Amy Sample Ward

MAY 5, 2009

I think this comparison, and context, is a great example of why local (read: non-global) organizations are still key in social change work, and why we need to be building stronger networks for data and information sharing. Instead, we want to keep the power to address issues in the hands of organizations spread around the world.

Local 100

Local Organization Comparison Global 100

Amy Sample Ward

JANUARY 7, 2010

Last month, I presented at the NCVO Foresight seminar: Changing ICT – what does it mean for your charity with a focus on the future of online revenue generation for nonprofit organizations. And it has real impact on the way organizations fundraise.

Social Media 102

Social Media Organization Media Fundraising 102

Amy Sample Ward

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

There are so many tools out there and so many different options pulling us in so many directions that I’ve found many organizations, especially very small organizers, can feel like they are getting tied up in knots. Track your organization and your cause. Create a shared tracking space for your team or whole organization.

Social Media 249

Social Media Management Media Social 249

Amy Sample Ward

JANUARY 20, 2011

When people who work in services, programs, grant writing and fundraising, for example, all share their view of the groups in the community, not only can you start mapping the network but you can also have really rich discussions about the way different parts of your organization view the community. Step 1: Identify all the content.

Metrics 219

Metrics Community Map Template 219

Amy Sample Ward

JANUARY 20, 2012

Social media is one of the most tangible examples of the real time web. . In 2009, for example, two trapped girls in Australia chose to post to facebook for help rather than dialing emergency numbers directly. Another great example is Epic Change. They don’t necessarily think they need an organization in order to make an impact.

Philanthropy 244

Philanthropy Social Media Media Social 244

Amy Sample Ward

AUGUST 28, 2011

—– Whether you are part of a nonprofit organization, an action campaign, a local community, or a school, you know that it is through stories you can showcase your work, change people’s minds, inspire them to make change, or join you to make a difference. or read the entire post copied below.

Story 222

Story Tools Help Online 222

Amy Sample Ward

MAY 28, 2012

Here’s an example of a Senator showing his support for veterans through participation in the #gosilent pledge: Tracking silence. I think it’s a terrific example of the way we can coordinator content and actions across channels to help spread a message or a campaign. Sharing across platforms – Facebook.

Iraq 239

Iraq Afghanistan America Arlington 239

Amy Sample Ward

MARCH 27, 2011

And here are slides from a previous presentation: Twitter.Org: Twitter for Nonprofit Organizations. Please add your favorite blog posts or examples to the list, too! Last week, I had the opportunity to present at the 2011 Volunteer Management for Nonprofits Conference here in New York. View more presentations from Amy Sample Ward.

Twitter 231

Twitter Volunteer Community Build 231

Amy Sample Ward

MAY 18, 2011

The first time I focused on DIY Community Engagement Metrics and shared lots of templates and examples. This time around, my topic was Crowdsourcing vs Community-Sourcing, answering questions about the difference is and what the opportunities are for organizations looking to get connected outside their organization.

Difference 276

Difference Community Case Study Slides 276

Amy Sample Ward

MAY 6, 2013

The new book I co-authored with Allyson Kapin, Social Change Anytime Everywhere , looks at the way nonprofit organizations can use multichannel strategies for advocacy, fundraising, and community building. For example, maybe you notice that you check your email and then go to Facebook. Try this: Stop working for just five minutes.

Business 241

Business People Podcast Broadcast 241

Amy Sample Ward

MARCH 4, 2012

For many organizations, we provide guidance or goals for using social channels to our staff, but this session was for the volunteers who want to make a difference from outside of the organization. Or are you trying to promote the organization? Creating Great Content. Inspiring and recruiting your friends to volunteer with you?

Social Network 228

Social Network Volunteer Network Social 228

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 6, 2011

What that translates to is that a movement is built on collaboration, incorporates co-design between individuals and organizations, and remains focused, even during an event or campaign, on lasting, real impact. In the most simple terms, a movement is when organizations work with, and not for, the community. What’s our role?

