We totally agree that social media should not be treated as direct response media – they have far more value to add than that. Neither should they be dismissed as ‘fluff’ because they don’t generate a comparable response to other, tried and tested, traditional channels, at the moment. As you say, they simply haven’t been around long enough, or adopted widely enough until fairly recently, to make that benchmark a fair one.

However, I agree that most charities are still only scratching the surface in establishing the true potential of social media. That’s why we’ve been pushing the sector to take a more strategic and integrated view over the last year or so, and to see these channels as somewhere to be their ‘whole selves’, ensuring that their conversations and posts communicate their mission, vision and values, their key brand messages, the impact of their work, their campaigns, news, events etc. rather than segment their messages, just ask repeatedly or engage aimlessly.

We’re really excited that we’ll be digging down deeper at the next NFPtweetup, now that charities have started measuring results and achieving measurable success, and that we’ll be hearing from fundraisers who can share their perspectives on social media as compared to more traditional media, and share their experiences and insights. There is certainly a lot to learn from the way that UNICEF supported Charlie Simpson’s sponsored bike ride, and the way that Merlin and British Red Cross engaged with their followers, and their followers followers, on Twitter in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, as well as the contribution social media made to the DEC’s Haiti earthquake appeal.

I’m going to stop there before I write the next chapter of that book you started! Thanks again for your comment.

Rachel

I don’t think we’re asking the right questions and I think our expectations are a bit too high. We want answers and measurements similar to direct mail or other types of fundraising initiatives that have been around for decades. Social media is not direct mail or major gifts or an event…

One key difference in social media is that the audience is so varied. In direct marketing, major gifts, events (and more) we tend to know who the demographic is. We segment and test based on what we believe will appeal to that audience. Social media are reaching people across cultures, countries, ages, ethnicities, and more!

Even if we just look at emergency fundraising there are so many other influences that may or may not impact other forms of fundraising. The major media influences on a given “disaster” are (in my opinion) much more likely to impact social media fundraising than direct mail. If CNN or BBC Breaking news tweets a shockingly tragic announcement and I “retweet” that, or link to it through facebook causes, and add that to my appeal, I have a large, well respected news organization reiterating the importance and urgency of my appeal. That isn’t likely to have the same impact in a direct mail – or even an eblast. It’s immediately urgent.

There are so many variables that influence social media that must be considered when measuring social media and attempting to answer this question. It’s going to take time and maturity before we can adequately predict success for a given campaign – or know what lends itself to success in various social media.

We’re certainly learning more every day. But in reality, we’re barely scratching the surface. Charities must continue to explore these channels – but not just for solicitation purposes. If charities overload social media platforms with “asks” on a consistent basis, they will end up being largely ignored and perhaps even resented.

We must not mistake social media for direct response or treat the individuals who are socializing online as our donors. Some are our donors. Others are our beneficiaries, volunteers, people who just ‘kinda dig’ our cause, but aren’t ready to act yet.

Without the ability to segment in a clear and concise manner on social media, we must be ever vigilant of the diverse audience we are engaging online and work hard to find a delicate communication balance that engages each audience in a meaningful way. The “once size fits all” approach will not be successful here – and it may well be damaging to your organization.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by rebekahhah: 1st @beautifulw collaborative post by @rachelbeer & myself: How do you measure social media success? http://cot.ag/ceoTPd...