Abstract
In 2015, Queensland woman Rochelle Courtenay read an online article about women living in poverty being forced to use toilet paper to manage their periods. Today, Ms Courtneay is the public face of a not for profit organisation with a nationwide reach and over 4000 volunteers. In a market flooded by non-profit organisations, each competing for the same funds and volunteers, Ms. Courtenay was able to successfully build a charity organisation with incredible reach and engagement. This paper will argue that the key to Ms Courtenay’s success in establishing Share the Dignity was in her smart use of social media to engage her audience.
Keywords
Social media, social networking, non-profit, charity, volunteers, web 2.0
The not for profit sector in Australia and around the world is expanding rapidly, making it ever-more complicated for donors to work out where they want to spend their time and money. In Australia alone, there are more than 56,000 registered charities, and this number grows by approximately 4 percent each year (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, 2019). Despite the fact that this number has exploded, there is evidence of a promising subset of non-profits raising large amounts of money through online engagement (Kanter & fine, 2010). Goldkind & McNutt argue that social media and related online tools are allowing non-profit social service organisations to engage with their audience, mobilise volunteers, and drive policy change (2014, p. 56).
In 2015, Queensland woman Rochelle Courtenay read an online article about women living in poverty being forced to use toilet paper to manage their periods. Today, Ms Courtneay is the public face of a not for profit organisation with a nationwide reach and over 4000 volunteers. In a market flooded by non-profit organisations, each competing for the same funds and volunteers, how was it that Ms. Courtenay was able to build her charity so successfully? This paper will argue that the key to Ms Courtenay’s success in establishing Share the Dignity was in her smart use of social media to engage her audience. Through an analysis of the current research, and using Share the Dignity as an exemplar, this paper will discuss the ways in which other non-profit organisations can achieve similar success if they harness the power of social media.
Sharing for Dignity
In only four years, Share the Dignity has grown from a single collection drive of sanitary items in Sandgate, Australia, to a nationwide organisation that has so far collected more than 1.7 million items with an impressive equivalent dollar value of more than $15 million (R. Courtenay, personal communication, March 2019). The organisation now holds collection drives (Dignity Drives) for pads and tampons in April and August, and a Christmas collection of used handbags filled with sanitary items and toiletries in November (It’s in the Bag) (How we Help – Our Charitable Activities, 2019). Their most recent project, known as the Pinkbox Dignity Vending Machine, has seen more than 100 specially made vending machines installed in schools, domestic violence shelters, homelessness centres and public spaces to distribute free ‘Period Packs’, each containing two sanitary pads and four tampons (‘Dignity Vending Machines, 2019). They are currently in talks with the education department of each state and territory to begin rolling the machines out in some of the most disadvantaged schools across Australia (R. Courtenay, personal communication, March 2019). They have established corporate partnerships with big names like Woolworths, Bunnings Warehouse and Canon (‘Corporate Partnerships’, 2019), and more than 4000 active volunteers are registered with the organisation (‘Volunteer’, 2019).
In 2018, Ms. Courtenay took her push to end period poverty in a new direction, and launched an intense and ultimately successful online campaign to remove the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from the sale of sanitary items in Australia. The application of the tax on sanitary items had been the subject of controversy since it was introduced in 2000, as it effectively classified the products as ‘luxury items’. In an interview with ABC news in2018, Rochelle called out the tax as archaic, and asked “”why are condoms, lubricants and nicotine patches all untaxed, yet female items that we don’t have a choice in are taxed?” (Courtenay in Sweeny, 2018). After approaching then Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull at a press event in the Northern Territory in January 2018, Ms. Courtenay harnessed her social media following to launch an online petition to ‘axe the tax’ (R. Courtenay, personal communication, March 2019). Within a month, there were 100,000 names attached to the petition, and by the end of 2018, both major parties had backed her proposal to remove the tax, passing an amendment to the GST act that would change the classification of sanitary items from taxable luxury items to untaxed medical supplies (‘Axe the Tax Period’, 2018). Ms. Courtenay claimed the victory to be the proudest moment of her life (Courtenay, 2018).
