Building a presence on Web 2.0; How the Foundation embraced social media and why you should too

It is likely you’ve heard of Web sites like Myspace, Facebook and YouTube. These types of tools, referred to as social media or Web 2.0, allow individuals and organizations to shift fluidly and flexibly between the roles of audience and author. By integrating technology, social interaction and words and images, social media allows people to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other.

The types of social media are broad and are still being created, which may cause those unfamiliar with the tools to be overwhelmed by the possibilities. But the key to understanding all social media is that it is the great leveler where users no longer just take in information that is supplied to them, but interact with that information, rate it and upload their own.

Social networking sites have received a lot of attention from the nonprofit world because they align with nonprofits' desire to reach out to larger communities. What’s more, most sites are free, making them an economical choice for effective marketing. When deciding whether or not to participate in social media, there are a few things to consider.

Audiences have shifted online. Consumers are taking control of how, what and where they access information. According to Neilson, in June 2010 three of the world’s most popular online brands are social media related: Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia, and the average visitor spends 66% more time on these sites than a year ago (6 hours in April 2010 versus 3 hours, 31 minutes last year).
                            
There are more than 100 million unique impressions delivered on networks like Myspace and Facebook per month. Facebook added its 500-millionth member this year. The site now has users on every continent, with half of them logging in at least once a day. Chances are people are already online talking about you; join them.

It is a good way to build support, build your database and promote specific actions, like donating to a cause, writing your congressman on an issue or attending an event. Once you connect with a contact, friend or fan, you are also connected to their list of contacts and friends, and their contacts and friends. Essentially, you are accessing the means of exponential growth as 10 of your contacts connect with 10 contacts (10x10=100) and then 10 more contacts (10X100=1,000). For those organizations that do not have a Web site, it is an easy way to establish a simple and fluid web presence. 

For a better perspective, check out this video on the social media revolution.

Web 2.0 replaces the idea of a Web site as a static brochure on the internet and instead transforms your Web site into a community in which you can share your voice, your vision and your brand. It does have the potential to reach new people, including new donors or supporters of your organization.

It is, however, a conversation and if you are not committed to upholding your end of the conversation, then it doesn’t make sense to launch into social media. It requires regular maintenance and updating in order to keep the content fresh and attractive to visitors.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina embraces social media with this blog and through a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. The Foundation began publishing this blog in 2008. Through the blog, the Foundation shares thoughts and news on the Foundation, philanthropy and the plight of poverty in South Carolina.

The Foundation has a profile on LinkedIn, a professional networking site, and a Facebook page. The Foundation also uses Twitter to send 140 character updates, called tweets, to its followers which include legislators, nonprofit and community leaders and media outlets. It is another way for the Foundation to continue to build awareness, network and share its impact. While the current followers may not reach the masses, these tools have led to stories about the Foundation on other organizations’ Web sites, blogs and electronic newsletters.

Despite all of the trends and excitement around social media, many organizations struggle with getting executive buy-in to social media strategies. If there is difficulty in getting understanding and buy-in, discuss social media in the context of the mission of the organization and how it can help achieve the organizations goals, rather than the new and cool factor of the tools.

Conduct internet searches and see what is currently out there about your organization. If there is negative information or worse, no information, show the appropriate persons and have a social media plan to combat current online content and spread your organization’s message. Better yet, see what the competition is doing. Are they reaching audiences and participating in social media? Is your organization left behind?

Recommend more than one platform. If top executives can’t grasp the benefit of YouTube, offer another platform and encourage participation.

Lastly, provide examples of success stories from organizations using social media. In the Society for New Communications 2008 report titled “New Media, New Influencers & Implications for Public Relations” the Mayo Clinic notes that by launching a podcast campaign to share the stories of its customers and advocates and knowledge of its experts, the Clinic significantly increased traffic to its Web site and enhanced its influence.

Another case study in the same report focuses on the American Red Cross and the aftermath of the effects of social media following the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005. At that time the American Red Cross was not participating in social media and was unprepared to respond to the criticisms online, much of it incorrect and misinformation. The Red Cross now has a disaster portal where it creates all of its disaster-focused RSS (syndication) feeds, a blog called Red Cross Chat, a Flickr community where people can share their photographs online and uses Twitter to update followers with alerts during a disaster.

