As the interview begins, James Topham apologizes and takes a moment to read and respond to an urgent tweet. Another typical day for the communications and marketing director of War Child Canada, where tweeting and Facebook updates are as commonplace as checking one’s email. With social media the buzzword of late, some nonprofits are taking the plunge, hoping these newfangled modes of outreach will help them reach their goals. But how useful is social media, really? And how can one ensure it’s being used effectively instead of needlessly tying up already limited resources?

What and why?

“Everybody is on Facebook,” says Topham, and War Child has been using it for years. The response to the organization’s Facebook page has been extremely positive, outperforming even their website. Considering how much time people spend with the medium, it’s not hard to see why. And besides, he adds, “It’s a good communication tool.” Twitter – which War Child started using a year and a half ago – is quickly gaining ground too. “It’s a very useful place to make deeper connections with people and build a community.”

War Child Canada also communicates its message with the use of a blog. It’s the social medium of choice for colleague, Theodora Philos, who’s been providing readers with a first-hand account of life in Sierra Leone during her six-month stint strengthening the War Child program there. The organization also ran a very successful multimedia campaign last year. Help Child Soldiers used Facebook, YouTube, blogging, and Twitter, among other tools. The ROI was impressive: a 200% increase in followers, 856 Twitter mentions, an increase of 38% in donations as compared to the year before, and 300 new volunteer requests, to name but a few figures.

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) employs its own multi-channel strategy with social media at its core. As with War Child Canada, Facebook and Twitter have become strong players in CBCF’s ongoing quest for eyeballs and support. They’ve also created a Finding Hope blog and virtual Wall of Hope, where people can share their stories about living with breast cancer and – perhaps equally, if not more importantly – join a wider community of Canadians affected by the disease. The foundation also uses YouTube, producing videos to promote CIBC Run for the Cure and the ongoing research into breast cancer.

What, me worry?

Both War Child and CBCF seem pleased with their social media activism. But questions remain. For one thing, if social media has the capacity to be so effective, why do a number of studies indicate these tools have not been fully adopted into the workplace? According to Canadians’ Perspective of Social Media, a survey conducted earlier this year, 83% of respondents viewed social media as integral to their day-to-day life, but only 16% used it for both personal and business use. Of course, the findings may be less indicative of limitations in social media itself, than a cautionary approach toward something new. “Canadians are not sure yet how to utilize or integrate social media into their job function,” the report stated. In fact, another survey, conducted by Sage North America, found that 70% of the nonprofit organizations surveyed in the US and Canada recognize social media as either very or somewhat important to their organization. Of the 45% who haven’t adopted it, the main reason cited was being unsure of its relevance and advantages to the organization.

“Charities are absolutely terrified of it. They’re terrified of letting go of control of their message.”

Topham puts it more bluntly. “Charities are absolutely terrified of it,” he says. “They’re terrified of letting go of control of their message.” What organizations need to realize, he continues, is they never had control in the first place, nor should they want to. To be effective, though, messages need to be robust, adaptable and simple. The real terrifying thing, he adds ironically, is realizing no one is talking about you. “Then you’re in real trouble.”

How much?

The same survey also said social media hasn’t been fully adopted due to lack of time, resources, and expertise. As for costs, it depends on which tool you employ. The basic use of Twitter and Facebook cost nada, zilch. And let’s face it: that’s primarily what makes them so gosh-darn attractive in the first place, never mind the potential results. “You can generate a significant amount of attention, conversation, and drive up the numbers of fans and traffic to your website fairly easily,” says , president of Entrinsic Partners. Those results at lower costs means most organizations, “can’t afford not to look at this space in a significant way.”

The budget increases with the next steps – Facebook advertisements, YouTube, video podcasts, etc. The Help Child Soldiers campaign, in fact, came with a pretty heavy price tag, but War Child was fortunate to have an advertising agency and communications company donate their time pro bono. Meanwhile, the organization is looking to make their website 2.0-friendly, but Topham knows how pricey that can be. There’s already talk of wordpress and other budget-friendly options.

