Even as a nonprofit techie, I tend to look at new apps and platforms with a bit of skepticism because I don’t always think nonprofits should jump on the bandwagon of the next new shiny app that promises a lot and underperforms. That said, I do feel it’s important to keep updated on new tools, make an educated decision on whether it’s right for your nonprofit, and have a strong reason either way as to why or why not your nonprofit is using that social tool. I’v noticed that having a well prepared answer at the ready is especially handy at board meetings when conversations start to drift to why your npo isn’t leveraging a certain social platform.
So when Periscope came along, I did what I normally do — I downloaded it to my smart phone and start playing with the app and paying attention to how others are maximizing its potential. I quickly realized Periscope could be a powerful broadcasting tool for nonprofits.
But how do you know if it’s right for your nonprofit and if it is, how do use it effectively?
THE GOOD (and what you need to know to get started):
- Periscope is a free downloadable mobile app that works with either iPhone or Android
- It’s Twitter owned, so you can sign up using your existing Twitter account and have instant access to all of your Twitter followers.
- You can share live broadcasts with your Twitter/Periscope following and the app sends a notification to your followers that you’re streaming live.
- There’s a very small learning curve on this app. I found it very simple to set up my account and start streaming.
- When you’re watching a live stream, tap on the screen to give the broadcaster hearts. On Periscope, hearts act as applause or ‘likes’ to show the broadcaster you like what you’re seeing. Visually, the hearts float up the right-hand side of your screen when you’re streaming. Hearts also measure popularity on Periscope.
- There is a chat function that lets you interact with your audience, and them with you. It’s really great for Q and A’s and commentary in real time.
- Once your broadcast is over, your analytics come on the screen and show you number of views, retention rate, duration of video, and number of hearts received. So great for data-driven organizations!
- When you end your broadcast, you can save the video to your camera roll and share it or watch it later.
- The lock button allows you to live stream a video for only certain people to watch. If you want to live stream an event for only your team or small supporter group to see, you can choose which people will be able to see your broadcast.
THE BAD:
- It just launched in March 2015, so it is still a little buggy.
- Your livestream is only available for 24 hours before it disappears on Periscope, so make sure to download it if it’s a video you want to keep.
5 WAYS NONPROFITS CAN MAXIMIZE PERISCOPE
1) Live streaming from “the field”
If the connectivity is there, we just opened up a great way for communications and program officers to broadcast field visits abroad (when appropriate). The same goes for local nonprofits who really have the potential to live stream important “mission moments” that might otherwise go unshared.
2) Q and A’s
Periscope offers a great new way to connect with your supporters by having the ability to conduct livestream Q and A’s with your program participants, executive director, program director, celebrity ambassadors, and others. The chat function allows Periscope users to ask questions or post commentary as you’re live streaming, so it’s exceptionally interactive and fast.
3) Events Broadcasting
Periscope is a great way to let your supporters in on events that they’re interested in but can’t attend. That $500/plate gala dinner can now be accessible via Periscope. How great would it be to have a staff correspondent at your next gala, benefit, fundraiser or conference that’s in charge of showing viewers around and chatting with honorees and guests? It’s a fantastic way to share these exclusive events with your community.
Attending a rally, friendraiser, or other on site event for your nonprofit – bring your supporters along with a live stream on Periscope.
Another way to break the fourth wall, is to do an office tour led by your staff and interns. Showing the inner workings of your organization and the people behind the status updates has been shown to increase engagement and trust for nonprofits.
4) Crowdsourcing
If you’re looking to get some quick feedback on a new project, initiative or maybe just some input on what your supporters like and would like to see more of, Periscope is a great tool to survey a social media savvy focus group.
5) Announcements
Have a big announcement to make? Did you just receive a big grant from USAID or added an awesome new hire to your team? Did you host a contest and want to announce the winner? You can use Periscope to go live with your big news and involve your community in the excitement.
Nonprofit Best Practices for using Periscope:
- Title your live stream broadcast well. Tell us what it’s about in a concise way.
- Be wise about using your hashtags to promote your live stream. Hashtagging allows people to find your stream via Twitter when searching that topic.
- Be prepared BEFORE you click the “Start Broadcast” button. While you get some leeway since it’s an amateur live broadcast, try to be as steady with the shots and as well-prepared as possible, beforehand. Remember, all good media production rules still apply.
Final Thoughts:
I think Periscope is one of the latest platforms to come along that has the greatest potential for nonprofits. Live streaming can take engagement to a whole new level and if the bandwidth is there, give nonprofits and global NGO supporters a real-time peek into the on-the-ground work that is being done. Perisope has the potential of upping the levels of engagement, transparency and trust.
From a citizen reporting and journalism perspective, Periscope is and will continue to be a real game changer. I believe we’ll be seeing much more Periscope live stream reporting in parts of the world seeing political and social unrest. Giving us unprecedented access into areas otherwise unseen by most.
I’m looking forward to learning more about how nonprofits are using or are planning to use Periscope to connect and engage with supporters.
I will be featuring nonprofits and NGOs using Periscope on this blog, so please let me know in the comments below of any npos you know that are using Periscope to engage supporters.Caroline Avakian, Socialbrite’s Managing Partner, is a global development communications strategist in the New York City area with a focus on strategic communications, innovation, PR, and content marketing. Caroline is also the founder of SourceRise, a digital platform connecting journalists to international NGO sources. Contact Caroline by email, see her profile page, visit her website, follow her on Twitter and Google Plus or leave a comment.
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