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Business and Blogging

How Many Non-Profits Blog?

by Liz Fuller on January 21st, 2008

925147_linked_hands.jpg (businessandblogging.com) Today is Martin Luther King Day in the United States, commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the assasination of Dr. King at the age of 39. Over time, this commemorative day has been transformed into a day marked by service projects for the community. 

I thought in the spirit of community service inspired by Dr. King, I’d take a look at the use of blogging and other social media by non-profit organizations.

I was interested to find this study Blogging for Donor’s hearts done by the University of Massachusetts that analyzed social media use in the largest US charities.

The study determined that 34% of the Forbes 200  (68 charities) have blogs.

I checked the 10 largest U.S. charities and found the following:

  1. United Way  - 3 blogs
  2. Salvation Army  - no  blog
  3. Feed the Children - no blog
  4. American Cancer Society - no blog; extensive discussion boards
  5. Gifts in Kind International - no blog
  6. AmeriCares - no blog
  7. YMCAs in the United States - no blog
  8. American National Red Cross - no blog
  9. Catholic Charities USA - no blog
  10. America’s Second Harvest - no blog

Only one of the top 10 have blogs but apparently there are 33 others among the remaining 190 on the list.

In addition to blogging the Forbes 200 Charities made extensive use of other social media:

41% - Online video

34% - Blogging

34% - Social Networking

33% - Podcasting

26% - Message Boards

13% - Wikis

In all, 3 out of 4 of the largest US charities used some form of social media.

What does this mean?

Considering that only 8% of US Big Businesses use blogs, and only 5% of all US small businesses use blogs, non-profit organizations at 34% usage are leading the way in the use of social media.

What does this say?

Do non-profits better understand the opportunity of blogs and other social media devices to build community and connection?

Do non-profits, which rely heavily on good will, understand the effectiveness of social media to generate it?

What will it take for businesses, big and small, to recognize that they also rely on the good will of their customers, employees and communities in order to succeed in today’s economy?

How can you and your business use social media to better build community with your customers?


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POSTED IN: Non-profits

19 opinions for How Many Non-Profits Blog?

  • b5media - Remembering the Dream: Martin Luther King Day
    Jan 21, 2008 at 8:45 am

    […] How Many Nonprofits Blog? (Business and Blogging) […]

  • Cancer Survivor
    Jan 21, 2008 at 7:01 pm

    LGBT Cancer at http://www.lgbtcancer.com is the blog of the first nonprofit lgbt cancer program in the United States, OutWithCancer http://www.outwithcancer.com .

  • Laura
    Jan 21, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    Thanks for the information Cancer Survivor! (I hope that your user name has a positive meaning.) Non-profits stand to benefit a great deal from blogging.

  • Nathan Ketsdever
    Jan 22, 2008 at 12:57 am

    According to a study released this year from the University of Massachusetts at Darthmouth 75% of nonprofits are using social media. (clearly that doesn’t mean blogging, but its interesting none-the-less)

  • Liz Fuller
    Jan 22, 2008 at 5:58 am

    Hi Nathan

    You’re right - it is interesting and many social media aspects tie in closely with blogging. The full Dartmouth report can be found in the link above at “Blogging for Donor’s Hearts”.

  • Wendy
    Jan 22, 2008 at 7:31 am

    Hi. This is Wendy Harman from the American Red Cross. We are engaged in social media - and dipping our toes deeper into the pool every day.

    We actually do have a blog (redcrosschat.org) but it hasn’t been officially launched yet.

  • Laura
    Jan 22, 2008 at 8:20 am

    Hi Wendy!

    Thanks for letting us know. I think that a blog is an ideal tool for a non-profit. All businesses depend on relationship, but for a non-profit, relationships are especially vital. What better way to build them than through blogging.

  • Meghan
    Jan 27, 2008 at 4:17 pm

    Hi Liz,
    Thanks for taking a look at this subject. I think nonprofits are in a really good position to take up blogging. Primarily because they rely so heavily on public engagement and personal investment in the cause they champion. Nonprofits are build around ideas and movements, natural fits for blogging.

    I think this is only the beginning for blogging in nonprofits. United Way of America has three blogs, but there are actually a number of local United Ways that have blogs throughout the system. I work for United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and we’re finding that our blog (www.speakunited.org) is helping us to raise awareness and engage with the community in a way we never have before. Our blog focuses on the issues in our region. We don’t use it as a fundraising tool. We don’t use it as a newsletter. We use it as a way to fuel the conversation in Massachusetts about the things that matter to our organization: Housing, youth opportunities, the achievement gap, foreclosures and other community issues.

    I think for nonprofits, focusing on issues, is the most important first step in establishing a blog.

    I’d love to talk more about this anytime. Thanks again.

  • Laura
    Jan 27, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    Hi Meghan!

    We’re actually just beginning to explore the impact that blogs have on nonprofits. Stay tuned to discover more! You’re welcome to e-mail either of us to discuss your blogging experience further.

  • Laura
    Jan 27, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    By the way, Meghan, I popped by your blog just know and it looks good.

  • Meghan
    Jan 27, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    Thanks Laura,
    I’ll keep an eye out on businessandblogging for more on nonprofits. And will jump in when I can add some insight.

  • Liz Fuller
    Jan 27, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    Hi Meghan
    I find your words very encouraging:

    We don’t use it as a fundraising tool. We don’t use it as a newsletter. We use it as a way to fuel the conversation in Massachusetts about the things that matter to our organization: Housing, youth opportunities, the achievement gap, foreclosures and other community issues.

    I think it’s great that you’re seeing the many uses of and considerable potential in blogging!

    Liz

  • Leyla Farah
    Jan 28, 2008 at 2:39 pm

    Social networking in general, and blogs in particular, are particularly well suited for non-profits because they rely so heavily on storytelling - something that can be a stretch for for-profit businesses, but something that tends to come naturally for non-profits.

    I council all of my clients to include a robust social networking strategy as part of their annual communications plan, and I write about how best to use social networking tools in a non-profit environment on my blog whenever possible.

    Thanks so much for helping to keep this important conversation moving forward!

    ——-
    Leyla Farah
    Cause+Effect
    Public Relations with a Purpose

    http://www.cause-pr.com
    http://www.causepr.blogspot.com

  • Laura
    Jan 28, 2008 at 8:12 pm

    Hi Leyla!

    Thanks for coming by!

    I think that companies have a story to tell too. It just gets lost sometimes in the rush to make profits. Social networking is a good place to start, but if an organization has lost the human touch, I don’t believe that it will do much good.

  • Leyla Farah
    Jan 29, 2008 at 2:12 am

    Thanks for the warm welcome! I’m always so pleased to see this topic in unexpected places. And I certainly agree that businesses have stories to tell as well! Most successful businesses are driven by their core narrative - rather than simply the bottom line - and profits flow from there.

  • Laura
    Jan 29, 2008 at 8:53 am

    Hi Leyla!

    You’re welcome to come by any time.

  • How One Non-Profit Organization Uses Blogging
    Feb 4, 2008 at 4:55 am

    […] (businessandblogging.com) Last week Liz asked the question, How Many Non-Profits Blog? […]

  • Natalie
    Feb 7, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    Hi,

    Love the posting. Thanks for the great information. I am having trouble with the link to the University of Massachusetts study. Could you send it to me please? Would love to read the results. Thanks so much!

  • Liz Fuller
    Feb 7, 2008 at 3:45 pm

    Hi Natalie
    The UMass study link seems to not work any longer - and I didn’t save a copy!!!

    If anyone has a copy I sure would appreciate it - and I’ll keep looking - it has to exist somewhere!

    Liz

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