Martha Mihaly

I’ve been watching with some interest as a couple of charities I know try to catch the social media bus.  I certainly think that platforms like Twitter and fb are fantastic for raising awareness of charitable events.  As with everyone else though, they are trying to figure out how to monetize the media. 

I have some observations:

1. Many have static and by and large unfriendly sites.
2. Organizationally they are lacking in expertise, both the technical, and UX/UD.
3. They are reticent to acknowledge the expertise of the social media professionals.
4. They themselves are not entirely familiar with the different sites, specifically their associated demographic characteristics.
5. They are by and large trying to do the ‘experiment’ with social media in house.

I hope the charities that I am dealing with have the where with all to recognize that hiring the right people to do the job is the key to success.  Ultimately this should be a question of time and money.  The expediency gained in hiring the professionals can result in more engagement from the target audience, and the money flowing from the donors more quickly.

Volunteerism brings joy and new experiences into my life. I am thrilled to see the likes of Barack bring public service and volunteerism into the forefront.

Find something you love to do, and give the gift of doing it to someone.