Compiled February 25, 2016
By Claudia Bzezinski, Emily Damstetter, Anna Grettenberger, Dara Portnoi, Anita Shah, and Sarah Leeson
INTRODUCTION
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. (Michigan Itinerant Shelter System - Independent Out of Necessity) is an Ann Arbor based nonprofit that works to provide support to self-governing tent communities of Washtenaw County, Michigan. They do this by creating a partnership between the homeless and the home-full to empower the homeless and give them a voice where they are typically not heard. Their activities range from receiving and distributing donations to efforts in cleaning up areas in which the homeless reside. M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s current main project is their day warming center. In this project, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. partners with the faith communities to provide safe, substance-free facilities for the homeless to come during the cold winter months for shelter, warmth, and food.
The ultimate goals of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. are to have homeless rights recognized, give the homeless control over their own lives, and continue to establish and support democratically self-governed tent communities that are supported by the local community of Washtenaw County.
While M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has a website, Facebook page, and Twitter account, their current social media platforms are not as effective as they could be in terms of reaching their ultimate goals. Our team is going to assist them in achieving these goals by helping M.I.S.S.I.O.N. better use social media to promote awareness, while also drawing in supporters and volunteers from the local community. Their main online audiences are the faith based communities, volunteers, and supporters.
To do this, we will revise and revamp the website, Facebook, Twitter, make decisions about the blog, and develop a future strategy for additional social platforms. Creating an easily navigated, clear and concise website will create a strong and reputable online presence. Forming more connections on Facebook will engage followers and increase support. Finally, using a powerful storytelling voice in content and regularly updating their Twitter will provide easy access to information about current events and relevant pressing issues. Deciding whether or not M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is able and wants to keep the blog and creating a future strategy for other social media platforms will help M.I.S.S.I.O.N. create a path to further strengthen their online identity.
Creating a strong online presence will ultimately further M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s goals because it will give the homeless the voice they do not usually have. Furthermore, using a powerful storytelling voice, coupled with easily accessible information on the website will get more volunteers and supporters involved and will provide the resources (advocacy, material items, and information) M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and the homeless community need to take control of their lives, establish and sustain democratically self-governed tent communities, and have their rights respected and heard.
This document aims to evaluate M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s current communications and provide suggests to improve their online presence. This paper will first present a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s current social media. Subsequently, a detailed communications plan will be presented that will serve to identify objectives and audiences, explain the integration of the plan with respect to other functions of the organization and social platforms, address necessary organizational culture change, assess the capacity for implementation of the plan, discuss the best tactics and tools to use in implementation, and provide a specific way to measure the objectives described.
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has an incredible amount of strengths that will help them succeed while growing their social platform. This organization’s strongest features include: Online Presence, M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s Atmosphere, and their Network.
Online Presence
While there are elements to M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s online presence that will be strengthened by reformatting their platforms, working toward social media engagement goals, and creating a content schedule, there are a great deal of positive things to say about the current atmosphere that the nonprofit creates online. The content on the website is extensive, showing a great deal of history behind the organization and a high level of transparency. Plus, the tone it strikes in its digital communication is personable, open, and candid which serves to represent the atmosphere of the organization as a whole.
Additionally, the logo that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. uses in its branding has a great deal of value in representing the organization and establishing ties with the local college community since it was created by U of M art students. The design has a great deal of symbolism, showing refreshment, unity, and community involvement, which serves to represent the larger goals of the organization. Through this consistent branding with this logo, the online identity of the organization is further established. M.I.S.S.I.O.N’s logo is strong, representational, and has a great underlying meaning.
M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s Atmosphere
One aspect that is very important to M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is the sense of community they provide between the homeless and also between volunteers. Each person involved is passionate about the organization, and appreciate the magnitude what they do for the homeless population in the area. They also have the advantage of being very knowledgeable in the subject of homelessness because many of the board members are homeless themselves or have been in the past. Having this insight allows them to focus on what the homeless people of Ann Arbor actually need to improve their lives. All of these aspects together form a supportive network that works toward improving the organization as a whole. This includes the drive necessary to alter their online presence.
Network
A strength within the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization is their wide outreach to many different networks within the Washtenaw County area. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is interconnected within the Homeless community, the Faith community, and the Ann Arbor community. The Homeless community is benefited by M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s services, which overall makes the members want to get more involved in their vision. The Faith community supports many members of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. by providing the warming center and food at various times of the day. These networks are very valuable and this organization would not exist without them and their strong desire to help M.I.S.S.I.O.N succeed. In terms of online reach, these networks will further benefit the online presence because many people already believe and support the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization.
Weaknesses
Along with M.I.S.S.I.ON.’s strengths, the organization has a few weaknesses relating to their web presence. The two main weaknesses we suggest focusing on include: Social Platform Content and Organizational Aspects.
Social Platform Content
Social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, can be extremely beneficial for nonprofit organizations, but they must be executed consistently. To reach their potential, social media profiles should post regularly to maintain a strong presence within the online sphere. With consistency, social media can really benefit an organization and reach a large audience.
We suggest that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. be cautious when mentioning other organizations, such as Mercy House or Hill House, on their own website. There is not enough differentiation between the three organizations, and it may be confusing for an audience who wants to learn how they can support M.I.S.S.I.O.N in particular. While the alliances that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has with these organizations are extremely important, unclear information on their website could lead viewers to misinterpret M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s identity. By clearly differentiating M.I.S.S.I.O.N. from Mercy House and Hill House, website viewers will have a good understanding that these are separate partnerships and do not have the same goals as M.I.S.S.I.O.N.
Furthermore, the organization of the content on the website is crucial to the experience that the user has when visiting M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s website. The website would benefit from a more strategic division of information to ensure that viewers have a pleasant and educational experience. If information is not easy to find or repeated in multiple places, the website loses its capacity to deliver information clearly and reflect M.I.S.S.I.O.N. in a positive way.
Lastly, there is a lack of clarity in navigation and identity when it comes to the accounts and websites that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. uses. In particular, when a user clicks the “get involved” button on the website they are taken to an entirely new, nearly unpopulated website that tells them little about how to get involved. This function for getting involved in a nonprofit is crucial since volunteers are always needed, yet the process is unclear so it becomes difficult through the website. Similarly, there have been three Twitter accounts started and abandoned over the years that bare M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s branding. This inconsistency and unclarity creates confusion for the organization’s identity online which can be fixed through merging the accounts into a singular one.
Organizational Aspects
While there are many organizational aspects of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. that promote their success, there are a few areas we suggest addressing.
Currently, there are no assigned roles for social media responsibilities. Because of this, some social media outlets have been neglected for long periods of time, with no recent information being delivered to viewers. Having unidentified roles also creates the problem of discontinuity in social media content, because there are a multitude of people working on social media at different points in time without an agreed strategy.
Furthermore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has many amazing projects they lead and are involved in. While their vast involvement and passion is a strength of the organization as a whole, it can tend to push the task of social media to the bottom of their list of priorities.
For these reasons, we have developed a suggestion of specific social media roles to be delegated within the organization, hopefully at a meeting, which will be described in the “Communications Plan: Capacity” section.
Opportunities
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has many great untapped outside resources available to help better their online presence and promote their M.I.S.S.I.O.N..
Mercy House
Although started by some of the same people who began M.I.S.S.I.O.N., Mercy House is a separate organization that also aims to serve the homeless in Washtenaw County. It is a resident of Ann Arbor’s home that is available to the homeless community during the day. Mercy House is a place of refuge from the weather where visitors can shower, wash and dry clothing, enjoy meals and simply sit and talk with one another. At times, it has even been used for emergency housing.
Mercy House could serve as a place for the homeless community to meet, talk, and work on a shared communications project. In addition, Mercy House and M.I.S.S.I.O.N. could engage in collaborative online fundraising, as they are both smaller organizations that could benefit from the economies of scale of shared resources.
