Online Privacy and Social Media: Nonprofits Live Recap

The most recent session of Nonprofits Live was devoted to helping organizations that struggle with balancing respecting free speech and open dialogue while protecting privacy.

The proliferation of social media has left many organizations playing catch up with their communications and privacy policies.

Guided by TechSoup online community manager Michael DeLong, Nonprofits Live welcomed guest experts Alexandra Ross, senior counsel at Paragon Legal, and Jacob Chang, legal counsel for TechSoup Global.

Guarding Your Privacy on Social Media

Ross began the discussion by covering the personal side of social media use.

She noted a study by comScore that found social media has become, for many, a regular part of their personal and professional lives. For people like these, Ross shared the following tips:

• Read privacy policies of sites and apps: Understand what is required of you as a user and how your information will be used. If you have difficulty navigating these agreements, consider visiting Terms of Service You Didn’t Read.
• Review privacy settings: Make a habit of reviewing and updating your privacy settings on the sites you frequent, as they are often subject to change.
• Review permission screens for apps: Find out what’s optional or required of apps, which have their own sets of terms of use.
• Use common sense: It can be hard to take back something once posted, so remember to be mindful of what you post.
• Employment context: Understand whether it is illegal in your state for employers or potential employers to ask for passwords to your social media accounts. 

Guarding Your Organization on Social Media

An organization’s social media policy will overlap with existing policies that cover confidentiality, Internet and email use, trademarks, and employee/constituent privacy. The policy should also cover:

• Different social networking sites and media and what constitutes professional and personal use on those sites.
• Instructions to employees to use disclaimers to identify thoughts as their own.
• Reminders to not speak to the media if not designated to do so.

A good social media policy should be not too restrictive or too broad and should comply with the National Labor Relations Act.

Before implementation, a lawyer should review your nonprofit’s policy.

Refer to other organizations’ social media policies to develop a better understanding of what makes a good policy.

Managing Social Media Use for Your Organization

Organizations that use social media for external communications should develop additional guidelines.

This aspect of the policy will apply to anyone who maintains a social media presence on behalf of the organization.

The policy should stipulate what accounts belong to the organization and processes to manage social media use.

Include examples that incorporate the sort of language you would like to be used in social media postings. Educating staff and volunteers to use social media to talk about your organization positively helps them "spread the word" the way you want and need them to.

Proper guidelines will help staff and volunteers monitor and create safe spaces for supporters on sites where your organization maintains a presence.

Empowering staff and volunteers to properly use social media encourages online dialogue and collaboration while also maintaining privacy.