Earlier this month U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore of California tried a new experiment in fundraising: Tweet for Chuck was the creation of online strategist Justin Hart to tap into the newly organized Top Conservatives on Twitter. The experiment has generated 136 donations so far, mostly between $10 and $25.
Although this was hardly a fundraising haul for DeVore, it was the first time a candidate used the microblogging platform to raise money. It generated positive press and got him noticed in a tough race against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer. The website Hart built tracks donations (promoting transparency) and referrals (inspiring competition).
After observing the success, my Heritage Foundation colleague Nathaniel Ward and I asked Hart to create a similar effort for Heritage. Year-end fundraising is a priority for every nonprofit, and we saw very few downsides to asking for donations on Twitter. Last week we launched Tweet for Heritage.
Despite having more followers than DeVore, we haven’t enjoyed the same kind of success. That could be because DeVore was the first to do it or the holidays are keeping people occupied. Regardless, I hope the experiment prompts other nonprofits to use Twitter in new and creative ways.
Will fundraising work on this platform? The jury is still out for our experiment. But it would be great to have feedback or suggestions for others considering similar campaigns.
Posted by: K Street Cafe Editor
SocialFishing on the Association Front (The Buzz Bin)
The Buzz Bin sits down with Maddy Grant and Lindy Dreyer of SocialFish in the first installment of a series about organizations using social media as a method of direct marketing.
Responding to Overzealous Followers (Word of Mouth Marketing)
Gaining followers on Twitter can’t be a bad thing, right? Except perhaps in the case of a Twitter user who won’t leave your organization alone.
Posted by: K Street Cafe Editor
How To Bring Traffic To A Blog (Problogineer)
David Hobson offers a quick overview of how to effectively drive traffic to your site.
C Level Tweeters (Buzz Marketing for Technology)
Interested in how your CEO, COO, of CFO can use Twitter? Check out this comprehensive list of executive officers who use Twitter.
Posted by: K Street Cafe Editor
Could a “Craigslist for Service” Actually Work? (Tech President)
Nancy Scola takes a look at one type of online forum that might be used to harvest volunteerism under the new Obama administration.
The Real Shaq Twitters With Friends (Word of Mouth Marketing)
NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, better known as Shaq, is an excellent example of taking control of your name in the social media world.
Posted by: K Street Cafe Editor
Starbucks Also Wins Election (Gawker)
Ryan Tate takes a look at how organizations should follow the publicity tactics used by Starbucks during the election.
HOW TO: Build Community on Twitter (Masable)
These Twitter tips can help both individuals and organizations to build a following of engaged users.
Posted by: K Street Cafe Editor
Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004 (Wired)
Paul Boutin examines how social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have over taken blogging as the most popular form of expression.
Crisis Communication for the Social Web (The Buzz Bin)
The Buzz Bin takes a look at the need for a plan to listen and communicate effectively when a crisis hits your organization online.
In the closing stretch of the presidential campaign, both John McCain and Barack Obama have invoked the name of The Heritage Foundation to justify their policy proposals and attack their opponent. Unfortunately, neither campaign accurately reflected the views of Heritage. I’ve spent much of my time over the past week trying to set the record straight and protect our name.
Heritage is a nonprofit organization with strict limitations on political activity. As a nonpartisan research institution, we produce analysis on public policy issues, including the candidates’ tax proposals, but do not — and legally cannot — support or oppose a candidate for political office.
I thought it would be useful to share our approach this week responding to both McCain and Obama, particularly because we used the Internet and social media to tell our story. Our goal in each case was to set the record straight and clear up any confusion about the use of our name in their campaign materials. READ MORE »
Posted by: K Street Cafe Editor
10 of the Best Social Media Tools for PR Professionals and Journalists (Masable)
Sarah Evans examines ten new social media tools that are useful for creating collaboration and networking between PR professionals and journalists.
Twitter Voter Report
A volunteer group of Web developers and designers came together to create Voter Report as a way for voters to share their experiences on Election Day.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the change in online communication habits from email to Social Media, suggesting that communicating via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter could some day replace more traditional email communication as the method of choice for activists.
Many of the follow up comments I received after the post went something along this line: Excellent – I agree, but how can I convince the ‘higher-ups’ in my organization that we need to use these new tools?
At the most recent Innovative Advocacy conference, two attendees asked one of the panelists similar questions:
How can I convince my Executive Director that we should include Facebook in our advocacy strategy when he or she thinks it’s simply a fad for their high school kids? And, how can I get approval for a policy blog when the general counsel’s office is nervous about not having control over what the public can write in the comments section? READ MORE »
Posted by: K Street Cafe Editor
As the Lines Blur, Digital Agencies Are Taking Lead (Ad Age)
With more and more communications strategies focusing on online efforts, there has been an increase in the number of digital agencies chosen over traditional public relations and advertising firms to be an organization’s agency of record.
Tweet Your Voting Moment (New York Times)
The New York Times has set up a hashtag on Twitter.com to allow tech-savvy voters to report on any negative experiences they encounter at the polls.
LinkedIn’s New Apps Are All Work and No Play (Wired)
LinkedIn, one of the most well-known social networking sites geared toward professionals, is following in the footsteps of Facebook to allow outside developers to create applications for users.