Advocacy Opportunities
There are many opportunities for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to create connections in local communities that would help with their advocacy work, especially in cases where they are up against local government policy. For instance, in December, a group of homeless people were forced to evacuate their camp near Burton Road. In situations like these, it would be highly beneficial for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to use their website as a tool to get supporters involved in advocacy. A few examples of how they could do this are as follows: setting up online petitions against a city ordinance, providing draft letters and contact information so that people can write letters to the City Council directly, and providing another perspective of the issue at hand, putting the homeless in good light. This will
The three communities we have identified that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. would most benefit from building an online social network with are:
Although M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has reached out to the faith community to provide resources and volunteers, they have not yet realized the full potential of this community for advocacy goals. Many religious congregations are active on social media and it would benefit M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to have those groups sharing information about homelessness in Ann Arbor and the work M.I.S.S.I.O.N. does to their followers.
Since M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has already established connections with the faith communities, they should focus upon expanding their local network outside of that. In order to do so, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. should identify the specific groups of people who will be most resistant and who will be most support and then focus on increasing their reach to those group. One group of people who may be most resistant are the property owners and residents who live in areas where M.I.S.S.I.O.N. would like to set up Tiny Houses and tent communities. On the other hand, people who are already involved in other local organizations that serve the homeless and students who study social work or public policy may be the most likely to give support to M.I.S.S.I.O.N. Increasing involvement from these specific groups of Ann Arbor residents and local University members will benefit M.I.S.S.I.O.N. greatly in terms of resources and advocacy work.
The members of the faith, Ann Arbor and University communities are often very connected with each other and creating a social network with these groups would promote the spread of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s amazing work and efforts, prompting even more people to join and help support their mission.
Threats
Although M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is well established in the Ann Arbor community, like any organization, it is not immune to external factors that may jeopardize its work and communications.
Public Perceptions of Homelessness
In its essence, homelessness is not a glamorous charity. Unfortunately, when someone who has not been affected by homelessness thinks about it, they do not feel warm and fuzzy on the inside like they would after watching an ASPCA commercial. Therefore, it can be hard to attract supporters from a crowd that is accustomed to charities with more positive connotations.
Furthermore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s goal of supporting the homeless community can be misconceived by the public as supporting continuing homelessness. For this reason, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. must be very careful in the way they present themselves so that the public sees the truthful version of their organization--one that recognizes that homelessness is inevitable and works to help those affected by homelessness lead the best lives they can, as they have the right to do.
Due to the flawed public perception of homelessness, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. devote extra time to presenting themselves in the most positive light as possible and informing the public about the truths of homeless.
Homeless Shelters
There are many homeless shelters in Ann Arbor, and while M.I.S.S.I.O.N. does provide information about them on their site, they can be seen as a potential threat. Homeless shelters have a higher profile and legitimacy in the public eye; therefore, because M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has been on a smaller scale thus far, they may be perceived as illegitimate in comparison. Due to their higher profile, bigger donor base, and larger ability to fundraise, homeless shelters may draw away from the potential volunteers and donations that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. could be receiving.
Ann Arbor City Government
Many of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s efforts are constrained due to the rules of the local government and city ordinances. Homelessness in Ann Arbor is often a controversial subject within the Ann Arbor City Council. While homelessness is recognized as a serious problem in Ann Arbor, many people do not see tent communities or camps as a viable option and such communities are oftentimes broken apart by city ordinances and council decisions. For example, zoning rules have recently forced members of a tent community residing behind Hill House to vacate, leaving those people without places to stay or their fellow community members for support. Zoning rules such as these mean that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. cannot accomplish everything they want unless local residents persuade the City Council that things such as tent communities can and should happen.
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. faces pushback from the local city government in a broader sense as well. Part of the government’s job is to enforce rules and they desire Ann Arbor to be seen in a certain light (full of wealthy, upper-class, family-raising people) in order to attract more of the like to live there. Because of this, the government may not have interest in M.I.S.S.I.O.N. since they are foundationally a group with the radical idea of self-governance that goes against much of what the city government stands for. This fundamental dissonance between the city government’s philosophy and M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s can make it challenging for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to gain the government’s cooperation on projects.
Having to deal with the challenges they face from the government can take away from time and resources they could spend on other areas (i.e. communications) and restrict what is possible for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to accomplish.
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
Objectives
Social media is an extremely beneficial resource for nonprofit organizations to use to drive the social change they are seeking. It could be a huge asset to MISSION if it is used efficiently and productively, because of its ability to connect the organization with supporters and volunteers. The connections that social media foster can not only allow M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to deliver messages to their supporters, but also provide opportunities for supporters to get involved and enter the unique community that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is creating. By maintaining social media accounts that are active and professional, MISSION will be able to update followers about prominent issues in a timely fashion, garner new support by engaging with new people, and create a place where conversations can happen. Ultimately, social media allows MISSION to reach a larger audience, thereby creating the opportunity to create a larger impact when advocating for the rights of homeless people in the Ann Arbor area.
Website
M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s website is the perfect online platform for delivering useful and important information to website viewers. This can be a space for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to create an online presence that reflects what their M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and vision are. Since a website is not very interactive, those who visit the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. website will be receiving information, but not commenting or replying in return. With this in mind, it is important to remember that a website is a direct reflection of the organization that is creating and organizing the content on the site. By making information about M.I.S.S.I.O.N. easily accessible on the website, the people visiting the page will have a good impression about the organization. In order to create a website that is easily navigable, consider making these alterations:
Facebook
Facebook will give M.I.S.S.I.O.N. the opportunity to interact with supporters and followers in a way that the website cannot. In order to have successful Facebook presence, it is important to be consistent and organized with posts. A wonderful objective for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to have with their Facebook account would be to get supporters to take action and invite new voices to participate in their projects. To capture the followers’ attention and keep them interested in the things being posted, make sure to keep posts relevant and interesting. Here are some recommended ways to create connections through a strong Facebook presence:
See “10 Facebook Page Nonprofit Practices” for more in depth tips and tricks.
Twitter
Twitter is another social media platform that has opportunities for not only the delivery of information, but also the valuable interaction with followers and supporters. Tweets can only be 140 characters, so information disseminated through Twitter would be short and sweet. This is a wonderful opportunity for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to update followers on relevant events and issues through tweets that are fast-paced and straight to the point. Maintaining a Twitter takes a good amount of time and dedication, but it could be beneficial to MISSION because it could allow them to disseminate important information to their followers on a platform that is more casual and spontaneous than Facebook, per say. Twitter’s unique format of succinct pieces of information can allow M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to:
To maintain a productive and valuable Twitter account:
Check out “10 Twitter Best Practices for Nonprofits” for more ideas and advice on how to use Twitter successfully.
Audience
The identity of an organization is important, but it is sometimes difficult to articulate what exactly that identity is. When discovering their identity, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. might consider who their audience is in an attempt to discover more about their purpose. In thinking about which audience each platform serves best, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. can have a better idea of what content should be released on each platform. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is extremely unique in that it attracts two very different audiences. The organization serves the homeless people of Ann Arbor by creating a supportive community for them as they live this difficult lifestyle. Furthermore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. attracts the support of many local faith communities and volunteers who are interested in supporting the vision that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is seeking.
Website
The audience of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s website is supporters who are interested in finding out information or viewers that are passing by because of curiosity. These viewers may have come across the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. website because they saw a link on social media, or perhaps they googled “Ann Arbor nonprofits” and saw the website. Content on the website should be generated with these audiences in mind. All information should be relevant, clear, and easy to read. Furthermore, the two unique audiences that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. attracts can be considered when creating tabs on the website. By creating a “Get Involved” tab, volunteers who are interested in supporting M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will click on this tab to see the opportunities they have. A tab labeled “Resources” will attract people from the homeless audience who may be visiting the website in hopes of finding information about what aid or support they can receive from M.I.S.S.I.O.N..
Facebook/Twitter
The audience of Facebook and Twitter is most likely to be technologically comfortable people who enjoy socializing through social media. Those who follow M.I.S.S.I.O.N. on Facebook and Twitter are invested in M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and want to hear what the organization has to say. Therefore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. should be mindful of how their Facebook and Twitter audience is different than that of their website. Facebook posts and tweets are a great way to remind followers of upcoming events, relevant issues, and reminders of their need for donations, volunteering, and support. Through consistent and captivating posts, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will remind followers of their presence in the Ann Arbor community.
Integration M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and Digital Communication
While the organization has some incredible pieces of online presence, there are only limited ways that digital communication can serve an organization’s goals without proper integration between accounts and the larger system of a nonprofit. In this way, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has some clear opportunities for growth by way of linking up the various digital media that are currently being utilized or not by the organization. In connecting these different platforms, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has the chance to solidify its online presence and create a more focused and cohesive identity online.
