While I am encouraged to see more and more nonprofits entering the world of social media, I wonder what percentage of these efforts are ineffective primarily because those tasked with overseeing them lack the appropriate training and/or resources. Recently Nonprofit Tech 2.0 posted a list of eleven signs that your nonprofit needs social media training. The list includes:
- Your avatar is cropped, shrunk, blurry, or too small to make an impact.
- You are rarely retweeted on Twitter.
- You are ignoring Google+.
- Your Facebook Page only has one admin.
- Your blog is missing social networking icons, an e-newsletter subscribe option, and a “Donate Now” button.
- You’ve not yet viewed your nonprofit’s website, e-newsletter, blog, or social networking profiles on a tablet and a smartphone.
So What?
A quick review of a handful of churches in my area suggests most would benefit from additional social media training. Given the significant opportunity social media presents for communities of faith, I hope increasing percentages of local congregations will prioritize effectively leveraging social media beginning with training those accountable for social media leadership.
- What grade would you give your congregation for its current use of social media?
- What type of training does your congregation offer to those tasked with leading its social media efforts?
- What resources has your church allocated in 2013 for social media?