Google+ for Nonprofits will show you fast, free, and extremely low-cost ways to put it to work. Author Marc A. Pitman, creator of FundraisingCoach.com, is one of the world's leading non-profit fundraising consultants. He knows what works. He'll show you how to use Google+ to interact more flexibly with board, staff, and donors...easily and centrally build and run your presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; videoconference with your team, anywhere on Earth; even influence millions of Google searches by people who've never even heard of Google+!
Haven't used Google+ before (or even Facebook)? No sweat: Pitman gently acclimates you, writing from the viewpoint of a non-profit pro who knows you already have a full-time job! You'll find expert tips for everything from uploading images to getting board buy-in. Next, you'll walk through using Google+ to improve your entire donor relations cycle: research, engage, ask, and love. Pitman helps you discover what people are already saying about your cause-and then respectfully engage, involve, and thank them. To make it all 100% real, "Putting It Into Practice" sections interview leading non-profit Google+ practitioners-including a Monterey Bay Aquarium innovator who's achieved truly amazing results. Whether you're a fundraising specialist, non-profit marketer, manager, or executive director, this book empowers you with today's #1 new secret of fundraising success: Google+.
An international nonprofit organizational development consultant and fundraising trainer, Marc A. Pitman is the author of Ask Without Fear! and founder of FundraisingCoach.com, a website dedicated to practical ideas for fundraising more effectively.
Because of his dynamic trainings, Marc is invited to speak to organizations such as Blackbaud's Conferences for Nonprofits, Habitat for Humanity International, the New England Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and even the International Bowling Expo. His experience in nonprofit fundraising in many sectors (colleges, prep schools, and healthcare), in executive coaching, and in leadership training has caused him to be featured in books and articles around the world and be sought out as a guest on TV and radio shows including those on NBC, CBS, Fox News, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Committed to making it ridiculously easy for volunteers and nonprofit staff to get fundraising training, Marc continues to write books and has even created a fundraising training DVD set complete with forms nonprofits can print out. That has also been expanded to be an entire board retreat-in-a-box so nonprofit boards will feel confident asking for money.
Marc's experience also includes planting and pastoring a Vineyard church, managing a gubernatorial campaign and teaching. Internet marketing at Thomas College. He was also chosen as one of Maine's first "40 Under Forty," honoring Maine's emerging generation of leaders.
He is the husband of his best friend and the father of three amazing kids. And if you see him drive by, he'll probably be singing '80s tunes loud enough to embarrass his family.
Introduction .....................................................................................1
1 Why Google+ Is the Most Important Tool for Your Nonprofit 3
Why Should I Care? ........................................................................4
Google+ Is All About Driving Traffic to Your Website ............4
Align with the Biggest Search Engine ..........................................5
Social Proof for Your Nonprofit ...................................................6
Convincing the Powers That Be....................................................7
Tying It All Together ......................................................................8
2 Getting Started on Google+ 9
Sign Up ...........................................................................................10
Sharing Posts ..................................................................................14
Setting Up Your Profile ................................................................16
The Posts Link on Your Profile .............................................17
The About Link on Your Profile ...........................................18
The Photos Link on Your Profile ..........................................25
The Videos Link on Your Profile ..........................................26
The +1's Link on Your Profile ...............................................27
All About Circles ...........................................................................27
Shared Circles ..........................................................................29
Sharing Posts with Circles ......................................................31
Viewing Individual Circles ....................................................32
Controlling the Updates in Your Stream .............................33
Photos on the Navigation Ribbon ..............................................34
Tying It All Together ....................................................................35
3 Getting Your Nonprofit on Google+ 37
Creating a One-Page Nonprofit Profile .....................................38
Setting Up Multiple Managers for Your Page .....................39
Completing Your Nonprofit's Page ............................................41
Creating a Compelling Profile ...............................................43
Using Images and Videos on Your Page .............................46
The Size of Your Circles Matters ................................................47
A Final Thought on Circle Size .............................................49
Tying It All Together ....................................................................49
Putting It into Practice: Children's National Medical Center 51
4 The Power of Google+ Hangouts 53
Starting a Hangout in Three Easy Steps ....................................54
Fine-Tuning Your Hangout ........................................................55
Why You Should Hang Out ........................................................57
Using Hangouts to Collaborate ...................................................58
Chat ...........................................................................................59
YouTube ...................................................................................60
Google Docs .............................................................................60
Hangouts on Air: What to Do When More Than 10 People Show Up ............................................61
Tying It All Together ....................................................................63
5 Using Google+ in the Process of Fundraising 65
More Is Not a Goal .......................................................................66
Google+ Is Perfect for Research ..................................................66
Listen and Observe ..................................................................68
Use Your Circles ......................................................................68
Research Prospects ..................................................................69
Tying It All Together ....................................................................69
6 Engaging Your Donors with Google+ 71
Interacting with Posts on Google+ .............................................72
+1-ING ......................................................................................72
Commenting ............................................................................72
Tagging .....................................................................................74
Sharing ......................................................................................74
Hangouts ...................................................................................75
Sharing Your Own Posts ..............................................................75
Broadcasting Hangouts ................................................................76
Tying It All Together ....................................................................76
Putting It into Practice: Monterey Bay Aquarium 77
7 Using Google + to Ask for Money and Advocacy 81
A Word of Warning......................................................................82
Building the Support for Advocacy ............................................82
Types of Advocacy ..................................................................82
Using Google+ to Ask for Money ...............................................86
A Sure Way to Not Raise Money ..........................................86
Make It an Event .....................................................................86
Tying It All Together ....................................................................88
8 Using Google+ to Thank Donors 89
Thanking Is Part of Your Nonprofit's Mission ........................90
Mix It Up ........................................................................................90
It's Not About the Nonprofit ......................................................91
Surprising Donors by Using Google+ to Say Thank You .......92
Tying It All Together ....................................................................94
9 It's Your Turn 95