Website
Consistent branding between platforms is crucial to an online presence and identity, but it can be just as important to have consistent formatting and branding within the website alone. Keeping a relatively uniform design between pages in order to fulfill navigation expectations for users will help viewers quickly find what they are searching for in the site. Between pages, elements such as the donate button, social media links, and navigational tools should be in the same places to help with visual consistency.
Facebook and Twitter
The organization currently has three Twitter accounts that have been started and abandoned at different times, and has no Facebook page or group that the team was able to locate. However, if these resources are utilized efficiently, then these accounts can become an integral part of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s outreach and communication.
In order to integrate the social media accounts into the larger website and overall digital connectivity of the organization, it’s first necessary to clearly establish what account or page is being used by the organization. While Facebook will simply need a page or group to be created to begin integrating it into the larger online presence of the organization, in the case of Twitter, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will need to either:
In these accounts’ “about” or “bio” areas, it’s necessary to offer links to these external sites clearly and consistently in the main site. Clickable social media links on the same spot on every page will allow for users to easily access these other social media sites where they can learn up to date information, browse recent activity to learn more about recent efforts, or interact with organization leaders or those in the community who follow the accounts. An RSS feed on a sidebar or something similar on the main website would also boost integration between platforms.
The curate these accounts and integrate them into the larger communication effort, relevance of content to the organization’s M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and goals will be key along with easily accessible links to bring users back and forth between accounts and websites; in the account bios, there should be prominent links to the main website. In terms of integration through content, the accounts should not only be sharing articles, images, etc. from local and larger events or news concerning homelessness, but also posting about upcoming events and meetings, current organization needs, and other timely pieces of information.
Instagram
The creation of an Instagram account is a suggestion for future social media integration once the website and Facebook or Twitter, the main priorities, are well established. Instagram is, in essence, a photo diary, which allows for a great deal of personal, human-centered storytelling as well as creating an exhibit of all of the projects that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has been working on. It also presents a unique opportunity for a variety of social media campaigns, such as Humans of New York style exposes.
In creating and upkeeping an Instagram account, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. can easily connect with not only its audience, but also its other accounts. Just like the other social media accounts, this one can also be easily linked by a button or icon in the main website on every page, but it can also easily connect to the other social media accounts-- Facebook in particular as they share a common owner. By linking up content on the two pages, there is an additional level of consistency across platforms. Integrating this site into the larger network of online presence for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. may also mean cross-posting images or links to Instagram posts in place like Twitter or a newsletter.
Blog
A consistent, well-curated blog could be an outstanding addition to the larger story and communication for M.I.S.S.I.O.N., and it also serves one of the organization’s main mission goals of providing a voice to those that they serve. At the same time, the medium does have some drawbacks in terms of the time it takes to keep a regular schedule of new content.
While the organization does currently have a blog connected to the website, it is largely inactive and in need of further integration into the larger network of outreach. As a medium, it appears to be unconnected to other areas of outreach, such as the newsletter or social media accounts, in both content and links.
Options for integration:
Fundraising
For many nonprofits, offering clear instructions to gaining monetary support is one of the most useful features that online fundraising can offer. Since there is little fundraising that currently goes on within M.I.S.S.I.O.N., the simplest integration for fundraising methods is a prominent donation feature on the main website, and links on any other social media bios. For the donation website feature, there should be a button in the same spot on every page, placed and designed in a way to draw the eye, that links users directly to the donation page. Using a similarly designed button on other account pages for linking to the same donation page creates a heightened connectivity between platforms. The link then should take donators to an a user friendly and trustworthy site, such as paypal, where the donation can be made. For more specific efforts, such as finding housing for a needy family in an emergency, other platforms that utilize crowdfunding such as GoFundMe might also be good options to consider.
Newsletter
Similar to the blog, this medium allows for regular content sharing and some in-depth information to be shared with those that are subscribed to receive the newsletter. Contrary to the blog, however, these medium is shared directly with those that have previously explicitly expressed interest in receiving updates on the organization or cause.
The newsletter can act as an aggregator of information, pulling together recent blog posts, the type of content and news that has been being shared on social media, and more sensitive information about the goings on of the organization. In this way, the newsletter itself is well integrated by nature into the other content and media that represents M.I.S.S.I.O.N. online. The newsletter can be further integrated on the website through an archive of previous issues and an option to subscribe to the newsletter to hear more about the organization as a whole. This subscription option should be easy to find along with with other ways to get connected with the organization, namely the social media links. To keep the difficulty of email campaigns to a minimum, there are a variety of platforms, such as MailChimp, that can be extremely useful for managing subscription lists and the content of the emails.
Culture ChangeA New Plan
This organization is still the same nonprofit that it was previously, and all proposals are made in the best interest of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s larger goals. By creating a consistent online presence, whether all at once or by implementing one piece at a time, we expect that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will reap all the benefits that expanding its network and community online can offer.
Proposed Digital Communication Policies
While the specific tone and content that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. desires for its online presence is entirely up to the discretion of the organization leaders, there are some general guidelines that may help with consistency and larger integration when it comes to digital communication policies and integration. These guidelines should act as general principles for the curation of web pages, social media accounts, blog posts, and more.
For more information on creating a social media policy, we would recommend this helpful guide from ConnectingUp.com, “Creating Social Media Policy for Your Not-for-Profit,” and for some further tips on visual style guidelines for website upkeep and other media like blog posts, Janice Redish’s book, Letting Go of the Words, could be a great asset, particularly chapters 5-7, 10, and 11.
Capacity
The M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization’s board meetings are very well structured and strategic; every decision is made keeping their beautiful vision in mind. Before any change can be implemented in this organization, the board (12 members) must take a vote with the majority ruling. The board is made up of a blend between homeowners and the homeless, providing a wider perspective when making decisions to benefit the common goal. At the weekly board meetings, there are several documents highlighting all topics ever discussed and all motions passed including the time and date.In order to implement the online changes our group suggests for M.I.S.S.I.O.N., roles must be assigned to interested board members regarding how and who will continually manage the social media platforms; this will ensure consistent posting.
Who will implement changes?
When deciding who will implement and upkeep our website re-design, our team must consider who has the most time for updating/innovation and also, consistent internet access. Our overarching goal is to create a user friendly website that spreads awareness for the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization across the Ann Arbor community. In order to gain a substantial online following, organizations must update their website and social media accounts frequently and consistently. We understand someone is currently in charge of updating the Weebly domain website. We suggest three added positions to ensure this regularity in updating and posting to occur.
We want the committee to know that we are hoping for the website to be: simple, informative, and user friendly. Currently, we have not created an efficient work flow because we are waiting for the next board meeting to talk with our subcommittee and discuss initial logistics. For example, what are our main principles we want to set as a team to make this re-design include everyone’s wants and needs? We are certain changes will occur and passion will spark in the web-site redesign. Tate has already shared with us some ideas he has about how to implement the history into the website using many photographs he has kept from previous years. Once our weekly sessions begin with the committee, an efficient work flow will begin to form through trial and error of the benefits and challenges we see on the site. As of now, we are not thinking we will need outside experts. With the reading we’ve done in class and our prior knowledge of creating and using websites, we believe we can create this on our own using mostly the internet as our only outside source. The internet could provide us with more research, nonprofits sites, and make us more knowledge if we get stuck or need another perspective while designing.
Tactics and Tools
When thinking about the most efficient tactics and tools our team can use to complete the re-design process, we hope to develop key features and communication styles that help spread awareness about our organization’s vision. These suggested key features and communication styles need to remain consistent even after the committee has finished the site re-design. In terms of implementation, these tactics need to be absorbed and integrated into the new website for M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s online audience. Our group believes that the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. committee created for website re-design is a group of dedicated, passionate, and excited board members willing and able to work with us.
Communication Styles
The communication styles we are hoping to implement when using the new site for the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization first and foremost need to be agreed upon by the committee. The current communication styles on the site share good content with the intended audience, however lack a consistent tone and overall presence. We believe the three communication styles that should be most focused on are Storytelling, Marketing, and Engagement. These styles were chosen based off of our audience and hopes for M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s growth through spreading online awareness.
