Celebrities such as Britney Spears, Kanye West, and 50 Cent have huge followings for their Twitter feeds and Facebook fan pages.
But followers shouldn’t expect that they’re hearing directly from these entertainers when they’re following their Tweets or reading their blogs because they’ve hired ghostwriters.
Many nonprofit leaders might be tempted to follow a similar course with their own Twitter feeds and blogs.
While a social-media presence is increasingly important for nonprofit groups that are looking to expand their reach, most nonprofit leaders have little time to Tweet or blog.
As a result, it would be easy to farm the task out to an eager intern or volunteer who is willing to channel a top executive’s thoughts in social networks.
But Beth Kanter, the chief executive of the marketing company Zoetica Media, advises nonprofit leaders to avoid ghostwriting on Beth’s Blog.
The voice has to be authentic, especially for organizations that are looking to build credible relationships with supporters, Ms. Kanter writes.
“If they can’t sustain their presence on Twitter or blogging, they should stay away,” she writes. “This isn’t to say that they can’t have an assistant who might do some of the scanning and flag items to respond to, but if a CEO starts engaging with people on social media channels and then there is silence — that is not a good thing.”
Some nonprofit leaders have mastered the medium without turning over control. Ms. Kanter cites Holly Ross, the executive director of the Nonprofit Technology Network; Charity:Water chief executive Scott Harrison; and Case Foundation chairman Steve Case as examples of leaders who are effectively using social media without help from outside writers.
What do you think? Can nonprofit leaders rely on others to be their voice in social networks? Or should they be the ones tapping on the keyboard? Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.
3 Responses to Should Nonprofit Leaders Have Ghostwriters?
connieboyd - February 11, 2010 at 3:06 pm
If Britney Spears doesn’t have time to waste on Twitter, the leaders of most serious nonprofits shouldn’t, either. Self-written or ghostwritten posts will undermine their credibility.
jcravens42 - February 11, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Is there any doubt that most quotes in press releases are written by the PR manager, not the executive director? Or that a speech isn’t written 100% by the person delivering it? When I draft quotes or speeches for someone else (and I’ve done so for 20 years), I write based on what I’ve heard the person say or articles he or she has written, and I ensure the person reads over the text to make their own changes. By the time the text is delivered, I couldn’t say with all honesty that the words are entirely mine and not the words and sentiments of the person who delivered such.
dequendreb - February 11, 2010 at 7:52 pm
You underestimate the time commitment required to fully engage in social media. A nonprofit leader’s time is best devoted to mission, and it is not a disservice to leave that job to communications professionals who are just as integral to the organization. A more common, and probably more appropriate picture, of nonprofit leaders using social media is regularly scheduled sessions in which their devotees know they are tweeting or chatting with the real deal. We would be reading an entirely different article if more nonprofit leaders spent all day following, hashtagging, and poking.