Nonprofits and Foursquare (or Gowalla): ideas and resources

Word on the street (and on the Web, and in class) is that location-based social networking, like Foursquare and Gowalla, is (to quote Zoolander) “so hot right now.”

That, of course, means PR people are wondering how they can use location-based social networks to build better customer relationships for their clients. Lots of retail chains (and small businesses) are already experimenting with special rewards for customers who regularly use Foursquare or Gowalla to ‘check-in’ to their stores (like Starbucks are). And, more creatively, Chevy ran a campaign at SXSW that involved things like offering free rides from the airport in new Chevy models to people who used Foursquare or Gowalla to ‘check in’ to the airport once they’d landed. Not sure how sustainable or effective these initiatives will be, but at least people are experimenting.

But what about nonprofits? Are they using Foursquare (and Gowalla and Brightkite and others), to engage (existing and potential) supporters, clients and volunteers? And if not, are there ways in which they could be?

Foursquare - the offline version (Image: Jason McKim, via Flickr)

Well, no sooner had that question popped into my head, than this blog post on the Frogloop nonprofit marketing blog — which asks pretty much the same question — popped into my Google Reader.

In true social media style, the most interesting bits of the post come in the comments. There are suggestions for using location-based social networking as a volunteer-mobilization tool (use Foursquare to ‘shout’ for more volunteers if you’re at an event that needs them) and bits of advice on things like the need to think about how location-based information in general (rather than these specific tools) could be used by your organization (good advice, that).

Rather than rehashing the commentary and debate from this and other blog posts (not much value there), instead, for people interested in nonprofits and location-based services, I thought I’d share a quick run down of other recent blog posts on the subject, together with a few examples of how nonprofits are already using location-based services (mainly Foursquare, for now):

Blog posts

• The ever-insightful Beth Kanter‘s thoughts on the value she gets from Foursquare. Again, worth reading the comments for examples and ideas, including more on using Foursquare for volunteer engagement and management, and using Foursquare as a fundraising tool through corporate cause marketing programs.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy asked readers if they think charities have a home on Foursquare in a blog post late last week. The comments (again) have some interesting examples, including encouraging kids to join events at a community center by rewarding those who check in for lots of activities (interesting, but potentially flawed — if you’re unethical, it’s easy to game the Foursquare or Gowalla system).

Examples

• The Brooklyn Museum — mentioned in the comments of all the blog posts mentioned above; uses Foursquare to share visitors’ tips, reward frequent visitors, and share staff tips on places to eat or visit nearby. Also has a great blog post on why and how it’s using Foursquare. (Incidentally, the Brooklyn Museum uses lots of other social media tools to engage its community – check out the museum’s community pages for more info.)
• Minnesota History Center — not only uses Foursquare to reward frequent visitors but also promotes the Foursquare offer via its Facebook page. Nice.
• Harvard University — Is this really a nonprofit? Probably not, but Harvard uses Foursquare to share people’s tips on how to get around the campus, where to eat and what to know. What’s interesting here is that Harvard’s Foursquare profile explicitly states what it’s trying to do with Foursquare: build connections within the community and provide useful information. Good practice, I think — it gives guidance for participation and positions Harvard as a community, not just a campus.

For now then, it looks like nonprofits are using Foursquare in much the same way for-profit businesses are — to reward frequent visitors. I’d be interested to see if more novel uses (like the volunteer engagement) turn up in the near future and to hear if you have any examples of those kings of uses. Feel free to share in the comments below!