Lastly, the way we approach our updated content with these communication styles will create success for the organization as a whole. Our selections make this possible because tying consistency with the passionate people of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will result in more donations making expansion possible.
Measurement
Most of the homeless individuals M.I.S.S.I.O.N helps are reached out to by word of mouth, so this means that the majority of the people viewing the website are people interested in volunteering in their community and doing other charitable work. Because of this unique dynamic, it will be important to measure changes in how these people view and appreciate the website. One aspect to measure is the effectiveness of changes implemented to improve the user experience. There are a few ways to track the progress of this, including the amount of calls or emails received to ask for clarification for something on the website. In theory, if there are fewer calls and emails asking for clarification after the website changes are made, then we have effectively created a clear and user friendly website.
Another aspect of the website progress to be measured is our SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. One large aspect of search engine optimization is getting your site to the top of the navigation page. Fortunately, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is already at the top of the Google page when “mission Ann Arbor” is searched, but ideally we would like to expand on this and come up closer to the top of the first page with other key search words. Tools such as Google Analytics can be downloaded to help track website progress. We can also simply track this by picking out some more key search terms such as “homeless,” “nonprofit,” and “volunteering,” and track how far up we appear on a search engine page when these terms are entered and compare the results from before and after the website update. If our page is higher up on the search engine page with these new keywords, then we have accomplished greater search engine optimization. In terms of social media there are several platforms that we can use and measure our progress.
To dive a little deeper into these goals, Facebook has many tools to track your page’s progress. For instance, it is possible to see how many people have viewed the page, which will be a helpful way to track the effectiveness of the page. It is also possible to view what demographics are viewing the page. By learning who, and how many people are viewing the site we can better adjust posts to make them more successful. The goals listed above for Facebook are very low, but they are reasonable for the first month after implementation, considering current Facebook activity is limited.
Twitter is a very different platform than other social media sites. However, we want to measure similar progress as we do with the Facebook page. For these social media accounts to be effective, they will need to be active and engaging. Measuring exactly how much activity we input into the sites will keep things organized, and encourage growth of the sites. Keeping up with social media will support their chances of success, and altering the website to adapt to viewer’s requests will improve overall Internet activity.
CONCLUSION
The main goal of this communications plan is to give an outline of ways to improve and grow M.I.S.S.I.O.N’s online presence. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is already equipped with several strengths, but continuous improvement and modification is crucial to the success of online platforms. This organization has the advantage of a strong identity as an organization and members that are deeply invested in the cause. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. also has a solid network of other organizations that they work together with to benefit the community. All of these aspects create a strong organization that has a clear identity and feeling of genuineness that is effectively portrayed online. However, there are some specific problems with their internet platforms, including confusing layouts, and inactive social media sites.
In terms of internet goals, reworking the website, Facebook page, twitter feed, and blog will be essential to improvement efforts. Making the website more easily navigable and more aesthetically pleasing will improve M.I.S.S.I.O.N’s overall online appearance. It will also be helpful to utilize social media sites more effectively, in order to keep members and volunteers connected and involved. Being more active and frequent with updates and posts to all social media sites will vastly improve online experience for users who wish to be more involved. All of this can be accomplished fairly easily using the tips and tactics we laid out in this communications plan. Many simple changes will equate to a vast improvement of social media accounts and the website.
These changes in online presence will help M.I.S.S.I.O.N. better achieve their vision for the organization as a whole. They hope to help create a community for homeless people in Ann Arbor, and to support them with food, supplies, and warming centers. By improving their website and social media sites, they can reach more people in the community, and better provide for their cause.
Works Cited
ConnectingUp.com, “Creating Social Media Policy for Your Not-for-Profit,”
Janice Redish’s book, Letting Go of the Words, particularly chapters 5-7, 10, and 11.
Goldsmith, M. (2007, August 15). Storytelling and the Art of Persuasion. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
10 Twitter Best Practices for Nonprofits. (2015, February 08). Retrieved April 06, 2016, from http://www.nptechforgood.com/2015/02/08/10-twitter-best-practices-for-nonprofits/
10 Facebook Page Best Practices for Nonprofits. (2014, October 19). Retrieved April 06, 2016, from http://www.nptechforgood.com/2014/10/19/10-facebook-page-best-practices-for-nonprofits/
By Claudia Bzezinski, Emily Damstetter, Anna Grettenberger, Dara Portnoi, Anita Shah, and Sarah Leeson
INTRODUCTION
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. (Michigan Itinerant Shelter System - Independent Out of Necessity) is an Ann Arbor based nonprofit that works to provide support to self-governing tent communities of Washtenaw County, Michigan. They do this by creating a partnership between the homeless and the home-full to empower the homeless and give them a voice where they are typically not heard. Their activities range from receiving and distributing donations to efforts in cleaning up areas in which the homeless reside. M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s current main project is their day warming center. In this project, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. partners with the faith communities to provide safe, substance-free facilities for the homeless to come during the cold winter months for shelter, warmth, and food.
The ultimate goals of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. are to have homeless rights recognized, give the homeless control over their own lives, and continue to establish and support democratically self-governed tent communities that are supported by the local community of Washtenaw County.
While M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has a website, Facebook page, and Twitter account, their current social media platforms are not as effective as they could be in terms of reaching their ultimate goals. Our team is going to assist them in achieving these goals by helping M.I.S.S.I.O.N. better use social media to promote awareness, while also drawing in supporters and volunteers from the local community. Their main online audiences are the faith based communities, volunteers, and supporters.
To do this, we will revise and revamp the website, Facebook, Twitter, make decisions about the blog, and develop a future strategy for additional social platforms. Creating an easily navigated, clear and concise website will create a strong and reputable online presence. Forming more connections on Facebook will engage followers and increase support. Finally, using a powerful storytelling voice in content and regularly updating their Twitter will provide easy access to information about current events and relevant pressing issues. Deciding whether or not M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is able and wants to keep the blog and creating a future strategy for other social media platforms will help M.I.S.S.I.O.N. create a path to further strengthen their online identity.
Creating a strong online presence will ultimately further M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s goals because it will give the homeless the voice they do not usually have. Furthermore, using a powerful storytelling voice, coupled with easily accessible information on the website will get more volunteers and supporters involved and will provide the resources (advocacy, material items, and information) M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and the homeless community need to take control of their lives, establish and sustain democratically self-governed tent communities, and have their rights respected and heard.
This document aims to evaluate M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s current communications and provide suggests to improve their online presence. This paper will first present a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s current social media. Subsequently, a detailed communications plan will be presented that will serve to identify objectives and audiences, explain the integration of the plan with respect to other functions of the organization and social platforms, address necessary organizational culture change, assess the capacity for implementation of the plan, discuss the best tactics and tools to use in implementation, and provide a specific way to measure the objectives described.
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has an incredible amount of strengths that will help them succeed while growing their social platform. This organization’s strongest features include: Online Presence, M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s Atmosphere, and their Network.
Online Presence
While there are elements to M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s online presence that will be strengthened by reformatting their platforms, working toward social media engagement goals, and creating a content schedule, there are a great deal of positive things to say about the current atmosphere that the nonprofit creates online. The content on the website is extensive, showing a great deal of history behind the organization and a high level of transparency. Plus, the tone it strikes in its digital communication is personable, open, and candid which serves to represent the atmosphere of the organization as a whole.
Additionally, the logo that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. uses in its branding has a great deal of value in representing the organization and establishing ties with the local college community since it was created by U of M art students. The design has a great deal of symbolism, showing refreshment, unity, and community involvement, which serves to represent the larger goals of the organization. Through this consistent branding with this logo, the online identity of the organization is further established. M.I.S.S.I.O.N’s logo is strong, representational, and has a great underlying meaning.
M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s Atmosphere
One aspect that is very important to M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is the sense of community they provide between the homeless and also between volunteers. Each person involved is passionate about the organization, and appreciate the magnitude what they do for the homeless population in the area. They also have the advantage of being very knowledgeable in the subject of homelessness because many of the board members are homeless themselves or have been in the past. Having this insight allows them to focus on what the homeless people of Ann Arbor actually need to improve their lives. All of these aspects together form a supportive network that works toward improving the organization as a whole. This includes the drive necessary to alter their online presence.