Social media is timely and can influence action. For example, with the recent BP oil spill a Facebook Cause Page was set up called Help Wildlife Impacted by the BP Oil Spill and raised over $67,000 in a short time.

The importance of being social isn’t new. It builds understanding, fosters trust, develops relationships and can act as a catalyst for change. Social media does the same and allows organizations to expand their audience, discover others who share or support a similar interest and creates an online network of contacts and supporters. Go where the conversation is happening: What you give up in control you may gain in valuable information that you didn’t already know.

Brooke Bailey is the director of communications and public policy for the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina

Women & Spirit

The recent pilgrimage by a delegation from South Carolina to visit the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America exhibit in Cleveland was, in a word, exhilarating.  Having worked with religious women for 17 years now, I have a great appreciation for their work and a certain level of understanding of the culture.  It all came together for me during the two hour visit to the Maltz Museum to view the exhibit. Women in religious life are the world’s best kept secret.

Their work has touched millions of people in thousands of different ways and for centuries. I saw pictures of Sisters marching into battle with the Italian army ready to provide aid to the wounded. I saw them putting their lives at risk in the deep South in the 60s and in mission work in foreign countries.

I read about the tragedy of El Salvador and the death of those brave Sisters.  I listened to the story of the great hurricane and flood of Galveston Texas in 1910. It told of the nuns tethering young orphans to their side so they could all band together during the storm. It was a tragic ending and only three survived. When the bodies of the dead were recovered, young boys and girls were still connected to the Sisters by string. What a powerful image.

I was also inspired by the unique but wonderful partnership the Sisters and the Jewish community have developed around the exhibit in Cleveland. We were able to learn about the struggles throughout history in the Jewish faith which, in some instances, has certain similarities to the plight of women religious.

The religious women have built schools, started and run orphanages, created hospitals and nursing homes, cared for unwed mothers, started Alcoholic Anonymous, cared for the starving in third world countries, dealt with AIDS patients and so much more. I think about our own Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and how they have taken risks throughout their religious lives so others could benefit. Their sacrifices have helped thousands in Ohio, South Carolina and beyond.

The common theme, to me, with the Women & Spirit exhibit was humble service but a tenacious spirit and work ethic. In other words, we will get the job done but we are not going to boast about it nor do we need any praise for it. The Sisters are doing God’s work and that is all that matters to them.

The exhibit will be in Cleveland until the end of August and then move to another city in the U.S.  It is worth your time to see it.

One final note:  Our travel delegation representing the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina (11 of us, including six nuns) left the museum overwhelmed with emotion. Shortly after boarding the bus following the exhibit, a song was sung by the group.  These lyrics filled the air, “Praise God for whom all blessings flow: praise him all creatures here below: praise him above, ye heavenly host: praise father, son and Holy Ghost.”

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina

A Call to Women to Join the Fatherhood Movement

Courageous, thoughtful and spirited women have led national movements that fought for women’s rights and advocated for changes in attitudes and policies that diminished women. Men, too, have joined with women-led causes.  
 
Now a national movement focused on men needs the active involvement and support of women.  This movement addresses one of the most devastating trends of our time: father absence. The fatherhood movement focuses on men and the well-being of children.    
 
Being a part of South Carolina’s fatherhood movement for more than ten years, I have seen first-hand ways women can support or hinder the involvement of fathers in their children’s lives.
Here are some useful ways women can support fathers.
 
First, support men in their parenting role.  Men parent differently from women. Research shows that fathers parenting style while different from mothers is important in shaping healthy well-rounded children.  
 
Second, encourage men to find help and get support in their role as fathers. Many fathers have not had a positive father role model in their lives. There are growing resources and fathers groups available to help support men in their role as fathers.  For example, The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, established in 2002 by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, supports local fatherhood programs in eleven communities across the state where low-income fathers can get help.  
 
Third, women in traditional social service and educational roles should foster father involvement.  For some time, we have focused on empowering mothers as parents to the exclusion of fathers.  Admittedly, many dads have not been around leaving mothers to be the sole nurturer and provider.  We need to acknowledge that children suffer without a father’s involvement.  We should ask the question, what role can or should the child’s father play then reach out to get him to become actively involved. Women can support new expectations, policies and attitudes, that foster father involvement much like men have done for women.  

Fourth, women can contribute and encourage increased resources and funding for fatherhood programs.  While women have fought fiercely for much-needed funding for women’s needs, we too must support funding for fathers for the benefit of children.  Supporting fathers does not mean diminishing what is being done for women.  It is simply a recognition that we need both. 

