How can charities hope to master and benefit from social media unless they understand its full potential and risks? Our new report, ‘Growing communities: How charity leaders govern social media globally to thrive online’ , reports on our interviews with charity CEOs from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US. We found that for many nonprofits there is a knowledge gap between executives and staff when it comes to understanding social media. This gap means that decision makers are not always fully aware of how social media can best be leveraged.
Social media is both immediate and interactive. It forces change: people must learn to operate in a new environment under a new set of guidelines. Charities that master the power that social media brings to relationship management will gain the attendant rewards; those who don’t will be left behind.
The interviews we conducted for the ‘Growing communities’ report revealed that education and training are largely provided to a few key team members who are tasked with delivering social media output.
What they learn is valuable, but every level in the organisation could benefit from a systematic approach to social media training. From volunteers to senior management, education at every tier of the structure will mean that social media is being used to fulfil the goals of the charity. For example, reverse mentoring programmes, such as those used at Charity Finance Group in the UK, pair senior and junior staff so that social media knowledge can be passed between levels.
Social media often blurs the line between work and personal communication, posing challenges and risks for organizations. While general guidelines and staff training provide some support, inappropriate use of social media remains a concern. Most interviewees admitted to lacking definitive social media policies, and those with policies expressed caution about self-moderation without consistent training. Social media guidelines and training must extend beyond professional staff to include volunteers, who are often perceived as representatives of the organization, even when communicating personally. Similarly, Trustees should be familiar with these policies to ensure alignment and mitigate risks effectively across all levels.
Charities that embrace social media can become more engaged, dynamic, and experimental. Nonprofits could learn from LEGO, where senior management is encouraged to take social media exams after completing a one-day theory and practical training course. This course ends with a status update posted on LEGO’s four-million-strong Facebook page. “You see the nervousness when they realize they need to communicate with customers,” said Lars Silberbauer, LEGO’s global director of social media, at a 2013 Marketing conference. “But when they get 500 likes, that’s when they truly understand the power of social media.”
Mark Oster is National Managing Partner, Not for Profit and Higher Education Practices, Grant Thornton US.