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Towards Awareness and Engagement in the Non-Profit Sector: Findings from Endeavour’s Social Media Survey February 28th, 2010

More non-profit organizations are using social media to reach their constituents and to achieve their goals. While Endeavour has been successful in raising awareness and support through social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, our recent social media survey results indicate there are opportunities for improvement.

How do you think non-profits can better leverage social media to engage their communities and fulfill their mission? What social media tools and practices have you used? What other strategies have you seen being used successfully in the non-profit sector? Do you think Endeavour should start using Twitter?

We invite you to comment on Endeavour’s blog.


Authors: Hamza Khan, Social Media Advisor, and Andrea Wong, President, Endeavour

February 28, 2010

Last month, we conducted an online survey to help us better understand how effective we have been in using social media to engage individuals in Endeavour’s network. The survey results, summarized below, are being used to guide us in improving our social media strategy to support the continued growth of Endeavour’s network and our work in supporting non-profits.

  • A total of 161 individuals responded to the survey. Of 150 respondents, most identified themselves as a potential volunteer (33%), a former or current volunteer (27%), or a potential non-profit client (16%).Endeavour Facebook Group
  • Endeavour’s network frequently uses social media for professional purposes, primarily to expand their professional network (73%), to keep in touch with former colleagues or contacts (59%), and to share information, knowledge and opinions (42%). Nearly half use social media for professional purposes a few times per week.
  • A little more than half of survey respondents are aware of Endeavour’s Facebook group created in 2007, currently with 316 members. Of those, half are members, and about half of the members visited the group in the last three months. Staying up-to-date with Endeavour was the most common reason given for joining the Facebook group.
  • Seventy percent of survey respondents are aware of Endeavour’s LinkedIn groupEndeavour LinkedIn Group, created in September 2009, currently with 115 members; most are a member of the group. Half of the members have visited the group in the last three months.
  • Despite featuring blog posts in our monthly e-newsletter, only one-third of respondents are aware of Endeavour’s blog. Of them, about half visited the blog in the last three months.

The survey results and comments indicate that there are opportunities to better utilize Endeavour’s blog, Facebook group, and LinkedIn group. Here are some of the improvements that Endeavour’s Communications Team has begun to make and will continue to explore to create more value for Endeavour’s network and the communities we serve.

  • “Conversation Starter” Article: Sent by email and posted on Endeavour’s blog, the “Conversation Starter” article is aimed at building knowledge and creating conversations among the community on an important topic relevant to the sector Endeavour works in. Check out the first article, Why Donations Must Go Towards Administrative Costs, and what others are saying in response. Join the conversation, share the article, and suggest a topic for future discussion.
  • Easy-to-read Blog: We are improving Endeavour’s blog with shorter entries, more guest writers, and relevant tags. Check out improvements to our blog and let us know if you have additional suggestions.
  • Twitter: We are thinking about Endeavour tweets, as suggested by a number of respondents. Do you think Endeavour should start using Twitter? What has your experience with Twitter been like?

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated in our survey, to Barry Linetsky of CuriousSolutions.ca for his expertise and resources in developing and administering the survey, and to P&G for the survey draw prize.

We welcome any additional feedback through our comments box below or by email to communications@endeavourvolunteer.ca

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