Social Ch@nge

Traditionally, the roll-over into the new year is marked by a large serving of predications galore.  Over the past few weeks, we’ve been digesting pundits across the blogosphere, and happily regurgitating / synthesizing their collective advice.  What’s our conclusion, after all this (burp) research?

In the coming year, non-profits should…

1. Resist the Shiny Toys
This is not a good year to upgrade – anything. Operating systems, platforms, web services are all in a serious period of flux and reinvention. While it could be argued that change is a constant in the tech field, this year seems worse than others. And when we say “worse,” we also mean “awesome”: new versions operating systems, and entirely new operating systems; rapidly maturing netbooks vs. notebooks vs. smartphones vs. tablets; cloud computing replacing desktop computers. Google Wave is a good example: it’s probably going to reinvent how we all work together on the web. But, right now, it’s still a little cryptic.  In all, there are enormous changes underway this year. From the persperctive of a non-profit with a limited budget, though, best to hunker down for a year and stick with what works.

2. Get Mobile
Your next computer may be a smartphone. More and more of your audience are getting their content through a mobile device. The devices are getting smarter, faster, and more location aware. You should start thinking about how your nonprofit can take advantage of this trend. In particular, consider mobile micropayments – how can your donors make a quick, small donation to your cause through their phone? This might not be a big revenue source this year, but it’s the way of the future.

3. Listen Up
Having your own Twitter stream is great, but listening to other people’s tweets is even better.  Consider how can you take advantage of online tools for to become a better “listener” this year: it could be as easy as some ongoing searches for keywords that matter to your organisation on Tweetdeck (www.tweetdeck.com). It’s also getting easier to pool all your listening in one place – whether that’s through a free service like iGoogle that lets you rss your blog, podcasts and twitter keyword search returns to a personal page, or whether you invest in integrated social media monitoring on a tool like Radian6 (http://radian6.com/)   2010 is the year you can expect dramatically different use of listening online as a way to reach out to stakeholders – so listen up.

4. Become Transparent – in real time!
Transparency has always been an issue for non-profits, but now it’s important to learn how to be pro-active about putting your data on the web. You need to be actively engaging your audience by making your actions and results available online and in real time. Certain types of donors are much more likely to give once they’ve researched you thoroughly. They’re more likely to give again if they believe you’re clearly communicating/working with them towards your common goal.

5. Manage Your Content
Your office is going to make your social web presence a greater priority. You can’t avoid it – even if your organisation doesn’t have a Facebook page, your employees do. And your volunteers. And your donors. And they are all talking about you. So figure out how to manage and distribute your content effectively with these tools.

6. Plan for Social Media
Social media is not going away. Position your non-profit for success this year by including a social media strategy or outreach plan in any media plan you create. It’s not replacing the traditional ways you reach out to the public, but it is a key component.

There it is: our advice for surviving 2010.  Help add to the list: what are you telling your boss (or your staff) to look out for this year?