Didn’t get a chance to attend a workshop? Check out notes from this session.

Brooke, who works for Keeva, a company that provides loans for good causes, gave a useful practical workshop along with inspiring facts and videos on social media as a tool to promote a social cause. The audience, engaged and satisfied and frequently threw comments such as “wow” and “that is so true”

Through personal stories and other stories of success Brooke stressed the necessities for success in marketing a social cause.
The story of the notable entrepreneur, Scott Harrison of Charity Water, who managed to use his connections and social networks to raise 1 million dollars for clean water in Africa stressed the importance of the individual and of having a compelling story. Other stories stressed the importance of engaging corporate support, and learning how to use social media from successful organizations who have similar goals.

She gave us 8 practical steps on how to use the power of the social media to promote a cause.
–The most important GIVE AWAY of the workshop, according to Brook, was to understand that there is never a general audience. One must gear his cause toward a specific audience and know each and every donor personally in order to enhance collaboration and ensure future donations.

–Other important steps were to energize and motivate your supporters: because especially today people feel they are insignificant in a world with huge, increasing problems.
–create a strong theme with clear goals because people have extremely short attention spans online.
Pay attention to timing. Don’t post at 11 PM on a Friday night when everybody is out. Find out what audience you want and when are they likely to see the content.
Also, a campaign should have a time lapse. People want to see the result of their donations and do not want to donate to something indefinitely (like the monthly installments Red Cross wants)

Q&A
In Q&A, she answered questions about how to move beyond “slactivism” (when people click” like” or join a group but do not actually get involved physically or significantly).

She said people should connect API to FB. Meaning when someone donates or takes action give him recognition by submitting an official post on behalf of your org. on his wall or on twitter.

She also answered a question asking how to create brand recognition by saying one should use SWOT (strength, weaknesses, oppoortunities and threats) analysis within one’s organization but more imortantly with your audience!

**She also recommended using websites/programs such as Hootsuite and Boomerang when using social networks.