Carolyn M. Appleton, CFRE

AFP DFW Philanthropy Conference

Irving Convention Center

June 7, 2013

SOCIAL MEDIA:

MAJOR & PLANNED GIVING

APPLICATIONS

“People tend to play in their

comfort zone,

so the best things are achieved

in a state of surprise, actually.”

~ Brian Eno

British musician

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Personal Experience

Asked to join Facebook in 2008 by a major gift donor, whose family

had given my nonprofit projects more than $1 million (combined).

I didn’t think I had time to learn it, and didn’t see its value.

I reconsidered given the stature of that donor and their family.

I’ve since discovered many major gift donors ~ individuals, families,

foundations and agencies ~ are active on social media.

I seek to educate, inform and support them all.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Key Facts

More people of all ages are online.

Social media is no longer used primarily by young people.

More people 40+ are online, especially those in higher-income

brackets; that number is growing.

This is a target major gift and planned giving audience.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Data

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything

that counts can be counted.”

~ Albert Einstein

German physicist (1879-1955)

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Big Data: It’s All the Rage

“The more obsessed we are

with Big Data, the more likely we are

to overlook the fact that

there are some instances where

smaller data sets

and simpler techniques are more effective.”

~ Debbie Berebichez

Mexican physicist and educator (born ca. 1970)

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

“Big Data is here to stay. The benefits

of Big Data are tremendous, but they

are often exaggerated by

well -intentioned amateurs and

their service providers.”

~ Milton Pedraza, CEO

CEO, Luxury Institute

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Why Carolyn Doesn’t Want You to Become

Obsessed with Big Data

Not all major or planned gift donor will officially “like” or

“follow” your social media. Why?

~ Concerns for anonymity and personal security.

~ Donors are checking you out constantly, but don’t necessarily want to be

seen as doing so, nor officially endorsing you.

~ How do you measure “browsing”?

“There’s a whole lot of people spending a lot of time browsing, not taking action.”

Seth Godin, American entrepreneur and marketer

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

“Your website is like your home.

It needs to be in order.

Social media is the party your

nonprofit goes to or throws.”

~ Sarah Durham

Founder of Big Duck and author of,

“Brandraising”

(Comment posted on Twitter … and also,

“Good content gets people to the party

and to stay.”)

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

“Unpleasant Truth No.1:

Engagement can’t be seen in dollars.

Until Lady Gaga …

Skittles had the record for most likes and

comments on a single Facebook post.

Did it boost sales?

“Anybody who says they can track that is in a bubble.”

~ Michael Lebowitz, CEO of Big Spaceship

in Fast Company, September 2012

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Kivi Leroux Miller

President, Nonprofit Marketing Guide

Focus on the basics first ~ your website and e-mail.

Don’t fret about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other online venues until

you have your website and e-mail program well-in-hand.

Don’t fear failure ~ don’t be too conservative.

Remember, people value honesty and transparency.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

“Six Reasons Your Website Will Fail”

~ Marketing Profs

Not mobile compatible

(Anti-) Social Media

E-fail

(Lack of) Information, Please

E. T. Can’t Phone Home

SEO Struggles

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Define Your Audiences:

Who Do You Want to Reach?

Donors and potential donors

Family members

Friends (gatekeepers)

Professional advisors

(gatekeepers)

People served by your nonprofit

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Define Your Audiences:

Who Do You Want to Reach?

What are the values and needs of each

group?

What do they care about?

Develop your website, communication

and marketing strategies to address

those interests and traits.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

What’s Wrong with Planned Giving Websites?

~ State Farm Insurance

They are too complicated.

They have too many words.

They use legalese that most people don’t

understand.

They don’t easily offer downloadable

information or a way to sign-up for a

newsletter.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

What’s Wrong with

Planned Giving Websites?

They don’t focus on the

nonprofit’s mission.

They don’t say how their money

will be spent.

