Presentation by Alexandra Chaikin given July 8, 2014 in New Orleans for NeighborWorks organizations

1. Elements of success:
Social + Technology + Storytelling

2. I’m Alexandra
I dodigital media,includingsocial media,
for NeighborWorksAmerica

3. Agenda
• Strategy overview
• Social technology overview
• Examples from NeighborWorks America
• Questions

4. I want to do social media!

6. How I see communications
Communications strategy
Digital marketing
Website
Social
media
Email
Relationships
Reporters
& media
Supporters Funders
Paper
Flyers/
brochures

7. “Stories are more convincing than sets
of data…numbers numb, jargon jars,
and no one ever marched on
Washington because of a pie chart.”
Andy Goodman
Story Telling as a Best Practice

8. Why stories matter
• For millennia, humans have told stories to help us
convey important messages/morals to one another
• Marketing is modern storytelling. It’s used to
convince people to spend money and/or take
particular actions
• Nonprofits can use stories to convey the
effectiveness of their work and to motivate others
to join the cause

9. What makes a good story?
• A good storyteller makes the audience feel like s/he
is part of the story
• A good story leaves the audience ready to take
action
• Your work in the community leads to great stories
every day.

10. How do you capture stories?
• Verbally at staff meetings
• On photo or video before client
ends services (as a step in the exit interview for
example)
• Presentations from clients during
board meetings
• Physical thank you notes stored in
a central filing cabinet
• A shared spreadsheet on your
computer system
• A Google form/document to
which everyone contributes and
one person manages

11. What is your communications
strategy?

12. Who areyou trying to reach?

13. What actions should
these peopletake as a
result of your
communications?

14. 1. Who is your audience?
2. Whatdo you need to say?
(thinkaboutaudience-specific wordingandactionsaudienceshouldtake)
3. Whendo you need to say it?
4. How willyou spread the message?
Key elements: communications
strategy

15. 1. Primary audience: funders
2. Message: We have been effective stewards of
your dollars
3. Timing: Every year, ideally as soon as impact is
calculated
4. Distribution: All communication channels,
especially newsletter to funders
Example: Annual report

16. Matrix for Annual report

17. Not too bad, right?

18. What is social media?

19. Source: Creative Commons, Yoel Ben Avraham

20. My definitionof socialmedia
A two-wayform of digital communication between:
1. Peers
2. People and organizations
3. People and government

21. Source: Neil Perkins, “What’s Next in Media” via SlideShare
The Social in Social Media
TRADITIONAL
MEDIA

22. Why is thisso important?

23. Peoplearemore invested whentheir
opinions andcontributions arevalued

24. Example: NeighborWorks Week 2013

25. NeighborWorksWeekon Twitter
NeighborWorks Week on Twitter

26. NWWPhoto Contest
2013
75photos entered
955 votes
263new Facebook fans
NeighborWorks Week
photo contest

27. Caution:
Social
media is not
magic

28. Thank you!

29. Appendix
• Storytelling resources
• Social media resources
• Social media explained – a chart
• Social media channels evaluation chart
• A good Facebook post – example
• An engaged neighborhood video campaign

30. • Winning the Story Wars by Jonah Sachs
• Nonprofit Storytelling http://ow.ly/h1ms0
• Using Storytelling to Engage and Motivate
Constituents http://ow.ly/h1muZ
Storytelling Resources

31. Social media Reading/Resources
• NTEN – nten.org
• Beth Kanter – bethkanter.org
• Debra Askanase –
communityorganzer20.com
Online
Resources
• Social Tech Symposium –
bit.ly/SocialTechNTI
• The Networked Nonprofit
• Measuring the Networked Nonprofit
Books

33. Select the tool(s)based onyour goals
Source: FrogLoop.com via Allyson Kapin “Which Social Media Platforms Are Worth Your Time and Energy?”

34. Select the tool(s)based onyour audience
Source: Pew Center for Internet Research, via DocStoc

35. Events on Facebook
• Facebook post liked by 32 followers & shared 15 times
• Online and offline component to the content
• Cute/relevant picture tostir positive emotions

36. Example3: CommunityInterviews