There’s a fear running through non-profit boards across North America.  Facebook? Aaagh!  Twitter? Huh?  LinkedIn? Why? Can these new technologies help my non-profit raise more funds, find more volunteers, boost corporate community engagement?  Can they help our non-profit board organize our time better and share information?

Or are social media applications a pathway to increased risk, liability, privacy concerns and abuse?  If they are managed properly, no. Board members are already stretched for time (we’re just volunteers after all!) so the spectre of another online tool to subscribe to and manage is probably unwelcome at first.

Non-profit boards should immediately, if they aren’t already, organize themselves into a private, invitation-only online network so that they can set meeting Agendas, share documents, and collaborate on committee/project work.

Here’s some steps you can follow to get this up and running:

a) Firstly ignore the fact that the online tool you use may be called a social media network.  Facebook and LinkedIn are considered traditional social media networks.  So what?  They can be powerful tools to setup private, invitation-only groups or networks that if administered properly will allow a non-profit board to do good work without exposing themselves to privacy risks.

b) There are dozens of other websites that may do what you want as far as building a private network and sharing info, look at: www.Ning.com , www.KickApps.com , www.Basecamp.com and www.PBWorks.com just to name a few.

c) Limit the group to Board members only (no staff or executive members) so that all aspects of budget, personnel and planning issues can be discussed.

d) Draft a basic terms of use that simply acknowledges that the content of the online forum is bound by the same confidentiality the board member agreed to when they signed their Director’s Agreement (note, if your non-profit board doesn’t have DA’s signed its time!)

e) Start using the network and try to transition to using it exclusively for info sharing.  Email (who needs more??) can be used for notification only.

Comments or criticism?  Please share.

- Rich Patterson is a principal at NinePointTen and board chair at Big Brothers Greater Vancouver