Network
A strength within the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization is their wide outreach to many different networks within the Washtenaw County area. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is interconnected within the Homeless community, the Faith community, and the Ann Arbor community. The Homeless community is benefited by M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s services, which overall makes the members want to get more involved in their vision. The Faith community supports many members of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. by providing the warming center and food at various times of the day. These networks are very valuable and this organization would not exist without them and their strong desire to help M.I.S.S.I.O.N succeed. In terms of online reach, these networks will further benefit the online presence because many people already believe and support the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization.
Weaknesses
Along with M.I.S.S.I.ON.’s strengths, the organization has a few weaknesses relating to their web presence. The two main weaknesses we suggest focusing on include: Social Platform Content and Organizational Aspects.
Social Platform Content
Social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, can be extremely beneficial for nonprofit organizations, but they must be executed consistently. To reach their potential, social media profiles should post regularly to maintain a strong presence within the online sphere. With consistency, social media can really benefit an organization and reach a large audience.
We suggest that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. be cautious when mentioning other organizations, such as Mercy House or Hill House, on their own website. There is not enough differentiation between the three organizations, and it may be confusing for an audience who wants to learn how they can support M.I.S.S.I.O.N in particular. While the alliances that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has with these organizations are extremely important, unclear information on their website could lead viewers to misinterpret M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s identity. By clearly differentiating M.I.S.S.I.O.N. from Mercy House and Hill House, website viewers will have a good understanding that these are separate partnerships and do not have the same goals as M.I.S.S.I.O.N.
Furthermore, the organization of the content on the website is crucial to the experience that the user has when visiting M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s website. The website would benefit from a more strategic division of information to ensure that viewers have a pleasant and educational experience. If information is not easy to find or repeated in multiple places, the website loses its capacity to deliver information clearly and reflect M.I.S.S.I.O.N. in a positive way.
Lastly, there is a lack of clarity in navigation and identity when it comes to the accounts and websites that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. uses. In particular, when a user clicks the “get involved” button on the website they are taken to an entirely new, nearly unpopulated website that tells them little about how to get involved. This function for getting involved in a nonprofit is crucial since volunteers are always needed, yet the process is unclear so it becomes difficult through the website. Similarly, there have been three Twitter accounts started and abandoned over the years that bare M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s branding. This inconsistency and unclarity creates confusion for the organization’s identity online which can be fixed through merging the accounts into a singular one.
Organizational Aspects
While there are many organizational aspects of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. that promote their success, there are a few areas we suggest addressing.
Currently, there are no assigned roles for social media responsibilities. Because of this, some social media outlets have been neglected for long periods of time, with no recent information being delivered to viewers. Having unidentified roles also creates the problem of discontinuity in social media content, because there are a multitude of people working on social media at different points in time without an agreed strategy.
Furthermore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has many amazing projects they lead and are involved in. While their vast involvement and passion is a strength of the organization as a whole, it can tend to push the task of social media to the bottom of their list of priorities.
For these reasons, we have developed a suggestion of specific social media roles to be delegated within the organization, hopefully at a meeting, which will be described in the “Communications Plan: Capacity” section.
Opportunities
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has many great untapped outside resources available to help better their online presence and promote their M.I.S.S.I.O.N..
Mercy House
Although started by some of the same people who began M.I.S.S.I.O.N., Mercy House is a separate organization that also aims to serve the homeless in Washtenaw County. It is a resident of Ann Arbor’s home that is available to the homeless community during the day. Mercy House is a place of refuge from the weather where visitors can shower, wash and dry clothing, enjoy meals and simply sit and talk with one another. At times, it has even been used for emergency housing.
Mercy House could serve as a place for the homeless community to meet, talk, and work on a shared communications project. In addition, Mercy House and M.I.S.S.I.O.N. could engage in collaborative online fundraising, as they are both smaller organizations that could benefit from the economies of scale of shared resources.
Advocacy Opportunities
There are many opportunities for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to create connections in local communities that would help with their advocacy work, especially in cases where they are up against local government policy. For instance, in December, a group of homeless people were forced to evacuate their camp near Burton Road. In situations like these, it would be highly beneficial for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to use their website as a tool to get supporters involved in advocacy. A few examples of how they could do this are as follows: setting up online petitions against a city ordinance, providing draft letters and contact information so that people can write letters to the City Council directly, and providing another perspective of the issue at hand, putting the homeless in good light. This will
The three communities we have identified that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. would most benefit from building an online social network with are:
- Faith communities
- University students
- Ann Arbor Residents
Although M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has reached out to the faith community to provide resources and volunteers, they have not yet realized the full potential of this community for advocacy goals. Many religious congregations are active on social media and it would benefit M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to have those groups sharing information about homelessness in Ann Arbor and the work M.I.S.S.I.O.N. does to their followers.
Since M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has already established connections with the faith communities, they should focus upon expanding their local network outside of that. In order to do so, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. should identify the specific groups of people who will be most resistant and who will be most support and then focus on increasing their reach to those group. One group of people who may be most resistant are the property owners and residents who live in areas where M.I.S.S.I.O.N. would like to set up Tiny Houses and tent communities. On the other hand, people who are already involved in other local organizations that serve the homeless and students who study social work or public policy may be the most likely to give support to M.I.S.S.I.O.N. Increasing involvement from these specific groups of Ann Arbor residents and local University members will benefit M.I.S.S.I.O.N. greatly in terms of resources and advocacy work.
The members of the faith, Ann Arbor and University communities are often very connected with each other and creating a social network with these groups would promote the spread of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s amazing work and efforts, prompting even more people to join and help support their mission.
Threats
Although M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is well established in the Ann Arbor community, like any organization, it is not immune to external factors that may jeopardize its work and communications.
Public Perceptions of Homelessness
In its essence, homelessness is not a glamorous charity. Unfortunately, when someone who has not been affected by homelessness thinks about it, they do not feel warm and fuzzy on the inside like they would after watching an ASPCA commercial. Therefore, it can be hard to attract supporters from a crowd that is accustomed to charities with more positive connotations.
Furthermore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s goal of supporting the homeless community can be misconceived by the public as supporting continuing homelessness. For this reason, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. must be very careful in the way they present themselves so that the public sees the truthful version of their organization--one that recognizes that homelessness is inevitable and works to help those affected by homelessness lead the best lives they can, as they have the right to do.
Due to the flawed public perception of homelessness, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. devote extra time to presenting themselves in the most positive light as possible and informing the public about the truths of homeless.
Homeless Shelters
There are many homeless shelters in Ann Arbor, and while M.I.S.S.I.O.N. does provide information about them on their site, they can be seen as a potential threat. Homeless shelters have a higher profile and legitimacy in the public eye; therefore, because M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has been on a smaller scale thus far, they may be perceived as illegitimate in comparison. Due to their higher profile, bigger donor base, and larger ability to fundraise, homeless shelters may draw away from the potential volunteers and donations that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. could be receiving.
Ann Arbor City Government
Many of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s efforts are constrained due to the rules of the local government and city ordinances. Homelessness in Ann Arbor is often a controversial subject within the Ann Arbor City Council. While homelessness is recognized as a serious problem in Ann Arbor, many people do not see tent communities or camps as a viable option and such communities are oftentimes broken apart by city ordinances and council decisions. For example, zoning rules have recently forced members of a tent community residing behind Hill House to vacate, leaving those people without places to stay or their fellow community members for support. Zoning rules such as these mean that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. cannot accomplish everything they want unless local residents persuade the City Council that things such as tent communities can and should happen.
M.I.S.S.I.O.N. faces pushback from the local city government in a broader sense as well. Part of the government’s job is to enforce rules and they desire Ann Arbor to be seen in a certain light (full of wealthy, upper-class, family-raising people) in order to attract more of the like to live there. Because of this, the government may not have interest in M.I.S.S.I.O.N. since they are foundationally a group with the radical idea of self-governance that goes against much of what the city government stands for. This fundamental dissonance between the city government’s philosophy and M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s can make it challenging for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to gain the government’s cooperation on projects.
Having to deal with the challenges they face from the government can take away from time and resources they could spend on other areas (i.e. communications) and restrict what is possible for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to accomplish.
