In 2013 the number of nonprofits that hired part-time or full-time new
media managers increased fourfold. As nonprofits have gotten better at
implementing multichannel communications and fundraising campaigns and
improving their tracking and reporting systems, many nonprofits have
come to the conclusion that creating a paid part- or full-time new
media manager position is worth the financial investment. For very small
nonprofits, this may not be true, but for medium and large
nonprofits—or small nonprofits with a desire to grow their brand
recognition and donors base—it’s becoming widely understood that new
media managers have a unique and valuable skill set. It’s very difficult
to find a new media manager that encapsulates all the skills listed
below. However, if this person is willing to learn and if your nonprofit
has a training budget, individuals who have most of the skills can
eventually acquire all the skills necessary to ensure that your
nonprofit can achieve the goals listed in your strategic plan.
1. Creative Thinking
Expert new media managers have the ability to anticipate the impact of
emerging trends in mobile and social media. They voraciously consume
nonprofit technology blogs and study the mobile and social media
campaigns of other nonprofits for inspiration. They use their creative
impulses to come up with innovative mobile and social media campaigns
for their own nonprofit. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the speed at
which technology now moves, they are energized by it. Too often new
media managers are bogged down by a strategy or content approval process
that saps them of their creativity. They need to be given creative
freedom and trusted to act upon their instincts. Some campaigns will
fail, and some will need revision. But it’s only a creative new media
manager who keeps current with emerging trends in mobile and social
media that can launch campaigns that stand out above all others.
2. Good Writing Skills
Woe to the nonprofit that incorrectly assumes that a new media manager
is a tech position. First and foremost, it’s a writing position. The
ability to tell a story that captures the imagination of your donors
and supporters and consequently inspires them to donate or get more
involved is a skill only found in those who enjoy and excel at writing
and who are committed to consistently improving their writing, grammar,
and punctuation skills as well as increasing their vocabulary. Knowing
how to format text for mobile and online readers is also critical in a
new media manager. Too often great nonprofit stories go unread because
of a poor choice in font size, lack of bullet points, or the outdated
use of all capital letters.
3. Experience
It’s very common for nonprofits to assume that volunteers and interns
can effectively manage their mobile and social media presence simply
because they are young and came of age during the rise of social
networking. While it’s true that the millennial generation has adeptness
and curiosity about technology, using mobile and social media to tell
your nonprofit’s story in an impactful way requires a well-rounded
understanding of the history of website and email communications, online
fundraising, and how social networking and mobile technology have
become intertwined with all nonprofit communications and fundraising.
Young volunteers and interns who are lacking in the longer view of
mobile and social media can quickly advance provided they are mentored
by experienced communications or development staff, or given access to
quality training. If your nonprofit is lucky enough to find exceptional
volunteers or interns, you should still consider paying them for their
work, especially if they are recent college grads struggling to find a
job. They will be more committed and make an excellent candidate for
your new media manager position should your nonprofit decide to hire
one.
4. Photo and Video Editing Ability
To effectively work with image and video content, your new media
manager must be adept at using photo and video editing software.
Cropping images, adding borders or text, and creating visually
compelling slideshows are skills acquired only through practice. Video
content needs to be edited and embellished with visual effects,
animation, and audio. The foundation of effective photo and video
editing is a creative eye and an appreciation of digital photography and
video. Quite often, your new media manager is also the person in
charge of photographing or video recording events and program
milestones. Being behind the camera takes confidence and a familiarity
with digital equipment. If the photos and videos are poorly shot, it
will be impossible to create a finished product worthy of publication.
5. HTML Knowledge
HTML looks much more intimidating than it actually is, and all new
media managers should be skilled in basic HTML. To add a donate button,
e-newsletter, mobile alerts opt-ins, and social network icons to your
blog, for example, you need to know how to work with an HTML editing
software. Quite often when working in an e-newsletter publishing tool or
with a blogging platform, you’ll need to go into the HTML view to
tweak fonts, page layout, and image sizes. If your new media manager is
not trained in HTML, then finding and enrolling in HTML training
should be a top priority, and it is an investment that pays off
instantly through increased online donations, e-newsletter and mobile
alert subscribers, and social network followers.
