Nonprofit organizations have long been labeled Luddites when it comes to adopting new technology.
But a forthcoming study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research shows nonprofit groups are actually well ahead of businesses in their use of social-media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogs.
The soon-to-be-released study found that 89 percent of nonprofit organizations are using some form of social media, reports the Herald News in Fall River, Mass. Fifty-seven percent reported that they use blogs.
“Social media is an important part of the marketing strategy for U.S. charities and nonprofits. They are outpacing businesses and even academic institutions in their familiarity, use and monitoring activity,” Nora Ganim Barnes told the newspaper. “These organizations have found a new and exciting way to win the hearts, and maybe the dollars, of potential donors.”
Ms. Barnes is the center’s director and co-author of the study.
That trend might surprise many observers, especially as nonprofit groups are struggling to raise money during the recession.
But Blake Bowyer, who writes for the marketing consulting company EyeTraffic Media’s Insight Blog, says the lean nature of charities makes it easier for them to begin experimenting with tools like Twitter and Facebook to connect with supporters.
In fact, the low cost of these tools gives nonprofit leaders an incentive — since they can reach out to potential donors and volunteers without having to pay for direct mailings, advertising, or phone calls.
“It’s no wonder that, in a sector where organizations are dropping like flies in the current economic climate, nonprofits are among the leaders in adopting of social media,” Mr. Bowyer writes. “(Nonprofit groups) benefit since they are lean by nature when for-profits trim the fat only when revenues drop, which might account for the early-adopter role nonprofits have assumed in the social media milieu.”
What do you think? Are nonprofit groups ahead of the curve in their use of social media?
