The speakers

After an introductory presentation by me, they heard from Gracia McGrath OBE, the CEO of Chance UK, who has used Twitter to get meetings with journalists that would otherwise have been inaccessible.

The group then heard from Simon Blake OBE, the chief executive of Brook, who discussed issues like empowering his staff using social media.

We were able to discuss Twitter with peers in a relaxed environment where everyone was there to learn and support each other.” – Polly Neate, CEO, Women’s Aid

Debate and questions by all followed, covering a huge variety of aspects of social media.

Complementary approaches

I loved the different approaches in the room. Some felt a personal account was essential for adding a human face to their brand, whereas others couldn’t think of anything worse! Some felt handing responsibility to staff was helpful, and others saw the risks inherent in this. It was fascinating how the various approaches were valid and effective in different ways.

All attendees agreed that social media was a fantastic opportunity to gain support, trust and even funding for their organisations.

Top five tips for CEOs

The top five tips for charity CEOs using social media that came out of the session:

1. Shorten the gap – tweet and be
   come instantly reachable and approachable to staff and volunteers nationwide.
2. Personal tweets build trust – some tweets about hobbies build internal trust with staff.
3. Empower your staff (within boundaries) – tell staff how they can help represent your organisation on Twitter, and ensure they remember that if saying something in a meeting would be a disciplinary, it would be on Twitter too.
4. You are what you tweet – consider how you want to come across (knowledgeable or informal, activist or unifier) and tweet accordingly.
5. Don’t get drawn into arguments – some people love to argue (or worse) online. Don’t get sucked in.

Look out for the next event in the not-too-distant future!

Go Mobile

As a massive believer in all things mobile, I’ll be there with bells on to learn more about apps, strategy, fundraising and more.

Here’s five ways charities can get started in the mobile space:

1. Get a mobile website

Most organisations have the percentage of people viewing their site on mobile double in the last year. If your website can’t be viewed on a smartphone, it won’t get viewed at all in many cases.

2. Accept mobile donations

There is no easier way to make a donation than by text. Whether it’s Justtextgiving or Mobilise, make it easy for supporters to donate by mobile.

3. Text your supporters

Many email campaigns have open rates of around 20%. This becomes almost 100% in the case of texts. People respond to texts. If you can’t afford an all-singing, all dancing programme, use Mightytext and an Android phone to text supporters from your PC.

4. Connect your supporters on Twitter

Over 60% of people access Twitter on their mobile devices. Make them feel even more a part of your organisation by creating a list of your top tweeters and helping them connect with each other.

5. Think mobile first

When creating digital strategies, think how you can make it accessible on mobile web, text and apps first. The proliferation of smartphones means your supporters will soon be far more likely to engage with you on mobile first, desktop second.

See you at GoMobile on Thursday!