Blogging is a vital piece of the online fundraising and digital marketing puzzle for nonprofit organizations, yet so many do it poorly.
“But I don’t have the time keep up with the blog!”
I have heard this all too often. The benefits of nonprofit blogging are vast, but it still seems too overwhelming for organizations short on time, staff and resources.
So what is the cure for an ailing nonprofit blog? Content curation!
Content curation is the act of collecting, filtering and sharing the best information on a specific topic. [Tweet “Content curation is the act of collecting, filtering & sharing the best info on specific topic. via @JuliaCSocial “]
The best content curators also add their own spin to the article, blog post or video that they share, explaining why it is important to their community and why they chose to share it.
Content curation is not about sharing links as you find them. It is finding great stuff amid the noise, annotating it, organizing it, and adding your wisdom or perspective and sharing a collection of curated links in a context or time that adds value. – Beth Kanter
Welenia Studios created a great infographic about the process of content creation, which they call “the art of finding, grouping, organizing or sharing the best and more relevant content on a specific issue”.
Here are 4 ways that nonprofits can use content curation strategies to inject life and new ideas into an ailing nonprofit blog:
Newsjacking.
Sign up for Google Alerts. Google Alerts are free emails that you receive daily or weekly featuring the latest news on a topic of your choosing. Sign up to get a Google Alert for your cause, for example, “domestic violence”, “wetlands preservation” or “animal abuse”.
What is happening right now that is relevant and timely? What is of interest to your audience? Also called “newsjacking”, how can your organization add to a trending discussion that is gaining traction in the news?
How to do it: Choose an article or blog post (or video or photo, etc.) and write two paragraphs about the issue – why is it important, why did you choose it, what does it add to the overall discussion? Make sure to cite the original source and link back to the article.
Infographics.
Infographics are everywhere! According to a fabulous interactive infographic from Neomam, our brains crave infographics because we suffer from information overload. Info presented in a visual and colorful format is 80% more engaging and about 323% more accessible. [Tweet “Info presented in a visual and colorful format is 80% more engaging. via @JuliaCSocial”]
How to do it: Search Pinterest or Google for your cause plus the word infographic. For example, “environment infographic” or “hunger infographic”. Add one or two paragraphs on your blog summing up the most interesting points of the infographic. Make sure to cite the original source and link back to the infographic’s creator where possible.
Scoop.it & Storify
Free online tools Scoop.it and Storify are great places to curate interesting information on a specific topic and then share it to social networks.
How to do it: Sign up for Scoop.it and Storify and create your free account. Use one or the other to start (I personally prefer Scoop.it). Identify up to 3 topics that are relevant to your mission, your organization and your audience. With Scoop.it, you can post a link, add a short summary and then add your own insight. You can then share it to all your social media sites for further exposure.
In conclusion, content curation takes time and effort to do well. However, it can be a perfect compliment to content creation efforts like writing a blog, sending out a regular email newsletter and posting regularly on social media.
More resources:
15 Topnotch Content Creation Tools
13 Reasons Our Brains Crave Infographics
How does your nonprofit use content curation strategies and tools?
photo credit: Claus Rebler via photopin cc
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Alan Draper.
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