To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks).

• How to Prepare Your Community for a Major Change « The Community Manager – "Change: it’s the one constant in life. Whether you’re introducing a change in ownership, new staff, policy change, technical update, or something else, community members sometimes resist change. Usually, they’re afraid of repercussions that could affect the community they care so much about—so, it comes from a “good place.” That being said, their fears and frustrations can create chaos, and part of your job as community manager is to make transitions as smooth and drama-free as possible. Follow these steps to turn your announcement from a sign of the apocalypse into a community-building win they thank you for."
• Interactive: How America Gives – How America Gives – The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas – The Chronicle of Philanthropy has launched a great new tool: an interactive map of giving data in the US. You can look at total contributions, contributions by household, discretionary income by household, and percentage of income given by household at the national, state, county, and local level.
• Survey says: Most noprofiteers blend their personal/professional brands | Big Duck – "Last week I had the joy of presenting a workshop with the fabulous Danielle Brigida of the National Wildlife Federation at the 7th Annual Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference in Washington, DC. To gear up for our session on "Mixing Business and Pleasure: Managing Your Personal Brand in Social Media," we asked nonprofiteers (readers like you!) to respond to a quick survey about their own behaviors. We heard from 209 nonprofit staff, consultants, and the people who love us–and some of the results suprised us. While not scientific, the survey offers some interesting insights and we highlighted the key findings in our presentation (included in the slides below and online here). Here are some of those insights…"
• e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics » How a Twitter Rapid Response Campaign Helped Susan Sarandon ‘Get’ Paid Sick Days – "A coalition of diverse organizations in New York City has banded together to escalate the conversation regarding paid sick days for workers, with an emphasis on getting the NY City Council to pass legislation mandating paid sick days. So far, Council Speaker Christine Quinn has not called for a vote on this issue. But now, it just may happen — after the coaltion (with a little help from their friends) gave us an impromptu course in how to run online rapid response."
• Direct Energy | Direct Energy Contest | Reduce Your Use for GoodReduce Your Use – "Nonprofits, you know it: small changes can make a big difference. At Direct Energy, we’re committed to using our energy expertise to make a difference in people’s lives — so we’re donating up to $100,000 to nonprofits like you to help reduce energy use. Just make a short video of two minutes or less showing us the good work you do in your community. Acceptable submission formats include Windows Media, Quick Time and MPEG (files ending in .wmv, .avi, .mov, .mpg or .mp4). Be passionate. Be creative. Be concise. Tell us about your organization and its vision, how the small things you do make a big difference and why it’s so important that you continue your mission."

To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks).

