Positive word of mouth and brand advocacy are important to any organization. But for nonprofits, groups that are typically challenged by strict budgets, limited human resources and government regulations, word-of-mouth and advocacy marketing are key strategies. Enter social media and the abundance of wide-open channels (most of them free to use) and communities of socially and ethically conscious millions. For many nonprofits, the opportunity to identify and tap into groups of like-minded citizens helps the organization not only share its mission and mandate, but use the common collective of fans and followers to spread those messages far and wide. Let’s look at ten nonprofits doing just that.

2. Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged
Nonprofits
There are many wonderful nonprofits and inspiring charities doing good work in
today’s challenging times. We wanted to spotlight those that were not only top-rated,
but that were also superior in leveraging social media across multiple channels.
We’ve included a selection of A+ rated nonprofits and charities from
CharityWatch.com. We also tapped CharityNavigator.com for top-rated groups,
based on its strict performance rating criteria. We then analyzed the social streams
of those top picks, focusing on those nonprofits that were integrating as many
platforms—at as a high a level—as we could find. We were pretty impressed with
the way these groups are leveraging the power of social. We think you’ll like what
we came up with ...

3. 1. Star Powered
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
A celebrity heading up a charity almost
always helps the cause. A celebrity who is
living their life with the very condition the
organization is working to cure speaks
volumes. Enter Michael J. Fox.
The group’s Facebook page has over
100k+ followers, and the stream is full of
testimonials about how the foundation is
assisting and supporting those with
Parkinson’s. The group’s Twitter effort is
less robust at 10K+, but it has built an
engaged community spirit across all social
media channels, including YouTube. The
foundation has fully integrated online and
offline efforts, and all of its social streams
are alive with news. For vibrancy and drive
in the face of adversity, we’re picking
Team Fox.
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

4. 2. Defending Dignity, Fighting Poverty
CAREUSA (Care.Org)
CAREUSA has been helping globally
since 1945, when it sent care packages
to soldiers in World War II. Deliveries of
food, medical supplies, and tools from
this top-rated charity continue to assist in
the economic growth of villages and the
eradication of hunger worldwide.
According to the organization’s
Facebook page, which hosts 47K+ fans,
“Women are at the heart of CARE's
community-based efforts to improve
basic education, prevent the spread of
HIV, increase access to clean water and
sanitation, expand economic opportunity
and protect natural resources.” CARE
enjoys 460K+ followers on Twitter, and
its YouTube channel is emotionally
compelling. This group literally delivers
the whole package.
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

5. 3. Big Help for Little People
Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Big brothers and sisters in your family are
the ones who show you the ropes and
help you along your path in life. It’s the
same with BBBS, which works to ensure
that all kids have mentor relationships in
their lives that can help fill the void some
families may have in this area.
BBBS is engaging across all channels and
is building a very active audience. Its
Facebook fan base comes in at 43K and
its use of story is fantastic. Like many
nonprofits, BBBS’s Twitter base is smaller,
coming in at just over 5K, but it is using
the channel creatively to craft a narrative
that gets kids the help they need. Add in
its YouTube web series and you have big
things happening for kids. We like it!
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

6. 4. Saving the Planet Using Social
The Sierra Club
We considered several options in the
environmental category. Some more
controversial choices might have driven
extra buzz, but we decided to stick with the
theme that social media helps spread your
message, especially if that message is one
of being of service.
Enter the Sierra Club. Founded in 1892, it
certainly is embracing modern tools. Its
Facebook page hosts 133K fans. The level
of engagement there is very high, with tons
of shares and commenting. Its Twitter
account hosts 32K+ followers sharing
news, current environmental legislative
actions, and conversation with advocates.
The organization also leverages beautiful
photography to emphasize its mission. It’s
all picture perfect, if you ask us.
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

7. 5. Occupying the Crowd
MoveOn.org
At a time when political divisiveness
continues to reach histrionic peaks,
MoveOn.org fits right in. It certainly isn’t
known for being quiet and there can be
little doubt that it is a partisan, political
organization with a focused agenda.
It also completely understands and
leverages the power of the crowd. As a
result, it would be hard not to mention
the organization here. Its social media
numbers prove its commitment to the
medium: 317K+ fans on Facebook, 60K
followers on Twitter, 22M views on
YouTube. Add in its integration of email,
polls, petitions, and real-life events, and
you’ve got an organization that knows
how to occupy social media.
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

