I presented on how nonprofit leaders can use LinkedIn for networking, public relations and job search purposes. The presentation also covered how to build relationships, appropriate LinkedIn etiquette and strategies to become a thought leader through participation in LinkedIn groups. The event was hosted by the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington.
2. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal-oriented Approach to LinkedIn
• Goal #1: Networking
• Goal #2: Public relations (branding)
• Goal #3: Thought leadership (branding)
• Goal #4: Job Search
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3. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
First…Build Your Profile!
• Work history, photo, education
• Publications and certifications, skills and
expertise, recommendations
• Social networks to which you belong
• LinkedIn helps you complete your profile
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4. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Personal Connections
Everyone relevant to your
nonprofit’s goals (colleagues,
friends, industry partners,
volunteers and customers)
Ongoing connections from
meetings, networking events
and partnerships
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5. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Networking via Search
Find people you know and who you met at
networking events
Search for individuals in particular categories
(Premium account provides you with more filters)
Search for companies—access to their employees
that follow them
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6. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Networking via Search – Options
1. Find people you know then connect with offline
2. Leverage current LinkedIn connection to get
introduced to someone found through search
3. Reach out to someone on LinkedIn through fee-
based InMail option
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7. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Network Management (I)
Don’t accept strangers’ invitations without a
personalized introduction (don’t “follow” either)
Scan/scroll through LinkedIn 2x - 3x a day
“All Updates”: colleague activity (social media
champions?); groups your connections join;
shares—what your connections are sharing
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8. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Network Management (II)
Meet people through existing network (we use
during bidding process)
LinkedIn relationships should mirror real-life
relationships (don’t ask for inappropriate
intros.)
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9. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #1: Networking
• Network Management (III)
Don’t try to take online connections offline too
soon without reason; new connections should get
to know you through your posts/participation
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10. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Branding (I)
“Share an Update” messages—most basic
Post articles and notes about your
company, industry, achievements, publications, events,
congratulations notices, news
Share other people’s posts,
comments, “Likes”
Frequency: 1x daily when
possible; “Latest Activity” shows participation
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11. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Branding (II)
Share 5 pieces of valuable content for every
promotional item shared on LinkedIn
Send LinkedIn mail to connections about
events, fundraisers or accomplishments but do so
sparingly – don’t be aggressive!
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12. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Company Branding (I)
Post mission and services—more people on
LinkedIn than any company’s website (visibility)
Posts: news/announcements about nonprofit
(visibility); measure impressions, clicks, shares
Place follow company button on
website, electronic signature
and on other social networks
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13. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #2: Public Relations (Branding)
• Public Relations / Company Branding (II)
Personal vs. company posts—some identical, others
are specific to individual or company (Joe’s e.g.: PR)
Drive traffic to your website (get more details)
Followers learn about your
work, achievements, employment opportunities
# of followers not a great metric, but if the # grows, it
reflects good visibility and positive perceptions
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14. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• LinkedIn Groups – Research and Join (I)
Groups relevant to your industry or position
Review discussion items and participate—ask
questions, respond with answers, post articles
Become an influencer—begin
conversation-generating
discussions
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15. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• Nonprofit Groups - examples
Nonprofit Professionals Nonprofit Leadership
Jobs in Nonprofits Alliance
Alliance for Nonprofit Philanthropy Network
Management Nonprofit CEO Network
Nonprofit Professionals Social Media for Nonprofit
Forum Organizations
BoardSource
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16. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• LinkedIn Groups – Research and Join (II)
Your connections know when
you post a discussion item or
response to a group
“Follow” as on Twitter—not a
good idea; use LinkedIn for
relationship-building
connections
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17. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Thought Leadership (Branding)
• Group management (I)
People belong to groups for branding purposes
(visibility on their profiles)
Options to receive ldiscussion items on a daily or
weekly basis, whenever they happen or never
