In many ways nonprofits mimic for-profit companies. If you looked at the expenditure reports, meeting minutes and office space they would seem identical. However, nonprofits have to be more creative in how they accomplish their goals. Even a successful nonprofit, church or charity has to reach out to their community for help to fill all the financial gaps. Social media is a perfect way to sound the alarm and reach out to/recruit supporters. The use of Facebook and Twitter is more obvious, but the predominately professional platform, LinkedIn, wasn’t initially used by non-profits.
At first glance, LinkedIn translates its “strictly business” flavor. It is easy to see how a non-profit organization wouldn’t feel desired. However, LinkedIn’s slogan “Relationships Matter” is very much in keeping with they way many nonprofits operate. Spirited organizations need their communities to thrive. Building a LinkedIn profile is another way for nonprofits to reach out to those crucial supporters. Organizations can use it to find companies wanting to support a nonprofit, individuals who will donate time, gifts or help find rental properties for office space. You may even discover your next enthusiastic employee. Follow these suggest for the best ways a nonprofit, charity or religious organization can benefit from LinkedIn.
Recruit
LinkedIn is a recruiting powerful platform for businesses. More than 120 million people have profiles and tons of these members are actively looking for jobs. If your company is not represented, this massive audience is being missed. Posting job openings or just company information can put your organization on the radar of fantastic candidates. Organizations could browse profiles to recruit specific people, carefully picking out perfect potential employees. LinkedIn can also be used to find people or help narrow down candidates. Although, users do not upload highly personal information to LinkedIn, businesses can browse the profiles of potential employees to see if they are up to snuff.
Broadcast
On LinkedIn, users can “follow” your business. Many people will follow to receive updates on staffing changes, job openings, etc. But this audience is also available for business announcements. You can discuss upcoming events, collaborations with other companies and celebrate your employees. If you choose it to advertise open positions then it will certainly boost the amount of people applying.
Direct
LinkedIn can be a fantastic jumping off point for other sites that a business runs. LinkedIn’s structure makes it simple to concentrate a lot of links in one area. Why would you need a lot of links? Well, your non-profit has a lot going on. You can link to Twitter, Facebook pages and organization websites all through LinkedIn. Just think of it as the professional/recruiting face of your organization, while Facebook is more social, Twitter handles recent updates and your company website is ground zero for all official news and information. LinkedIn can serve as yet another place Internet users will stumble across your business and can easily share. Use LinkedIn as a way to steer your traffic strategically, whether you want people to join your newsletter, attend your events or simply learn more.
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