Many nonprofit organizations already use Facebook, Twitter, etc. as a tool to communicate, market, connect and…yes..fund-raise.

What about your nonprofit?

What kind of results are you seeing?

Is it worth your time and effort?

There’s a new report that might help you assess the Return on Investment (ROI) of social media for your nonprofit.

Nine out of ten US nonprofit organizations now have a presence on Facebook according to the 2011 Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report.  This is the third annual report.  It summarizes more than 11,000 nonprofit responses in 46 pages.  But you can browse on the topics you find interesting.  And it’s free to download.

Be sure to check out the top ten insights for 2011–including:

• the growth of LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook;
• the nonprofit segments that are getting the greatest successes and
• a few counterintuitive surprises…how social media compares with other mediums (direct mail, events, face-to-face contact).   Enjoy the read!

I think about the coming year:  what do I want to get done?  and how do I actually do it?  I start with a look backward–at last year.  What were the surprises?  What did I accomplish?   And–here’s a biggie– what were some of those things I intended to do all year long…but didn’t get around to doing?

If you didn’t do a similar quiet time for yourself (and thinking ahead for your nonprofit organization), why not schedule a little time to do it before the end of January?  To help get you in a proper frame of mind, I recommend you first look through an easy-to-read but very helpful book.

The book is: The Thinking Life:  How to Thrive in the Age of Distraction by P.M. Forni.  The author reminds us that our to do lists and “should do’s” will eat up a lot of our attention and energy.  He presents some great insights and steps to things to help you move forward this year like:

1. Exercise self-control

(Forni writes:  “Self-Control..this ability is so important that it is widely valued in many diverse cultures”)

1. Be proactive

(Forni: “…pay attention to evidence, evaluate it and have the courage to act upon it”)

1. Let go of the things you cannot control

(Forni:  Ask yourself…“How can I find a new balance that, although different…still works for me?”)

And finally, a biggie..

1. Schedule daily “think time”.

Daily “think time” may be the best productivity tip of all for the year–both for you,  for your nonprofit Board and your staff team.

1) Are we looking for more donations and financial help right now?  What’s our level of urgency?

2) Are we communicating real news to donors? (While showing real results)?

3) Can we strengthen our donor relationship in this environment?

OK–yes, other local and national nonprofits are making their case for cause and cash.   The email and call volume is up.  But talk thru the answers to those questions.

Segment messages and keep a professional tone to guide your 2011 communications plan.  Your nonprofit’s emails, calls and newsletters still need to show the true value that your organization brings to served clients.

Be fresh, be emotional and tell those stories.

You’ll get timely and enthusiastic support from people who learn, care and commit to support your nonprofit.