Finally, when the father is not living in the home with the children, mothers and grandmothers are the ones who grant access for fathers to their children.  Mothers and grandmothers hold the formidable role as gatekeepers.  Too often women vent their anger and disappointment with the fathers by withholding the children.  
 
So women, if not for the men, then for the children let’s get behind the fatherhood movement that calls men to be responsible and accountable while providing resources needed to fulfill their role as actively involved fathers. 

Patricia Littlejohn is the assistant executive director of the Sisters of Charity Foundation and the executive director of the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families.

Foundation Asks SC Gubernatorial Candidates Questions Around Poverty

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina asked all South Carolina gubernatorial candidates five questions around poverty and economic opportunity in the state. The five questions reflect general issues and policies that are of concern to the underserved in South Carolina and the organizations and voters working with this population.

After repeated attempts to collect responses, the Foundation only received answers from Nikki Haley (R) and Jim Rex (D).

These questions are one means to assist voters in analyzing some of the significant poverty and opportunity issues of the campaign so that they can exercise their rights in a most effective manner. It is not the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina’s intention to you how to vote. Likewise, Foundation does not endorse or campaign for candidates or political parties. Our hope is that voters will examine the positions of candidates on these issues, as well as their personal integrity, beliefs and performance.

To view five questions and candidates' responses, click here.

Congress Needs to Reauthorize TANF and Change the Distribution Formula; But Right Now Replenish the Contingency Fund

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, along with other Southeastern Council of Foundations members, continue to raise awareness on the impact of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding in our states and advocate for TANF reauthorization.

TANF funding is critical to all states in the Southeastern Council of Foundations (SECF), and the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina is advocating for Congress to reauthorize TANF, and once this occurs to change the funding distribution formula to one that is based on a state’s need. If the amount of funding is increased using the consumer-price index, states making up the SECF would receive a total over $1.5 billion, in addition to current funding, if a formula based on poverty is implemented. A formula that equalizes the payments to states based on the percentage of each state’s population living in poverty would benefit 33 of the 50 states.

Understanding TANF reauthorization may likely be pushed back a year, to 2011, the Foundation believes that there is a more immediate and pressing need, that of the TANF Contingency Fund. 

When TANF replaced the old Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program in 1996, Congress appropriated $2.5 billion to a TANF Contingency Fund. Congress created this fund to accommodate states’ increased caseload during a major economic downturn. In order to access this fund states had to have had an increase in needy families in the state as measured by families receiving food stamps (more than 10% increase for the same period in the prior year). The state was also required to invest additional state dollars on needy families. With the economic downturn in 2008, many states qualified for the fund and the fund was completely depleted in 2009.

Many states depend on this money to take people out of poverty and into work. According to information on the federal fiscal year that ended in September 2009, Arkansas will lose $36,260,975, Maryland will lose $38,183,005, North Carolina will lose $60,447,900, Tennessee will lose $38,304,759 and South Carolina will lose $40,000,000. (Some states may have drawn down dollars in 2010, but that information is not published yet.)

To get a better idea of how the TANF Contingency Fund affects South Carolina, read Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina President Tom’s Keith guest column, The Real Welfare Crisis, that appeared in last Sunday’s (May 23, 2010) The State newspaper. You can also tune into the following SC ETV radio stations or online at Your Day Thursday, May 27 from noon-1 p.m. to hear an interview with Tom Keith and South Carolina Department of Social Services State Director Dr. Kathleen Hayes on this very issue.

Last year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) created a new Emergency Fund under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. Congress provided $5 billion for the Emergency Fund in ARRA. However, this Emergency Fund is set to expire on September 30, 2010.

As you can see the, there is an immediate need for Congress to replenish the original TANF Contingency Fund or extend the TANF Emergency Fund. Since most southern states’ elected leaders do not support stimulus funding, the best approach is to ask Congress to replenish the original TANF Contingency Fund. This funding source was created for use in a down economy, and this is clearly a time when states need access to these funds. As advocates for the underserved in South Carolina, the Sisters of Charity Foundation is working with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, other organizations, foundations and elected officials to figure out how to get this much needed funding to South Carolina and all southern states.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina and other foundations comprising the Southeastern Council of Foundations are all familiar with the poverty that exists in the states they serve. It is a condition we all work hard to change every day. We know the enormous difference this funding can make in our states for families in poverty, and how detrimental it can if we don’t receive it. United, the Southeastern Council of Foundations can act to help our states get an equitable share of any new TANF funding. Working with the state TANF agency, the Governor’s office and our Congressional delegations we can make sure this issue gets the attention it deserves and results in equity for our states.


