10 Ideas for a Stronger Digital Presence

After attending the Fem 2.0 conference in Washington, DC and garnering a deeper realization of nonprofit potential in this medium, we prepared the following summary that we hope is helpful. These practical applications and ideas are suggestions for non-profit organizations and their leadership to utilize to build its collective on line movement and reach new audiences;

1.       Digital strategy - reallocate staff resources to live in this medium to build new audiences, conduct more efficient work, and elevate perception of organization as a current and relevant brand.  Integrate a digital business strategy into the entire organization, from communications to programs to development, with clearly defined goals, time allocation and web site audiences. 

2.       Learning curve - provide staff and Board training and provide an overview of the language and tools and commit to a dynamic website that pushes information out and brings it in from the outside. 

3.       Transform mission to search words – find five key words that are present in programs and mission (labor, human rights, philanthropy, women’s rights, social justice, etc.) and work these into organization’s website.   Google the five words and get an RSS feed to bring content to your site and consider exploring search engine optimization.

4.       Cross post and build search presence - identify 10 blog writers that write about your key words and invite them to write about your work and cross post on issues on opposing view blogs.  Consider a blog roll on your site and talk about whether a Facebook page could engage volunteers and supporters.

5.       Increase footprint on web - discuss the fears of having reciprocal links and extend the footprint of organization by building link relationships and ultimately building community. 

6.       Get out of the echo chamber - Engage volunteers in cross posting on blogs that are of opposite view of your work.   Reach out to diverse audiences and mainstream media and post on their blogs.  Consider PR 2.0 techniques of posting and commenting on sites where you know your audience already is.  Bring a womanist voice to places like the Political Ticker as the political web scene is where traditional news media often looks for new voices.  

7.       Find new friends - utilize social networking to build community, post events, and do fundraising campaigns.   Recruit volunteers and interns who want to maintain sites and / or pitch story ideas to bloggers. 

8.       Don’t reinvent the wheel - understand that all technology platforms (databases, knowledge platforms, content management systems) are available and do not need to be built from the ground up. 

9.       She’s Geeky - look at a wiki environment to build any customized work and conduct a contest with female developers to help create technology needs (i.e. a searchable database for your research work, a matchmaking system for volunteers to find groups to work with in your community, etc.)

10.   Mainstream media presence - Contribute content to more mainstream outlets, e.g. comment on Huffington post on women’s positions on issues, work/life balance, etc.

Bonus Point - Brag about 2.0 work – if you are already doing all of these 10 items, makes sure you are pointing out that you are ahead of the curve and a leader!   People invest in success and donors will want to know you are leveraging this important medium.

Feel free to let us know at Imagine Philanthropy if you have further questions or would like to know quality people to assist you in evaluating and implementing a smarter digital strategy for your organization.