• Dear Community Managers, don’t be hard on yourself, it’s your company culture that’s not ready to be “social” – The Buzz Bin – "In my ten years of working with corporate communications and marketing pros across Fortune 500, small to medium sized organizations, I have come across two specific types of organizations: i) organizations that have a culture of learning, collaboration and hence find ways to increase efficiencies and ii) companies that have the same beliefs but those beliefs never made it past the MISSION STATEMENT.  I have no problem against the latter as long as you are positively affecting the company’s bottom line and meeting your goals but I do have a few things to say to social media strategists who have been hired to do their job but end up spending more time just wrestling within their office corridors to go “social.”"
• Microsites for Nonprofits: Your Questions Answered | NTEN – "What do you do when you want to give extra publicity to a specific cause or campaign? Featuring one campaign too prominently could distract from other things. If you don't feature your campaign enough, it could get lost in the mix. So what's the solution? One proven method quickly growing in popularity is the microsite. A microsite is a mini-website, generally two to four pages, focused on a specific topic or campaign. These mini-websites are usually graphic-heavy and have very straightforward, action-oriented copy. Actions can include making donations, social media sharing, signing a petition, and more. Microsites can also promote dynamic content."
• Why Being Good Enough Is Never Enough on the Internet – Forbes – This is an important post I think everyone should read! Thanks to Deanna Zandt for being so thoughtful and smart in her analysis: "Let’s break down why the meritocracy myth is both so pervasive and problematic. The Internet is indeed a blank canvas in many ways. The egalitarian nature of the web as platform — for example, technically, no link or traffic is prioritized over another — makes it easier to connect people and ideas that were previously isolated. In the early days of the web, it was stunningly clear to most of us that we could do whatever we wanted, and that freedom was intoxicating. What we weren’t paying attention to was how we brought the advantages we carry in our offline lives– often defined by race, gender, class, and now, technological access and skill– to that blank canvas."
• Ushahidi and the Long Tail of Mapping for Social Change | TechPresident – I couldn't agree more with David's post and analysis of DeadUshahidi, a directory of "dead" installations of the open source Ushahidi mapping platform. Read the full post to hear both David's take, and suggestions for success from Patrick Meier. "DeadUshahidi’s mocking tone towards maps it deems ineffective, without any understanding of the goals of the groups behind them, is problematic. Moreover, mocking people or organizations whose maps don’t succeed hardly seems noble, and could even deter experimentation. In Silicon Valley, they say they celebrate failures and their lessons as key to a culture of innovation and success. While its intentions are ultimately good, it is hard to see how DeadUshahidi fosters such a culture in the world of crisis management."
• Millennial Presence in the Media | Mobilize.org – Did you read the list from ABC4.com of 8 characteristics of Millennials? I think Nathan has a great post here highlighting how off the mark some of those "characteristics" are, especially the idea that all Millennials would be considered Socialists! What do you think?

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Normally, I stay away from assumptions: We all know the saying about what assuming does to you and me! When it comes to managing or building communities, online or on the ground, the work can seem overwhelming and sometimes even never-ending.

Wherever you are, and whatever the kind of community you are wrangling, there are some general lessons that I recommend.  These five assumptions always help me remember the role and responsibilities a successful community manager needs to best serve and engage a community. I hope you’ll share your lessons, too!

1. You don’t [really] know your community members.

I don’t say this to offend you, but just as a good reminder. When you are drafting messages, calls to action, or even just conducting day-to-day customer service type communications, assuming that you don’t know the community at large or the individual you are speaking to directly will help prevent you from overstepping boundaries or making statements that can instiguate that, “you don’t know me!” feeling on the other end. I won’t say that we’ve all experienced this – see what I did there? – but I know that I have and have heard direct feedback from people when I’ve made this mistake.

All that you can really assume are the things that aren’t assumptions; give your community the chance to tell you their preferences and interests, and track what you can (from email opens and clicks, to actions taken) to be sure you are responding to the facts whenever possible.

2. You know more about the tools.

There are mind-boggling reports and stats our there that show just how much time many of us are spending [wasting?] on social media platforms like Facebook each day. That said, it is best to assume that your community isn’t hip to every trick you’ve found for Facebook, Twitter, and any other site you may use. This is especially true if you have a separate community platform connected to your website or operated specifically for your community online.

Assuming you know the most about these tools means you have the opportunity and responsibility to share your knowledge and help the community be as savvy as you! When you post a call to action for people to share a message, be sure to include reference to how they can do so; or if you are asking people to create content themselves, be sure to provide instructions and examples to help them respond to your call.

3. You know more about the cause.

Just like the assumption about the tools, it is incredibly valuable to maintain the position that you (read: your organization, if not you personally, smartypants) know more, have more access to information about, and are more closely following news related to your cause and work than the community. When you are sharing news or calls to action, be sure to provide relevant context and history or links to where people can learn more.

Many of your community members may be following things closely with you, but, per assumption #1, you will be able to speak to them directly in the action alerts they’ve signed up for instead of only the general messages you may post elsewhere. If you create a microsite or special landing pages for campaigns, topics in the news, or specific programs, be sure to make links prominent for people to learn more and understand the why and how behind the actions.

