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Richard Barker is the Marketing Manager at Bradford based Web Design Company Harrison Mann. He founded @CharityHourUK on Twitter and has been involved in over 50 charity events for charities close to his heart in Yorkshire.
If you represent a charity and haven't yet discovered the Twitter Hour then you're missing out! You're missing out promotion and publicity for sure, but more importantly you’re also missing out on people. A Twitter Hour allows you to build relationships that could be vital to the success of the important work that you do.
If you’ve not used a Twitter Hour before, it's simply a pre-arranged hour for a sector - or any specific group of like-minded people - to get together and talk about issues important to them. Complete with their own hashtag, they are accessible, browsable and chock-full of incredible links and relevant discussions. It's like joining a think tank for an hour from the comfort of your sofa!
Why Charity Hour?
@CharityHourUK is the immensely popular Twitter Hour for those of us involved in the charity sector, as well people looking to raise awareness of charity fundraising events. You can be assured of proper moderation and tip-top discussions with people from all over the UK sharing tips and advice.
Meeting every Wednesday evening from 8-9pm with the hashtag #charityhour, it’s easy to get involved and well worth following.
Each charity hour is broken up by five thought-provoking questions for you to get your teeth stuck into. With the creative juices flowing, you can be sure that the interactions will be well worth participating in.
How Will You Benefit from Charity Hour?
Here’s some reasons why you should get involved:
1. Network and build relationships
The three most important words in running any successful charity are people, people and people. There is nothing more valuable than building relationships with supporters, the public, your beneficiaries and other like-minded individuals. Charity hour unlocks the doors to these people.
2. Promote and educate
Charity hour gives you a platform to share information and create awareness about the important work that your charity does. It is a great space to educate people about the specific needs that you are trying to meet.
3. Get answers to relevant questions
By taking part in the discussions you can find sector experts willing to share their wisdom on issues pertinent to you. You can ask questions, poke through responses and gain insight.
Twitter Hour Etiquette
For both yourself and everybody else to get the most out of the Charity Hour, here are some simple things for you to think about:
1. Don’t forget to add the Charity Hour hashtag!
A hashtag is like eye-contact - it lets everybody know that you want to get involved. Add it into your relevant tweets during the hour so your comments don’t disappear into the twit void.
2. Get involved
As tempting as it is to sit on the sidelines, don’t! A fly-on-the-wall will not get much out of the experience. Respond to questions, ask more questions, retweet, mention and get stuck in. Try to stay on topic, remain focused and don’t go on too many tangents.
3. Be friendly, open and have fun
Approaching the hour with an open-minded sense of fun, a polite and friendly demeanour, and above all a teachable spirit will help you and others get the very most out of it. Don't be a troll. Do chat with people as if you were sat across the table from them with a cappuccino.
4. Prepare and add value
Do your part before #charityhour by using social media to include your supporters. This will help you have the biggest impact locally among your contacts. At the same time this will increase interaction traffic and add value for everybody. So get promoting, blogging, tagging and sharing.
Get Involved
Charity Hour is a tremendous opportunity for you to develop as a Charity. However Charity Hour is just one of the many Twitter Chats out there. So find local twitter hours in your town, city, county or country and get involved with them. Make people aware of your charity and try and create partnerships with companies and people who may want to fundraise for your charity.
But whatever you do just remember that each Twitter Hour is all about interacting and discussions. People are behind each account so get to know everyone and enjoy them!
Found this blog post useful? You may also like:
The Power of Storytelling: Six Top Tips by Mike Zywina
Get your charity’s voice heard by Duncan Hatfield
How Charities can tap into the hyperlocal by Zoe Amar
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