So, you’re thinking about starting a blog for your nonprofit? As I’m sure you’re aware, most of the nonprofit blogs out there are so boring that a critique of them would be too boring to get through. Your right an uphill battle, but by following some of my tips outlined here, you’ll be well positioned to gather a great community on your website:
1. Find someone who is passionate about your cause to take the lead
Most organizations put their interns in charge of writing weekly blog postings, and it shows. In addition to it not coming from the heart, the intern is often temporary causing your weekly column to suddenly stop. You need a staff person who is not only excited to write on a regular basis, but also wants to immerse themselves in the user community they are creating.
2. Post on a regular basis
There is no magic number for the amount of postings you should write on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, however, whatever you choose to do, you should do so with consistency. People like routines and if reading your blog is one of their routines, they get upset if you miss a posting. Choose a level of posting that you can accommodate in your schedule and stick to it.
3. Just start!
My final piece of advice to nonprofits is to just start. If you feel that some of your supporters would like to receive news from your organization via a blog, or more importantly, that your organization has ideas to share with the world that might move more quickly through the blogosphere than through traditional media, set one up. Try it for a year and see what happens.