Many Australian charities and community groups say that they are unable to make a lasting impact through online media because they feel they lack the necessary training and equipment.
According to an October 2011 survey of 1,485 nonprofit organisations by Digital Business, there is a growing need for information and communications technology (ICT) amongst this particular sector.
Shai Coggins and Ben Teoh from Connecting Up say that the fear for many charities is that without effective social media communications, the public message from these groups will be lost.
Ms Coggins explained that a vibrant online presence could help to enhance the interaction between nonprofits and their stakeholders.
She explained: "Nearly one in 13 people around the world have a Facebook account … and in Australia there are over ten million users.
"This makes social media a great way to guide the direction that public communication about your organisation takes."
Mr Teoh echoed this important message, stating that there was a wide range of free tools online that allow nonprofits to engage with their stakeholders
"My personal favourite is HootSuite – it's great for organising and filtering conversations, scheduling updates and keeping you in control of your organisation's online communications" asserted Mr Teoh.
The message for nonprofit marketing success is clear – content needs to be simple, messages must be specific to the audience and the call to action given prominence.
With a range of content management solutions and cloud products available for nonprofit organisations, there is little reason why these valuable additions to the local economy should remain silent in the online arena.
