I agree with social media expert Mel Kettle’s assessment that most Boards are made up of enthusiastic, member-focused volunteers who lead busy professional and personal lives, outside of their Board commitments. They are often also time poor and may not have a lot of knowledge around how to best use social media.
As a Director on a number of not-for-profit Boards – including, for a time, one with Mel Kettle, I’m sure this insight was part of her inspiration to write her first book: The Social Association – 5 key skills not-for-profits need to increase member engagement, generate ROI and create a thriving online community.
Here are some of Mel’s tips about how Directors – and members of Committees – can use social media to support their organisation, without adding more hours to their week:
- Every Board member should have at least one social media account, be it LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
- Connect with as many members of the organisation as possible, and engage with them regularly
- Send a personal message when inviting members to connect. Mention that they are on the Board of the association and invite them to connect and share any feedback they have relating to the association
- Follow all the association’s social media channels and regularly Like, Comment and Share the posts
- Regularly like, comment on and share members’ posts
- For very large organisations, divide up the membership so each Board member has a list of members they are personally responsible for engaging with – this could include following and engaging with them on social media, connecting on LinkedIn, seeking them out at events, calling them once a year to say ‘hello’
- Create a hashtag for use on Twitter and Instagram posts, and encourage members and stakeholders to use it.
Remember, social media is just that – SOCIAL. Board and Committee members often have large networks beyond the customer or member base and can play a key role in leading conversations.
If you’d like to know more about connecting your organisation and its members, contact cheryl@mulberryseed.me
To order Mel Kettle’s book, The Social Association – 5 key skills not-for-profits need to increase member engagement, generate ROI and create a thriving online community, published in February 2018, email mel@melkettle.com
