This week’s blog prompt is to interview an expert. I interviewed my subject a few weeks ago but decided to wait to write the blog until this week as he is Sam Hoover, Global Social Media Lead for Compassion International. I got in touch with him via LinkedIn and corresponded over email. 

My interest in working with nonprofits started when I was young, unknowingly. My aunt had been a missionary in Thailand for 40 years and would tell us stories about her time over there as we were growing up. When I was in the first grade, I asked her if she could take me to Thailand. She promised that she would when I graduated high school. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out because of her health; my aunt’s Thai friends hosted my mom and me when we could go in 2020.

Last week,  I did a Google Form for friends and family to find out their views on nonprofits and social media as target audiences. I collected 28 responses in 48 hours. Because of my interest in the topic, I asked, “If you follow any nonprofits on social media, who has your favorite presence?” I hoped to find more nonprofits to follow, potential interviewees, and networking opportunities. One that quickly piqued my curiosity was Squires, as I had never heard of an organization representing its chosen demographic. I did a Google Meet with the founder, Shanne Sowards

This week’s assignment is to look at infographics that align with my blog. I hadn’t thought about them with nonprofits and social media before. I spent this week focused on them and figuring out what the consensus on them was in the nonprofit community.

For this blog, I have been interviewing professionals to find out what their nonprofit is doing on social media and learning about social media from their perspective. For this blog, I am flipping the script. I created a Google Form and sent it to friends and family as a target audience. In 48 hours, I received 28 responses. This blog is a reflection of their answers. 

Taking a break this week from interviewing, I am sharing what I have learned based on my first two interviews with Portland Fruit Tree Project and Shred the Stigma.

My blog focuses on nonprofits and their social media usage, but this post will look at Apple’s Corporate Social Responsibility. Are they hitting the mark? 

As a college student and budding PR professional, I am on multiple social media apps. One of my favorites is TikTok. I discovered a creator I enjoyed and learned quite a bit from, as we come from two different life paths. I heard she was involved with a small nonprofit in her state, Oklahoma. I reached out to the nonprofit as I was interested in hearing more of their story, and how they use social media. After all, this interview proves that social media works for small nonprofits, connecting people from different states. 

Every nonprofit needs a social media presence to promote itself, and stand out from the rest. Beyond selecting the appropriate social media platform(s), as I mentioned in my last blog, this blog is centered on maximizing that social media platform. 

There are many things to consider when planning out your social media strategy. Number one on that list is selecting the perfect platform(s) to be on. Each platform targets a different audience (some slightly, others not so little). Selecting the right platform can translate into getting the right audience’s attention. 

This week, Forbes published an article, “Real Resolutions For Real Nonprofits: Ideas To Inspire A Successful Year.” In this article, they touched on a few key points to guide nonprofits regarding gaining support and social media, linking the two together.