A (new) non-profit + foundation primer

Cause and advocacy-based organizations have taken Medium by storm since we published primer #1 over six months ago. We’ve quickly gone from being the educators to the educated, with dynamic use cases emerging so frequently we’re having trouble keeping up.

So it seems like the prudent move to share the best of what we’re seeing. Here goes.

I.
Creative Campaigning + Calls to Action

Donate now, learn more, join our mailing list: these are but a few calls to action non-profits are issuing. Possible Health, Charity: water and Team Rubicon have all recently tried it on for size [hint: to do it yourself, just insert a button as an image and hyperlink to it with command+K].

And as far as creative campaigning goes, check out what Malaria No More did just before Halloween:

II.
Sharing Stories From the Field + About Your People

This seems like an obvious one, but to do it well is another thing altogether — and orgs on Medium have done a magnificent job. Room to Read has created compelling publications around Girls Education, Literacy Matters, and Inside Room to Read. Human Rights Watch is adapting stories from its print publication, Dispatches. Global Health Corp is highlighting the work of its fellows (and recruiting new ones). IDEO.org is doing what IDEO does best: bringing empathy to the forefront. We’re also seeing the likes of Kiva and DonorsChoose highlight their work culture and the people within their organizations. And just recently Pencils of Promise started using Medium to profile its rock-star donors.

III.
Op-Eds, Manifestos and Big Ideas

Visionary leaders are treating Medium as the op-ed page for the internet — Judith Rodin’s proclamations on resilient cities, Jacqueline Novogratz’s beautifully crafted journal stories, and Darren Walker’s bring-me-to-tears Ferguson manifesto (see below), to name a few. There’s also the International Justice Mission’s Gary Haugen, Heifer International’s Pierre Ferrari, 4.0 Schools’ Matt Candler, Girls Who Code’s Reshma Saujani, and many more.

IV.
Driving New Discourse via Publications

New America (formerly New America Foundation) has created a publication bringing together scholars, journalists, and thoughtful people to inspire civic connectedness and engagement [hint: if you want to apply for a custom domain like New America now has, go here]. The NRDC, the ACLU, and the Center for Public Integrity use it as a policy platform. The New Venture Fund in partnership with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has underwritten Bright, a publication exploring innovation in education. The Clinton Foundation and The Knight Foundation are also experimenting on their own with publications.

“We are on Medium because its format, mission, and success resonate with our goal of being a networked civic enterprise with conversations in cities and across the country.” — New America President & CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter

As we mentioned in primer #1, Medium is designed for beautiful little tales and transformational manifestos. Clearly, though, you are all taking it in new and exciting directions — and the opportunities feel endless.

So please continue making this world a better place. Hopefully we can help along the way.

Here are a few links to check out:
+ How to Get Read on Medium
+ How to Start Your Own Publication
+ Stock Photos That Don’t Suck
+ Rockefeller’s Hatch for Good guide to Medium

You can also read about Medium’s features, and follow @medium on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Four Ways Medium Is Working for Social Impact Organizations was originally published in 3 min read on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Medium is a place on the Internet where people share ideas and stories. It’s designed for beautiful little tales and transformational manifestos. Personally, I work at Medium because I believe that a better system for exchanging these stories and ideas will positively change the world.

If you’re a non-profit, you’re likely strapped for resources, time, and donors’ attention (we’re lucky if you’ve even read this far).

You also have some of the most compelling, under-shared, and under-appreciated stories in the world.

We built Medium to help you do something about it.

If you want to jump in, it’s quite easy, and you can start right now. If you want to learn more, here are a few things to know about how Medium is a different experience.

I. Medium is a context shift.

On Medium, you aren’t publishing on an island in the web to the same audience. You’re publishing into a thriving, pulsing network alongside non-profit leaders — from The Rockefeller Foundation’s Judith Rodin and Harvard’s Jonathan Zittrain, to charity: water’s Scott Harrison and the ACLU. Your content is also appearing alongside leaders in other industries — like Jon Krakauer, Brian Chesky, Elon Musk, and the World Economic Forum.

“Medium is not about who you are or whom you know,
but about what you have to say.”
— @Ev, Medium CEO

II. It’s the best writing experience online.

Medium’s composing tool is truly “what you see is what you get” and has just the right amount of formatting (recent updates here) to tell your stories without getting in the way. It’s simple, beautiful, and collaborative. There are no gratuitous sidebars, plug-ins, or widgets. There is nothing to set up or customize. When you write on Medium, you’ll know that your words and pictures will look great on any device courtesy of the responsive design.

“A Platform and Blogging Tool, Medium Charms Writers.”
— David Carr, New York Times

III. Find, grow, and return to an audience.

When you join Medium, you can both bring and build your audience — one to which you can return to publish any time. Posts get spread around (and beyond) the Medium network based on interest and engagement, with the help of algorithmic and editorial curation. And we want you to win, so we’ll do what we can to make sure stories that matter get seen.

“There’s a community of people on Medium who can share the story on their own,
rather than just us sharing it with the same audience over and over.”
— Tyler Riewer, Content Strategist @charitywater

IV. Storytelling fuel for communications.

Medium is a beautiful, powerful, low-maintenance storytelling tool that you can use anywhere. You can post your Medium content on your blog, repost your blog content here, or simply build a presence with us. The important thing to note is that you own it in any case (our terms are quite user-friendly).

V. A few tips and tricks can go a long way.

Memorable titles. A quick copy edit. Embed your Medium content on your blog/homepage. Powerful images, especially good use of image grids. Linking to your Twitter and Facebook accounts to expand your reach. Promoting your own stories beyond the Medium network will help them gain traction within the network. And those are just a few helpful hints.

“The questions we’re always asking are ‘How do we inspire people? How do we get them to care?’ We’re looking to create life-long relationships with them,
and stories on Medium are one way we do it.”
— Scott Harrison, charity: water CEO

Bring your stories and ideas.

We built Medium for organizations like yours.

So sign up, and give it a try.

Your audience awaits.

You can also read about Medium’s features, and follow @medium on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

[cover image by Ales Krivec]

Deepen Relationships, Broaden Reach was originally published in 3 min read on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.