This week, 21 representatives of homeless service organizations from across L.A. gathered at Home for Good L.A. to attend @home’s first Social Media Boot Camp. Led by See3’s Lisa Colton, Kindling Group’s Laura Wilson, and Mark Horvath, founder of Invisible People and subject of our documentary @home, the boot camp is designed to give nonprofits the “digital kick in the tush” they need to up their impact using social media. We’re so grateful to Mark’s contribution, and to the United Way of Greater L.A. for hosting this special workshop.

 

In our personal lives, we live in a world flooded with social media, and by now, many people consider themselves pretty comfortable with this medium. But social media can also be a powerful tool for good, going far beyond the "selfie Sundays" and "throwback Thursdays" that have become fixtures on Instagram newsfeeds. Channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine are powerful and free (the magic word!) platforms for organizations to spread their message on a global scale. It’s become vital for organizations to become social media savvy, and effectively engage with their supporters online.

 

During the day-long workshop, boot camp engineer Lisa Colton walked organizations including the Downtown Women’s Center, the YMCA of San Gabriel Valley, the Skid Row Housing Trust, and The Salvation Army through the foundations of building your network and promoting a social culture. Participants dove right in — many spent the boot camp live tweeting. Honing some new skills, perhaps?

 

 

 

Invisible People’s Mark Horvath, the Yoda of harnessing the power of social media to draw attention to homelessness in America, tweeted his reactions, too:

 

 

(The high praise was duly noted, thank you sensei.)

 

Horvath went on to give his own speech detailing his personal relationship to social media, and the invaluable role it has played in making Invisible People what it is today.  Horvath made a point to illustrate that with the right skill set, the possibilities social media offers are truly endless — and that you can’t forget to have some fun with it, too. Laura Wilson of the Kindling Group delved into the power of storytelling, and tricks for how nonprofits can make effective videos on a shoestring. The group explored the video apps Vine and Instagram, and even created their own videos to flex their newly toned microvideo muscles.

 

 

Overall, the boot camp was a fun way to do some good (as well as a heavenly break from the artic Chicago weather!) and participants walked away with loads of new social media tools in their arsenal. Plus, this workshop is just the first step for the United Way’s partner organizations in Los Angeles. For the next ten weeks, all attendees will continue to expand their knowledge and practice new skills through a series of webinars and coaching sessions. Stay tuned for more on dates and times, and let us know if you’re interested in participating, too!