Truth be told, I much prefer the anonymity of being “Nonprofit Organizations” online (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) over being “Heather Mansfield,” but writing and promoting Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits has required that I step out of my comfort zone a bit and put a face and voice to human being behind the “Nonprofit...

How nonprofits choose to follow on Twitter varies widely. Some nonprofits only follow a small of amount of Twitterers, others follow hundreds or thousands, and a few follow more (sometimes a lot more) than they are being followed themselves. However, from browsing more than 80,000 nonprofits on Twitter over the last three years, the vast majority of nonprofits follow...

In the weeks after Google+ launched I saw a number of blog posts and articles about how brands should drop Facebook and Twitter, and migrate their communities over to Google+. My guess is that many of those bloggers and journalists have reconsidered now that the initial buzz and euphoria about Google+ has subsided (especially considering that the Google+ brand...

For all the buzz about new media in the nonprofit sector, it is somewhat surprising how few nonprofits have integrated their new media campaigns into one of the most important pages on their website – the “Thank You for Your Donation!” landing page. That is, the page your donors land on after making a donation. Donors pay a lot...

The following is an excerpt from the newly released Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits and was published in the September 2011 edition of Fundraising Success Magazine (@frsuccess). However, do to word count constraints the content below is not in its full entirety. In the book, this section (taken from Chapter 2) is twice the...

I tell ya. It’s a surreal feeling to know that someone could be reading your book right now… on the subway, in a cafe, or at a park in any city, anywhere in the world. And the fact that this books exists at all really is a testament to the power social media. All this began on a fateful...

The number of low-cost or free, web-based resources and tools available to nonprofits today is astounding. So much so that many nonprofit professionals are overwhelmed by the all choices – and as the Mobile Web and related start-ups continue to grow, prepare to be mind-boggled by all the new technology options available to your nonprofit in coming years. 1. 2dCode...

Hot off the presses and just delivered via Fed Ex! It’s a surreal moment, exciting, nerve-racking, but it’s great to see the words off the screen and onto paper. Tangible, in my hands. There will be an e-book version of course, but I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to publish a book while books are...

No doubt. I absolutely believe in the power of the Internet and social media to foster social good and create social change, and I’ve written plenty of blog posts that say as much, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge that the rise of the Social Web has created some very real and serious challenges for the...

The rise of the Social Web in recent years has dramatically changed how your supporters consume and share your nonprofit’s blog content. Odds are, if your blog has not been redesigned in the last few years, then it’s time to consider a relaunch. Just a few years ago multiple-column blogs with numerous widgets and plug-ins ruled the design aesthetic...

Date: Thursday, September 29, 2011 Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm Cost: $149 per person. Location: Meetup.com Headquarters 632 Broadway, New York, NY (Google Map) How to Register: Sign up! View: Training Agenda (PDF) View: Trainings in Other Cities This one-day intensive social media and mobile technology how-to training is ideal for nonprofit communications and development staff. Presented by Heather Mansfield...

The average Internet user today is barraged with a constant stream of messages in the form of tweets, status updates, shouts, bulletins, e-mail, and “Breaking News!” Social media is not only changing how we communicate online, but it’s also changing how our brains process information. That said, nonprofits would be wise to consider the effect of the Social Web...

My guess is that 99.99% of nonprofits (or more) have not yet been invited to beta test Google+ (sign up here), but if you are a regular reader of Mashable, TechCrunch, or The Next Web, you might be feeling like your missing out on the fruits of being an early adopter (before the site is even out of beta...