4. You have more time than your community.

This is a big one. It may seem like so much fun to round up friends and record a video about why you are all so passionate about a cause, then edit it with catchy backgound music and effects, and post it on YouTube. Assume you are the only person in the community with the time and energy to do it, though. If creating content is an essential part of your campaign, make sure you provide options for someone that wants to give you, for example, 30 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 30 minutes. That may mean it is a quick text-based response, a photo, a very short video, or a good sized video, respectively.

Creating options and recognizing that community members have varying amounts of time to spend on your cause will help people self-select the option that they prefer – back to #1, track it so you can suggest similar options in the future! – and they can feel that you appreciate their participation even if they don’t have the time to make a video for you.

5. People are coming from a good place.

Trolls are real, it’s true. But operating and communicating as if every commenter is a troll will shut down conversation very quickly. Even if someone posts something negative or critical, assume they are coming from a good place, agree with and support your mission and view of a better world, and are voicing a concern that may be felt by others; take a breath and then reread their comment without taking it personally.

These kinds of comments are an opportunity to show your amazing, and patient, customer service abilities! Thank her for speaking up and sharing her comment/question/concern, point them in the right direction for more information and resources, and offer to speak with her directly offline (or at least off the comment thread) about the topic.

Doing this in public, whether on your Facebook page or on your own blog, will show to others that you are open to engaging with people who may disagree, that you have resources and information on the topic of contention, and that you are even willing to be available personally. That’s a much better tone to set.

Well, those are my five; but I have no doubt there are many more lessons and assumptions out there. Would love to hear what more you’d add to the list!

[Photo credit: aflier Flickr]

To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks).

• How Women Use the Web [REPORT] – "In the “Women on the Web: How Women are Shaping the Internet (Internet)” report, comScore concludes that women are the digital mainstream, a group of savvy Internet explorers who are more engaged than their male counterparts, and are the primary drivers of online and group buying."
• Why Do You Participate in Twitter Chats? | Community Organizer 2.0 – "Why do people participate in Twitter chats? I’ve been thinking about that question a lot. I posed the question “what Twitter chats do you participate in and why?” on Twitter and Facebook. What came back was pretty consistent: people participate to get information, ideas, contribute to a community, and meet new people."
• Fire Your Marketing Manager and Hire A Community Manager – David Armano – The Conversation – Harvard Business Review – "Okay, maybe that's going too far. I don't really recommend firing your marketing manager. I do however believe that most companies will eventually need to hire or contract with a community manager, if they haven't already. A recent BusinessWeek article called "Twitter Twitter Little Star," describes social media as a booming industry which has caught the attention of corporations everywhere, and suggests the role of a "social media director" and what that person should do. I'd like to dig a bit deeper into what this core function, necessary to create to what's becoming known as social engagement. I'll call the role the community manager."
• Q&A: A West Point for Community Organizing – Walking Distance – GOOD – "Since its first boot camp in 2006 the New Organizing Institute has trained more than 700 organizers across the country in leveraging online tools to generate offline action. It’s the nation’s leading progressive advocacy and campaign training program and it’s quietly and forcefully redefining the way campaigns are run and social change happens. Judith Freeman, one of the organization’s founders, worked on the new media strategy for the Obama campaign and is using those same tactics to train leaders from organizations like the NAACP and the Red Cross. We spoke to Ms. Freeman about what community organizing looks like in the 21st century."
• Where does Social Media belong on the Org Chart? — Global Neighbourhoods – When everyone wants a bit of the social media juice, having a strategy and usage policy become even more important. Interested to hear how organizations are dealing with this issue!
• The Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide | Idealware – "Social media can be useful to your organization… but how useful? For what? What tangible results are people seeing from it? Created in partnership with the New Organizing Institute, the Decision Guide walks you through a step-by-step process to decide what social media channels make sense for your organization via a workbook, guide, and the results of more than six months of research. And through the included Consultant Directory, you can find a professional to help define and implement your strategy."

To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks).

