An American Opinion

There is a quote from Victor Hugo that has been paraphrased from its original French as, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”   The Web is an idea whose time has come and there are media companies who can confirm the truth behind this statement relative to their subscribers migrating to the Web for information.  Linkedin is a portal to ideas and ideas are important.

Some may not agree that Linkedin should be part of a nonprofit organization’s web strategy.  It is true that Linkedin does not offer the same sort of social cause-related atmosphere and interactivity that can be found on Facebook and the like.  I understand their perspective.  On the other hand, Linkedin opens up an array of groups and networks in such areas as Alumni Groups, Charity Groups, Conferencing Groups and others that can provide access to thousands of members and more important, the free exchange of ideas among professional peers on specific industry-related topics.

Through a group membership you can follow discussions, engage in discussions, and get discussion updates via email.  All of this is available free on Linkedin and it takes only minutes to sign up and start building relationships with your peers.

For example, I just applied to the Linkedin group “Future Social Media”, which examines how brands can promote themselves on emerging social media platforms.  While to some this may sound exclusively business-oriented in nature, you should understand that your nonprofit is a brand.  Your organization’s image and reputation, will directly affect its ability to fundraise and to speak with authority to issues related to its areas of concern.

Learning how to promote your brand should be of utmost importance to everyone who is, or wishes to be, in a leadership position in the nonprofit industry. Ask yourself the question, would it be good for your organization to have the brand recognition of Coca Cola?  Linkedin can provide you the opportunity to learn about many subjects through interaction with professionals and links to relevant information.

For these reasons I recommend that every leader of a nonprofit organization at every level be a member of Linkedin and/or similar groups and regularly engage in the exchange of ideas that takes place within groups affiliated with their profession.  It is networks like Linkedin that will spawn the ideas which may determine the success or failure of your organization in the future.  They are virtual idea incubators.

Belonging to Linkedin, or similar professional networking sites allows you to keep a finger on the online pulse of your industry or cause.  Knowing what is happening with peer organizations, what is working, what is not working, and how your organization’s web strategy compares with others in your industry is valuable information.

And while you’re at it, join your alumni group.  It can’t hurt to publicize your organization to a few thousand members, many of whom may be business owners and leaders.  Who knows, some may be looking for a worthy organization to partner with.