Jump on YouTube to find video attempts by Minnesota non-profit conservation organizations that have boarded the social media train -- a train that left the station years ago. Clean Water Action Alliance of Minnesota, for example, has a dozen short and interesting uploads on YouTube all by different contributors.
Follow on Twitter local NPOs (non-profit organizations) like Minnesota's Sierra Club, the North Star Chapter; Kids for Saving Earth; or Friends of the Mississippi River.
Like the cool Facebook fan pages of Bicycle Alliance Minnesota; the Community Design Center of Minnesota; Dovetail Partners, Inc.; Parks and Tails Council of Minnesota; the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP), and more.
Local Non-profit Conservation Organizations Promote Special Events Via YouTube
The Freshwater Society has posted a YouTube video to promote its "Ice Out/Loon In" party/fundraising event to be held next week on April 21st, 2011. Click on the video to the left to check it out. The party sounds like it has awesome auction items, prizes, improv entertainment, as well as a loon calling contest.
The Community Design Center of Minnesota is promoting its East Side Gateway Rain Garden Project on YouTube. Amy Waksmonski does a great job in directing multiple videos covering the details of the project. For example, Waksmonski interviews Christine Bauemler, facilitator of the artistic collaboration on the project and environmental artist in the first video. To see the coverage of the rain garden project, check out amysueWaksmonski's Channel on YouTube.
Use the search tool on YouTube to see if any videos have been posted promoting organizations that you are interested in, including special events announcements, special events coverage (grassroots multimedia journalism), or educational videos. For example, a YouTube search for "Yes! Youth Energy Summit" shows half a dozen videos for the rural Minnesota communities' team-oriented youth program.
Facebook Fan Pages a Viable Social Media Outlet for Minnesota Non-Profit Organizations
Many organizations have developed Facebook fan pages to make updated announcements, post videos, and allow fans and members to comment, "like," and view pictures. Some even post videos and links to articles of their own and from around the web.
The MEP frequently posts a link to its daily newswatch, makes general announcements, and pulls together rallying support for local conservation organizations (e.g. Solar Works for Minnesota Coalition, EnvioScapes, and MEP's 80 plus member organizations).
Do It Green, Minnesota's Facebook page also pulls together lots of conservation organizations, causes, and topics. Fans of Do It Green will find announcements for events, classes, film screenings and more. With almost 800 fans, this team of volunteers is very busy posting links and comments!
Is Social Media Appropriate for Non-Profit Conservation Organizations?
Yes, of course social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are appropriate to promote and educate non-profit organizations. The demographics of social media users may suprise you:
- According to a CBS News article on Nov. 15, 2010: Boomers Joining Social Media at Record Rate,“Social media use among internet users aged 65 and older grew 100 percent last year, so that one in four (26 percent) people in that age group online are now logging in to Facebook, Twitter and the like, reports the Pew Internet and American Life Project in a recent study.”
- Twitter processed more than one billion tweets in December of 2009, according to a Feb., 2010 article on Venture Beat, 54% of US Internet users on Facebook, 27% on MySpace.
- Find out more about demographics and statistics of social media users on Ingite, a website dedicated to the study and analysis of social media: 2011 Social Network Analysis Report – Geographic – Demographic and Traffic Data Revealed
Other social media outlets have also been used by conservation groups, as well as companies that are going green: Meetup.com and LinkedIn are two popular social media websites that groups of professionals and activists use to promote their activites and events.
How You Can Help Your Non-Profit Organization Benefit From Social Media
If you are an environmental activist, you can support your favorite non-profit by any of the following activities:
- Make videos of your own and post them on YouTube (ask permission of the organization to use its name, first).
- Teach the leaders of the organization how to make their own videos and post them on YouTube.
- Brainstorm with other members and activists on what kind of interesting videos can be produced to effectively promote your cause or educate.
- Help keep content current on sites like Facebook and Twitter by participating in the posts, clicking the "like" button, and uploading pictures of events and people.
- Follow you organization on Twitter, become a fan of your organization's Facebook page, and view and vote on the videos on YouTube.
Are you in this demographic? Do you use social media, and if so, how often? Please post a comment below to let me know how you participate in your non-profit organization's social media efforts, and which organizations you belong to?
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