SOCIAL MEDIA: FIND YOUR NICHE

Transcription

1 SOCIAL MEDIA: FIND YOUR NICHE MICHELE GRASSO, MPA Director of Development & Communications Meals on Wheels of Lehigh County

2 MEALS ON WHEELS OF LEHIGH COUNTY Located in Allentown which is the 3 rd largest city in PA Serves seniors and adults with disabilities who live in Lehigh County (population of 365,000) Urban, rural and suburban service area Depend upon 846 volunteers to deliver meals and grocery shop Needs: Funding $1.6 million Budget Need to raise $650,000 this year Contribution s 19% Special Events 5% Grants 18% Investment Income 2% Government Contracts 22% Client Fees 32% In-Kind & Misc. 2%

3 Needs: Volunteers & Community Support 450 needed each weekday to deliver meals on 33 routes Office volunteers to help with phones and projects; groups for mailings Volunteers to collect and pack food for blizzard bags and holiday gifts for clients General Community Support of program, including government advocacy Social Media Strategy Steven Shattuck at Hubspot (Marketing software company) proposes that social media marketing for nonprofits be 3-part: Appreciation Advocacy Appeals

4 Which social media is right for you? Hubspot survey of top 10 for non-profits: Facebook (98%) Tumblr (5%) Twitter (70%) Slideshare (<5%) LinkedIn (55%) YouTube (45%) Pinterest (25%) Instagram (15%) Google+ (15%) Meals on Wheels of Lehigh Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In & YouTube Don t go down the rabbit-hole; find out where people are in your community. ASK! Staff of one; limited time. Better to do well what you can manage instead of too many poorly. We limit to Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In and YouTube. Most successful for our local supporters is Facebook.

5 Facebook Posts Donor thanks Volunteers Needed Facebook posts Event Cross-posting

6 Facebook posts Boosted post Example of an ask Facebook Insights Compared to other local nonprofits This was a really good week

7 Twitter Most of our followers are not local Great for advocacy & connecting with other MOW programs Takeaways Start small don t think you have to do it all. Find where your people are in the social media world. Ask! Share content from other MOW programs and other local nonprofits and tag Hashtags great for Twitter & Instagram #. Set up Google Alerts for content. Consistent posting is important as is responding to comments/likes in a timely manner. Don t stress and have fun! Our fun staff pictures are always big hits!

8 Effective Community Outreach: It s All About Dispelling Myths ANNE K. GROSS, Ph.D. Community Engagement Specialist TLC Meals on Wheels South Metro Denver agross@tlcmealsonwheels.org TLC Meals on Wheels South Metro Denver Founded in 1968 Serve 400 meals a day Annual budget of $ Always relied on informal relationships How can we reach isolated seniors?

9 Why Community Outreach? What better way to destigmatize our services than through a trusted referral? More efficient use of all of our time if we work together. Was Our Messaging on Target? What did people know about Meals on Wheels services?

10 What Other Services are Available? Share with our clients what we learn about other community services.

11 What We Did Networking meetings, food banks, increased our presentations Gave contacts something in return Do you know somebody else who might be interested? Instituted a new referral tracking system Bon Appetit Publish a quarterly client newsletter.

12 We Outreached to Library home delivery services Illness related non-profits Non-medical non-profits Government agencies Healthcare facilities Healthcare alliances and insurance companies For profit home health care 1950 s soup kitchen that delivers* Stuck in Time *A Place at your Table: Meals on Wheels Consumer Insights + Recommendations, August 26, Commissioned by Meals on Wheels of Boulder. Picture: Littleton Independent, Courtesy Littleton Museum.

13 If You Know One, You Know Them All Same eligibility requirements Same delivery model Just a Meal Delivery Service Grocery delivery, weekend meals, congregate meals, pet food, etc. Daily visits and wellness checks. Intangible benefit that those in the community truly care about them.

14 Outcome Measures 181 new referrals in first 6 months of 2017 compared to 132 in % of the referrals were from professionals, compared to 16% in Challenges Difficulty generating interest in hospitals, hospices and rehabilitation centers.

15 Tweaked our Messaging Every meals on wheels is different Message of care inherent in everything we do Community Resource Guide Clients requested additional information on community resources

16 Tips to Remember Most people have an aunt who delivered meals, or a neighbor who received meals. But did you know. Can you think of another organization who would benefit from this information? Give something in return: Send out their information, client newsletter to share with their clients, posted visits on Facebook. COMMUNICATING WITH CORPORATE PARTNERS Marcie Kessel Director of Corporate Partnerships Meals on Wheels People, Portland OR Marcie.Kessel@mealsonwheelspeople.org

17 What are you doing related to specific relationship building/communication effort? Existing Corporate Partners Establish trust Provide corporate partner with stories about your organization or theirs via your donor newsletter

18 Existing Corporate Partners Recognize partner in creative ways Review deliverables/metrics several times per year Seek partner s input on specific topics Existing Corporate Partners Follow up and report results to partner Provide referrals - we give them and we get them Leverage relationships Maximize co-op advertising

19 Attracting New Partners Find a connector Determine alignment - are they the right fit? Target partners through mutual connections (other volunteers, LinkedIn, Business Journal, referrals) Set up an exploratory meeting determine what areas to pitch (listen more) Attracting New Partners Creatively capture their attention Volunteerism, employee engagement opportunities Determine how they are partnering in the community with other organizations? Share a client story or letter Create a marketing opportunity that will draw them to your organization

20 Attracting New Partners Know their business goals in the community Know what your organization can and cannot offer Create a proposal that is unique Relevant to their business strategy Prepare materials that enhance your meeting that you can leave behind Don t be afraid to ask when the time is right Offer a tour of your central kitchen, headquarters or a center to get them in the door

21 What success/outcomes have you seen, how do you know if you re successful or having the impact you want? Success Partners will include your organization in their planning for marketing/funding Ask for your input on their community outreach Renew partnership

22 Success Stories Wilsonville Subaru Share the Love Portland Auto Show New Seasons Market/Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits/Gallo Vital Life Foundation Challenges Finance of America Portland Spring Luncheon

23 What advice do you have for other programs that may be considering doing something similar? Corporate Solutions Be unique/creative Distinguish yourself among other charity partners in your marketplace Identify your organization s strengths and weaknesses Help your existing corporate partners brainstorm with you to come up with ideas Know your competition

24 Corporate Solutions Leverage relationships Know when to back off and walk away Acknowledge that not everyone is a good fit for your organization Ask yourself, Why would this company want to partner with us? If you don t ask, someone else will What would you do differently if you were starting all over?

25 Things I have learned Do your homework on the company before the initial meeting Network more Know your market, competition Practice authenticity - Beware of Fundraising 101 techniques Be bold - Don t be afraid to say something if the partnership is not working Things I have learned Don t forget to ask sponsors, donors what they want Be transparent Don t be afraid to be a fundraising professional Work at continuously building relationships - not just when you need the money

26 What do you think peer programs might want to know about what you are doing? Logo Placement

27 Wilsonville Share the Love Meals on Wheels People Strong Brand (Robust PR/Social Media) Five years after rebrand, Meals on Wheels People among top five recognizable charities in Portland market Active presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Award-Winning CFO of the year in the Portland Business Journal Volunteers received Governor s Volunteer Award, Peter R. Marsh Foundation Award, Light a Fire Award Consistently tapped as expert in senior nutrition Operations with large exposure Nearly 30 dining center locations in three counties

28 Meals on Wheels People Fundraising Department and entire organization is entrepreneurial Meals on Wheels People Delivers Popcorn ED is engaged in the community and approachable Our food is high quality Consistently receive high ratings from clients