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Prompt communication can minimize flash points of discontent. Effective communication can come at a price, though, depending on the size of your organization, or program. As I have been in the program now for 7+ years, we have used the chain of command approach coupled with voice message updates left on a central phone line. The chain of command approach is slow and subject to the grapevine effect while the voice message subject most participants to the lovely busy signal as everyone tries to get the information at once. A couple of years ago, though, we moved into the 21st century by adding email to disseminate information coupled with the launch of a website. Finally, this year, we added social networking to the communication mix as described later on in this message.

First, I migrated our program’s website from a relatively low-cost provider that specialized in youth sports to a custom Microsoft Office Live hosted solution that was free. Office Live provided a simple clean interface that was not only simple to learn and deploy, but it offered a SharePoint backend that enabled forms to be created which allowed participants to submit data that was captured in the team workspace lists. This saved the program slightly over $400 per year. Some of that wasn’t actually realized, as we made the decision as a board to have a more robust email contact vehicle. 

I had recommended iContact to the board due to its cheap cost (approx. $110 per year) given our email base of 500-750 potential subscribers and its recommendation from Microsoft via the Office Live platform. Most email programs limit the number of emails one can send in a day in an attempt to control spam, and I was tired of trying to manage who wanted and who didn’t want email communications. With iContact, the system allows participants to self-manage their subscription. It allowed, also, the capability to send HTML messages that were built from our webpage as a template very simply in order to reinforce our brand. While there is a limit to how many emails that can be sent to the entire list of subscribers, it did meet our need to send a mass email communication out to 500+ participants.

Next, the participants began to enquire about text messaging. Here again, this is another service that can cost significant money to the sender. However, I came across SMS Delivery. SMS Delivery allowed for the bargain basement price of zero dollars a limit of 5 text messages per week to subscribers. And, yes, standard text message rates apply to recipients of the texts. SMS Delivery for the free service had their own little advertisement, which proved to be of no real issue to us. This came in handy for just-in-time inclement weather notifications, and the umpires relied heavily on this form of communication.

Finally, enter the social networks. While our program has a Facebook group, Twitter is one that has the potential, in my opinion, to be a huge zero-cost real-time communication medium for our program. Twitter allows mobile devices to be turned “on” in order to receive the 140-character or less message via a text message to one’s chosen device. With that said, the ability now exists to send unlimited text messages at absolutely no cost to the sender — remember, standard text message rates still apply to the recipient.  Twitter can enable, also, the ability for followers and administrators to send not only inclement weather alerts, but real-time game updates such as scores and results as well. Now, while the recipient may have to pay to receive the tweet via SMS, or text, those with internet access via a computer or smart phone can view the communication stream bypassing their device provider’s SMS fees.

So in closing, Twitter can be a low cost communication option to your participants. It can also open the doors to communicating a variety of real-time, or at least just-in-time bits of important or even trivial information to your followers that will not only enhance communication with your participants, who, by the way, are also in some ways are your consumers, but it will also provide that medium to constantly reinforce your brand. This benefit isn’t limited to non-profit organizations either: Small businesses can have a similar benefit if they can find someone dedicated to pushing appropriate content for them as well. Which, by the way, is an interesting business concept. If you are an owner of a small business or director of an organization, and you have no time to tweet, or more simply market your business through other social networks such as, but not limited to, Facebook, then shoot me an email @ stephen.c.kincaid@gmail.com. I’d be happy to work out an arrangement at an extremely reasonable rate in order to enable a cost-justifiable ROI that will help you solve your problem.

As always, I hope this information can help your small business or organization, and I wish you much success. Take care, and you can follow me @stephenckincaid.

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