Build 220

Build Community Technology Action 220

Amy Sample Ward

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

There are definitely times when community building and even campaigning or organizing feels just like that! But, operating as a community organizer or manager is such a filling and critical role for programs, platforms and even campaigns to be successful that the idea of herding cats turns into searching youtube for cutest kitten videos.

Community 198

Community Management Proposal Roles 198

Amy Sample Ward

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

The mystery of creating real impact using Facebook has eluded many organizations for years now. There are examples of organizations succeeding with a certain campaign but when the campaign is over, they aren’t sure what to do.

Comment 259

Comment Share Support Facebook 259

Amy Sample Ward

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

We can’t forget that to be data-informed as an organization and as decision-makers, we have to actually be informed by that data (see what I did there?). A common example of this that I hear often is with volunteer engagement. Is data helpful if you can’t change it?

Metrics 158

Metrics Impact Change NTEN 158

Amy Sample Ward

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

For example, if you track just how many people come to your website, it doesn’t give you much action. The best of the guide book, though, is the inclusion of an example reporting form and a template to use in your own organization. If the numbers you are tracking don’t give you an action, how valuable are they?

Metrics 227

Metrics Social Media Media Social 227

Amy Sample Ward

FEBRUARY 19, 2011

The first example of direct content is the use of Wikipedia during the 7/7 bombings in London. Another direct content example is that of the number of websites that emerged post-Hurricane Katrina. Another example of indirect content is that of social networks. Examples from Haiti. Direct Content. Indirect Content.

Disaster 206

Disaster Social Media Haiti Media 206

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 13, 2010

The talk: My talk may not be as easily captured in the slides as some of my other talks are since this was a smaller group and I had the time to dive into each example and discuss it with the participants, instead of a more traditional presentation.

Social Media 189

Social Media Philanthropy Media Social 189

Amy Sample Ward

AUGUST 15, 2011

." KnowHow’s impact — Knowhow Nonprofit – Here's a great example of how you can reinvent the way your organization reports it's impact! Would love to see your other examples of annual reports that break the mold! Have you made a video like this?

Web 108

Web Wikipedia Bookmarking Facebook 108

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 8, 2011

It doesn’t just happen with the flip of a switch, but you can start today by changing small things, and even big things, to make your organization a trusted part of the community. Sites like GuideStar and GreatNonprofits make it easy for people that are interested in learning about your organization’s data and history to find it.

Build 228

Build Community Celebrate Leadership 228

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 17, 2010

What makes a Twitter chat different than a blog post, for example, is that the conversation is 1. What’s the point in using “global” tools (social media) for local organizing? Figure out how to bring enthusiastic social media participants into the “inner circle&# of planning & organizing. real time, and 2.

Community 132

Community Build Local Los Angeles 132

Amy Sample Ward

MARCH 5, 2013

For example, start following the common hashtags, watch for popular retweets on Twitter, and check out the commonly shared images and liked Pages on Facebook. You will start to see certain people and organizations rise to the top. Find the Influencers: Social media is a great resource for identifying the champions in your community.

eBook 276

eBook Social Media Campaign Media 276

Amy Sample Ward

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

My friend, Mazarine Treyz , is an accomplished woman: She is passionate about life and supporting nonprofit organizations. Some examples of things you’ll find inside my book: a CD with 80 pages of templates, FAQs and more that you can open up and instantly customize for your fundraising office. And it’s helped readers too!

Guide 233

Guide Fundraising Indonesia Asia 233

Amy Sample Ward

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

A true evangelist is moved to create, is a seamless co-creator with your organization, and is motivated to spread content. Successful organizations intentionally design and construct multiple online channels that enable access for all fans and develop paths for relationship reciprocity and trust, fostering true evangelists.

