Until now, nonprofits had no way of knowing what social media works and what doesn't when they embarked on social media campaigns for fundraising, advocacy or outreach. But that's changed. Ventureneer has developed best-practices guidelines, based on a survey in which nonprofits shared their experience in using popular social media options.

Ventureneer's survey data have led to a free best practices guide for nonprofits using social media. The free guidelines will help nonprofits decide what social media will be best for their cause and their project, as well as how to use that media effectively.

To get the word out about the results and share the new guidelines, Ventureneer will hold a free webinar, Social Media Best Practices for Nonprofits on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 12n to 1pm ET.

The webinar will be taught by Geri Stengel, founder of Ventureneer and an oft-cited social media guru.

"These best-practice guidelines show nonprofits how to get the most bang for their social media investment," said Stengel.

Social media are not equally effective at, say, finding new board members or raising awareness of a cause. Knowing which works best for each purpose can save a lot of wasted effort, Stengel said. In the class, she’ll emphasize how to focus time on the factors that matter:

• knowing the organization’s target market


• what the organization wants to accomplish


• which social media do this best


• how to measure effectiveness

During this free one-hour webinar, participants will find out what it takes for nonprofits to make social media an integral and effective part of their marketing and development plans. This isn't theory. Stengel will have real-life case studies and practical solutions to problems nonprofits deal with.

The online seminar will be useful to all levels of the marketing and development staff that may be involved in planning or implementation of social media strategy.

For more information, visit Ventureneer’s website.

About Geri Stengel
A "graduate" of the corporate world, Geri is also a mentor and teacher, who is up to date on the latest and best marketing practices, including technology and social media.

At Ventureneer, Geri uses Web 2.0 technology to make networking and learning affordable, convenient, and effective, and to market Ventureneer's services. Yes, she tweets, blogs, networks on LinkedIn and Facebook, and tracks the results of each.

Bottom line: Geri knows teaching, she knows business, and she knows social media so she can help you bring your marketing, development or fundraising plan into the 21st century without numbing your mind with jargon or "computerese."

About Ventureneer
Ventureneer connects values-driven small business owners, social entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders with the knowledge they need to make the world a better place and to thrive as businesses. At Ventureneer, entrepreneurial and nonprofit training and advice are practical, accessible, and affordable. Ventureneer has a new approach to learning; one built on Web 2.0 technology, that blends traditional, formal instruction with informal, peer learning. You can learn new skills, collaborate with peers, develop solutions to your real-world problems, get one-on-one help from experts, and access the information you need to make better decisions for your organizations.

Ventureneer

Ventureneer

Ventureneer provides a new approach to learning that blends traditional formal instruction with informal learning derived from problem solving with peers using Web 2.0 technology. Members use Ventureneer to solve problems, request resources or information, seek guidance from others and, most important, how to have the greatest impact. The first phase of Ventureneer a blog called Vistas has launched.

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