The Share the Dignity story is one of success, but the methods used to reach the level of engagement required to make such a difference are quite different to traditional modes of communication in the non-profit sector. With the exception of newspaper articles written to publicise their initiatives, Share the Dignity have never formally advertised their cause in mainstream media outlets such as television or radio. Instead, Ms. Courtneay relied on people sharing her message on their social media channels, and focused on building an engaged following across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (R. Courtenay, personal communication, March 2019). At the time of writing, the organisation now has more than 164,000 Facebook followers (@sharethedignity), 32,700 Instagram fans (@sharethedignityaustralia), and 2,674 followers on Twitter (@sharingdignity). Quinton argues that “having a well thought out social media policy can be immensely powerful for a charity’s brand,” (2012, p. 28), and it appears that Share the Dignity are well on their way to harnessing such power.
The Rise of Social Media
Prior to the rise in popularity of the World Wide Web as a communication tool, the main way in which people communicated through media was by using public broadcasting such as television or radio, which allowed for anyone with access to be the audience and meaning that “the broadcaster had no direct control over who makes up their audience,”, (Miller et. al. 2016, p. 2). With the arrival of the Internet and the Web as a communication tool, this began to change. Today, the number of people who use online communication tools rises every day (Kaplin & Ward, 2013, p. 6), and using social media has become a normal part of everyday life (Gazibara et. al. 2013, p. 120).
Social media is a term broadly used to describe the technologies that support user generated interactions and networking (Goldkind & McNutt, 2014, p. 58). Social media platforms are said to facilitate he spread of content through “social interaction between individuals, groups and organisations using web-based technologies,” (Smith & Gallicano, 2015, p. 83). These technologies, Miller et. al. posit, have provided the potential for a level of communication and interaction that previously did not exist (2016, p.1).
Obar et. al. describes social media as “a group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0. and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content,” (2012, p. 7). The most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat (Nielsen, 2017), and 3.4 billion people actively use social media in 2019, a figure that is up 9 percent from the previous year (Kemp, 2019). Gazibara et. al. state that every social media platform is different, and people usually use more than one at a time, (2013, p.119).
Despite concerns around online privacy which were prevalent in the media during 2018 (see Ho, 2018; Huffman, 2018), Facebook continues to be the third most visited website in the world, and active monthly users continue to rise year after year, with a growth of 9.6 percent in 2018 (Kemp, 2019). Closely following Facebook in the popularity stakes are Instagram (894.9 million users) and Twitter (250.8 million users), (Kemp, 2019). The popularity of social media channels is now such that people are spending more time on Facebook and other social networking sites than on Google, and these sites dominate the top five websites ranked by traffic, (Kaplin & Ward, 2013, pp. 1-2).
Social media has been credited with changing the way that societies pass around information across the world (Gazibara et. al., 2013, p. 119). Whilst it’s been noted that the Internet as a whole has played a role in advocacy in the non-profit sector since as early as 1997 (Obar et. al. 2012), social media presents new communication opportunities that are dramatically different to those offered in the Web 1.0 era (Lovejoy & Saxton, 2012, p. 337).
Kanter and Fine stress that social media is “not a fad or a trend,” and warn that as the use of social media becomes more ingrained in everyday life, it is fast becoming something that shapes “the way that young people think, connect, engage, and work together,” (2010, p. 5). According to Kanter and Fine, “social media builds social capital,” and organisations that “build, nurture, strengthen and use this capital,” are better positioned to reap the most benefit from social media as a communication tool (Kanter & Fine, 2010, p. 33). Integrating communication strategies in the non-profit sector that utilise this connectivity will ensure that organisations can continue to reach these young audiences.
Social Media for Change
According to the Nielsen Social Media Report, “social media is one of the biggest opportunities that companies across industries have to connect directly to consumers,” (Nielsen, 2017, p.2), and engagement on social media platforms has been connected to positive public-organisation relationships (Smith & Gallicano, 2015). As previously noted, the non-profit sector is burgeoning, and standing out in the field is a challenge for all organisations who hope to be successful.
Lovejoy and Saxton argue that social media can help in this goal, stating that social media has opened great avenues for communication between organisations and the public (2012, p. 338), and subsequently created opportunities for an interactive dialogue that is qualitatively different to that provided by websites alone (p. 339). As users become more engaged with social media, they expect to find the information they are looking for on their social network sites, (Gazibara et. al. 2013, p. 120). Kaplin and Ward argue that to solve the issues that affect society today, a close examination of how the non-profit sector can evolve needs to take place, (2013, p. 201), and as more forms of social media emerge, it becomes more likely that this medium might be the perfect way for non-profit organisations to engage with their followers.