Blackbaud 105

Blackbaud Convio Conference Participatory 105

Amy Sample Ward

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

Not the best scenario for a campaigner or organizer, but it is the reality. I’d love to hear your examples of campaigning on facebook! org but I know there are lots of great examples out there. Has your organization campaigned specifically on facebook? In the slides, I highlighted some of the work of 350.org

Romania 178

Romania Facebook Campaign NGO 178

Amy Sample Ward

APRIL 5, 2011

The room was full, and participants came up with some terrific examples and options for their organizations. I am part of the Digital Arts Service Corps, which is an initiative of the Transmission Project that pairs tech-savvy AmeriCorps Vistas with organizations dedicated to supporting community media and technology.

Game 195

Game Community Impact Media 195

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 15, 2012

Semphonic Web Analytics Consulting: The X Change Non-Profit Analytics Challenge – "The Non-Profit Analytics Challenge is a rare opportunity for the brightest analysts in the digital measurement field to collaborate & assist non-profit organizations to optimize their websites. "What is your organization accomplishing?

Hunger 120

Hunger Web America Case Study 120

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 30, 2011

Circles are how you organize your contacts. For example, people are talking about viewing their Google+ circles in Tweetdeck or Hootsuite where they can already view Twitter and Facebook. But it allowed for some really organic networking across the platform with functionality that Facebook later dissolved.

Google 267

Google Profile Stream Classes 267

Amy Sample Ward

OCTOBER 18, 2009

What people have already said about Social by Social: “If you’re interested in using social media in your organization, and you should be, Social by Social is the real deal.&#. Craig Newmark , Founder of Craigslist. Tessy Britton, Social Spaces. Mark Walker, Sussex Community Internet Project. So, there’s got to be a catch.

Social 150

Social PDF Case Study Social Media 150

Amy Sample Ward

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

I like to offer suggestions that any organization or community group can put to use regardless of sector, focus, size, geography, or budget. The tools and methods here are designed to be flexible and adaptable so that you can make them work for your organization and needs.

Map 122

Map Content Community Howto 122

Amy Sample Ward

APRIL 4, 2012

A true evangelist is moved to create, is a seamless co-creator with your organization, and motivated spreader of content. Successful organizations intentionally design and construct multiple online channels that enable access for all fans and develop paths for relationship reciprocity and trust, fostering true evangelists.

San Francisco 105

San Francisco Conference Technology Participatory 105

Amy Sample Ward

MARCH 2, 2009

Many organizations struggle with the idea of ROI and metrics when it comes to social media because so much of it feels, well, untouchable. In our example, our problem is that we don’t currently reach those who could participate in our volunteer program. It’s soft and maliable and relative, pretty much all of the time.

ROI 135

ROI Case Study Metrics Student 135

Amy Sample Ward

AUGUST 3, 2010

The power of social media in a global context is two-fold: There’s huge potential with these news tools for real movement building, bringing organizations, campaigns and people together behind a movement and not just one brand or one call to action. What examples do you have to share? FourSquare. What do you think?

Local 143

Local Global Tools Case Study 143

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 22, 2011

Both of these organizations have both been able to figure out how to bring people together across ages, cultures, etc. The Red Cross has been around for 130 years and so much has changed – for example with text-to-give after disasters. We have to collaborate across silos, organizations, other partners on the ground.

Discussion 211

Discussion Generation Donor Structure 211

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 11, 2010

It’s because this is another example of how our tools are defining community. ( Last month’s post focused on that topic using Causes, Ideablob and Ning as references for the conversation.) I can’t imagine organizations or donors feeling comfortable with that deal. Taking a 30% cut of donations seems incredible.

Community 174

Community Ipod Ning Public 174

Amy Sample Ward

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

The infrastructure that supports new innovations and social enterprise requires capacity, just like any other organization. It is not something confined to an “IT department&# any more as everyone (if we are looking at a nonprofit, for example, staff use the website, database, email marketing, etc.)

Support 199

Support Adopt Fund Philanthropy 199

Amy Sample Ward

AUGUST 6, 2009

Some people define it as organizing, especially around specific events, campaigns, legislation, or fundraising. The approach is focused on organic collaboration and growth for the entire community. The approach is focused on executing a preconceived environment, regardless of how natural or organic it may be for the larger area.

Community 226

Community Build Online Social Network 226