Should you use a volunteer or intern to do your social media?

Leveraging volunteers with expertise like this is a great idea. If the organization has someone who really knows the mission and values of the organization, I can't see a problem with having them "run" the social networking of the organization. Most organizations probably don't have this person at hand.

Instead, most organizations could find a young, knowledgeable volunteer to "teach" the staff how they use the tools. They could also work with someone on the staff to set up profiles, events, etc., but then have the staff person maintain it going forward.

I think that the more you can get the real "players" in the organisation to engage on social media the better. Most people would rather read a post/thought/comment from someone who is getting their hands dirty (so to speak) rather than the communications manager and especially rather than an intern or volunteer. The relationships in social media networks need to have substance and I think this works best when the voices are from those staff members who are doing the work that organisation is known for. So a Twitter post from a field worker working for a humanitarian organisation in Africa is so much more engaging than a Twitter post from someone based at the head office in a city. I agree with Peter Campbell that internal education is very important and the comms manager should be working on getting staff to use and understand the tools so they can really use (and hopefully enjoying using them) them as part of their job.

Glad to get this input from everyone and in thinking on this further I do agree that the whole point of the social media thing is to create a more authentic personal connection between participants. And that the mentality of respecting and trusting supporters to contribute independently works best with full scale buy in on all levels. So organizations should really only go there when they are willing to do so heart and soul (with a real investment) so to speak.

I do think though that a young volunteer or intern *can* understand the organization's mission, message and personality well enough and possess the savvy to represent them truthfully and productively. I just don't know how common that is in practice. And of course some understanding of this type of outreach and guidance from a more senior staffer would be smart, even if they don't hands on know how to post a widget on Facebook.

Peter - just have to say I never considered Obama messages as having come from the person they claimed to be for a second. Seriously doubt Barrack, Michelle, Jill or Joe actually wrote any of that. Not that there is much chance they were written by an intern either.

In this economy, I think the opportunity is mutually beneficial. The "Online Community Manager" or similar position is going to be commonplace soon, so younger people would be smart to build their experience and resume in this area now to be well positioned for great jobs when the economy rebounds. I know several orgs that have done this with great success. What we often don't have are clear job descriptions and enough knowledge to interview carefully to find a great person. Free labor isn't always cheap. I'd welcome links to examples of such descriptions or wisdom from experience.
http://www.jewpoint0.org
@darimonline on Twitter

I think this is a great post, and I'm glad to see it being discussed. I currently coordinate trainings and teach a leadership institute for nonprofits in Minnesota (you can find me @nonprofitnicole on Twitter). While we definitely keep hearing the same things here - "Maybe the intern can do that," - I think the biggest loss for organizations is that they don't allow themselves, or their staff, opportunity to grow with social media if it is outsourced to the (often) least powerful person with (often) the least amount of social capital and (often) the least ability to change and influence the organization.

I think that the adoption of new platforms - Web sites, email marketing, blogging, social media - often comes with the opportunity to transform work, organizational culture, and organizational processes. Since social media is all about listening, engaging, and connecting, I would personally love to see nonprofits open to a deeper understanding of social media. And it's awfully hard to be open to social media if it's run by an intern - amazing as interns are.

Perhaps an alternative to the intern is the mid-level person; maybe not the 18-year-old fresh out of college, but someone who is already savvy but maybe not the top dog. In nonprofits, I think dedicated program staff are often able to take this on - after all, they're often in the field, have a good sense of what things are like on the front lines, and can often tell the stories of the organization in a more direct way.

Thanks again for the post! I'm also interested in what others think on this topic.

@nonprofitnicole