Online Communications: The Basics

Three 60-minute webinars, Thursdays April 12, 19, and 26

Online communications can seem simple. How hard is it to write a Tweet or send an email? But are your efforts working or are you getting lost in the noise of cat videos and special offers? If you’re not sure, join us for Online Communications: The Basics. It’s a three-part course designed to help you get smart about your communications. You’ll learn how to translate your goals into strategic content, inspire audience engagement, prioritize the tools and platforms that work, develop a plan that keeps your content pipeline full, and measure your success. By the end of this course you’ll be Tweeting with intention and reaching the people who matter most—without having to invest significantly more time or money.

Regular Cost: $120

WVNPA Member Cost: $95 (email ashley@wvnpa.org for the discount code)

REGISTER HERE

Every nonprofit needs a solid online communications foundation. This course will help you define your communications goals, practices, and strategies. We’ll help you refine your “SMART” communications goals, learn what kind of content engages your stakeholders, understand the purpose and best use of each online communications channel, develop an editorial calendar, track success against goals, and choose how to invest your time and money. By the end of this course you’ll have a firm understanding of how to create an online communications plan that meets your goals, connects with your audience, and drives engagement.

Throughout this course, you will:

• Think through what you need to establish a strong online presence.
• Discover what matters most to your stakeholders and how to use online communications to reach and interact with them.
• Consider how to use online communications to help you achieve your goals.
• Learn about online communications tools and best practices for broadcast email, websites, inbound content strategy, and social media.
• Learn how to develop an online communications plan that meets your goals, connects with your audience, and drives engagement.

This course is based on impartial research and expertise from nonprofit communications experts at Idealware and beyond. Join us to learn how to combine proven communications strategies with useful technology to reach a bigger audience and foster deeper relationships.

Course Schedule

All sessions take place Thursdays at 1 pm Eastern and last for 60 minutes.

April 12: Communications Fundamentals

Online, it’s easy to shout, but hard to be heard. We’ll kick off by covering the fundamentals of online communications, including: defining a SMART goal approach to communications, understanding your unique value proposition, developing content, and inspiring meaningful engagement. By the end of this session you’ll have a better understanding of how to align your goals with what your audience wants.

April 19: Channels and Tools

There are so many channels and tools, and each is useful in slightly different ways. We’ll look at current internet, social media, and tech trends to help you choose the right communications channels for you. We’ll also walk through the best uses of website, email, social media, and mobile content to maximize your communications efforts.

April 26: Developing a Plan and Making it Work

Executing communications can be creative and fun—once you’ve done the planning. We’ll show you how to get organized, develop a robust editorial calendar, and make sure your content is going out at the right time, on the right platform, to the right people. We’ll also cover common online metrics to help you learn whether your communications efforts are working. This week we’ll also cover frequently asked questions about budget and staffing for communications success.

Please register with the email address where you would like to receive the access code and dial-in information for the online seminar. All registered participants are granted access to the recordings of each session. Participants who cannot attend any of the sessions due to scheduling conflicts will still have access to the course presentation decks and handouts.

About the Presenter

Kathleen Pequeño

Since the 1980s, Kathleen has been working with justice movements, often working at the point of intersection between storytelling and technology. She has volunteered, worked and consulted with well over a hundred organizations across the United states on issues including racial and gender justice, family violence, queer liberation, education justice, immigration justice, the overuse of prisons and jails, and economic justice for farmworkers. She has built (and rebuilt) scores of websites, CRMs and email systems as well as supported organizations with media planning and communications strategy. You can read her advice on social justice communications and technology at www.kathleenpequeno.com.

About Idealware

Idealware provides impartial, thoroughly-researched and easy-to-understand resources to help nonprofits use technology to create greater social impact in our communities. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.