Many nonprofits are asking this question these days – Should we be blogging or use Twitter or be on Facebook? The answer: It depends.

It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Remember when nonprofits starting building websites about 10 years ago? Everyone had to have a website. They all thought that if they just had a website, they’d make lots of money online and might even be able to stop their other fundraising activities. No one had a plan for their website. They just got one together and posted it so they could have an online presence.

What we learned was that a website is a tool. It’s a tool for providing information to donors and prospects. You have to keep it updated or people won’t come back again. You have to know what you’re trying to accomplish with this tool or you won’t be able to measure its success.

So, what about blogging and Twitter and Facebook? In my opinion, those same lessons apply.

1. First, you must know what it is you wish to accomplish. If you don’t, you won’t have any idea of whether or not you are successful.

2. Be prepared to provide steady content. It doesn’t necessarily have to be daily, but it does need to be regular, like every other day or once a week.

3. Keep your content interesting to the reader. This is not necessarily what is interesting to you. If your reader isn’t interested, they won’t come back for more.

4. Be prepared to get feedback. These tools will provide two-way communication with your audiences, so they will have the chance to ask questions and give feedback.

Many organizations do a great job with a blog or on Facebook and the key to their success is that they are committed to it. They dedicate time to working on it regularly. Their sites are interesting and they keep the information coming.