Brooke Bailey is the director of communications and public policy for the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina

Mothers

There are many things that have occurred at the Sisters of Charity Foundation over the last few months. We have a lot to be thankful for and proud of and our work continues to be fulfilling and promising. There have been some personal things going on too. I am going to share some of my personal thoughts with you as we approach Mother’s Day this year.

In the last four months, both my mother-in-law and my mother died. Both were in their late 80s so their passing was not unexpected but it was very sad and difficult. So as Mother’s Day arrives this year, it feels very different for me. My mother-in-law, Sara Jane, was a person that always put other people first. She was kind, loving, sensitive and genuine. I never once saw her put on airs or try to be somebody she wasn’t. She had a way of making each individual person feel extremely special. She could make or fix anything. My wife, Doris, her daughter, has a lot of those same qualities too. They say that we often grow up to be our parents and, for Doris, that is a wonderful thing. Her mother was as special as any woman I have ever met. Even though Alzheimer’s took her away from us a few years ago, her passing in December was a time of great sadness. I miss her dearly.

My mother, Johnnie, was a doting and loving mother. She was always worrying about my brother and me. She raised us in a strong Christian, small town environment. She gave us the grounding to treat others with respect and always try to do your best in every single situation. My mother lived a life of love surrounded by family and friends. She taught me to be kind and loving to all people no matter whom they were or where they came from. “God made us all equal” she would say and she meant it. Mother died suddenly in February and it has been extremely difficult. I miss her so much; I saw her on a regular basis and her death has left a void for me and my family.

But my mother and mother-in-law live on. They live in my wife and me and their memory lives in and with many people that we come in touch with each day.

On behalf of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, I would like to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there. May each of us give you the love and support you deserve and never take you for granted. Mothers are the lifeblood of each and every one of us and, they continue to touch us, either through their loving hands today or through the memories of that love from the past.

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina

Leaders of the Future Must have Different Skills

It is time for baby boomers to face the fact that our time is running out in the work force. Unless, we plan to work until we are 80, then our years are dwindling quickly and, sooner than later, we will be gone. You might ask, “so what?” and that is precisely why I write this.

I believe there is going to be a gaping hole between current leadership in the philanthropic world and the next group of leaders. Why? Because we don’t really have a plan in place to truly prepare the next group of leaders, and the skills and abilities needed for the next generation of leaders is going to be vastly different than those we exercise today.

Reflecting on when I first started with the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina back in the mid-90s, I think about how we only had one computer in the entire office and it belonged to the secretary. Everything was copied and filed manually. We still used an electric typewriter for goodness sakes! We transformed in the past 15 years and will continue to evolve in the next 15 years with new and innovative ways to operate. Information technology, communications, social media, etc. is at an accelerated pace.

Information technology will be the single most important force that will drive philanthropy over the next two decades. I think about the goals of the Sisters of Charity Foundation in the coming years. We will utilize technology to teach and train hundreds more nonprofit practitioners than ever before. We will communicate and inform through mediums that have not be used before. We will report and share findings in exciting new ways. We will be able to take the Foundation office with us no matter where we go. Everything will be a click away.

The next generation leaders must be willing and able to embrace this reality and treat it as an opportunity. We have a chance to make philanthropy more efficient, more informative and with better and more definable results. This may also change staffing patterns and the role of staff. Our future leaders will be able to utilize new tools and analyze old methods to improve the organization’s overall effectiveness both internally and externally. There is no prescriptive CEO manual that we can hand to the next generation of leaders. It is not available and it shouldn’t be. To me, it will come down to a select group of people that are high energy yet compassionate, mission-driven, flexible, innovative and technologically savvy.

People are at the heart of our work in philanthropy and that should never change. However, doing business in 2025 is going to be a whole new ballgame. I hope I am still alive to see these leaders in action. It will be as invigorating and exciting as anything you could ever imagine and I think the opportunities are endless. Oh, if only I was age 35 again!

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina