Do you really need another way to reach your supporters? The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. The modern world is far too interconnected for you to limit your influence to only the people you know, so live steaming your event is an effective way to reach a broader network instead.

Whether you are looking to expand your outreach or simply want to reach supporters remotely, learning how to live stream your events is easier than you think.

Why You Need to Live Stream Your Events

Put simply, live streaming is the key to moving your message from a single room to an unlimited number of people’s homes, making it an effective strategy for how to expand your influence. Just like a phone call, anyone connected to your live stream will hear everything you say in real time, ensuring that you can be relevant and keep their attention in ways that pre-recorded videos can’t match.

There are three main benefits to live streaming:

We live distracted Lives. There are so many different things vying for our attention. As your organization tries to be a place of learning, comfort and community, your message can get drowned out. Your organization needs to ensure that its message rises above the clamor. You already know that your organization needs a website. But did you also know...

Social media is often spoken of with a negative connotation, and it’s not completely unjustified. There are many detrimental aspects of the way that social media is being used by different individuals and groups. But social media also provides a way for people to instantly get connected to each other and share thoughts and ideas.

People are looking for a way to interact and stay in touch, which is why social media has caught on and spread like wildfire. Did you know that Facebook has 1.73 billion daily active users? With statistics like that, it’s easy to see why being on social media is becoming more and more important to stay relevant. You have to meet people where they are, and right now, they are on social media.

How Social is Your Organizations Media?

Every tool should be used wisely, this includes social media. Have a plan before you begin, someone who can carry it out, and keep your organization’s mission at the forefront of all you do.

1. Integrate your social media plan with your overall communications program.
   Look at the ways that you communicate now and weave social media into that fabric. A totally separate package will make the organization feel divided, sort of an in-crowd and out-crowd feel. Post your social media user names in your marketing material, on your website and maybe even on your marquis. If you have a current telephone call-out or instant messaging program, send out a Tweet of that message as well. Consider posting your service on Facebook Live if you already video it.
2. Use a lens not a mirror as you communicate.
   Rather than focusing on your desire for the organization to be seen by those on social media, concentrate instead on seeing and fulfilling needs. Read and respond to the comments on a Facebook post. Listen carefully to the questions people ask or the sentiments they express. You may find yourself developing a FAQ page on your website that answers some of these questions and concerns. Then post the link to that page on social media, and a circle is complete.
3. Never, ever, ever give up.
   Few efforts succeed in a landslide within a short period. Follow your plan and reflect back on it regularly. Continue what is working and adjust what may not be catching on yet. Most of all, keep your organization’s mission front and center so that social media remains a tool and not a goal in itself.
   
   
   

   Click here for the Full Google Adwords Report

How much are you getting done each day? If it's less than you'd like, you're normal. However, the difference between a lackluster organization and truly inspiring organizational leadership can come from improving your productivity so that you are always working towards the most important goals of your nonprofit. The difference comes from how you us...

You talk with your supporters and maybe set up a one-on-one meeting during the week. But what about the rest of the time? Is there a way to know if your message has hit home? As a leader, having a follow up strategy is one of the keys to an effective campaign. Follow ups can be as simple as a quick phone call after an important meeting. Or they can...

Are you giving your website the attention that it deserves? If not, you might be missing out on one of the most powerful ways to connect with people. A website is a way to quickly connect with the world. It's often the channel that brings new people into contact with your organization for the first time. However, a website only works if the users l...

There's no question that you are busy. Growing, running and maintaining a thriving organization takes consistent work, but many leaders are neglecting a critical angle for their efforts- the Digital Realm! It's A Busy World Out There! In a world where smartphones are almost a given, you should endeavor to engage your supporters through mobile apps ...

Leaders across the world are beginning to learn something important about the internet. It is a fertile field waiting for the right seeds to be planted.

They are growing their organization while expanding their influence with something most of us consider to be just for business: Google AdWords and the Google search engine.

The Top 5 Reasons That Your Nonprofit Organization Needs to Use These Tools

1. The first reason is not about you; it’s about the people you serve or could be serving if you could connect with them. Where do these people look for what they need? In Google. “Google” is no longer just an online term. It has been a word in the Oxford English Dictionary since 2006. It means to search the internet for an answer, and like it or not, that is where many people go to get answers today. With Google AdWords, your organization could be one of the top answers to their search.
   When you place an ad, you are placing your information in the answer results on a Google page. You pay for a particular word or set of words like save the whales, help the homeless, or end sex trafficking. When someone searches for one of the keywords you purchased, your paid ad appears on the results column above the non-paid results for that search. Try it with hotels. Google the name of your hometown with the word hotel after it. Unless you live in a very small town, you will see results with the word AD in a little green square at the beginning of the list before other results.
2. You can control your budget easily with AdWords. To place your ad high on that list of results will require you to bid on those keywords. The highest bid goes to the top. The good news is that using AdWords for nonprofit organizations has not caught on with everyone yet. Unless you live in a metropolitan area, you can probably bid only a small amount for the right to be in the top tier of results. The first choice you will make with your budget is how many keywords to buy and then how much to bid on each one.
   You will pay for the ads on a pay per click (PPC) basis. This means you only pay if someone clicks on your ad. Compare this to other advertising: print, billboard, or television. There, you pay whether anyone takes the time to read the ad or not. Here, you know that the person is at least interested in what you are offering. Can this get out of hand? It could, but you will also be able to limit how much you are willing to pay per day so that you never go over budget.
   
   

   Click here for the Full Google Adwords Report

3. You have a lot to offer, why not let people see it? You may already be spending time, energy, and money on a great website. But who is it reaching? The best content in the world may not be seen by more than a handful if your site doesn’t reach the first page of a Google search. Instead, your ad will lead them directly to your website. They may want to visit, and they may just want to stay.
4. You can target who sees your ads and when they see them. If a searcher looks up the term save the whales, you can target that search by the zip code of the searcher and even schedule the ad for a weekend when they may be online.
5. As a nonprofit organization, you may qualify for free ads. Google is currently offering $10,000 per month in Ad grants for nonprofit organizations and churches to use with Google AdWords. It is a philanthropic effort on their part that is giving many nonprofit organizations the opportunity to open their doors and websites to people they might not otherwise reach.

Find People Who are Searching When people use Google to search for an nonprofit organization, they may be looking for a place to donate, an opportunity to volunteer, or a likeminded community. There is a reason that they typed in the keywords that led them to you. They are searching and have questions, and your organization may be able to help them find answers.