Linkedin for Campus Ministers

We haven’t asked The Staffhacker Question in a while, but here it comes again, and in a big way: Why Should I Use LinkedIn? It’s a big deal for many businesses, and it seems like the network you just have to join–but what good does it really do us?

I’m still working through this question myself, so I hope you all can chip in in the comments. However, here are a few thoughts that might help us think through it:

• LinkedIn exists to connect people to people, especially through relationships of trust. In fundraising, we need to connect to people we know, and eventually people who know people we know, preferably through relationships of trust.
• Most campus ministers don’t have strong web presences; LinkedIn makes it easy to create a professional web presence with a high Google ranking.
• Many of our donors are already on LinkedIn, and those in the business world are often more active on LinkedIn than on Facebook.
• If someone wants to know if we’re legitimate, a LinkedIn profile can go a long way towards legitimizing us (especially with recommendations, group memberships, and links to our national organization).
• LinkedIn can teach us a lot about a fundraising prospect before a meeting or an ask.

In LinkedIn for Nonprofit Professionals, Debra Askanase starts out with the question: “What are your goals?” LinkedIn is only a tool, and we need to not spend so much time tweaking our profiles that we never actually interact with people. Know what you plan to get out of LinkedIn, and put in the amount of work you need to get that out of it–no more, no less.

What tips and tricks or positive or negative experience do you have regarding LinkedIn?

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