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Twitter can be a great tool for non-profits and issue advocacy organizations to create community and provide useful information to those they serve, volunteers, donors and other supporters. Twitter’s ability to connect people with similar interests can be harnessed for the greater social good if people follow a few key best practices.

The American Red Cross is doing a great job using Twitter through their handle @RedCross.   In the interest of full disclosure, I used to work in the communications department at the Red Cross, but I think the success of @RedCross is pretty apparent, with their more than 2,000 followers and successful engagements using Twitter.   I spoke with Wendy Harman and Claire Johnson, the social media gurus at the Red Cross, to find out the secrets to using Twitter as a non-profit organization.

Harman said that she attributes the success to having a clear goal of what they were trying to accomplish using Twitter. ” We started with a very small focus and tactical use for Twitter: to get important info out to affected people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. There was not a single thought towards marketing or even public relations – it was purely public information no one else was putting out.”   Since then, one of the most popular and most retweeted features of @RedCross has been preparedness tips.   They also engaged followers with a very popular “roadblock” in September where they encouraged their supporters to tweet about the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund or change their Twitter avatar to one of a few specially created avatars.   You can read all about the “roadblock” on Red Cross Chat or Beth’s blog.

Here are some best practices to consider if your organization wants to start using Twitter:

1. Follow: As with all the previous Twitter strategies, use Twitter Search to find people interested in your subject area.   Follow other non-profits (even your competitors), industry consultants, thought leaders and cause enthusiasts (@kanter, @ntenhross, @beautifulthangs, @SocialBttrfly, @peterdeitz), and of course people discussing your cause.   Also, it is really important to follow most of the people that are following you.   If your cause matters to them, what they have to say is important to you and your success on twitter.   Be sure to do regular Twitter Searches to see who is mentioning your organization and what they are saying.

2.Create Content:   Start out with a clear goal and provide information that is useful to your followers.   The cardinal rule of fundraising is to talk about your donors and the issues that matter to them.   Don’t focus on your organization or you will lose people’s interest.   This rule applies to Twitter as well.   People follow other people and organizations that provide them with something useful.     Claire Johnson said, “If you think of twitter as a public service that your organization provides, rather than a marketing tool, you should be in good shape.”   The Red Cross tweets preparedness tips and disaster information; the American Cancer Society tweets cancer prevention information; the National Wildlife Federation tweets interesting facts about animals.   Think about what kind of value your organization can provide to your followers and then tweet about those things.

3. Engage: Once you have followers and content, you can start engaging with the people who follow you.   Use @ replies to respond to people who mention your organization after you find them in Twitter Search.   You could also respond to people who follow you with a quick thank you and perhaps a question to find out about why they chose to follow your organization.   @BFAS sent me a quick note after I followed them yesterday, and it was a great personal touch that helped me connect with their organization.   After you have a strong base of followers, you can start doing more involved engagement strategies, like the Red Cross “roadblock” or perhaps a Twitter-thon to raise money for your organization.

Here are some other non-profit and issue advocacy Twitter handles that you can follow to see what other groups are doing:

@RedCross                                                                @OxFam

@socialactions                                                       @HumaneSociety

@AmericanCancer                                             @NWF

@Care2News                                                           @greenpeaceUSA

@idealist_org                                                         @AIDSgov

@BFAS                                                                         @amnesty

@womenshealth                                               @greenversations

What are your favorite non-profits to follow on Twitter?   Do you have any best practices to share that have worked for your organization?   Join the conversation here in the comments or on Twitter, my handle is @SarahMarchetti.