This post is part 2 of the Introduction to Cause Blogging Series.

In the first part of this series we explored what blogs are, how they started and what they have become over the years.  Today were’ going to talk about blogs that promote a charitable, non-commercial cause in one way or another.

There’s a pretty important reason why I didn’t name this site “Nonprofit Blogger.”  The information presented here is of course relevant to nonprofits and occasionally I’ll discuss issues that impact 501c3 organizations in particular.  However there are other types of groups that blog for a cause, some are formal organizations and others are not.

So I like to refer to this group collectively as “Cause Bloggers” instead.  You may notice I also like to use the name “Cause Enthusiasts” which includes nonprofit organizations, other group types and individual supporters.

As I mentioned last time, blogs that promote a not-for-profit cause are some of the most growing types of blogs on the web.  At last year’s national AFP conference, where traditional topics like planned giving  and special events are the norm, there was more than one presentation about blogging.  On the flipside, at one of the biggest internet technology conferences, BlogWorld Expo, a seminar track specifically for causes was offered for the first time this year.

Cause blogs can be placed into five categories:

1. Nonprofit organizations

Let’s start with the most obvious. Charitable organizations of every size and shape are blogging;  This includes international organizations, national charity headquarters,  local affiliates and local/regional groups.  Nonprofits with just about any mission can benefit from a blog: social service agency, environmental group, foundation, school or any of the hundreds of types of causes out there.

Blogs that are published by a nonprofit organization are authored by a member of the staff or a trained volunteer.  The blog may have multiple authors, for example, the executive director, a volunteer manager and someone who works directly in service delivery.

The topics of nonprofit blog posts may include:

• Announcements about upcoming events such as fundraisers, an open house or volunteer training day
• Photos and stories after events have happened
• Profiles of volunteers or donors
• Stories about service recipients
• “In their own words” accounts from volunteers or clients
• Updates on new or ongoing projects

The tone of the blog varies depending on who is writing. Like personal blogs, nonprofit blogs are most engaging when written in the first person from someone who lets their personality shine through.  On a nonprofit blog this does not mean the writer shares about their personal life, but writes about the cause and the nonprofit in a personable, interesting way.

A nonprofit that does a great job with their blog is Heroes for Children.  They use the free blog service provided by Blogger to publish news items, featured events, and spotlight the volunteers, children and families they work with.  Posts are written by several authors including the group’s founders.  You’ll find many engaging stories and photos on this blog that helps the reader feel connected to the cause.

They’ve also integrated their Twitter stream on the top left.  I’ll talk more about social networks in a future post, but as you can see here the quick publishing nature of Twitter makes it easy to keep the blog updated when you don’t have time to add a full blog post.

2. Associations or coalitions

There are a variety of groups whose focus is advocacy, informing the public about a cause or providing benefits for association members, rather than service delivery.  They may or may not be 501c3 nonprofits.  Posts on these blogs may report on policy positions, activities such as demonstrations or petitions, or providing up-to-date information about a particular topic.

The ONE Campaign has a very active blog that is in addition to their website.  They have multiple authors whose names appear at the top of the entries.  They report on news related to fighting poverty in the United States and around the world.

Photos and videos also play an important part of making the cause real to people who read the site.  Showing ONE events and volunteers demonstrates the strength and credibility of the campaign.  Readers can write comments related to the stories featured on the site, providing a venue for two-way communication.  Visitors are also invited to participate by hosting a ONE banner on their own website or blog, and by joining their group on Facebook.

3. Government and political related blogs

There are a variety of government and politically related blogs.  Some are non-partisan, others are campaign oriented or are otherwise promoting one or more agenda or policy positions.  Here are some of the types of political groups that are blogging:

• Government offices
• Elected or appointed officials
• Political action groups, non party affiliated
• Watchdog groups
• Political parties

You’ll find political blogs at all levels, for example the White House has a blog as another way to provide public information.  It includes policy issues as well as more lighthearted features.  Candidates in local elections can easily set up a blog like Todd Pipitone did using Wordpress.com when he recently ran (and later won) a town council seat.

Just like other blogs with a non-commercial purpose, political blogs are a way to publicize a particular point of view. In a recent article on PBS.com, Steven Davy said, “Politicians are figuring out what social media technologies like blogs, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have to offer: direct access to voters.” while on the other hand, “It’s important in a healthy political environment for journalism to maintain its core functions to inform the public and keep a critical eye on government.”  Blogs provide a venue for both sides of the political equation.

4. Corporations

While many businesses blog to promote their goods or services, some are even blogging for a charitable purpose.  These blogs may be written by someone in their community relations department or an associated foundation.  While the site promotes the company in a round-about way, the focus is publicizing a cause, and what what the company and employees are doing to help.

A great example of a community focused blog published by a for-profit business is the Tyson Hunger Relief blog.  According to their “Our Commitment” page:

Since we joined the fight against hunger in 2000, Tyson Foods has partnered with several national organizations including America’s Second Harvest and Share Our Strength to help make a difference where we can. Through these partnerships, Tyson Foods has donated more than 54 million pounds of chicken, beef or pork – enough for approximately 216 million meals – to food banks and agencies serving local communities around the country.

What I love about the Tyson blog is how they shine the spotlight not on themselves, but on individuals and groups who are working on this issue.  They feature Hunger All-Stars who are sometimes public leaders, but more often are working behind the scenes to help people at risk of going hungry.   The blog also showcases local food banks and pantry programs.  They are great at “spreading the love” to other bloggers and Twitterers who advocate for hunger relief.

Overall I think they do a great job at storytelling.  The personal profiles are balanced out with a variety of other informative topics and Tyson activities.  You’ll also find a good use of photos and lot of videos on this blog.

5. Every day advocates

This is the largest group of cause bloggers!  They’re the ones that can make the most difference in raising awareness, advocacy and even fundraising.

The Technorati 2009 State of the Blogosphere report showed that an overwhelming 72% of blogs are personal topics, not business related. These are people who blog about what they care about – a hobby, their family and causes they support.

These everyday advocates are writing these blog posts about causes they care about just because they get personal satisfaction from doing so.  They want to tell their friends, family and the world about an issue.  They may just want to spread information or also aim to get others to join in to lend support.

A blog may focus completely on a cause related topic if the writer is very passionate about it.  Otherwise, you’ll find these are simply individual posts on a personal blog, for example:

1. Posting as part of a blogging event like Blog Action Day or Bloggers Unite
2. Participating in an athletic event such as a 5K run that benefits a charity
3. Talking about how their family participates in the community, such as school activities or holiday celebrations
4. Reflections on their personal struggles, such as cancer or other health issues

These cause bloggers are usually doing so on their own accord, without direction or requirement. However, nonprofit organizations have a great opportunity to leverage the publicity their cause is already getting because of these passionate cause bloggers!

Here are a few ways that nonprofit organizations can connect with cause bloggers:

• Leave a relevant comment on their blog post
• Subscribe to their RSS Feed so you can get to know them
• Email the blogger and thank them for their dedication to the cause
• Recruit bloggers to write a guest post for your nonprofit’s blog
• Sponsor a blog action day
• Have a blog writing contest
• Follow their twitter feed
• Ask and answer questions on Twitter

So that is a run-down of the major types of cause blogs.  Hopefully this has given you some ideas about the scope and opportunities that blogging provides in publicizing a cause.  Next up… Part 3 – What are the benefits of cause blogging?

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