Non-Profits on Twitter - Figuring Out the Basics

My foray into social media (beyond using Facebook to "friend" people I haven't seen since middle school) began very very late. Over the past summer, I tried out Twitter with my own personal account. In June, I began working for The Women's Museum, a national women's history museum in Dallas, Texas. I did some research and, in October, told my boss that I wanted to Twitter. The following conversation ensued.

Me: I'd like to start a Twitter account for the Museum. I think it will help with our awareness.
Boss: You want to WHAT?
Me: ...

Thus, our Twitter account (and the related innuendo comments) was born. It's been a journey of trial and error, and we currently have over 3,000 followers built through a completely grassroots network. I'm not going to tell anyone how to get that many followers overnight or the exact steps to success. Because, to tell the truth, I don't know them. I don't think anyone else does either - social media is still relatively new, and we're all still feeling our way through it and seeing how it goes. I will share where we faltered and where we succeeded, in hopes that I can help other non-profits and museums who want to start building relationships on these networks.

To start, I think that non-profits stand to gain more from social media than just about any other user. In a world of shrinking financial means, non-profits continue to have to find affordable ways to market themselves and communicate with their audiences. Social media, give or take a Flickr membership and some staff time, is essentially free. Add to that the fact that non-profits don't just market and don't just advertise - getting awareness of your organization is all about relationships. Social media has been more effective than our website could ever be. I'm there to answer questions, receive feedback and ask for opinions. It's helped with our exhibits, our programs and even gotten us answers to some of our IT questions.