An entrepreneurial mindset and the tactics that come with it are not only an asset in the business community but also in the not-for-profit sector. Nowhere is that more clear than with adopting social media, say a slew of recent surveys.

“If an organization isn’t using social media they are missing a huge marketing opportunity. I think they are missing a huge target audience. Certainly, a younger demographic is using social media. The ones that aren’t on it and aren’t leveraging it are just missing a great opportunity,” says Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region executive director Jennifer King.

Social Partners is made up of supporters who contribute a set annual sum to the organization, which then provides cash grants and professional volunteer time to supported organizations such as the Woolwich Counselling Centre and Strong Start in Waterloo Region.

“It’s part of your overall marketing strategy: why wouldn’t you use social media? It just takes a little planning and being consistent but the payoff is huge. There are many organizations in [Waterloo Region] that could speak to it increasing awareness – it goes way beyond donations, it’s about how can you get people to know about your cause and then take action?” King added.

Findings by Charity Intelligence Canada note that while charitable giving has risen in recent years (Statistics Canada reported an increase of 2.6 per cent from 2010 to just under $8.5 billion in charitable donations in 2011), charities now face higher expectations from the public to act in a business-like manner.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘business,’ because I think they are different. Business is business and charities are charities. I would say that yes, it’s more important than ever to have better processes and better tools. It’s acting entrepreneurially as opposed to acting like a business,” King said.

At Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region, members recently cited a compilation of statistics published on Nonprofit Tech 2.0, a blog created by Heather Mansfield, author and owner of DIOSA Communications, a social media and mobile tech company in Missouri.

The statistics are taken from various sources such as Avectra, a software company servicing non-profit organizations, and Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, a Microsoft-affiliated communications agency, among others in the communications and social media sphere.

Stats coming out of the United States show that causes involving animals (41 per cent) and children (37 per cent) are the most talked about by social media savvies. Below that are health and wellness initiatives (19 per cent) human rights topics (18 per cent) and environmental projects (16 per cent).

“Those stats that came out have a lot of resources to put into research,” said King.

Findings out of Waggener Edstrom also show that more than half of the responders in a U.S. survey who engaged with causes via social media were inspired to take further action (59 per cent made monetary donations, 53 per cent volunteered).

Keeping up with such statistics is useful to non-profit organizations and supporting institutions. Knowing the ins and outs of social media tools, and knowing how to track their media presence is also essential for non-profits wishing to increase their online presence. Jonathan Grover, founder of iNot For Profit in Waterloo – a company that creates mobile apps for charities and non-profit organizations – says using social media has a “fantastic” return on investment, taking into account the organization’s individual online efforts and the increased exposure provided by online tools.

“Charities and non-profits are excellent at achieving their mission, but not always at letting people know how well they’ve achieved their mission,” Grover said.

He added, “Social media is the new way to connect with the younger generation to begin to engage them in those causes. Right now, a lot of the techniques that have typically worked for connecting with constituents don’t resonate in the same way for these generations and we think that’s why social media has so much prevalence.”

Organizations starting out in social media must move from the role of a content generator – creating an online community through sharing information – to what he calls the moderator role. This is when the organization can provide a forum for open dialogue with an engaged community, regularly maintain that dialogue and introduce new resources.

The other issue, he says, is non-profits fear losing control of their message online.

“It’s a very different way of thinking. Organizations have typically been very cognizant of controlling the message that gets out there. They have to come to that understanding that when they open that public forum, lots of great things can come from it, but they have to be aware that there can also be negative comments,” Grover said.

King concedes that often start-up businesses deal with the same issues as new charities: tight budgets and limited resources.

“So, a thing like social media, whether it’s low-cost or no-cost, the question is, why wouldn’t you do it?”