Food+Bank+for+Monterey+County

Why do you want to improve your organization's practice on Facebook?

I would like to build relationships with community members particularly those who are otherwise unavailable to our organization, show them how we work, with whom, and why (tell our story), and take those who are interested in our work to a point of involvement that eventuates in financial donations (take potential donors through the process of cultivation, stewardship and solicitation).

Write in your wiki journal your thoughts about creating a social media policy or expanding capacity. Review the social media policy examples and select one item from another organization’s social media policy that might resonate with your organization. Write a Facebook Community Guidelines statement.

I am enthusiastic about creating a social media policy. I realize that it might evolve over time.

I reviewed the Ford Motor Company social media policy example and the item I selected is:

You speak f or yoursel f, but your actions re fl ect those o f Ford Motor Company Unless you have been authorized by Communications, you cannot speak on behal f o f Ford Motor Company. Do not portray yoursel f as a spokesperson, even an “uno f ficial” spokesperson, on issues relating to Ford Motor Company. Realize that people may likely f orm an opinion about the Company based on the behavior o f its personnel.

Right now I am the only admin. I usually post items that celebrate community support of the Food Bank, local and statistics/reports about hunger and poverty, and advocacy opportunities. My purpose is to express gratitude and to engage participants. On the rare occasion I am called upon to give an opinion (for example, why does the Food Bank distribute food that contains ingredients such as corn syrup, artificial ingredients, or is highly processed), I take the conversation offline.

First Draft of the Food Bank for Monterey County's Social Media Policy:

Goals

Making SMART use of relevant online communications' tools to: 1) Strengthen the Food Bank for Monterey County's mission to eliminate hunger in Monterey County 2) Strengthen and expand our outreach to our community, including new audiences, in order to build meaningful connections and partnerships now and in future between our supporters and recipients

Online Communications' Model

Increasingly social media informs and shapes our professional and personal relations and communications, affording us an ostensible, if not actual, community previously and otherwise unattainable. We are able to reach audiences traditionally unavailable and engage them in our mission. This potential may be realized only with exchanges characterized by mutual respect, if we are to build meaningful partnerships that will extend from present to future donors and recipients. The purpose of our social media is to erase boundaries between these groups, creating understanding both for the need for the Food Bank's services as well as a goal of lessening that need over time through advocacy efforts and creative community partnerships designed to ease financial pressures on low-income Monterey County residents.

Statement of Values and Code of Ethics

1) To maintain a Food Bank for Monterey County presence on our website food4hungry.org as well as on Facebook and actively attempt to engage our constiuents as well as new audiences. In addition, as feasible and/or appropriate, we will establish a presence on other social networking sites. 2) To update our constituents on a regular basis on Facebook regarding ways to engage with us including local and national (Feeding America) advocacy efforts as well as to celebrate community efforts to assist us such as volunteerism or special gifts. 3) To encourage experimentation and testing of new social media tools, as feasible and/or appropriate. 4) To encourage staff and supporters to use social media to support us and we, in turn, will support their missions and causes as they align with ours and allow us to engage further with our constituents and community. 5) To ensure messaging consistency to support our mission and advocacy prioirities. 6) To ensure confidentiality, privacy and dignity of all constiuents, recipients and Food Bank business and information. 7) To moderate online discussion and ensure that no spam, profanity, defamatory, libelous or otherwise inappropriate content be posted to our site(s).

Online Representation

The Food Bank for Monterey County will be represented online by the Development and Communications Director, Melissa Hartman, M.P.W., as of August 24, 2011, reporting directly to Executive Director, Leslie Sunny. The Executive Director may appoint another designated representative, as appropriate.