• An open letter to companies planning online communities | Community Building – I love this "open letter" from Martin Reed at CommunitySpark – it touches on so many "cultural" and infrastructure needs that organizations should think about BEFORE creating an online community space. I think it's great to revisit a list like this even if you are already working with your community online to be sure you haven't forgotten about some of the key foundations that will help you succeed.
• Red Cross and URDB Break Record for Most SMS Donations in One Room – "The Universal Record Database — a rad online resource that allows the Average Joe to make and break a myriad of records online — succeeded in breaking the record for most online donations made by text message in one room today — all with the help of the attendees of the Mashable Media Summit."
• Nine Ways Networked Nonprofits Use Slideshare | Beth’s Blog – Beth has a great post up about how organizations can use SlideShare. Are you familiar with the tool? It's a great online space to upload your presentations, notes and documents. I use it for all my presentations and it even allows me to share my speaker notes since most of my slides are usually just pictures. So, even when folks can't attend a presentation in person, they can still get all the content. Here are 9 ways Beth recommends organizations try out the tool.
• What is a nonprofit network builder? – "As nonprofits increasingly use social media as part of their fundraising, communications and educational strategies, nonprofit staff are stepping up to lead and manage those efforts. Recently, the Case Foundation hosted a group of these emerging nonprofit network managers for a conversation about what we called “network building.” We will share the highlights of this discussion in two posts. The first below, is focused on what network builders do and the second will discuss where this function is heading and the outstanding questions surrounding the role."
• Sixty days to turn one-off donors into regular givers – Third Sector – "One-off charity donors become much less likely to sign up to become regular givers after 60 days have passed since they made their donation, according to research by direct marketing agency DMS."

To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks).

• JustGiving blog: Seven-year-old Charlie raises more than £100,000 for Haiti! – Read this great case study from JustGiving about Charlie's bike ride to raise money for Haiti relief support. "Charlie was really upset by the television footage of the Haiti disaster, so, in conversation with his mum, he came up with idea of cycling around South Park near his home in Fulham, London as many times as possible. As Charlie puts on his JG page, ‘at least 10 laps, I hope!’. Charlie set himself a fundraising target of £500 for UNICEF – not an insubstantial amount for a seven-year-old."
• Why We're In the Age of the Citizen Philanthropist – There's a great post up on Mashable with quotes from Britt Bravo (Have Fun Do Good), Kari Dunn Saratovsky (Case Foundation), and Peter Panepento (Chronicle of Philanthropy). "Our new communications technologies have empowered the individual, and caused a disruptive effect on the non-profit sector. Here are five examples of the citizen philanthropist’s immediate impact."
• Footnotes: Online Outreach on a Budget – January Nonprofit Blog Carnival – "This month we spent some time collecting posts about nonprofit communications on a budget. Below you'll find a combination of great resources that were submitted, and information I've found useful in my own research on online outreach. So bookmark this post and take the time to apply this knowledge to marketing and communications at your organization – it's cheap (or free) and has worked for others!"
• Online Branded Communities: Misguided and Missing the Point – Marketing News Blog – This is an excellent review of best practices and case studies for online community management. Even though the authors (Kathy Baughman and Steve Hershberger) are focused on for-profit brands, the lessons ring true across sectors. "If you ask brand managers the purpose of online communities, the reply you’ll most often hear is “customer engagement.” Among marketers, this term is more prevalent than Frisbees at a dog beach. But the real question is this: Are brands providing meaningful and engaging experiences to their customers through their online communities? Our research on 135 online communities representing 45 major brands indicates that, with few exceptions, the answer is no."
• Idealware Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits by Laura Quinn in Computers & Internet – "What types of software should your nonprofit be using? It’s hard to even know even what types exist, let alone what might work for you. Through a friendly, easy-reference format, this book helps you pinpoint the types of software that can help your organization based on your needs and your level of technology savvy, and provides user-friendly summaries to demystify all the possible options.

  The 84-page Field Guide includes an overview of 35 different types of software, helping you to understand what each is, how it fits in with your needs, how much you might expect to pay, and some of the most common vendors in the area."