10 Must-Follow Not for Profits on LinkedIn

Charities need to take notice of the growing impact of the social media site LinkedIn, according US Not for Profit technology guru, Heather Mansfield who has produced a top ten list of NFP sites to follow for inspiration.

Mansfield says some Not for Profits have thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of LinkedIn Company Page followers, and yet have not customised their page or posted a single update.

“LinkedIn Pages launched in 2010 and since then the company has slowly rolled out upgrades and new features. So slow in fact that LinkedIn Pages has fallen under the radar of most Not for Profits, but in recent months interest and engagement on LinkedIn Pages has been steadily growing and some nonprofits are beginning to take notice and adding LinkedIn Pages to their priority lists and editorial calendars,” Mansfield said on her website Nonprofit Tech for Good. 

Nonprofit Tech for Good (formally Nonprofit Tech 2.0) is a social and mobile media resource for NFP professionals created and managed by Heather Mansfield who has 15 years of experience utilising the internet for fundraising, community building, and advocacy.

To date, she’s presented more than 100 social media and mobile media trainings throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Southeast Asia.

“If your Not for Profit decides to become active on LinkedIn, it’s recommended that you follow some of the early adopters and study their LinkedIn Pages to help get a sense of the LinkedIn community and what type of content they engage with.

“That said, it’s a recurring trend and worth noting that NFPs who work on environmental issues and international development tend to be the early adopters of most new social networking tools.

These include American Red Cross and Plan International.

In Australia a report into The State of Social Media Use in Australian Non Profit Organisations in 2012 by Wirth Consulting found that 97% of Australian Not for Profit organisations have an online website presence. 

Unsurprisingly, the report found that LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube topped the list of most frequently used social media technology.

However, it found that there has been a number of missed branding and information dissemination opportunities in LinkedIn Company Profiles and in the customisation of social media accounts.

Mansfield says she has browsed the LinkedIn Pages of over 200 of the most well-known Not for Profits in the world to deliver her list of 10 who are clearly taking the lead.

Check out the list here.