By Gina Cuclis



I was asked earlier this week to become a Facebook "friend" of a Sonoma nonprofit. This wasn't the first time a local nonprofit has created a Facebook profile, inviting me to become a friend, when what it should have done was create a Facebook page, inviting me to become a fan. I discussed this in my April 6 post, Avoid This Facebook Mistake.

Social Media for Nonprofits Class May 6 at the Volunteer Center in Santa Rosa

I will be teaching a social media class for nonprofits Thursday, May 6, 9 a.m. to Noon, sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County 's Nonprofit Resource Center, located at 153 Stony Circle, Suite 100. Fee is $45 for Volunteer Center members, $65 for nonmembers.

Called Reaching Your Audience with Social Media, the class will help you evaluatenew media tools and decide what’s right for you. Blogging and Twitter , as well as Facebook, will be discussed.

You will learn:

• different types of social media and the benefits of each
• how to evaluate which social media tools make the most sense for your nonprofit
• examples of how nonprofit organizations are using social media
• first steps necessary to be successful with social media - and traditional media too! new opportunities for using press releases, they’re no longer just for journalists
• where to find information about how to create your social media presence

I recommend nonprofit staff and volunteers attend who want to engage with their donors and constituents via social media, but aren't sure how or aren't familiar with the tools. The unidentified nonprofit individual discussed above is a perfect example of who would benefit.

Register through the Volunteer Center.

If you have questions about what will be covered in the class, e-mail me: gina@cuclispr.com.