6. Multitasking
A new media manager will often toggle between five to ten different
social networks and mobile and social media management tools in any
given work day. At the same time, she or he might also be creating
content for a website or blog, crafting an e-newsletter, creating visual
content, or conducting research. It’s rare that any web-based activity
lasts longer than 30 minutes. Rather, a new media manager’s day is
divided into five- or ten-minute intervals—five minutes posting on
Facebook, ten minutes creating a Twitter list, twenty minutes creating a
Google invitation, three minutes posting on Tumblr, two minutes
commenting on Instagram, and so on. The ability to manage multiple
communities and projects simultaneously without significant mental drain
day after day is a rare skill. Some development and communications
staff who have added mobile and social media to their already full job
descriptions feel overwhelmed when only managing a Facebook Page and
Twitter account, but a new media manager’s sole purpose is to juggle
multiple mobile and social media campaigns on a daily basis. To do it
well, these managers must be exceptional multitaskers.
7. Flexibility
Mobile and social media are in a state of constant revision. Just when
you have mastered a new functionality, it disappears and is replaced
with another. New media managers have to be extremely flexible, rein in
their moments of frustration, and adapt quickly. They cannot rigidly
attach themselves to any current social network design or functionality
because changes often occur overnight and without warning.
8. Knowledge
Exceptional new media managers are plugged into breaking news and
current affairs on a daily basis—not because they have to be, but
because they want to be. Odds are that your new media manager is the
first to know when stories and reports related to your cause are
breaking and gaining momentum online. When writing blogs or moderating
discussion on social networks, new media managers need to be
well-informed so they can back up their statements with facts. Because
their knowledge base is representative of your nonprofit’s public
persona, they need to be allowed the time to read and research trends
and news related your nonprofit’s cause. A new media manager should also
be skilled in conducting online research. Rather than getting stuck
and delayed by not knowing an answer to a question or a solution to a
problem, they find the answer by mastering search engines. New media
managers are a walking, breathing, tweeting encyclopedia of knowledge
and thus exceptionally valuable to the nonprofits they work for.
9. Community Building
The ability to use mobile and social media to generate online ripples
of awareness is a very valuable, too often underestimated skill. At the
beginning of the rise of social media, effective community building was
equated with being human and “joining the conversation,” but community
building has progressed beyond personality as the primary means of
inspiring engagement and interaction. Nonprofits are not human, and
unfortunately too often it’s the grumps, egomaniacs, and Internet trolls
that are joining and usurping online conversations. Community building
is now more strategic and based upon proven best practices. Tweeting,
posting, and sharing content that triggers a positive response in
donors and supporters require a new media manager to take an analytical
approach to community building. Of course, your nonprofit must respond
to questions and pertinent comments on mobile and social media with
wisdom and graciousness, but the goal of increasing engagement and
interaction in online communities should not be to merely inspire
conversation, but to also produce tangible results and help your
nonprofit achieve the goals laid out in your strategic plan. Three years
ago “the conversation” and “listening” were defined as the driving
purpose behind utilizing mobile and social media. Now that we know that
mobile and social media campaigns empowered by quality content are what
increases donations, volunteerism, and event attendance, the strategy
must come first. New media manager with years of experience will likely
have come to the same realization and are more advanced in their
community building skill set.
10. Leadership
A new media manager will often be a couple steps ahead of other staff
members in terms of nonprofit technology trends. At organizations where
change is consistently met with resistance, new media managers will
have to have excellent leadership skills to move an organization
forward. They need to tactfully, but forcefully be the advocate at their
nonprofit for advancement in mobile and social media adoption and
budget increases—including asking for raises when the time arises. A new
media managers’ job is a stressful one that can easily lead to burnout
if the walls of resistance are strong and their compensation doesn’t
reflect their skill set as it grows over time. Also, as the online
representative of a nonprofit, a new media manager has to be comfortable
with expressing opinions publicly. New media managers are confident in
their experience and knowledge, but not arrogant. This balance in
character must manifest itself both online and at the office.
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