IdeaEncore Resources of the Month

Looking to find and share resources with colleagues?

IdeaEncore provides an easy way for you to share what it know, learn from others in the nonprofit sector and earn unrestricted income for your organization. Check out these resources to help you network and build important nonprofit skills. And don't forget to select Young Nonprofit Professionals-San Diego (YNPN-SD) as your Primary Professional Association when you sign up for a free IdeaEncore account.

On-the-Job Development Opportunitiesfor Nonprofit Staff

Shared by The Bridgespan Group (Free)

Are You Chairing a Board by the Seat of Your Pants?

Shared by Scribner & Associates ($7.50)

Who Generates More Traffic to Your Website – Twitter or Facebook?

Shared by Idealware (Free)

Hiring Your First Employee – A Step-by-StepGuide

Published by Nolo Press ($14.99)

The Intergenerational Center

Created by Templeton University (Free)

Engaging Our Audiences: ROI vs ROE

Reading Idealware's latest newsletter, which I use as a resource to keep myself informed on technology in the nonprofit sector (check out their product reviews for great tips on free and low cost solutions for nonprofits), I came across a great article submitted by Community Organizer 2.0 about Return On Engagement, or what Brandon Murphy originally noted as the true value of social media in a case study published just a few days ago.

Murphy posits that many of the digital media experiences we create--be they apps, videos, blogs, and so on--create dead end experiences for many of the users whose interest we want to convert into action may not be accurately measured by the standard ROI metric. Instead, he suggests, we should examine return on investment as returns on interaction and influence--ultimately, creating a greater return on engagement. Implied in this new approach is that is through engaging our audiences, and empowering them to share and engage their networks in a ripple effect, we can more accurately measure how effective our efforts can be.

Now, if we take this concept and look at it through the lens of a nonprofit organization, the question becomes: "How can we increase a return on engagement for both our community supporters and the communities we directly serve?"

Murphy and Debra Askanase both bring up concepts familiar to everyone in our community: advocacy and ownership. Whether we realize it or not, the efforts and support of the talented staff, volunteers, contributors, and community members who get involved with our nonprofits have embodied the advocacy mission by taking ownership in our organizations.

In looking at the tangible deliverables we're often tasked with, i.e. the creation of a new capital campaign, launching of a mobile community app, etc., it becomes more important to look beyond the fulfillment of that goal as an objective in an of itself. The process of feedback and collaboration in turn produce goals that are "owned" by the very audiences they seek to serve. It is in this Return on Engagement, then, that we find true value in the work we do.

Surveying Our Base, To Serve You Better

Like any community service organization, a key part of our mission is to keep our base flourishing. Most YNPN San Diego members have experienced our outreach through the monthly professional development and networking sessions, our community-serviced listserv, our blog, and the many opportunities to serve.

And, as an organization that aims first and foremost to cultivate the next generation of nonprofit leaders, it's important to know what kind of impact we've had on your lives. This year, we're surveying all our members so we can get that 360 degree perspective on your community involvement, professional pursuits, and personal tastes that make up the wonderful member base you are!

Our survey only takes 5 minutes, and you can find it here. Plus, take it over the weekend and you'll be entered into a raffle to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate! Thanks for your participation, and thank you for the feedback! We look forward to serving you even better in the next year!

Using Social Media for More

I've been thinking lately about how we use social media in our professional lives. Certainly, it's pervasive, and now an online persona is just as important as an in-person personality. Not too long ago, before Twitter became a way to spread event news and find the latest deal, before Facebook was used for nonprofit Causes, and even before LinkedIn provided a way to digitally connect with our peers, social media outlets were a free-for-all. In the context of understanding how each different outlet serves its own unique purpose(s), both individuals and organizations faced the challenge of how to use these media sources to reach their core audiences, and in turn, spread their message.

Although the current state of social media hasn't been completely defined--in that its a constantly evolving, dynamic medium--it is now much easier for those savvy individuals looking to use social media and get a valuable return on their time. Dependent upon what's being measured, be it the number of subscribers to your organization's eNewsletter, an increase in Facebook Cause donations, or event signups, we can use any of a number of tools to find out what our constituencies really desire out of our community-based organizations.

So as nonprofit organization leaders, community supporters, and even philanthropists, the question then becomes, "How can I effectively listen?" Wayne Turmel, a BNET writer, published an article a few weeks back on how "Real Leaders Use Social Media to Shut Up and Listen." His candid approach hit the crux of how we use social media in such a way that is so relevant to nonprofit organizations--because by learning what our communities need, it then becomes that much easier to serve.

Written by Danielle Reyes-Acosta