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18. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Branding/Thought Leadership
• Group management (II)
Find out which connections belong to groups and
their experience interacting with the groups
# of members may reflect popularity/usefulness
Closed groups may have more valuable information
(less advertising) though not as much input
Promotions tab for professional service partners
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19. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #3: Branding/Thought Leadership
• Relationship-building in groups
Strategically useful to get involved in groups and
discussions w/individuals you want to get to know
Example for GRF: Accounting Today group
Longer-term strategy – may be better than (or
useful to accompany) a direct request to connect
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20. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Profile tips to optimize search
Complete profile
Get recommendations
Profile keywords should be carefully determined
for maximum effectiveness / “Skills & Expertise”
“Jobs You May Be Interested In” profile item
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21. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Search for Jobs
Single keyword search
Advanced search—additional search parameters
Industry: Nonprofit Organization Management
Left column—change parameters to see new results
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22. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
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23. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Company Search
Company pages – job listings
Job descriptions show helpful information – person
who posted, similar job, who you are linked to
Sign up to company pages – receive feeds including
job postings
Find recruiter for connection purposes
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24. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
25. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
26. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Goal #4: Job Search
• Tools for Effective Job Searching
Save Jobs tab / Saved Searches
LinkedIn for mobile
Use referrals from your network – personalize!
Premium subscription options ($29.95 / $49.95)
• InMail – responses guaranteed, Profile Stats Pro
• Profile: Top keyword searches and # of views
• Search by salary range
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27. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Summary: LinkedIn a Tactical Option
for Communications Planning (not a Strategy!)
• Utilize LinkedIn tools to help achieve goals
• “Color inside the lines” to avoid information overload
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28. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Communications Planning – SMART goals
• Examples of SMART goals:
Introduce yourself to five potential new funders
over a three-month period
Connect with ten potential new volunteers
Become a thought leader in two industry groups to
generate visibility with key journalists/bloggers
Find three new jobs to apply for in one day
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29. LinkedIn Communications for
Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
Future Executive Directors Alumni
Quick Summation of Other LinkedIn Features
• Apps—lots of features (add a blog, TripIt, Slideshare to
add presentations)
• Industry News—good nonprofit industry news and
sources of information to share
• Premium service
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30. 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 650N • Bethesda, MD 20814
Connect with Us
Joe Kovacs, APR
Email: jkovacs@grfcpa.com
Telephone: (301) 951 – 9090
Website: www.grfcpa.com
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Editor's Notes
Show the audience your profile and all the component pieces. Point out 100% metric.
“The networking event that never ends…”
You can connect with individuals 2 degrees removed from you; 3 degrees and you need inMail or an introduction. Search for companies – foundations you have heard of that might fund projects similar to yours. Example foundation: Denver Foundation.
How to approach search results when you find them….choice 1: use for someone you don’t know; find them on LinkedIn then connect through offline channel; 2. get introduced through a common connection on LinkedIn; 3. premium service
Strangers can get lazy and use generic invitation—that is not acceptable; nor is following, which is something you do on Twitter. I’m not sure why LinkedIn offers this option other than to get traffic from Twitter. Hard to read all feeds with a large network so scan several times a day.
Meet people through existing network – someone you just met or don’t know very well but want to get to know better; see if a friend or someone close to you on LInkedIn is connected to them
Meet people through existing network – someone you just met or don’t know very well but want to get to know better; see if a friend or someone close to you on LInkedIn is connected to them
Post mission and services – drive people to follow your company; people are more likely to go to LinkedIn than to the site of a particular company to get news so get your news and announcements in LinkedIn’s information flow; get Company button on your website to get followers
“drive traffic to website” – you want to capture people’s attention and drive them to your website to get more details about a particular item
Look to groups tab – in areas where you want to meet people; if you’re a membership organization, like the Nonprofit Roundtable, you might want to post and respond in groups where Washington, DC nonprofits are members.
Show email that shows discussion items and comments.
Longer term strategy – better to get to know someone by sharing insights over time than by calling and introducing yourself as a complete stranger.