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
Objectives
Social media is an extremely beneficial resource for nonprofit organizations to use to drive the social change they are seeking. It could be a huge asset to MISSION if it is used efficiently and productively, because of its ability to connect the organization with supporters and volunteers. The connections that social media foster can not only allow M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to deliver messages to their supporters, but also provide opportunities for supporters to get involved and enter the unique community that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is creating. By maintaining social media accounts that are active and professional, MISSION will be able to update followers about prominent issues in a timely fashion, garner new support by engaging with new people, and create a place where conversations can happen. Ultimately, social media allows MISSION to reach a larger audience, thereby creating the opportunity to create a larger impact when advocating for the rights of homeless people in the Ann Arbor area.
Website
M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s website is the perfect online platform for delivering useful and important information to website viewers. This can be a space for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to create an online presence that reflects what their M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and vision are. Since a website is not very interactive, those who visit the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. website will be receiving information, but not commenting or replying in return. With this in mind, it is important to remember that a website is a direct reflection of the organization that is creating and organizing the content on the site. By making information about M.I.S.S.I.O.N. easily accessible on the website, the people visiting the page will have a good impression about the organization. In order to create a website that is easily navigable, consider making these alterations:
- Tabs that are titled:
- HOME - contains M.I.S.S.I.O.N. Statement, Vision, a calendar of events
- ABOUT US - contains History and FAQ sections
- RESOURCES - contains information about warming centers and other services
- GET INVOLVED - volunteer opportunities, how to donate supplies
- CONTACT US- contact information for president, email address
- PARTNERSHIPS - information about Hill House, Mercy House, BDFP, Delonis Center
- A prominent Donate button on the top of every page
- Consistent branding, format, and design
- Making the M.I.S.S.I.O.N logo prominent
- Every page should have the same font, color scheme, number of columns, and similarly formatted headings
- A balance between professional and friendly
Facebook will give M.I.S.S.I.O.N. the opportunity to interact with supporters and followers in a way that the website cannot. In order to have successful Facebook presence, it is important to be consistent and organized with posts. A wonderful objective for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to have with their Facebook account would be to get supporters to take action and invite new voices to participate in their projects. To capture the followers’ attention and keep them interested in the things being posted, make sure to keep posts relevant and interesting. Here are some recommended ways to create connections through a strong Facebook presence:
- Include eye-catching photos that relate to your cause
- i.e.- a photo of a homeless person receiving a hot meal
- Use vivid language
- i.e.- “this winter is cold” vs. “the blisteringly frigid wind of this terrible winter”
- Ask questions within posts to prompt the followers to think and engage
- i.e.- “Have you ever been given a second chance?”, “What are your plans for this holiday? Have you considered spending a few hours volunteering at a homeless center?”
- Thank followers and show appreciation
- “____ # of people attended our fundraiser yesterday… Thank you for your support and dedication, we truly appreciate every one of you!”
- Determine a scheduled time dedicated to posting
- I.e.- weekdays: 9am and 9pm, weekends: 10am, 3pm, 7pm
- Ask followers to like and share posts
- “Share our event with your friends, the more the merrier!”
See “10 Facebook Page Nonprofit Practices” for more in depth tips and tricks.
Twitter is another social media platform that has opportunities for not only the delivery of information, but also the valuable interaction with followers and supporters. Tweets can only be 140 characters, so information disseminated through Twitter would be short and sweet. This is a wonderful opportunity for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to update followers on relevant events and issues through tweets that are fast-paced and straight to the point. Maintaining a Twitter takes a good amount of time and dedication, but it could be beneficial to MISSION because it could allow them to disseminate important information to their followers on a platform that is more casual and spontaneous than Facebook, per say. Twitter’s unique format of succinct pieces of information can allow M.I.S.S.I.O.N. to:
- Remind followers of events
- Thank followers/supporters for attending events
- Share relevant news links
- Retweet other organizations with similar missions
- Favorite and retweet followers to show support for them
To maintain a productive and valuable Twitter account:
- Tweet 2-8 times throughout the day, between 8am-11pm
- Include links in your tweets, allowing followers to access more information
- Use hashtags appropriately, don’t overuse them
- Retweet followers once or twice a day to promote interaction
- Reply to relevant tweets to create conversation
- Use eye catching photos of appropriate size (about 525 x 262 pixels)
Check out “10 Twitter Best Practices for Nonprofits” for more ideas and advice on how to use Twitter successfully.
Audience
The identity of an organization is important, but it is sometimes difficult to articulate what exactly that identity is. When discovering their identity, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. might consider who their audience is in an attempt to discover more about their purpose. In thinking about which audience each platform serves best, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. can have a better idea of what content should be released on each platform. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is extremely unique in that it attracts two very different audiences. The organization serves the homeless people of Ann Arbor by creating a supportive community for them as they live this difficult lifestyle. Furthermore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. attracts the support of many local faith communities and volunteers who are interested in supporting the vision that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is seeking.
Website
The audience of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s website is supporters who are interested in finding out information or viewers that are passing by because of curiosity. These viewers may have come across the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. website because they saw a link on social media, or perhaps they googled “Ann Arbor nonprofits” and saw the website. Content on the website should be generated with these audiences in mind. All information should be relevant, clear, and easy to read. Furthermore, the two unique audiences that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. attracts can be considered when creating tabs on the website. By creating a “Get Involved” tab, volunteers who are interested in supporting M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will click on this tab to see the opportunities they have. A tab labeled “Resources” will attract people from the homeless audience who may be visiting the website in hopes of finding information about what aid or support they can receive from M.I.S.S.I.O.N..
Facebook/Twitter
The audience of Facebook and Twitter is most likely to be technologically comfortable people who enjoy socializing through social media. Those who follow M.I.S.S.I.O.N. on Facebook and Twitter are invested in M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and want to hear what the organization has to say. Therefore, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. should be mindful of how their Facebook and Twitter audience is different than that of their website. Facebook posts and tweets are a great way to remind followers of upcoming events, relevant issues, and reminders of their need for donations, volunteering, and support. Through consistent and captivating posts, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will remind followers of their presence in the Ann Arbor community.
Integration M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and Digital Communication
While the organization has some incredible pieces of online presence, there are only limited ways that digital communication can serve an organization’s goals without proper integration between accounts and the larger system of a nonprofit. In this way, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has some clear opportunities for growth by way of linking up the various digital media that are currently being utilized or not by the organization. In connecting these different platforms, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has the chance to solidify its online presence and create a more focused and cohesive identity online.
Website
Consistent branding between platforms is crucial to an online presence and identity, but it can be just as important to have consistent formatting and branding within the website alone. Keeping a relatively uniform design between pages in order to fulfill navigation expectations for users will help viewers quickly find what they are searching for in the site. Between pages, elements such as the donate button, social media links, and navigational tools should be in the same places to help with visual consistency.
Facebook and Twitter
The organization currently has three Twitter accounts that have been started and abandoned at different times, and has no Facebook page or group that the team was able to locate. However, if these resources are utilized efficiently, then these accounts can become an integral part of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s outreach and communication.
In order to integrate the social media accounts into the larger website and overall digital connectivity of the organization, it’s first necessary to clearly establish what account or page is being used by the organization. While Facebook will simply need a page or group to be created to begin integrating it into the larger online presence of the organization, in the case of Twitter, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will need to either:
- Delete its current accounts and begin again with a new account
- Pick one of the existing accounts to work from. In this option, it would be recommended that the other two accounts link to the main one but remain inactive. This will help to maintain an archive of past posts while still clearly directing traffic to the most recent account.
In these accounts’ “about” or “bio” areas, it’s necessary to offer links to these external sites clearly and consistently in the main site. Clickable social media links on the same spot on every page will allow for users to easily access these other social media sites where they can learn up to date information, browse recent activity to learn more about recent efforts, or interact with organization leaders or those in the community who follow the accounts. An RSS feed on a sidebar or something similar on the main website would also boost integration between platforms.
The curate these accounts and integrate them into the larger communication effort, relevance of content to the organization’s M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and goals will be key along with easily accessible links to bring users back and forth between accounts and websites; in the account bios, there should be prominent links to the main website. In terms of integration through content, the accounts should not only be sharing articles, images, etc. from local and larger events or news concerning homelessness, but also posting about upcoming events and meetings, current organization needs, and other timely pieces of information.
