Five years ago, when Facebook was in its infancy and Twitter was barely hatched, Carie Lewis was brought in to help with pay-per-click advertising for The Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS). Fast forward to today and Carie is deeply immersed in all things social media in her role as director of emerging media for The HSUS.

“I quickly identified a growing trend in social media. I created The HSUS’ social media presence on my own, just one person, and tested different ways to tie it back to our goals of advocacy and fundraising,” said Carie. “After proving its worth to upper management, I was able to raise enough money to hire a full-time social marketing specialist.”

Carie’s work has grown from a one-person undertaken into a 7-member strong offspring of the organization’s online communications department. Each team member has a distinct role in keeping on top of organizational interests demanded by the immediacy a socially connected world delivers − one focuses on Facebook, another Twitter, yet another on mobile, and another on blogger outreach and brand monitoring. Each of these channels serve a different purpose and are used for different reasons by Carie’s team. Yet Facebook, with its 500 million active users, remains The HSUS’ core online social channel to achieve its advocacy and fundraising goals. Facebook has been pivotal to The HSUS’ success with their online campaigns.

“For our Spay Day Pet Photo Contest, we created a Facebook app for the contest and the utilization rate for the app was 60%, meaning 60% of the people who entered were using the Facebook app,” said Carie. “The next year, we utilized Facebook Connect on the website and Facebook was the #1 referring site to the photo contest by far. Facebook was the driving force behind the success of the contest, which raises money for spay/neuter efforts worldwide.”

While Facebook may reign in usage, The HSUS is always experimenting with new opportunities to reach out to the public.

“We are also dabbling in Foursquare and Groupon, but we’re figuring out how to tie it to our goals before we dive in,” said Carie. “It’s hard, because these new tools are so fun, but we’ve got to avoid shiny object syndrome!”

Staying focused and strategic is crucial, especially in the social media arena where shiny objects emerge daily. Also key is not to lose sight of integrating online and offline efforts. Carie’s team promotes The HSUS’ real-life events on their social networks and conduct live-tweets and real-time content posts from events like their Genesis Awards. In turn, on The HSUS print materials (such as programs and signage) they promote The HSUS’ social media components (e.g. Twitter feed, Twitter hashtag, Facebook event pages).

It’s hard to know what shiny object will emerge as the next major social tool with momentum, but it’s pretty evident that the concept of social media – as a two-way exchange of information – is no longer just something organizations should ponder about doing, but actively pursuing to reach out and engage with the public they serve.

“The question is no longer “if” you should get involved in social media, it’s “how” and “why.” The way we communicate is changing. We’ve got to find ways to adapt,” emphasized Carie. “It may mean shifting resources and responsibilities.”

The HSUS is making the investment into the power social media has to connect the organization and its causes with its constituents.

For nonprofit organizations still unsure where to start, Carie suggests to first “listen” before jumping in; listening means monitoring online what people are talking about and saying about your organizations. Tools like HootSuite and TweetDeck can be used to monitor Twitter posts and Google Alerts for website and blog posts.

“See where people are talking about you and what they’re saying. And answer the “why,” stated Carie. “Always tie your efforts back to your goals. If it’s fundraising or adopting animals or whatever it may be, create goals and metrics for yourself and always tie your messaging back to that.”

As for what Carie is predicting for the future of social media’s role in nonprofits…it focuses around understanding the different tools people are using to communicate and putting greater effort into the diverse ways constituents desire to get and share information.

“As e-mail open rates are on the decline, we’ve got to pay attention to the different tools people are using to communicate. Social media is one of these ways, and adaptation rates continue to rise,” said Carie. “I think we will see a shift in resources, as small and slow as it may be, to manage these new tools and communicate with our supporters how THEY want to be communicated with.”

When not buried behind a computer screen or attached to her iPhone, Carie enjoys public speaking and teaching others, particularly small nonprofits, about utilizing social media channels and what The HSUS learned by their social media endeavors. Her low-tech loves include hiking in the Maryland mountains with her rescued pit bull, Bella.

Resources from Carie

• Confessions of a Social Media Campaigner (PPT)
• Using Social Media Tools to Further Your Mission (PDF)