Social Media in Nonprofit Organizations: Benefits and Legal Restrictions

Similarly to most organizations and companies, social media can be very beneficial for nonprofits. They use Facebook, Twitter, and similar platforms as tools for communication, networking, and engagement with their audiences. Social media facilitates fundraising, volunteer recruitment, spreading a message, advocacy and awareness, and transparency about current events and actions. But it is particularly important for employees of nonprofits to take care when posting certain content, as they are subject to the federal tax classification 501(c)(3). But what does this mean and what should paralegals working in these organizations watch out for? In this episode of The Paralegal Voice, Vicki Voisin interviews Kate Redman, who practices community enterprise law, about organizations that have the 501(c)(3) status and how they can implement an effective social media policy in accordance with the law. Topics include: How nonprofits benefit from using social media. Rules for fundraising, representation, content disbursement, and monitoring Regulations for organizations with 501(c)(3) status Restrictions including board member benefits and candidate endorsement Solicitation rules and being transparent to donors Avoiding allegations of fraud, defamation, or copyright/intellectual property violations Creating and implementing an effective social media policy What to watch out for with investment fundraising What to do if you are a paralegal or other employee in a nonprofit organization Special thanks to our sponsors, Boston University, NALA, and ServeNow.