They might not be new or even feel too exciting, but blogs can be a great way to help your charity organization. A blog can provide the space for sharing news, announcements, stories and other information which you can reshare and distribute all over the web. Blogs can also serve as a great opportunity to allow comments and dialogue, which will show your openness to feedback. If somebody has something bad to say, chances are other community members will step up to right the comment Even if you think blogs are boring, they serve as a chance to show just how interesting you are. To create a blog, you’ll need time to execute it, and content to share. Here are some steps, based off an article I found online:
Plan your route: Before starting the blog, take time to plan which direction you want to take it, and what you’ll need to get there. Think about what you want to achieve, who your audience is and what they want, who could contribute and what kind of content you have that could be reused. Such preparation will help give you an idea about the kinds of things you could post and maybe set up a calendar.
Test it out: To test drive your blog, try it without actually having a “blog”. Have your “blogging team” operate as if there’s a blog, without having one, for a month. If you’re still writing posts, then you know you have the stamina to get started. After this, pick a platform based on the content you want to use, then give it a try before you start promoting it. Some great platforms include Squarespace, Blogger and WordPress.
Prepare to change directions: Sometimes you get pushed in a different direction than previously thought. If that happens, just go with it; if you get started with your blog and realize the content getting the most traffic isn’t what you expected, then consider changing your direction to accommodate that. It isn’t a sign that you’ve failed if your blog changes direction, only that you’re adapting, your community is engaging and you have the content to support your work.