"Together we will prosper only when we are willing to reach out and help each other; Social Media is the road that can get us there."

Your thoughts? ... What role do you believe social media will play in the future of nonprofits and fundraising?

- Barbara A. Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC


COMMENTS:

“Great statement Barbara. I just saw this here. I like the analogy of the read. Like with all reads it is ours to take it and use it to. It is up to us to share it with others and keep it safe. And if somebody strands on the side it is up to us to help each other. But we all have to walk it ourselves. We may take wrong exits take wrong routes and will get lost. So we help each other to find our goals.

Like with all roads they only get us to a target location if we know where we want to go.”
- Axel Schultze, Creating a better customer experience - one ecosystem at a time.

Thank you, Axel, for your very insightful comments. I like the way you think. I am truly looking forward to getting to know you better and learning more about your vision through the Social Media Academy.

Signed, your humble student
- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC

“I love this statement and this philosophy. As a business lecturer at San Francisco State University, I have been blessed with the opportunity to immerse myself in the SMM [Social Media Marketing] Revolution/Evolution. It has been exciting and rewarding to bring this knowledge to my students who will make IT all happen as they enter the Business World.

To help me spread the word, many Bay Area professionals in advertising, marketing, and PR have graciously given their time to speak in my classes. We all seem to believe that this Conversation is (a) what social media is all about and (b) exactly the change of direction we need to move us all forward into a brighter future.”
- Shari Weiss, Consultant for Social Media Marketing

“Thank you, Shari, for your wonderful comments and feedback. I'm so glad to hear that you are teaching the ways of Social Media to the next generation; although at times, I believe they are teaching us... Young people seem to "get it" all too well, and they are fearless. I'm always surprised when I run into intelligent business people, at meetings, conferences, etc. that seem so afraid of Social Media. I really do believe it is the wave of the future... and not taking advantage of the opportunity will only hold them back. I am so impressed with the new Mindshare Report - finally, something tangible that really quantifies the impact of social media on business. I am highly recommending it to everyone I know, especially the ‘non-believers’."
- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC

“We need concerted efforts to unite and take full advantage of the role of the media, use of the media to the platform called for more people to join our ranks at the same time, also let them know that people in difficulty and for those in need of help people will do more to help themselves! “
- Bluse Lin, Student

“Hello Bluse Lin, thank you for your comments. I totally agree.”
- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC

“Social media will play a major role in the future of nonprofits and fundraising. It is a way to reach the masses quicker than traditional forms of communication. Also through the use of social media you are able to extend your reach through your network.”
- Jody McPhearson, Relationship Manager at Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce

“Thank you, Jody, for your response. I agree that Social Media will play a major role in the future of nonprofit fundraising, as well as event promotion, volunteer coordination, garnering resources and support, and long-term sustainability. We have become a virtual society. The speed with which we may communicate through the Internet and Social Media has become a pipeline that will continue to grow and become the ‘standard’ for doing business in the future.”
- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC

“Barbara, I totally agree, I don't look at social media as first playing in my economic future but in society's economic future. Without building up society's economic future nobody's economic future will be enhanced.

The beauty of TRUE SOCIAL MEDIA is we the people have the power to actually empower and invoke change, with our talents in this uncertain economic time, with our talents not only in social media but in every industry we have been lucky enough to prosper in the past.

We cannot depend on Government to build jobs or an economy to secure our future, all of us who are fortunate enough to be where we are at must do this by training; building and creating solutions/services that jump start our economy once again.

Most of us on here are from the days when we saw this happen at one point and all it will take is another cycle and now it is our turn to be at the forefront and to rely on those who are veterans from the past "cycles" to get us all rolling.

Social Media is one aspect that can instigate this but we cannot ignore our predecessors that have lived through past historic times like these....one thing I know is that I don't know because I lack experience that cannot be taught it has to earned and learned through time. So many companies have cut the most valuable resources, those seasoned people who hold something money or the next new ''fad" cannot replace...and that is experience.