The creation of an Instagram account is a suggestion for future social media integration once the website and Facebook or Twitter, the main priorities, are well established. Instagram is, in essence, a photo diary, which allows for a great deal of personal, human-centered storytelling as well as creating an exhibit of all of the projects that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has been working on. It also presents a unique opportunity for a variety of social media campaigns, such as Humans of New York style exposes.
In creating and upkeeping an Instagram account, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. can easily connect with not only its audience, but also its other accounts. Just like the other social media accounts, this one can also be easily linked by a button or icon in the main website on every page, but it can also easily connect to the other social media accounts-- Facebook in particular as they share a common owner. By linking up content on the two pages, there is an additional level of consistency across platforms. Integrating this site into the larger network of online presence for M.I.S.S.I.O.N. may also mean cross-posting images or links to Instagram posts in place like Twitter or a newsletter.
Blog
A consistent, well-curated blog could be an outstanding addition to the larger story and communication for M.I.S.S.I.O.N., and it also serves one of the organization’s main mission goals of providing a voice to those that they serve. At the same time, the medium does have some drawbacks in terms of the time it takes to keep a regular schedule of new content.
While the organization does currently have a blog connected to the website, it is largely inactive and in need of further integration into the larger network of outreach. As a medium, it appears to be unconnected to other areas of outreach, such as the newsletter or social media accounts, in both content and links.
Options for integration:
- Abandon the blog: In this case, the blog would be marked inactive and would be archived. The archive could remain a link on the website for anyone looking to read more about M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s history or the stories of those involved, but there would need to be a level of dissociation from the main website to do the opposite of integration.
- Update the blog or restart a new one: In both of these cases, the blog would be reformatted to fit the new website’s design in order to have consistency across platforms. Then, the blog would benefit from a schedule of posts which can be shared on other platforms and on the site’s landing page. Having a regular schedule will not only ensure regular content being added to the site, but it will also allow for a great deal of cross-posting between accounts, further ingraining the idea that these different accounts and deeply connected and rooted in the same cause and organization.
Fundraising
For many nonprofits, offering clear instructions to gaining monetary support is one of the most useful features that online fundraising can offer. Since there is little fundraising that currently goes on within M.I.S.S.I.O.N., the simplest integration for fundraising methods is a prominent donation feature on the main website, and links on any other social media bios. For the donation website feature, there should be a button in the same spot on every page, placed and designed in a way to draw the eye, that links users directly to the donation page. Using a similarly designed button on other account pages for linking to the same donation page creates a heightened connectivity between platforms. The link then should take donators to an a user friendly and trustworthy site, such as paypal, where the donation can be made. For more specific efforts, such as finding housing for a needy family in an emergency, other platforms that utilize crowdfunding such as GoFundMe might also be good options to consider.
Newsletter
Similar to the blog, this medium allows for regular content sharing and some in-depth information to be shared with those that are subscribed to receive the newsletter. Contrary to the blog, however, these medium is shared directly with those that have previously explicitly expressed interest in receiving updates on the organization or cause.
The newsletter can act as an aggregator of information, pulling together recent blog posts, the type of content and news that has been being shared on social media, and more sensitive information about the goings on of the organization. In this way, the newsletter itself is well integrated by nature into the other content and media that represents M.I.S.S.I.O.N. online. The newsletter can be further integrated on the website through an archive of previous issues and an option to subscribe to the newsletter to hear more about the organization as a whole. This subscription option should be easy to find along with with other ways to get connected with the organization, namely the social media links. To keep the difficulty of email campaigns to a minimum, there are a variety of platforms, such as MailChimp, that can be extremely useful for managing subscription lists and the content of the emails.
Culture ChangeA New Plan
This organization is still the same nonprofit that it was previously, and all proposals are made in the best interest of M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s larger goals. By creating a consistent online presence, whether all at once or by implementing one piece at a time, we expect that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will reap all the benefits that expanding its network and community online can offer.
Proposed Digital Communication Policies
While the specific tone and content that M.I.S.S.I.O.N. desires for its online presence is entirely up to the discretion of the organization leaders, there are some general guidelines that may help with consistency and larger integration when it comes to digital communication policies and integration. These guidelines should act as general principles for the curation of web pages, social media accounts, blog posts, and more.
- Tone
- A professional syntax is expected in all online communication (i.e. general grammar and spelling should be upheld)
- Respectful interactions in digital correspondence whenever representing M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is necessary
- Organization
- Breaking down information into categories, columns, lists, and smaller chunks rather than “walls of text” helps to keep reader attention
- Headings should be descriptive beyond a singular noun and direct readers based on the questions that they might have. An example of this would be using “Directions to Mercy House” rather than just, “Mercy House.”
- Graphics and photos should have a clear purpose on the page and should be large enough to view easily, but small enough that they don’t impede reading
- Consistency
- A posting schedule for all media-- newsletters, blog posts, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook posts-- should be created and adhered to. While the schedule can be adjusted to better suit the digital media manager’s personal time commitment and the content flow needs on different accounts, having a regular timetable for sharing helps solidify online presence.
- Comments and messages on social media posts should be addressed in a reasonable time period, preferably within a business day
- The organization’s mission and values should be at the heart of everything that is posted. It drives the message behind all efforts, on and offline, and must be represented as such
For more information on creating a social media policy, we would recommend this helpful guide from ConnectingUp.com, “Creating Social Media Policy for Your Not-for-Profit,” and for some further tips on visual style guidelines for website upkeep and other media like blog posts, Janice Redish’s book, Letting Go of the Words, could be a great asset, particularly chapters 5-7, 10, and 11.
Capacity
The M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization’s board meetings are very well structured and strategic; every decision is made keeping their beautiful vision in mind. Before any change can be implemented in this organization, the board (12 members) must take a vote with the majority ruling. The board is made up of a blend between homeowners and the homeless, providing a wider perspective when making decisions to benefit the common goal. At the weekly board meetings, there are several documents highlighting all topics ever discussed and all motions passed including the time and date.In order to implement the online changes our group suggests for M.I.S.S.I.O.N., roles must be assigned to interested board members regarding how and who will continually manage the social media platforms; this will ensure consistent posting.
Who will implement changes?
When deciding who will implement and upkeep our website re-design, our team must consider who has the most time for updating/innovation and also, consistent internet access. Our overarching goal is to create a user friendly website that spreads awareness for the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization across the Ann Arbor community. In order to gain a substantial online following, organizations must update their website and social media accounts frequently and consistently. We understand someone is currently in charge of updating the Weebly domain website. We suggest three added positions to ensure this regularity in updating and posting to occur.
- Website Manager
- The website manager may be one of the more difficult tasks. We suggest monthly website updating, therefore they will be in charge of consistent editing of the homepage to fit what is currently happening at M.I.S.S.I.O.N. The Weebly site will be easy to use from an editor's perspective as long as simple steps are learned.
- The benefits of this position include: Web Design skills, less structure with more creativity, reaching out to anyone interested in M.I.S.S.I.O.N., and providing information for both members of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. and the donors/volunteers. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is a large organization with a lot of different involvements, the website must represent all of what this organization encompasses. The organization is so very multidimensional, we want that to be better portrayed to the online user.
- The website manager may be one of the more difficult tasks. We suggest monthly website updating, therefore they will be in charge of consistent editing of the homepage to fit what is currently happening at M.I.S.S.I.O.N. The Weebly site will be easy to use from an editor's perspective as long as simple steps are learned.
- Social Media Manager
- Twitter Specialist: A member of the board that uses a professional tone to reach out to their followers telling of events, donations, and how to get involved (Easier to manage).
- The benefits of this position is interacting more with the members and people involved in the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization.
- Facebook Specialist: A member of the board that uses a professional tone to reach out to their friends telling of events, donations, and how to get involved. (More time consuming to manage).
- The benefits of this position is not only reaching many of the members, but also a wider range of people that may not know anything about this organization’s M.I.S.S.I.O.N.. Engaging those individuals might be powerful in M.I.S.S.I.O.N. growing and expanding.
- Twitter Specialist: A member of the board that uses a professional tone to reach out to their followers telling of events, donations, and how to get involved (Easier to manage).
