All posts in Social Media

In an ever growing high-tech world, many nonprofits are making it a priority to incorporate new technologies as best they can with the resources that are available to them. A new article in the Nonprofit Quarterly recently discussed how organizations are increasingly developing the new job role of Social Media Manager or “Publisher”. This person takes on the responsibility of creating content across various communications channels, including e-mail newsletters, blogs, Facebook, video, etc.

In my work with social media and nonprofits, I have found a few overarching trends that nonprofits face in terms of new technologies and incorporating them in a way that is most suitable to their work. Here I have compiled a few tips to help your organization stay up-to-date, build more effectively with online communities, as well as gain more visibility.
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Looking for an alternative to the traditional annual report? Wondering how you can create an engaging report that showcases your yearly accomplishments and can be distributed widely with no printing costs? Video is the way to go these days. Our own Cedric Brown recently discussed the process of creating the Kapor Foundation’s 2011 video report as part of the Foundation Center’s Glasspockets blog. He spotlights some key points to pay attention to in creating a compelling piece that will inform others of your organization’s mission, work, and achievements. Some suggestions include:
1. Tell your organization’s story; highlighting your voice, values, style, and approach to work
2. Be clear and easy to understand
3. Be neat in your aesthetics
4. Use compelling images. Catchy music doesn’t hurt either.
5. Do not worry if you do not have the resources for an expensive video–flip cameras and free editing software can do the job!

To read more from Cedric’s blog piece, click here.

Concepts for Online Video Production

Presenter: Josh Pies

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 – 1pm EST / 10am PST

Duration – approximately 1 hour

Cost – $49.99

I’m pleased to officially introduce Tamara Orozco, who has been working with the Foundation over the past few months as a social media specialist. Tamara’s part-time role is to help build our blog and Twitter presence and content, spreading the word about our efforts and our partners’ work.

In addition to working with us, Tamara is a social media and communications consultant with the Women’s Building, as well as a wonderful photographer (see her online portfolio here). And she’s a Cal Bear too, with a graduate degree in Ethnic Studies.

Do let us know if you have story ideas for Tamara to explore – we’re always looking to lift up the great work of our community partners and funder peers.

We are very pleased to share highlights of the past year with you! Thanks for helping us make this work happen!

Please note that of the $4.4 million distributed last year:
$2.2 million provided core support for the Level Playing Field Institute;
$1.3 million supported civic engagement & green economy work;
$500,000 supported college access and retention; and
$400,000 supported capacity building & research.

This coming election will be important as all are in turning out communities of color to vote, as well as passing necessary economic reform measures to help restore California’s economy. Our grant partners like Voto Latino and Oakland Rising are urgently working on campaigns, both national and local respectively, to register and educate voters of color, in addition to mobilizing around key economic policies that will try to rebuild our struggling state.

Using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and blogging, Voto Latino has established a major new media presence online and effectively mobilized Latino youth around voting amongst other pressing issues. Using celebrity voices and the latest technology, they have creatively and effectively registered more than 120,000 young Latino voters, galvanized Latino youth and their families to be counted in the 2010 Census, and mobilized them to speak out and take action on policies impacting their lives.

Also working towards mobilizing more voters of color to the polls is the multilingual, multiracial Oakland-based coalition, Oakland Rising. Believing that a healthier, safer, and more prosperous Oakland is possible for all through building voting power, Oakland Rising is registering and educating low-income Oakland voters, in addition to campaigning for the California Millionaires Tax. Oakland Rising has also used tech tools to spread awareness and anticipates turning out 40,000 votes in support of the tax, having already identified 28,000 supporters in East and West Oakland.

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I saw an interesting blog from nonprofitpr.org about 7 social-media pitfalls that nonprofits sometimes make.  I’ve provided a basic synopsis of the list below. To see the original blog with all the details, click HERE.

7 social-media pitfalls for nonprofits

1. Setting up your nonprofit’s Facebook account as a person instead of a page.
…Ideally, nonprofits want to have thousands of supporters on Facebook, and personal accounts allow a maximum of 5,000 friends.
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Yes, that was “our” Mitch Kapor on last night’s Black in America 4: The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley on CNN. Mitch and Kapor Capital were major supporters of the NewMe Accelerator featured in the documentary.

The pre-screenings of BIA4 set off a controversy in the blog/Twittersphere about diversity in the information technology industry, especially regarding the distribution of startup capital to entrepreneurs of color and women founders. CNN posted a response here, and Mitch wrote a compelling post here.

Regardless of the illusions of meritocracy in Silicon Valley – that anyone can get financed, one just has to be smart and work hard – those of us who have an expansive vision for a functioning USA must press to ensure that underrepresented people of color and women are in the game, and that their brilliant ideas for job-and-services-generating business ventures are also capitalized and supported. Not only is this a matter of fairness, but it’s a smart business decision – we need all hands on deck to get this economy moving again.

Based in part on the experiences over the summer with NewMe, our board has charged the Foundation with beginning to explore how we can support the diversification of info tech and how tech tools can be used to further the impact of social justice work. Please stay tuned for more information about how this will unfold in 2012.

(And yes, we did get to meet Soledad O’Brien when the crew was in our offices taping! I’m a fan!)