I know one small nonprofit that has a small staff, a one-person development department, and no marketing staff. But they want to get started with social media, and they should. It will help with communicating with their volunteers, raising funds, building their community, publicizing their events, and building their brand.

What they don't realize though is that their website is the place to start. Then adding even one social network could make a difference. The staffing problem can be solved with a tech savvy volunteer and/or having several staff (think the development person, the Executive Director, and the Volunteer Coordinator) participate. Keep it simple and don't be distracted by trying to do too much.

Guest author Marissa Garza explains several social media networks and suggests how your nonprofit can get started in Getting Started with Social Media: Where Do Nonprofits Begin?

Photo: Getty Images

Older Americans Month takes place every year in May, and it is a great time to both celebrate our elders and remember just how important they are to the charitable world.

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I'm a content hunter. And I'm after yours. It's the only way I can keep my social media well fed.

I was late to the social media party but, once there, I fell in love with it. Twitter was my first fav, but once the new Facebook design appeared, I became an avid poster. I update my FB page frequently and even groom my Facebook updates so they look nice and read well.

The cardinal rule of social media is share and then share some more. So I do.

Brian Murray, blogging at PRDaily, made that point recently in his excellent 6 warning signs that you're doing social media wrong. Murray says that if all the links you're sharing on social media lead back to your own website, you're doing something wrong.

Whatever social media I'm using, I find that I'm sharing 1) information from nonprofit organizations, especially when they have examples of actual campaigns or good practices; and 2) information from the many fabulous consultants working in the nonprofit space.

So I scan my RSS feed and my social media streams constantly, looking for material that my nonprofit audience can use. That material could be from you.

But, here's the thing. Some of you don't make it easy to share your content.

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Recurring donations are so important to any charity. Thus, it is worth the effort to engage as often as possible with recurring donors and thank them well.

One organization that does just that is Best Friends Animal Society. I'm a recurring donor and was blown away by the end-of-year thank you package that I received earlier this year.

I've had the letter right next to my computer for months now, planning to add it to my collection of thank you letters here on my site.

I finally got around to it and share it here: A Thank You Letter (Plus DVD) Makes Best Friends Stand Out.

Photo: Best Friends Animal Society