One of the limitations of traditional media outlets such as television or print is the restriction on whose voices are heard, but social media provides opportunities for individuals whose voices were traditionally silenced to be heard (2010, p. 143). It is through these previously unheard voices that non-profits are best able to create empathy with their followers and encourage engagement. The comments section on almost all Facebook and Instagram posts from Share the Dignity seem to reflect this, with recipients of the organisations services often writing about their experience, and others responding empathetically. To further capitalise on this, the organisation features some of the most moving comments in their monthly newsletter – Aunt Flow, with a call to action relating to whatever their current fundraising initiative might be. It should be noted that menstruation is traditionally a taboo topic in much of society, and although the comment feeds are publicly accessible, many commenters appear to feel quite comfortable sharing details of menstruation that would previously have been hidden from conversation.
In addition to providing a voice to the previously unheard, social media also allows non-profit organisations to mobilise widespread support with very little financial or time outlay (Kanter & Fine, 2010). This was certainly the case with the Share the Dignity campaign to remove the GST from sanitary items; signatures appeared on the online petition rapidly and across every state of Australia in a campaign that have a zero-dollar budget. Kaplin and Ward state that in previous times, “it would have cost organisations so much more time, resources and money to connect directly with people, gather and share stories and resources, mobilise action, and reach people any time, everywhere,” (2013, p. xv).
It is perhaps the power of social media to increase non-profit donations that is most notable though. Kanter and Fine warn that organisations cannot be seen to simply ask for money, “but must establish trust with potential donors first to make fundraising appeals creditable and meaningful to people,” (2010, p. 140). In honour of International Women’s Day in 2019, Share the Dignity put out a call to action for followers to help them raise funds to install sanitary item vending machines into disadvantaged schools in Australia. The campaign featured across the organisation’s social media channels for two months leading up to the event and featured a series of videos that highlighted the plight of girls who do not have access to sanitary items and the effect this has on their education. Each video was less than 40 seconds in length and fit within the guidelines of short and easy to understand messages outline by Kanter and Fine (2010). The campaign ultimately raised over $100,000, enough to install 10 vending machines.
We’re Online, What Now?
In this socially connected world, most, if not all, non-profit organisations probably have an online presence of some sort, and in a study by Obar et. al. (2012), all participants noted that they use social media to communicate with the public. However, simply being online is not enough, and organisations need to be smart about how they use the tools presented to them if they want to increase engagement. Bortree and Seltzer found that almost all advocacy groups in their study felt that having an online presence was enough to facilitate dialogue, but they warn that “these organisations are missing a significant opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders by failing to effectively utilise the full gambit of dialogic strategies that social networking sites offer,” (2009, p. 318). Lovejoy and Saxton similarly argue that “being on Twitter is not enough – organisations need to know how to use the medium to fully engage stakeholders,” (2012, p. 352).
Non-profit groups need to take a far more hands-on approach and designate someone within the organisation to follow through on social media opportunities by engaging with the followers (Bortree & Seltzer, 2009, p. 319). Kaplin and Ward agree, stating that the importance is in building strong online relationships, (2013, p. 1). Putting the time into building this engagement is not a quick fix, and Kanter and Fine stress that it can take six to eighteen months to build a strong online community of supporters (2010, 139), but when done right the benefits outweigh the time commitment, as demonstrated by the Share the Dignity example.
Kanter and Fine (2010) set out what, in their minds, makes for a successful “networked nonprofit”: Transparency in the form of “annual reports, financial statements and audit reports … posted online,” (p.135); Simplicity, in the form of “a simple message that is easy to communicate online, particularly on Twitter with its 140 [now 280] character limit,” (p. 136); and Connectivity, in the form of “consistently listening online and sharing and connecting with people on multiple channels,” (p.137). Share the Dignity have successfully utilised each of these steps in their online engagement, which has contributed to their success.
Conclusion
We live in an online world (Kaplin & Ward, p. 2). The average internet user is spending up to three hours a day visiting social media sites (Nielsen, 2017), and the popularity of sites such as Facebook and Instagram continue to grow year on year. It is therefore vital that all organisations find ways to harness this popularity for their own good. For the non-profit sector, where advertising budgets may be small or even non-existent, social media provides a very attractive option indeed, if used effectively. This paper has discussed the ways in which non-profit organisation Share the Dignity has been able to achieve success in their fundraising goals through the smart use of social media as an engagement tool. The lesson for other organisations is simple; being social media savvy can open up new avenues to connect with donors and volunteers, and could very well be the difference between achieving fundraising targets or becoming lost in the overload of non-profits that donors have to choose between.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Ms. Rochelle Courtenay from Share the Dignity for her time and assistance during the writing of this paper.
