Communicating for Impact


Strategies for Grantmakers


WHAT'S A WIKI ANYWAY?

When we asked grantmakers which web-based tools they use, quite a few told us that they're feeling lost. They don't know how tools like wikis or Twitter actually work, and they're not sure how to find out without hiring a consultant or dooming themselves to communications overload. Fortunately, there are answers out there on the web, and they're not difficult to find. Here are three ways to start exploring:

  • Go to the Google.com website and search the term you’re interested in (“blog,” for example). You’ll get informative results and links to tools you might want to try, such as the commonly used Google Blogger.
  • Watch video tutorials at CommonCraft.com, for practical, plain-English, animated demonstrations of how blogs, social media, Twitter, wikis, and other web based media work.
  • Register on sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Survey Monkey that offer free memberships and online tutorials. Try using these platforms for personal communications, then consider how they might be useful professionally.

Some grantmakers shared specific tools that are working for them and why:

       
 

TOOLS

  

HOW THEY USE IT
       
       
 

Blogs

  

Our blogs have had an impact especially with other women's funds who have asked us to share our experiences with them. Some grantees have also contacted us asking how they can be featured in our newsletter.
       
 
   
       
 

Buzzword.com

  

Buzzword.com helped our team work on our proposal at home and our communication was better that way. We had some group conflict and using the online processor helped keep personalities out of the process. Everyone could see the best writing and editing and it didn't matter so much who wrote it, we could all agree.
       
       
       
 

Constant Contact

  

Grantees using Constant Contact helps me feel well informed about grantee events, news, etc.   
       
       
       
 

Doodle

  

Doodle has been extremely useful by reducing the number of days required to find a meeting date when the most people can attend.
       
       
       
 

Facebook

  

Facebook has been particularly useful for keeping in touch with scholarship recipients.  We also get specific inquiries, recommendations, and referrals.
       
       
       
 

Google

  

Lately I've been using Google Sites for collaborative projects (including a site for all our board-related material) and that has been very successful.
       
       
       
 

Interactive PDFs

  

We just started using electronic versions of applications (interactive PDF). Some grantees love it and have the equipment to use them.  Others are completely confounded.
       
       
       
 

LinkedIn

  

I have had success finding other colleagues who might be able to help answer questions through LinkedIn.
       
       
       
 

Skype

  

We chat using instant messaging and speak via Skype, which saves thousands of dollars in overseas phone bills.
       
       
       
 

Surveys:

  

We frequently use Survey Monkey to quickly gather information about a specific community around a specific issue. For example, we recently used it with the arts and culture community to determine the impact of the declining economy on their operations.

Zoomerang surveys have been a great tool for us to learn more from our grantees. We just sent out a survey to get a sense of how the economic downturn is affecting them (how many layoffs, pecentage of budget cut, etc.)  We will present this information to our board to help craft our response.
       
       
       
 

Twitter

  

We've seen good results from Twitter: local media outlets "follow" us, and we've generated several press leads through "tweets."

I have a daunting pile of reports on topics in philanthropy that I never have time to read. By following others’ posts on Twitter, I am staying more abreast of the field.
       
       
       
 

Wikis

  

We’ve begun to share all board documents and communications through a board wiki.
       
       
       
 

youtube

  

Two uses for online videos: to display some of our grants in action and to show applicants how to use our fully online application process. We put the grant films on YouTube as well as our own website.