+ Creating A Social Media Army: How to Turn Volunteers into Online Ambassadors

Daniella Nordin, Online Community Manager Megan Mercier, Associate Director of Alumni Affairs & College Events

+ The Big Picture

• Skidmore alumni in the field

• Top Influencers

• Advantages

• Goals

• Examples

• Plan

+ The Big Picture

+ Skidmore’s Social Media

• 1950s: 1 alumni

• 1960s: 2 alumni

• 1970s: 18 alumni

• 1980s: 47 alumni

• 1990s: 40 alumni

• 2000s: 86 alumni

*Analysis of 25% of Facebook fans

• 1940s: 3 alumni

• 1960s: 6 alumni

• 1970s: 29 alumni

• 1980s: 47 alumni

• 1990s: 97 alumni

• 2000s: 748 alumni & students

*Analysis of 100% of Twitter followers

Total lifetime contributions from Twitter followers (alumni, friends, students, parents, etc.) = $942,071

Total contributions = $546,170 Total contributions = $638,045

Alumni Facebook Page Twitter

+ Skidmore’s Social Media

• Total (identifiable) Skidmore Facebook fans: 279/8,000+

• Total Skidmore Facebook fans found in Advancement database: 111/279 (40%)

• Total number of fans who donated: 52/122 (43%)

• Total number of fans who donated in FY13: 16/52 (31%)

College Facebook Page Instagram

Total donations: $68,912 Total donations: $16,620

• Total (identifiable) Skidmore Instagram followers: 193/550

• Total Skidmore Instagram followers found in Advancement database: 52 (30%)

• Current students 22/52 (42%)

• Total number of followers who donated in FY13: 10/52 (19%)

+ Social Media Plan

• How do volunteers factor in?

• Define volunteer role

• Set goals

• Measure (and celebrate) success

• Communicate

• Manage Social media manager?

Young alumni staffer?*

+

I have a plan, now what?

Volunteer Engagement

+

Assess needs

Develop & plan

Market & recruit

Interview & select

Develop/Train volunteers

Supervise & evaluate

Recognize

Measure outcomes

Sample Volunteer Management Framework

SOURCE: http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_new_volunteer_workforce

The Volunteer Manager’s Role

Build relationships with existing volunteers

Retain existing volunteers by giving them meaningful work and new opportunities*

Be an active listener; Provide feedback and encouragement

Recruit new volunteers*

Acknowledge and appreciate volunteers – send notes of thanks and make sure to highlight their efforts in communications from your office

Assign work that is necessary (to the institution) and matches (or develops) skill set

Provide training, support, and communication

Volunteer Manager Behaviors TRAIN

• Communicate specific steps • Assign to new opportunities to expand volunteer repertoire

DELEGATE

• Provide with insider information • Assign responsibilities and let

them be creative in accomplishing role

• Trust them, don’t micromanage

GUIDE

• Clearly outline your support •Lots of encouragement • Start them small and/or keep them small • Know when to minimize their involvement

MOTIVATE

• Give them clear deadlines • Match their expertise to the role

YOUR BEHAVIOR

SKILL

WI LL

+

Examples and Best Practices

What to do with your plan and your volunteers...

+ Facebook

Encourage volunteers to do more: Don’t self-promote

Start (and continue) conversations by asking (and answering) questions

Encourage people to attend events (and attend them yourself!)

Share page posts and resources

Tag friends in posts and photos

Comment and “like” on other Skidmore fan pages

Post about your experiences

+ Twitter

Encourage volunteers to: Use links to more info

Ask friends/followers to RT

Say “thank you” and recognize others

Share posts from @YourSchool and other sources

Some examples

+ The good, the bad, and the ugly

Photos

Current events

Nostalgia

Opportunities to tag

Personal and with personality

When you ask!

The dreaded ask

Not knowing your audience

Too long

Too esoteric

Posts that do well Posts that don’t

+ Questions? Daniella Nordin – dnordin@skidmore.edu, @DaniellaNordin Megan Mercier – mmercier@skidmore.edu