What is unique about Social Media is we can promote and recruit faster but not forget those who truly know what we don't and integrate the two and meet in the middle. The technology and tools change but basic concepts and “revolutions don’t.” I.E. Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Technology Revolution, this one we are in not named yet buy sociologists

This same concept holds true in society, we have put our most experienced members of society out to pasture and diluted the respect level down to nothing. With this practice, the concept of "love thy neighbor" and "protect the innocent" has lost a lot of meaning. Companies put these most experienced members out to pastures as well, except at the very top and again created a sub culture that our inexperience and lack of mentorship didn't prepare us for. We forgot about humanity and allowed ourselves to get into this situation.

In summary, Respect and Loyalty has changed, companies lay off at the direction of wall street, and families uproot and move for jobs only to be out of work sometimes six months later....sometimes causing total destruction of these families. When was it that we put all our eggs in an entity and not our generations of family? When was it we stopped caring about those who really had it worse off than us? When was it that we forgot what community was because the companies that let go of employees in the thousands, due to wall street reactions, pushing jobs overseas or worse yet, bad behaviors that made a false sense of economic safety net...that was never a community and wow did that go away quickly and what was left? How many people have suffered emotional breakdowns because their "sense of community" was that company that had what loyalty to them?

I think this is what you are trying to say in your post, once we are willing to reach out and help one another...Again, we have a wonderful tool to use: Social Media but the Recipe to properly engage in your wonderful concept needs a few more "ingredients" from our Society.....and the great news is:

All of the ingredients are in the pantry, waiting to be pulled out, they are already there....go outside today and look around...because Barbara Daniels is correct: Social Media is the road/tool/cake where each of us will prosper personally, spiritually and make our world a better place. Naturally then the economy too will follow.

We just need to use all of the ingredients and feed it to all of society.”
- Bonnie Murphy, Marketing Professional specializing in online & traditional marketing, Real Estate and software branding.

“Thank you, Bonnie, for your very thought provoking response. It is clear that you took the time to sincerely consider my quote and question. I believe that Social Media is a means to bring people together and mend the broken fences between us. I believe people are beginning to understand through Social Media how working together benefits the whole. I am inspired by your comments.”
- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC

“I completely agree. We have to in today's world. It is an evolution back to our roots of how the nation and economy was built. Social Media is a catalyst to fast track where we have lost contact and the ability to see the people we need to see to grow.”
- Cheri Hull, Leader, team player, business developer with entrepreneurial spirit

“Thank you, Cheri, for your great comments! We're all in this together... working together - growing together. It's about building relationships. We are all connected in some way - social media is about keeping that connection open, and keeping our economy thriving. It's teamwork at its best!”
- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC

“Barbara - Interesting question and I actually do not agree entirely if by "social media" you mean the typical technologies of Web 2.0 that foster collaboration and community, online.

Lest you think I'm a Luddite, I joined LinkedIn on March 13, 2004 (less than a year after launch) and more than 20 years ago wrote an email program that also allowed for instant messaging.

We’re in 100% agreement that "we will prosper only when we are willing to reach out and help each other". I think social media is a phenomenal tool that dramatically accelerates what happens naturally and has happened for millennia, which is that a community (or tribe, or network) is more resilient and powerful when it grows and each member prospers.

However, it is still just a tool, and since it is computer-based it is limited just as any other technology (even phone) that does not allow for face-to-face communications.

Personally, I think you need both social media for Fast networking, and face-to-face channels for SLOW networking. Fast networking are actions that give you breadth and numbers, whereas SLOW networking gives you depth and quality.”
- Raoul Encinas, Business & Organizational Transformation Executive - Technology, Services, Projects

“Thank you, Raoul, for sharing your thoughts on Social Media. I look at Social Media as a tool as well, and I totally agree that it does not replace face-to-face communications - only that it helps to make the opportunity of face-to-face communications more available and more reachable. The 'tool' as you explained, is only a means in which we may use to connect to each other; yet still a very powerful means.”
- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC

Thank you to all who responded to the LinkedIn™ discussions – let the conversation continue…

- Barbara Daniels, Managing Director/CEO for The Caffe Publishing Group, LLC