By Monica J. Witzig
Big Cat Rescue, of Tampa, Florida, specializes in educating others about and caring for exotic cats—and leads the way in social-media outreach among nonprofit organizations.
Big Cat Rescue, of Tampa, Florida, specializes in educating others about and caring for exotic cats—and leads the way in social-media outreach among nonprofit organizations.
Big Cat Rescue, like many organizations—nonprofit or otherwise, has an online presence that includes its website, a blog, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, among other outlets. According to an interview with BCR's CEO, Carol Baskin, the organization ranks No. 6 as the most-viewed and No. 7 as the most-subscribed-to nonprofit on YouTube. In fact, BCR takes social-media influence so seriously that it employs two full-time aficionados, who are responsible for videos, e-cards, chat forums, tweets, etc.
So, does the outreach work? Says Baskin: "We also have quite a bit of anecdotal evidence that our online efforts are paying off because when people mail in a check they will often say something like, 'I loved your YouTube video of the cats playing with pumpkins,' or 'I found you on Facebook.'"
Of the 325 social media sites to which BCR regularly posts, Ms. Baskin cites Posterous and TrafficGeyser as most effective.
Not content to rest on its social-media laurels, Big Cat Rescue has embarked on an overhaul of its website and is delving into text-to-give campaigns and its second iTunes application.
This kind of outreach doesn’t “just happen.” Entrepreneurial nonprofits are taking the risk to devote their precious resources to social media. Which do you check more: the editorials in a printed newspaper—or your Twitter feed?
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