We want the committee to know that we are hoping for the website to be: simple, informative, and user friendly. Currently, we have not created an efficient work flow because we are waiting for the next board meeting to talk with our subcommittee and discuss initial logistics. For example, what are our main principles we want to set as a team to make this re-design include everyone’s wants and needs? We are certain changes will occur and passion will spark in the web-site redesign. Tate has already shared with us some ideas he has about how to implement the history into the website using many photographs he has kept from previous years. Once our weekly sessions begin with the committee, an efficient work flow will begin to form through trial and error of the benefits and challenges we see on the site. As of now, we are not thinking we will need outside experts. With the reading we’ve done in class and our prior knowledge of creating and using websites, we believe we can create this on our own using mostly the internet as our only outside source. The internet could provide us with more research, nonprofits sites, and make us more knowledge if we get stuck or need another perspective while designing.
Tactics and Tools
When thinking about the most efficient tactics and tools our team can use to complete the re-design process, we hope to develop key features and communication styles that help spread awareness about our organization’s vision. These suggested key features and communication styles need to remain consistent even after the committee has finished the site re-design. In terms of implementation, these tactics need to be absorbed and integrated into the new website for M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s online audience. Our group believes that the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. committee created for website re-design is a group of dedicated, passionate, and excited board members willing and able to work with us.
Communication Styles
The communication styles we are hoping to implement when using the new site for the M.I.S.S.I.O.N. organization first and foremost need to be agreed upon by the committee. The current communication styles on the site share good content with the intended audience, however lack a consistent tone and overall presence. We believe the three communication styles that should be most focused on are Storytelling, Marketing, and Engagement. These styles were chosen based off of our audience and hopes for M.I.S.S.I.O.N.’s growth through spreading online awareness.
- Storytelling
- M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has many great stories to tell from events, to board member achievements, to new projects, to even new churches looking to get more involved. These are all stories we believe this organization could use to their advantage. According to “The definition we use with clients is that a story is a fact wrapped in an emotion that compels an action which transforms our world” (Goldsmith 2007, p. 1). When telling a story on social platforms, it makes the reader feel a more personal connection to the organization. Many students and individuals living in Ann Arbor know the faces of the people who sell the Underground newspapers and hang around the area. Let us virtually learn more about them so we can connect these faces to a story. When storytelling, no matter the story, it is very important to also include some sort of visual aid. Whether that be a video or a photo, it is important to initially grasp attention from the online “scroller.” Tell stories about who M.I.S.S.I.O.N. has helped to stories about the history of this organization.
- Marketing
- When marketing through use of social platforms, make sure you are reaching your intended audience by including information important to them specifically. A good marketing strategy entails you continually reaching out to those involved. For example, thanking the people who all came to the event last Thursday and how much money was raised from that event! Or, a photograph at the every Friday pizza night that makes a post more personal. When marketing M.I.S.S.I.O.N., you need to have a clear goal in mind for each post. What are you trying to gain from this post specifically?
- Engagement
- Engagement is a communication style that is vital to reaching out to the people of Ann Arbor and places further out. An engagement technique might be to use statistics about how many people are homeless in the Washtenaw County area, or how many of the homeless are living in the tent communities. Along with that, include some personal quotes from those using the services M.I.S.S.I.O.N. provides them. An additional way to keep individuals engaged on social platforms is the use of color and emphasizing font. Also, the Wish list could be a good form of engagement if reconstructed.
- Additional Tools and Tactics:
- Timeline of when certain goals need to be met. Talk with committee about deadlines to ensure efficiency.
- When will we have the tabs officially decided?
- When will the vote take place to keep or diminish the blog?
- When is our goal for finishing the update entirely?
- When can we train the committee in Weebly designs?
- Set Umbrella Task Principles
- What are we looking for with redesign? Broad design.
- How much does the committee wish to be involved?
- Do we agree on simplicity and user friendliness should be two principles?
- Brainstorm other principles the committee might suggest
- Timeline of when certain goals need to be met. Talk with committee about deadlines to ensure efficiency.
Lastly, the way we approach our updated content with these communication styles will create success for the organization as a whole. Our selections make this possible because tying consistency with the passionate people of M.I.S.S.I.O.N. will result in more donations making expansion possible.
Measurement
Most of the homeless individuals M.I.S.S.I.O.N helps are reached out to by word of mouth, so this means that the majority of the people viewing the website are people interested in volunteering in their community and doing other charitable work. Because of this unique dynamic, it will be important to measure changes in how these people view and appreciate the website. One aspect to measure is the effectiveness of changes implemented to improve the user experience. There are a few ways to track the progress of this, including the amount of calls or emails received to ask for clarification for something on the website. In theory, if there are fewer calls and emails asking for clarification after the website changes are made, then we have effectively created a clear and user friendly website.
Another aspect of the website progress to be measured is our SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. One large aspect of search engine optimization is getting your site to the top of the navigation page. Fortunately, M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is already at the top of the Google page when “mission Ann Arbor” is searched, but ideally we would like to expand on this and come up closer to the top of the first page with other key search words. Tools such as Google Analytics can be downloaded to help track website progress. We can also simply track this by picking out some more key search terms such as “homeless,” “nonprofit,” and “volunteering,” and track how far up we appear on a search engine page when these terms are entered and compare the results from before and after the website update. If our page is higher up on the search engine page with these new keywords, then we have accomplished greater search engine optimization. In terms of social media there are several platforms that we can use and measure our progress.
To dive a little deeper into these goals, Facebook has many tools to track your page’s progress. For instance, it is possible to see how many people have viewed the page, which will be a helpful way to track the effectiveness of the page. It is also possible to view what demographics are viewing the page. By learning who, and how many people are viewing the site we can better adjust posts to make them more successful. The goals listed above for Facebook are very low, but they are reasonable for the first month after implementation, considering current Facebook activity is limited.
- Facebook in the first month
- 50 likes
- 50 page viewings
- 10 posts
- 30 new connections
Twitter is a very different platform than other social media sites. However, we want to measure similar progress as we do with the Facebook page. For these social media accounts to be effective, they will need to be active and engaging. Measuring exactly how much activity we input into the sites will keep things organized, and encourage growth of the sites. Keeping up with social media will support their chances of success, and altering the website to adapt to viewer’s requests will improve overall Internet activity.
- Twitter in the first month
- 15 tweets
- 20 likes on tweets
- 10 retweets of our tweets
- 10 retweets of other organizations tweets
CONCLUSION
The main goal of this communications plan is to give an outline of ways to improve and grow M.I.S.S.I.O.N’s online presence. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. is already equipped with several strengths, but continuous improvement and modification is crucial to the success of online platforms. This organization has the advantage of a strong identity as an organization and members that are deeply invested in the cause. M.I.S.S.I.O.N. also has a solid network of other organizations that they work together with to benefit the community. All of these aspects create a strong organization that has a clear identity and feeling of genuineness that is effectively portrayed online. However, there are some specific problems with their internet platforms, including confusing layouts, and inactive social media sites.
In terms of internet goals, reworking the website, Facebook page, twitter feed, and blog will be essential to improvement efforts. Making the website more easily navigable and more aesthetically pleasing will improve M.I.S.S.I.O.N’s overall online appearance. It will also be helpful to utilize social media sites more effectively, in order to keep members and volunteers connected and involved. Being more active and frequent with updates and posts to all social media sites will vastly improve online experience for users who wish to be more involved. All of this can be accomplished fairly easily using the tips and tactics we laid out in this communications plan. Many simple changes will equate to a vast improvement of social media accounts and the website.
These changes in online presence will help M.I.S.S.I.O.N. better achieve their vision for the organization as a whole. They hope to help create a community for homeless people in Ann Arbor, and to support them with food, supplies, and warming centers. By improving their website and social media sites, they can reach more people in the community, and better provide for their cause.
Works Cited
ConnectingUp.com, “Creating Social Media Policy for Your Not-for-Profit,”
Janice Redish’s book, Letting Go of the Words, particularly chapters 5-7, 10, and 11.
Goldsmith, M. (2007, August 15). Storytelling and the Art of Persuasion. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
10 Twitter Best Practices for Nonprofits. (2015, February 08). Retrieved April 06, 2016, from http://www.nptechforgood.com/2015/02/08/10-twitter-best-practices-for-nonprofits/
10 Facebook Page Best Practices for Nonprofits. (2014, October 19). Retrieved April 06, 2016, from http://www.nptechforgood.com/2014/10/19/10-facebook-page-best-practices-for-nonprofits/