By Allison Fine

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Many charities strive to build a sense of community among their supporters in networks like Twitter and Facebook.

But many nonprofits stumble because they fail to first ask two crucial questions: Why do you want this community? What do you want it to do?

Sarah Robinson, author of Fierce Loyalty: Unlocking the DNA of Wildly Successful Communities, says these questions are important to any organization that wants to build relationships with supporters online.

In this episode of Social Good, Ms. Robinson explains how nonprofits can transform loose networks into groups that will become passionate advocates for a cause.

Allison Fine, a nonprofit leader and expert on technology and communications, discusses how charities and foundations can more effectively use social-media tools to spread their messages and raise money. Ms. Fine incorporates suggestions and questions from readers into her podcasts and invites you to e-mail her at afine@demos.org. Look for new installments on the first Thursday of every month.