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Hi Tracey,
I quite enjoyed the way your paper highlighted the power of social media and its ability to leverage networks based on weak ties to form a community.
From my patchy memory, the topic of basic hygiene products for women being excluded from the GST has been raised a number of times, and yet the rise of Web 2.0 in this context allowed ecosystems of cooperation (Aguiton and Dominique, 2007). It’s quite remarkable that it created a movement powerful enough to be recognised to affect legislation, as well as increase access for all women regardless of their situation, which was a theme that came through strong in your paper – power to those who might otherwise be silenced or ignored.
I especially enjoyed the fact that you were able to engage directly with Rochelle Courtenay, as that’s yet another aspect that underlines the strength of this paper; the fact that you could use social media and Web 2.0 to cooperate with another like-minded individual with a topic as important as this is awesome!
Hi Joel and thanks for your comments. You’re right – the GST on sanitary items angered people right from the get go, and there were petitions and campaigns to remove it as far back as 1999 when it was first proposed. In the end, I think it was a perfect storm of having the online tools, a spokeswoman with a clear passion and knowledge in her field, and a following of women (and men!) who shared that passion. Together with the exciting changes we’re seeing in society today, where periods are slowly becoming less taboo, the time was right.
That’s one of the amazing things about Web 2.0, the idea of a voice for the people, by the people, and the way that it can publicly shift notions about topics that might otherwise be ignored. In all honesty though I can’t believe took nearly 20 years.
It baffles me too!
Hi Tracey,
As someone who has worked in the not-for profit sector for almost 22 years, I really loved your article. In the past couple of weeks , my manager and I have been trying to convince our comms team of the value in creating a social media presence for our programs so I’m going to send this to my boss!
While reading this I was reminded of Jayden Payne’s paper (https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Open/2019/04/29/hashtag-activism-connection-conversation-community/) about hashtag activism. The success of the Share the dignity campaign and the subsequent removal of the GST backs up Jayden’s argument that hashtag activism can successfully create positive change both online and offline.
Due to my work, I am involved in the current #raisetherate campaign and while it has seen a very slight increase of tweets and retweets this morning thanks for featuring on ABC’s Insiders, it really seems to be predominately people working within the community sector who are tweeting and retweeting this hashtag and it does not seem to be getting the traction that the #axthetax did beyond the sector.
As you mentioned, a successful networked non-profit organisations has transparency, a simple message and good connectivity and the #raisetherate campaign appears to have this. Perhaps my skepticism surrounding the likelihood for success of this campaign stems from too long in the sector but I am doubtful that this campaign will see actual political change. I hope to be proved wrong though.
I wonder if part of the reason that this campaign is not taking off as much is that those who are on Newstart are often excluded from communities and this includes online communities due to the cost of technology and internet access (Forgione 2017).
It would be interesting to see how many failed campaigns there are for every #axthetax, #metoo or #blacklivesmatter.
—–
Forgione, Pas. 2017. “Newstart: A Public Health Issue and a National Disgrace.” Independent Australia. 2017. https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/newstart-a-public-health-issue-and-a-national-disgrace,10425.
Hi Emily,
I must admit I haven’t heard of #raisetherate, however I do feel like the issue of Newstart is something talked about quite often in online articles, though I can’t say for traditional televised media. I do believe however that there could be something to be said about empowerment vs. disempowerment regarding this issue and Sharing the Dignity.
Tackling the issue of pads and tampons is something that empowers women as it is shared by everyone but is not inherently isolating or limiting. Tackling the issue of Newstart is something that a lot of people experience but is inherently isolating and limiting, even when it shouldn’t be. Being on welfare is sometimes considered “the bludger’s way out” or a sign that you have failed at life, but if the same was to be said about sanitary products (e.g. why can’t you pay the costs/manage your budget better) it immediately comes across as ridiculous. In essence, everyone can get behind the issue of tax-free hygiene products because it’s something that affects everyone, whereas not everyone feels as though they can get behind the issue of Newstart because it is socially stigmatising; “why can’t I make it like everyone else?” and therefore distance themselves out of risk of feeling socially awkward.
