Build your community without adding overhead

Times are certainly changing in the nonprofit sector. One change is the notion that a nonprofit has to do everything in-house. Build a website, send out a newsletter, manage social networking – are these really projects a nonprofit should manage in-house? Can a volunteer or an already over-worked staff member handle all the projects efficiently? Will the quality of the product be the same? What are the real costs of committing staff time? Are projects like these better suited for a professional? More and more I see nonprofits choosing to have professionals manage marketing projects so the nonprofit can stay focused on its core mission.

Today the hot project on most nonprofit “to do” lists is social networking. All nonprofits have a community, but the challenge is to engage and grow it. Social networking tools like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Flickr and branding/fundraising sites such as Café Press are all the rage. If you are still wondering about the importance of social networking, then read Shirin’s blog entry Be my friend!

I mention this because an interesting study has just come out on the trends of social networking in the nonprofit sector. See the press release: http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-28-2009/0005014488&EDATE=

The study found

• 80% of nonprofits are committing at least 25% of a full time staff person to their social networking effort

• Over 50% of nonprofits plan to grow social networking project staff over the next year

If you consider the cost of dedicating 25% of full time staff person or hiring staff to handle social networking, this could be a huge expense. Nonprofits need to make their marketing/fundraising decisions by considering their potential Return on Investment (ROI). If you have the ability to outsource this project to a professional at a fraction of the cost, isn’t that a better business decision?

Another issue, do organizations need to increase their overhead expenses by adding staff? In tough economic times supporters are increasingly scrutinizing the organizations they contribute to. A primary concern for donors is the overhead expenses of an organization. Donors give their money to organizations that keep their overhead low and show big results from their services.

So if you need assistance with community building (websites, social networking, newsletters), visit our Community Builder webpage. We just released a solution tailored for you. And the best part is you can scratch that project off your “to do” list without breaking the bank.

Comments

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More and more I see nonprofits choosing to have professionals manage marketing projects so the nonprofit can stay focused on its core mission.

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She prefers ooVoo, though, because you can have a whole gaggle of friends in on the experience.

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