to your profile and/or company page on your website, in individual blog posts, in email signatures, on business cards, on collateral, e-newsletters, etc.
7) Set your feed visibility to everyone: www.linkedin.com/mfsettings?displaySettings=
8) Monitor who is viewing their profile--there might be a potential major donor doing research on you: http://www.linkedin.com/wvmp?showMore=&trk=nmp_profile_stats_viewed_by
9) Improve your SEO by posting your job openings and events on LinkedIn
Links:
1. Display relevant contact information and links to website
2. Links to blog, website, and other social networks
3. Linked In GROUPS (getting the word out)
That's all!
That answer is a good starting point. Certainly, be sure to enter as much information about the nonprofit as possible into the profile, including links to the nonprofit's website. Here's a key to being found: be sure to optimize the profile for the search engines. Pick a keyword or keywords, such as "children's services" (for a Boys & Girls Club for example) and be sure to use that as many times as possible in the profile. For local nonprofits, you can even try to tie it in to the city, such as children's services in Tulsa, or Tulsa children's services. Google likes LinkedIn, and people can find your nonprofit through the search engines. It builds credibility, which helps with donors and fund-raising.
If the nonprofit has a blog and social networking sites, certainly include those links on the profile.
Definitely request to become members of Groups that are associated with the nonprofit's cause. Maybe it's a nonprofit regarding credit score abuse. Go to Groups and just type in "credit score" and you're sure to find a group or two that focuses on the subject. Click to ask to join them. If approved, their logo appears on the profile.
Other things:
Build your connections. Nonprofits are run by Boards of Directors. All of them should be sending people to the nonprofit's page, or helping build a network via LinkedIn. Also, the Status box is huge. A nonprofit should assign someone to constantly use the Status box to post updates on what the nonprofit is up to in that box, so donors and potential donors can see. Be sure to create a Twitter account for the nonprofit, and when you post via LinkedIn's Status box, check the little box that allows a simultaneous Twitter feed, and you get a two-for-one send. Whatever posts here gets tweeted.
You can post links to news stories on the organization, announcements of upcoming events, observations, quotes, or things like "This week is National Breast Cancer Awareness Week." Reminders to keep the nonprofit before people's eyes, to brand it, so when down the road it asks for money, potential donors might think, "I have heard of that organization," or better yet, "I remember something that organization did." Hopefully it's something they saw floating through the Status box.
That's probably the biggest thing a nonprofit can do: assign one person to manage it, maybe a Board member, if not a volunteer PR person. Sure it takes time, but altogether with Twitter and a Facebook page it all can add up.
Dear Joanne, Your question is my daily self interogation :) on how I can support the gifted kids and make professionals aware on the need to help these young fellows with high risk of social failure. I wonder sometimes if people really read linkedin emails. But I found out they did.
So what works?
1. It works to make a group on linkedin to make people know exactly about you and what you do. They join, they love it. It's clear.
2. In order to reach those you think they miss the chance to get to know you, one needs imagination. Posting and replying back with emails and events, and most of all, to entertain others (like you) with nice answers about what a gifted kid really is :)
3. Helping others to realize they can get involved not just with money, but with their time. I think this is the most important part, making people (and I am specifically talking about professionals on linkedin - over 300 k!, right?) understand they can offer their time, their love, for kids, for non-profits, in general.
Your time = money, and this is true even in nonprofits.
Please dear fellows, pay attention to this aspect. We need professionals to support our work.
;) Gifted kids will always appreciate your time.
Love,
Ika
Therese P.
Buzz Branding | Content Development | Content Marketing | Marketing Communications Writer
Best Answers in: Public Relations (2), Professional Networking (1), Using LinkedIn (1)
Hi Joanne, I'm a former fundraiser/event planner who worked for large public health non-profits. If you are looking for donors, definitely take advantage of the search options and research tools on LinkedIn to find potential donors and supporters. Use your time wisely and make sure these companies have an investment in your cause. For example, there are companies who ONLY donate to children-related causes and do not give to environmental causes. Before you connect with these companies, don't waste your time sending introductory emails to donors and companies who aren't already interested in your cause.
Look around at other nonprofit organizations that target a similar cause- look at their contacts on LinkedIn. Who are they connected with? And who are those people connected with?
Remember it's all about building relationships on LinkedIn- so it's all about sharing and telling your organization's story in a real and genuine way. Participate in non-profit group discussions and look at other complementary groups where you would find your donors. But remember it's not about the pitch to these donors and "hey can you give us xyz amount of money?" - it's about making real connections, offering your help and showing these donors and supporters why they should invest and care about your cause.
With the economy as tight as it is and non-profits struggling, it really comes down to building relationships first - which is the whole point behind social media. It's not about a sales/fundraising pitch.
As an online marketing consultant, non-profits are really missing the boat on how best to utilize LinkedIn marketing. The tips and tricks that were shared by others on here are good. You can have the most optimized profile with all your URLs and social media accounts linked to it, BUT if you can't make real connections on here by contributing to groups and discussions, you're just one of many in a sea of non-profit organizations on here. The competition is fierce when it comes to raising money right now, so you have to put yourself front and center.
Learn to use the search functions and keyword tools to better target your donors and supporters, and read books and articles that walk you step-by-step through LinkedIn's marketing strategies.
Another tip - make sure companies can find your organization - why you really need a finely-tuned, optimized company profile.
