TDSB Talks Fundraising and Social Media
FundScrip is pleased to share our recent interview with T.J. Goertz the Communications Coordinator, Client Services in the Communications & Public Affairs department for the Toronto District School Board.
We wanted to discuss the great work the Toronto District School Board does for its community but we also wanted to outline their commitment to fundraising and how Social Media has changed the way they communicate, fundraise and “do business”.
Here’s what T.J. had to say:
Fundrazr: To kick things off, tell us more about the Toronto District School Board.
T.J.: The Toronto District School Board is the largest school Board in Canada and the fourth largest in North America. We have nearly 600 schools and serve more than 250,000 students each year.
Chris Spence is the Director of Education and is assisted by executive officers who are responsible for:
- serving our students and communities
- improving academic performance
- managing business services
- providing staff support
- operating and maintaining our buildings
The Board is also supported by 22 publicly elected Trustees. Our Trustees work to ensure that all of our students realize their potential and succeed. They are advocates for education and are the voice of the public, ensuring all concerns are addressed.
Fundrazr: Can you tell us when and what led the Toronto District School Board to take the Social Media plunge?
T.J.: We wanted to continue to be at the front of the pack when it came to the communication methods we were using. The Communications and Public Affairs department began looking into the use of social media back in Spring 2009. When our new Director of Education, Dr. Chris Spence, came on board in August, he was very encouraging and was excited to get his own Twitter account (@TDSB_Chris).
We launched @TDSB_Official towards the end of August 2009. It’s just one more way for our messages to reach our incredibly diverse audience. Social media isn’t the only way to reach an audience as diverse as Toronto’s public school community, but it certainly gives our parents, students and staff another way to stay in touch with what’s going on. We added a Facebook page in early March of this year.
Fundrazr: What did TDSB hope to achieve by using Social Media? Increase your fundraising reach, more awareness for school activities, more parent involvement, etc.?
T.J.: Like I said above, we want to give our key audiences multiple ways to get the news and information they want from the TDSB. Social media is one of those methods. We use it to promote initiatives, alert the media to good news stories or crises and spread the word about the great things happening in our nearly 600 schools each and every day.
As part of the communications aspect of the TDSB’s Vision of Hope, social media is indeed a great way to get parents and students more engaged in the educational process.
Fundrazr: What kind of reaction did the schools, parent associations and even the individual parents within your community have to this new type of online visibility? Did they “get it”? Was it a hard sell?
T.J.: Initially there was some scepticism, especially in the media, but I think our Twitter accounts especially have grown to be a vital cog in our communications machine. Individual schools have been very supportive and we frequently receive updates from schools, principals or other staff about initiatives they would like us to promote. Luckily, we have the resources to be able to follow through on that.
We would obviously like to be reaching as many parents as possible through Twitter and Facebook, as both mediums allow for a great chance to get two-way discussion going. We’re still working on increasing our followers and fans to a level that would be ideal.
Fundrazr: How many schools (or even parents) are active participants in your Social Media activities? How do they participate?
T.J.: I would say two dozen TDSB schools are on Twitter. It’s hard to say how many parents, as Twitter does not give demographics. On the other hand, through Facebook we can tell that 70% of our fans are between the ages of 25 and 54. Interesting stuff.
Usually they participate by letting us know about events or initiatives, by “liking” or sharing content on Facebook or by giving their opinions on the latest TDSB news, positive or negative.
Fundrazr: Let talk school fundraising: As you are well aware, fundraising remains a very necessary part of any school community but as with all fundraisers; setting goals, getting visibility, reaching out and gaining awareness are key to success. With that in mind, what advice would you give to schools / school boards across Canada who want to better engage their own community using Social Media?
T.J.: It’s a great way to reach your audience directly. Social media feels personalized and real, so it’s important to include it in your fundraising planning process. It allows a school board to have a more informal face than by using traditional media.
Thanks so much T.J. for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions. FundScrip is very aware how crazy it gets for schools this time of the year!
>> Here’s where you can find Toronto District School Board online.
http://www.tdsb.on.ca
http://twitter.com/TDSB_Official
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toronto-ON/Toronto-District-School-Board/251029255430
http://www.youtube.com/TDSBOfficial
