Born to BlogAn introduction to nonprofit blogging

Archana Sridhar

The South Asian Philanthropy Project

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Indiana University

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What is a blog?

• Short for ‘weblog’

• Usually an online journal

• Contains regular commentary or news

• Personal, professional, and/or organizational

• Reverse chronological order

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An example

• Interplast – So No Child Must Wait

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Benefits of blogging

• Substance: Real-time commentary on relevant issues.

• Marketing: Reinforce your brands and claim expertise.

• Outreach: Forum to recognize and cultivate volunteers, donors, and journalists.

• Fundraising: Talk about appeals, campaigns, donors, and drive traffic.

• Community-building: Provide on-line resources and community-building.

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Case Study

• South Asian Philanthropy Project

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Pros

• Instant Publication

• Feedback and Comments

• Searchable

• Automatically Archives

• Links

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Cons

• Dependent on Internet Access

• No Authority or Control

• Too Much Information

• Takes Staff Time– How much?

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How to start a blog

• Think about resources

– How much do you want to pay? – free to hundreds per year

– What kind of tech expertise do you have?

– Look and customization

– Ease of use

– Widgets

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How to start a blog cont’d

• Pick a platform– Google Blogger

– Wordpress

– Typepad

• Can be up and running in minutes!

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Another example

• Kiva Chronicles

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Principles for nonprofit blogging

1. Manage expectations

2. Become an authority

3. Build networks

4. Entertain while being informative

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Some more examples

• PhilanTopic

• Give and Take

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Practical tips

• Use interns

• Keep it simple

• Write informally and often

• Expand into other social media

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Some more examples

• MaRS

• Ontario Nonprofit Network

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Some resources

• CanadaHelps (MyCharityConnects)

• Lucy Bernholz (Philanthropy 2173)

• Beth Kantor (Beth’s Blog)

• Nonprofit Blog Exchange

• NetSquared

• Marnie Webb (ext337)

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Thank you!

• Thank you to:– CanadaHelps

– Cindy Dabney of Indiana University

– Seth Mazow, formerly of Interplast

– The South Asian Philanthropy Project (http://southasianphilanthropy.org)

• Questions?