Getting your Board on board with social media

Let's imagine that you are gung ho about social media. You're on Twitter, you love Facebook and you can't get enough of blogging.

You can see the potential that this has for your nonprofit organization, so you present your ideas to your Executive Director/Board only to be on the receiving end of some blank stares.

How do you convince your board that this is a viable fundraising solution?

The first thing I would recommend is to anticipate. When you are putting together your pitch, try to list all of the objections you think they would have and prepare counter arguments. A perfect example: I was working for a nonprofit and was introducing the concept of monthly giving to the organization. I had expected little resistance and went in with an idea in my head about how the conversation would go.

What I had not expected was the board chair to be completely against the idea, calling it manipulative and unnecessary. I was so thrown off course that my arguments were weak and I became flustered. It's important to remember that what you may think is a great idea, others will look upon with disdain.

Secondly, it's important to quantify. Be detailed about the number of hours it will take and the expected ROI (Return on Investment). This will assuage many fears about this being a viable fundraising option. What if you aren't sure yourself though? It may be hard to get a definite ROI from Social Media, so instead be prepared to showcase how you would track the data to determine if it's being useful.

I would also recommend avoiding using buzz words or industry words, even ones you may think everyone would know. Those who don't have Facebook, don't know the difference between a group or a page, those who don't have Twitter, don't know what a Tweet is.

Pitch it to them successfully and half the battle is done.

Stay tuned for part two of Board and Social Media tomorrow!

Related Articles: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Their Advantage