Of course, there’s also the cost of hiring consultants. Topham hasn’t gone that route, but since initiatives can prove complex and time-consuming, outside experts are being used more frequently. The reality also underlines the growing importance of hiring employees with social media skills. “If you have the expertise on board already, make it a positive asset for your nonprofit,” advises of Vancouver-based Kiwano Marketing. Singer would agree. “An organization could use volunteers, interns, or part-time staff who are savvy and achieve reasonably good results,” he says. “We encourage our employees to be actively engaged in our social media activities,” says CBCF social media specialist, Trinni Franke.

Personal time

Beneficial as it is to hire savvy employees, should they be engaging in personal social media use in the workplace? A survey by Robert Half Technology reported that 58% of Canadian companies prohibit the activity. And who can forget the Ontario Government’s ban of Facebook and YouTube for its employees? According to HR consultant, Monica Beauregard, because social media can potentially impact negatively on productivity and harm an organization’s reputation, a strict policy should be adopted. Her recommendations include: as a general rule, disallowing the use of work computers for personal activities; when using social media at home, no references by name should be made of one’s employer; and social networking should never conflict with one’s current role or harm the company’s reputation.

The approach is not uncommon, though War Child appears to have adopted a more informal one, restricting personal use only in extreme cases where workflow is obviously suffering. As for CBCF’s policy, “We encourage keeping personal accounts separate from work-related social media,” says Franke.

But I’m busy

Then there’s the issue of time. With nonprofit executives already so tapped out, where do they find the time for social media? And how much time is required? “Just because tools are free doesn’t mean using them is free because you have to dedicate resources,” cautions Singer. Sometimes 30 to 40% of an employee’s time can be spent community-building. Someone on Twitter will have to engage in that space proactively, perhaps a few times a day in short bursts, while blogging could require a concerted hour or more each morning, he says.

“The actual ‘cost’ of social media falls into time commitment.”

According to Lu, “The actual ‘cost’ of social media falls into time commitment.” Quoting from Mitch Joel’s book, Six Pixels of Separation, she adds, it’s no longer how much money you invest, but how much time you spend making connections. To wit, while Topham calls Twitter very time-consuming, the connections he’s established make it worthwhile and cost effective. He relates how late one night he needed a press release proofed. Not only did a tweeter – a professional writer – quickly review his copy, she did it free of charge. “That never usually happens,” he says.

Where’s the beef?

Here’s the final query: what’s the most effective use of social media? Awareness? Marketing? Fundraising? “One size doesn’t fit all,” says Singer. It’s a business communications tool and how you choose to use it to meet your strategic goals can bring about many different results, he explains. Lu concurs. Uses run the gamut and have as much to do with a nonprofit’s goals as their budget and experience. Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES), for example, uses Twitter and Facebook to promote its programs, with the goal of engagement and increasing its donor base. But SPES is also building its network on LinkedIn, the tool of choice for business development objectives, a more structured approach with a stronger focus on fundraising.

Perhaps so, but the Sage North America survey found only 58% of respondents were using social media for fundraising. “I don’t find it particularly useful as a fundraising tool,” echoes Topham. “If that was my objective, I would be deeply disappointed.” Then again, who knows how many Twitter followers or Facebook friends become so inspired by a cause they decide to donate? Even the Help Child Soldiers campaign may prove it true on some level. So far, however, it seems the jury’s out and most nonprofits need more convincing.

No matter the use of social media, Lu advises organizations to remember one thing: Done wrong, it can engender a negative effect on one’s sales and online reputation. But, “done properly, it can launch a product or service into that all-powerful symbol of Internet stardom, ‘going viral’.” The choice is yours.

Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance journalist, producer and communications consultant living in Toronto. She is also president of Elle Communications and can be reached at: info@ellecommunications.ca.