WhatGives!? Do Something Good…

We thought we’d take a break from our Holiday-related posts and, instead, take time to help you with that website everyone’s talking about.  What’s it called again? Oh yeah, Facebook!

I practically grew up with Facebook. As soon as I got to college, my friend signed me up and I started poking, tagging, and friend-requesting my little heart out.  Nowadays, it seems like everyone is on Facebook.  Brands, celebrities, musicians, politicians, parents, heck, even my Pastor is on there! Fortunately, Non-Profits have begun to realize that Facebook can be an extremely useful tool for them, too.  However, it can be challenging for people who are new to the social networking world.  Facebook, like everything else on the web, is constantly changing.  And all those updates and additions can be hard to keep up with, even for an “old pro” like me!  Whether you’re seeking support, networking, awareness, or some good old fashioned fundraising, there are settings, applications, and methods you and your Non-Profit should be taking advantage of today – and lucky for you,  I’m here to help you get started!

Facebook Pages & Groups.  Your first step is to create a Facebook Page. (See that link below the big “sign up” button? Start there).  A Page basically operates like a profile for organizations or businesses.  You have to be an official representative though!  Facebook Groups are different in that they are more “unofficial” and can created by just about anyone. Groups are fun and more casual, but Pages have more potential to be viral as they can appear on everyone’s beloved news feed.  Which brings me to my next point!

The News Feed. You know I have to say it – WhatGives!? How do you know what does and doesn’t appear on everyone’s news feed these days? What the hee-haw is the difference between the Live Feed and the News Feed? And most importantly, how can you avoid information overload and also make sure you’re engaging with your wonderful supporters?

Thanks to the lovely and ever-informative Beth Kanter, of whom I’m a huge fan, I was able to find some answers right on Facebook.  I love reading and commenting on her Facebook Page (which by the way, she calls a Focus Group, love that!) because she is down-to-earth and super helpful, and great at connecting people to each other and to technology.  I learned that users can choose whether they follow the live feed or the news feed, and can even choose which feed they want as a default.  Why does this matter to you?  The live feed is every single thing that happens among the users friends and pages.  The news feed is “edited” by a Facebook formula that selects popular, commented-upon, “interesting” content and only shows those.  You, as a nonprofit, want to show up in that news feed (you’ll automatically show up in the live feed) so you can avoid getting lost in the crowd.  You want people to read what you have to say right?  Then make your content relevant, don’t oversell, be fun, and try to post something at least once a day.  Also, try to recognize people as much as you can! Since it’s not a reciprocal relationship like Twitter is (you follow us, we’ll follow you back), responding to people’s comments and activity can really mean a lot to a person wanting to continue supporting your cause. It’s simple. People like to be recognized and form connections, that’s why they’re on Facebook in the first place!

Applications. Less is definitely more on Facebook.  You don’t want to over-do it to the point of annoyance, so pick and choose your applications wisely.  At the same time, you want to try to engage a wide group of people – so my advice would be to find a balance of providing photos, notes, events, status updates, videos, and links at least once a day.

Fundraising Widget.  Our new WhatGives!? PayPal Widget is the first ever Fundraising Widget to be compatible on Facebook and is totally customizable, easy to create, sharable, and free.  You can even control and set goals and create new fundraising campaigns!  Hundreds of NPO’s from all over the world have already created their widget, and we can’t wait to hear about more.  Ready to get started?  Head over to our Shift Page and get your widget on right this very minute!

Random Tidbits & Settings. Putting http:// before all your links on Facebook makes them clickable, unlike Twitter.  I know I know I know, it’s the teeniest thing, but totally helpful for us lazy-types who don’t want to copy and paste links.  Speaking of being lazy, did you know you can now update your Facebook Page from your mobile device?  All you have to do is click on “edit page” below your Page’s profile pic, click on “edit” under Mobile, and it’ll walk you through the rest.

So there you have it.  Drop by our Facebook Page (you know I had to!) with all your suggestions and tips. We’ll share them and more advanced tips in a future post.  Until next time, Happy Facebooking everyone!