The empowerment/disempowerment is a great example of how the personal stories can draw supporters in. On just about every sisal media post I’ve seen from Share the Dignity, someone will come along with “tampons aren’t that expensive” or a similar comment. The great thing about the social network though is that these comments are then responded to with “well in my experience…”. This conversation then goes a long way towards returning the power to the disempowered, and shifts the social stigma. How do we apply the same process to unemployment? Do we have open discussions about how people found themselves in a state of unemployment? I’m not sure, but I think discussion is the key to breaking the stigma, and social media is a great platform for that discussion.
I think your point about open discussions resonates somewhat with my paper with an extension of what Oldenburg refers to as a level playing field. While he was talking about gaming, I believe that you’re right in suggesting social media as an equal space for everyone for breaking the stigma around unemployment. People being able to share their experiences is essential, and I reckon that including more social media avenues could be beneficial. E.g. Twitter allows information to spread rapidly but can be a little overwhelming in terms of encouraging ambient intimacy (come and go with experiences as you please), whereas Facebook allows for “glass rooms” (areas that people can examine from the outside, but not necessarily hear what’s going on). In other words, Twitter as an easy-to-engage platform to alert, inform and develop weak ties, but then something like Facebook to allow conversations to grow with stronger ties.
Okabe, Daisuke 2004, Emergent Social Practices, Situations and Relations through everyday camera phone use, presented at Mobile Communication and Social Change, the 2004 International Conference on Mobile Communication in Seoul, Korea, October 18-19 2004
Hi Emily and thanks for your comments.
I’m really glad you found the paper so insightful! I’m really passionate about the work that Rochelle and Share the Dignity do, and I’m sure that shows.
I’m familiar with the #raisetherate campaign. One of the biggest factors of success I found during my research and from speaking with Rochelle is in targeting people in their the ‘why’. Why are they going to support the campaign, why is now the right time, why this campaign and not something else, etc. Social media provide a great outlet to hit these questions, because you can share personal stories and ask your community to relate their own. I wonder if the lack of engagement your seeing with #raisetherate stems from not having enough of those personal stories? It’s also worth noting too that Kanter and Fine (2010) found building successful online communities for social change can take between 6-12 months before real engagement happens.
In regards to your comment about failed campaigns, I think this is a fantastic area for more research. There were certainly plenty of failed campaigned similar to #axethetax before Share the Dignity took on the fight, and I think it would be fascinating to compare the differences.
Hi Tracey,
Thank you for your paper. I agree that Share the Dignity use of social media was a significant contributor to its success. In fact, I believe I first heard about it via Em Rusciano who would also collect donations outside her gigs. I just had a quick look at the Share the Dignity website, and she doesn’t appear to be an official patron – but at the time she was definitely what you could consider an influencer. My other experience with Share the Dignity is how the movement has impacted my daughter’s high school. Quite often an extra box of sanitary items is added to my shopping list for this very cause!
I work for a very large and famous NFP in Australia and often have done assignments around the use of social media in donor recruitment. While giving is associated with a feeling of warm glow that encourages people to help those less fortunate, social media also allows individuals to post their contributions publicly. This adds to the sense of accomplishment as they can portray their good deed to their personal page or like the case of Share the Dignity or where I work can post it to the charities page. This is brilliant in terms of content production as it can be located in a couple of different news feeds. The individuals and the charities – however, if it is particularly useful content it can also be re-shared by the organisation on other platforms. Everybody wins!
Thank you again for the paper and the reminder of a great cause!
Cheers
MJ
Hi Mary, thanks for your response. It’s great that you’re aware of the work that Share the Dignity do. Rochelle has certainly done a great job of getting celebrity influencers involved along the way, most recently with Rebecca ginny coming board as a campaigner. Having a strong social media filling goes a long way towards getting these influencers to agree to help I think, as there is a potential gold mine of new followers for them in return for their support. I agree with you on social media offering contributors a chance to say ‘hey, look what I’m helping with!’ and I don’t think the benefits of this should be ignored by organisations.