8. 6. Envisioning the End of Poverty
World Vision Foundation
We had countless choices to consider
when researching the category of global
poverty and hunger relief organizations.
There are so many doing great work that
it was hard to pick just one! We ultimately
settled on World Vision Foundation, one
of the largest and highest ranking
organizations in the world.
Its Facebook fanbase numbers at 830K+.
Its welcome tab is exquisite. It contains
all the foundation’s social links, engaging
photography, and a strong call-to-action.
Its Twitter fans number 27K+. Its
YouTube channel, where it features on-
location conversations with those it
serves, enjoys nearly 700K video views.
WVF is a big organization doing big
things—and we like its social media
approach in a big way.
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

9. 7. Museums and More
The Smithsonian Institute
If you’re a science, history, or dinosaur
freak, you probably already love the
Smithsonian Institute. If you are a social
media fan boy or fan girl, you will
understand why they had us at “landing
page.”
What do we mean? The Smithsonian
hosts a dedicated page with active links to
all of its social media accounts. Find all the
Facebook pages here, Twitter accounts
here, and YouTube accounts here. Add in
virtual tours, mobile apps, and more …
and we were in social media geek heaven.
We stopped counting its thousands-strong
fan base at the third or fourth account we
reviewed. Check it out: You’ll geek out,
too!
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

10. 8. Kicking Cancer’s Butt
Livestrong Foundation
Livestrong is another charity that benefits
from having a celebrity founder. We’ve
featured Tour de France champion Lance
Armstrong before, and he never fails to
inspire. The same goes for his cancer
research and support foundation,
Livestrong. It combines advocacy, patient
support, cancer education, general health
and wellness, and fun. This approach
seems to be working very well and the
organization’s social media reflects that.
The numbers are certainly impressive,
starting with 1.5M Facebook fans. Its posts
are shared widely and enthusiastically. Its
Twitter account hosts 200K+. And its
YouTube channel has enjoyed nearly 2M
video views. For addressing the needs of
millions living with cancer, we award the
yellow jersey to Livestrong.
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

11. 9. Fighting AIDS, One Goal at a Time
Grassroot Soccer
Grassroot Soccer is one of the fastest-
growing top-ranked charities featured on
CharityNavigator. It uses the popularity of
soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize
communities to stop the spread of HIV.
We loved the innovative idea and wanted
to feature a rising star here.
Its social media presence is up-and-
coming: Its Facebook page hosts 7K+
fans. The page includes questions, polls,
videos, and personal profile stories. The
group is skillful at bringing light to a heavy
subject through call-to-action initiatives.
Its Twitter handle hosts 3K followers and
again, is full of light banter that educates,
inspires, and informs. We love the idea
and are rooting for the cause!
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

12. 10. A Long History of Helping
The Red Cross
The American Red Cross is another big
winner when it comes to accolades,
ratings, longevity, and social media
involvement. Here are the stats:
Facebook page 406K+, Twitter 625K+,
and YouTube 3.6M+ video views.
What makes the Red Cross social
media presence special? For starters,
its content is highly shareable. The
stories are personal and provide a
window into the organization’s day-to-
day work, the people it serves, and its
volunteer organization. It presents a
narrative that makes you want to help.
Featuring engagement at its finest, it
enjoys a massive number of retweets
on Twitter, comments on Facebook,
and sharing across its community. For
that, we heart the Red Cross.
Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged Nonprofits

13. Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged
Nonprofits
More Work to Do
Let’s face it: Many highly ranked and well-run charities aren’t yet using social
media very well. In fact, we found a few that aren’t even using social media at all.
It was disappointing to us, as we had to leave several of the better known names
in the nonprofit world out of the running here.
We are hopeful that as social media adoption increases in general, so too will its
use by the good people doing good things at these charities, foundations and
nonprofit organizations. After all, social media conversations are largely driven by
people who are passionate about the topics they follow online—and few things
inspire as much passion as the causes supported by today’s leading nonprofits.
To read all the Pulses and other Slideshare.net presentations, click here.

14. Nonprofits 2.0:
10 Leading Socially Engaged
Nonprofits
Next on “The Pulse”:
Election Year 2.0: 10 Most Engaged Campaigns and Politicians
in Social Media
THE PULSE:
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