They don’t share bequest language easily.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

What’s Wrong with Planned Giving Websites?

They don’t say who is leading the

charge at the nonprofit,

and what his or her

strategic plan will be going forward.

They don’t emphasize the history

and longevity of the organization.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Checklist for Planned Giving Officers

and

Major Gift Fundraising Executives

~ Cynthia Wilson Krause

Baylor Health Care System Foundation, Dallas

Focus on becoming more of an educator

and less of a technician.

Focus on individuals who are truly

motivated by charitable intent,

not just tax considerations.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Checklist

Strengthen donor-recognition

programs to keep current donors.

Utilize market strategies that

incorporate your mission.

Strengthen your focus on

philanthropy and caring about

future generations.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Checklist

Create a strategy or process for educating your board and senior

leadership about the benefits of planned giving.

Determine what type of planned giving program best suits your

organization and adjust your strategic plan accordingly .

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

What Social Media Should You Use?

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

What Social Media Should You Use?

What venues are you comfortable using?

Which venues are appropriate for your nonprofit’s mission,

image, and style of communicating?

Are there venues you aren’t using now, that you should learn?

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Considerations

Constantly evaluate which social media venues might be (or

become) valuable to your organization. New platforms are

developed often (keep up with trends).

The most popular venues may not be a good fit. Don’t jump into new

social media platforms without thinking them through, and

determining how they will support your overall mission and

communications efforts.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

What Social Media Should You Use?

Use multiple venues, interweave your posts to

provide variety and strengthen your case.

Curate content ~ think it through before

posting and routinely clean-up

outdated information.

Respond to donor and prospect inquiries

ASAP to show you’re paying attention.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

How Do I Use Social Media?

My aim is to be helpful, interesting, competent, thoughtful, and

broad-reaching in terms of subject matter.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

WordPress Blog =

Primary Website

Google+ & Co.

Facebook &

Instagram

Twitter

Tumblr

SlideShare & Viddy

LinkedIn

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Social Media Considerations

More than one Twitter account (i.e., one for general information

about ongoing work; another for special events; another for

professional advisors and technical geeks).

More than one Facebook page (a formal presence for your nonprofit

and its mission and activities, another for major gift and planned

giving donors and their special activities).

Creating videos (YouTube is still the largest search engine).

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

You Might Also …

Develop a blog with posts by the director

and program staff (vary authors;

cross-link on your social media platforms).

Include guest blog posts by trusted

professional advisors.

As appropriate, recognize donors online

(obtain permission).

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

You Might Also …

Develop a “social media ambassador”

program.

Remember, people place a high level

of trust in friends’ recommendations

and online opinions (Nielsen).

Put mature, experienced staff in

charge ~ don’t let an intern handle

your social media.

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

“Have you ever started a meeting

without an agenda?

Driven your car with no destination?

How about gotten surgery before

diagnosing a need?”

~ Brian Solis

Vision … mission … goal … strategy …

action plan!

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Strategy …

Why are you doing this?

Who are you doing this for?

What are you doing and on

which social networks?

How are you accomplishing

this?

When does this happen?

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS

Best wishes for your fundraising success!

Carolyn M. Appleton, CFRE

Blog: carolynmappleton.wordpress.com/

SlideShare:

slideshare.net/CAppleton/presentations

Vizify: vizify.com/carolyn-appleton

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/carolynmappleton

All rights reserved.

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THANK OUR SPONSORS ON

TWITTER!

Partial list:

Presentation and bibliography posted on SlideShare:

http://www.slideshare.net/CAppleton

Photographs in this presentation were provided by:

Atomic Ballroom

Baylor Health Care System Foundation

Fast Company

Microsoft Office Online

Musings of a Fanatical Soaper

Milton Pedraza

Seaview Weaving and Fiber Arts Guild

Peter Shankman

Brian Solis

SOCIAL MEDIA: MAJOR AND

PLANNED GIVING APPLICATIONS