Social Media Marketing for Nonprofits Critical Reflection

Critical Reflection #6

Part 1: Article Summary

The article that I elected to focus on in this case is titled, The Impact of Face-to-Face Street Fundraising on Organizational Reputation, by Waldner, Willems, Ehmann, and Giles. The article was published in 2020 in the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing. In essence, the article authors point out that many managers in the nonprofit sector have in the past encouraged the deployment of face-to-face street fundraising as a viable approach in fundraising efforts. However, there are those who feel that this approach or technique is largely inappropriate and unpleasant. On this basis, the authors seek to establish whether this particular fundraising technique has long-term effects, and the nature of such effects. In the final analysis, the authors establish that the said approach could indeed have a negative impact on how various stakeholders view or perceive an organization. More specifically, in the words of the authors, the said negative viewpoints arise as a consequence of “perceived pressure, distrust, and obtrusion, which are triggered by face-to-face street fundraising” (Waldner, Willems, Ehmann, and Giles, 2020, p. 18). The findings highlighted in this case have practical applications in fundraising efforts as well as organizational reputation management. This is more so the case given that the authors clearly indicate that the way an organization is perceived by some stakeholders could be influenced by not only managerial competence and effective resource deployment, but also by the approaches it embraces in its fundraising efforts. Thus, there may be need to take into consideration other fundraising strategies in those instances where it is clear that fundraising behavior of an organization is likely to be taken into account by donors. Other techniques that could be considered are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; organizing special events, corporate partnerships, grant writing, etc.

Part 2: Use of Social Media in Marketing

Advances in technology have effectively resulted in adaptations in the way most organizations operate. To remain relevant, many organizations continue to adapt their operations to reflect the said advances. The emergence of social media and the subsequent growth in its popularity has, for instance, changed the way that organizations engage or reach out to stakeholders. Marketing is crucial function/undertaking for nonprofits as they seek to reach out to volunteers as well as donors.

There are various key benefits that nonprofits stand to reap from the embrace of social media in marketing. One such benefit is that this approach happens to be much cheaper than traditional marketing approaches such as print as well as electronic media. For this reason, the cost savings realized on this front could go into funding various other causes of interest to the nonprofit organization. Further, with social media, a nonprofit organizations can be able to reach out to more persons across the world. This is especially the case given that most social media platforms have a share function that could help push marketing content to more persons. It is also important to note that in this case, it is possible to easily adapt the message put across so as to resonate with specific categories of donors. Also, unlike other marketing approaches such as print media, social media is not limited by geographical distance or other related factors.

There are, however, some downsides of social media advertising that should be taken into consideration. Being aware of the said downsides is crucial in efforts to deploy strategies meant to rein them in. One such downside is that this approach might not be ideal in attempts to reach some categories of persons or donors. For instance, baby boomers are not fond of social media and, thus, when there is a need to engage donors in this age-group, social media marketing might not be an ideal approach. With this in mind, there may be need to make use of a complimentary marketing approach to reinforce social media marketing. Next, it should also be noted that social media marketing calls for some tech savviness. This means that the nonprofit organization that would want to deploy this approach should either employ (or seek a volunteer) who is skilled in social media marketing, or engage the services of an independent outfit to handle social media marketing. In the absence of competent and/or capable volunteers, hiring a person or firm to handle marketing on this front could be an added cost on the part of the organization. Today, a wide range of social media platforms have emerged. A nonprofit organization that is interested in social media marketing is, thus, spoilt for choice. Some of the more popular platforms on this front are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, etc. Others platforms that could also be considered in this case are inclusive of Pinterest, Snapchat and YouTube.