Let Them See You: Building Relationships Through Twitter, Video and More

There is nothing that can replace being face to face, in person with someone.

But thanks to basic technology—Twitter, video and more—there are incredible ways to deepen relationships, and overcome travel and expense barriers. Today’s world is increasingly global, and organizations have supporters and friends all over.

Our team meetings used to be by conference call. This week, we had eight members of our team join by online video. When we started trying this, just two of us were on video. It is making a big difference in connecting team members, most of whom work remotely and range from Ohio to Florida geographically.

Brooks Keel, president of Augusta University and CEO of Georgia Regents Health System, is a master of social media. He is active on Twitter and shows images frequently. You feel like you know him. When he was president at Georgia Southern University he was the voice of regular video newsletters of happenings on campus (here's an example).

A good friend, Allen Huggins, is a master realtor and nationally recognized marketer.

On my birthday this year, I did not receive a card from Allen. Rather I received an email with a video attachment. It was message just for me on my birthday. We are now recommending this to clients.

Use technology in a focused and strategic manner to connect with your best friends, potential friends and donors. Today, even video taken on a cellphone or a webcam can send a strong message and reflect positively on your organization. Consider investing in some basic resources for video, and if you don’t have the video production resources of a university, connect with a talented high school or college student for the production.

We often recommend a personalized video message thanking major donors for a gift in a campaign. It is something that they can replay and share with others, keeping the memory of their generosity and its life-changing impact alive. The thank you message—or an opening and closing—can be added to a more generic thank you video sharing about the impact of the project or campaign.

From having your CEO be more active and personal on Twitter, to special video messages, to using FaceTime for a thank you call from you or your CEO, think about how you can let your best friends and donors see you more often! And be sure to make it a conversation.