Hi Tracey,
Well done on the paper. I used to work for a Not For Profit a few years ago and tried to get their social media going. It was a difficult process for me to show the directors of the organisation to go down this road more heavily. The organisation has done well and is established but it was my belief (and it still is) that most people did not know who they were. They had social media and still use it, but nothing is consistent. My paper was about how Instagram is used to tell a story. and I just read an article by Jayden Payne who writes about using hashtags to promote worthy causes. In my article, I wrote about the fact that people now are looking for connections and stories that they can relate to. Instagram and the use of hashtags is a perfect way to build awareness and to communicate with greater communities and networks. All Not For Profits are all looking for the same donation pool in Australia, and the ones who utilise their digital connections are the ones that are going to grow and prosper to help its members and its cause.
Cheers,
Luki
Hi Luki. Thanks for your response. Your paper is next on my reading list so that’s quite timely! Getting those stories told is a perfect way for nonprofits to build support. There is so much competition in the industry. Statistics are great for business reports or getting corporate sponsors involved, but on a more human level, we are all more attracted to a good yarn, and it’s these stories that captivate people to get engaged. I know from personal experience, it was one of these sorts of posts that spiked my interest in the work Share the Dignity is doing.
Its all about being connected to the people and letting people have an insight into the organisation and being part of their ongoing journey. People also like to know the results of what the organisation does through its efforts.
Hi Tracey
I really enjoyed this paper a lot, I don’t work for an NFP but support many and was very supportive of the Share the Dignity campaign. I actually was not aware until the campaign that sanitary products had GST added here as I moved to Australia in 2007 and having come from the UK which in all my life never had GST on sanitary products along with kids clothes I was actually flabbergasted that you had to pay GST on them.
All the comments above are spot on and a couple of things when I was reading your paper and the comments that came to mind. As you said in your response to Luki, storytelling, case studies, human narratives – all of these are what creates the impact and are so powerful when read by the public using social media. People need something to relate to however the trick is really how to cut through the noise that is out there. You are spot on in that there are many many charities fighting for our dollars and looking for the hook or something that might sway those who are undecided which way they might place their donations or be introduced to something they hadn’t encountered before to catch their eye and bring them onboard.
It occurred to me when reading your paper that it is the point in time or more campaign activations that seemed to have the most traction. If charities have specific goals, events, targeted campaigns that are more tangible than the constant trickle social media posts and awareness then these are the opportunities to really make a difference or bring people on board for support. Your example of Share the dignity had a very specific purpose and goal and was timely and targeted. Although there is still a continued effort now that it has got up and running and high awareness.
Could this then be the answer for non-for-profit when they are looking to create social media campaigns to ensure they have a very clear goal and target? Whether it is a date of an event or a legislation they want to overturn.
Thanks for your comment, Stephanie. You’re right, having a set time for action and portraying this very clearly is a really important step for achieving action. We’re a lazy society, and without the push we won’t take action! Much of the social media I write in my role focuses on urging people to do something straight away – whether it be by making a comment in the feed, or clicking a link to more information. If you make it clear what your expectations are, and make sure that theres a sense of urgency, you’ll be a step closer to getting that engagement.
Hi Tracey,
Some interesting points you have raised in your paper about the use of social media in getting a message out. I think it was a few years ago that large advertising firms started to move the monies away from normal adverting media of print, television and radio and started to focus on social media as being the way to get the best return on the investment dollar. What you have shown though in your paper is the issue of “were online now what”. Many companies get a Facebook page and maybe a Twitter account but do not spend the time on the strategy or the time needed to keep the information flowing. It looks as if Rochelle Courtney had a passionate message to be delivered and focused on that then added issues not an overall marketing campaign which would be lost with all the other non-profit campaigns. Certainly an issue I have seen in small business getting on line but not having a strategy of keeping the message alive.
Thank you for a most interesting read.
Graeme
Hi Tracey,
I remember watching the success of Share the Dignity over on Facebook and watching posts and photos of them installing their first pink vending machine. It was so nice to see that a person with a great idea was able to build her not for profit business with social media and gain many followers from it.
As I do agree that social media is great for not for profit business, I have also noticed Facebook has become heavily focused around promotional/sponsored ads that get seen a lot more and business pages complaining that Facebook are not allowing their posts to be seen and are constantly asking people to like and comment if their followers can still see their posts due to Facebook algorithms (I don’t know much about it but have experienced many business’s asking for likes and comments and noticing out of their thousands of subscribers, they only get a few hundred likes and less comments).
It makes me wonder where would not for profit organisations get the money to fund the sponsoring and promotional ads when they would be focused moreso on funding their business and campaigns? Would this become a problem in the future and hinder their audiences?