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"The Real Results series is supported by Gist, an online service that helps you build stronger relationships. By connecting your inbox to the web, you get business-critical information about key people and companies. See how it works here.\nWhile non-profits may not allocate extra funds to stakeholders, charitable organizations still have a bottom line \u2014 to spread their message and accomplish their mission. To do this, strategic planning, which includes digital outreach, is involved.  That's why a growing number of non-profits are using social media to draw attention to their goals. \nWe talked to successful non-profit leaders about how they're using social media to achieve real results for their cause.  From spreading awareness about the issues to connecting with other non-profits and sharing the stories of their constituents, non-profits are finding that social media can be a huge help in achieving their objectives.\nIncreasing Brand Awareness\nThe word non-profit isn\u2019t the sexiest term on the street, but some activists and advocates are changing that by associating with well-known brands.  The team at the non-profit Enchanted Makeovers, which reinvents shelters for women and children, leveraged the Martha Stewart label \u2014 a name synonymous with peaceful domesticity \u2014 to build their own brand.  Enchanted Makeovers president and founder Terry Grahl used Martha Stewart\u2019s Dreamers into Doers social networking site to connect with inspired women from around the country. \nThe Enchanted Makeovers staff, which was formed entirely through communicating via social media, reaches out to crafters and artists from all over the world to lend their creativity and talent in transforming shelters.  Grahl says they\u2019ve also used social media tools to inspire and mentor others, in places as far away as Singapore and Australia, to make a difference at their local shelters. \nInspiring others to pursue their dreams in spite of any obstacles is the primary mission of the Life Rolls On Foundation (LRO), founded in 1999 by Jesse Billauer and his brother Josh Billauer.  In 1996, Surfer Magazine named Jesse one of the top up-and-coming wave riders in the world.  That same year, he had a surfing accident, which rendered him quadriplegic.  Determined to live his life to the fullest and to encourage others to do the same, Jesse became a motivational speaker after he was injured, while he and Josh established LRO to advocate for youth with spinal chord injury.\nThrough the power of online video, LRO\u2019s small staff of three people and numerous volunteers around the world have built a brand famous within the surfing community and beyond. \nIn 2006, LRO produced an Emmy-nominated PSA, attracting recognition from the entertainment industry and raking in more support. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLife Rolls On CEO Kris Nakamura says the foundation grew its grass-roots supporter base \u201Centirely through MySpace and online video.\u201D  By cultivating its online presence and communicating consistently with its volunteers around the world, LRO has inspired people from coast to coast to host LRO events, such as They Will Surf Again.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDisclosure: The author of this piece has volunteered with Life Rolls On.\nConnecting with the Broader Non-profit Community\nBecause non-profits with similar causes are often in competition for the same funds, many times organizations are less likely to collaborate with one another.  Fortunately, some groups are bridging the gap and joining forces for the greater good through social media. \nWorking to find a cure for paralysis, LRO merged with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in 2009, extending the reach of both organizations. The Southern California-based non-profit Free Arts is following suit, and using social networking to partner with groups who share similar messages. Free Arts Development Director Annie D. Armbrust says she always has her eye out for what other organizations are doing with their social media campaigns.  \u201CWe especially rely on the insight and partnership of First 5 LA, the Free Arts affiliates in other cities, and many other groups for new ideas,\u201D said Armbrust.  \nArmbrust explained that setting up social media accounts triggered an easy flow of communication. \u201CBy creating a Facebook persona representing our organization, we were able to connect with many of our volunteers via a site they already accessed on a regular basis,\u201D said Armbrust.  \u201CFor several months, we encouraged volunteers to join a Google Group, but this venture was unsuccessful because we were asking members of our community to engage in a site that they wouldn\u2019t have gone to otherwise.\u201D \nAngela Shelton, founder of the Angela Shelton Foundation, an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence, met non-profits across the country that all had the same mission.  While promoting her documentary \u201CSearching for Angela Shelton,\u201D Shelton saw a number of survivors of sexual abuse come together through social media. \n\u201CAbout 175 to 500 supporters of mine from around the country took social media and ran with it when they formed the Army of Angels, a community of women who support and raise money for my foundation and for other groups, such as Darkness to Light.  While I was traveling I met so many non-profits that were combating sexual abuse, but they weren\u2019t working together.\u201D\nBy connecting with like-minded non-profits, Shelton\u2019s group is seeing positive results. Through developing relationships with other non-profits and activists with the same cause and putting on 24-hour vlogathons, Shelton\u2019s Army of Angels surpassed their fundraising goals, for example.  \nKnowing Your Audience\nGetting to know an audience is important for any non-profit.  The San Francisco Symphony, the first major American orchestra to build and launch its own social network, is taking that imperative to a deeper level using social media platforms.  \nThe symphony hired Jean Shirk to integrate social media in the organization\u2019s overall marketing plan.  She says the biggest reason she\u2019s embracing social media is because \u201Ctraditional media have changed so much.  \u201COne big benefit is the fact that social media tools are readily available and inexpensive,\u201D said Shirk.  \u201CWe can promote and use our own content, and understand our audience more deeply as a result.\u201D \nIn 2009, for example, the SF Symphony held an online contest for members of the community to win tickets to the group\u2019s 2009-2010 opening gala with pianist Lang Lang.  To enter the contest, more than 70 people wrote stories and created videos that conveyed their passion for classical music.  In addition to eliciting engagement among the community, the competition sparked conversation about the importance of music in people\u2019s lives.   \n\n\n\n\n\n\nGrahl agrees that sharing stories and insight is one of the best uses of social media in the non-profit arena.  \u201CSocial media for me is not about the numbers,\u201D Grahl asserted.  \u201CIt\u2019s about how you can engage the other person to feel they are personally on the journey with you.\u201D\nShelton also feels that social media has allow her to connect better with her constituents and allowed them to connect with each other.\n\u201CFor me, social Media has been an outstanding success,\u201D she said. \u201CThrough my live Sunday shows, I have taught women who were scared of the Internet how to Twitter. They are now in Twitter mania and have now surpassed simply retweeting me.  They\u2019re engaging with each other and reaching out to the world at large. Many of them have started blogs and are sharing their own stories.  The myth that social media does not build real relationships is totally that - a myth.  Being engaged has helped myself and these women begin real relationships and helped them with their healing tremendously.\u201D  \nConclusion\nWhile many non-profits still have a long way to go, the implementation of social media in their campaigns is helping these organizations meet and exceed many different goals.  While some groups may measure their social media success based on how much money they raise online, other non-profits may assess their wins according to how many new volunteers they recruit, or how much more dialogue is shared among the community.  \nOf course, social media tools are not magic wands that will transform a non-profit or any business overnight.  Social media platforms are simply additional channels, which non-profits can use to market their messages and their needs.  Any magic that transpires is an act of the people who listen and learn from the stories of non-profits and their supporters via the Internet and beyond. \nSeries supported by Gist\n\n\n\n\nGist helps you build stronger professional relationships by bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts and their companies giving you the right information at the right moment to get a first meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection. Gist does all the work for you, assembling a dynamic collection of all your contacts and their companies from your email inbox, your social networks, or even your CRM system automatically building and updating their profiles as new content is published \u2013 by them or about them.\n\n\nFor more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook\n\n\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, hidesy"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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