Pam Russell
director of communications
CASE
+1-202-478-5680
russell@case.org

For Immediate Release
April 19, 2011

Survey Finds Educational Institutions Developing Social Media Policies, Struggling with Resources and Measurement

WASHINGTON, D.C.—More schools, colleges and universities are developing policies to guide their use of social media, but few are measuring how social media impacts institutional goals, according to the results of a study on the use of social media in advancement.

The second annual CASE/mStoner/Slover Linett social media survey, conducted in February and March 2011, asked institutions about the status of social media initiatives by campus admissions, alumni relations, communications and fundraising offices. More than 950 respondents provided feedback on what social media tools they're using, how they're staffing social media initiatives and their barriers to success.

The results indicate that most institutions - 96 percent - are actively using social media tools to engage constituents, but many are struggling to adequately staff and evaluate their efforts, says Cheryl Slover-Linett, president of Slover Linett Strategies Inc. Slover Linett partnered with mStoner, a higher education communications consultancy, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, to field the survey.

"There's a lot of chaos," Slover-Linett says. "If the evolution of social media is like raising a child, we're at the end of the toddler years. We're working with something that's going in a lot of directions, that we know has potential, but we're not yet sure what it's going to grow up to be."

Nearly all institutions using social media are using Facebook, while 75 percent are using Twitter, 65 percent are using LinkedIn and 65 percent are using YouTube, according to the survey results. The top goals for using social media are to engage alumni, create and sustain brand image, engage current students and increase awareness.

Michael Stoner, president of mStoner, says institutions that are measuring the effectiveness of their social media initiatives tend to focus on participation rather than outcomes at the moment.

"Institutions are looking at the number of ‘friends' and ‘likes' and the level of participation," he said, "but they're still trying to figure out how to measure the impact of social media on behavior. There are very few institutions measuring the impact of their social media initiatives on institutional goals, such as recruiting students or alumni participation."

In the year since the first survey was conducted, Stoner said, the use of Twitter has increased, more respondents believe that social media have value, and more institutions have policies in place to address branding, content, legal and policy issues. Still, the percentages of institutions without policies tends to be greater than the percentages of those with them, he said, and 37 percent of respondents indicate that they plan on developing formal policies in the year ahead.

Survey respondents indicated that primary barriers to successful deployment of social media are inadequate staffing, lack of support from above and lack of expertise and funding. About 25 percent of institutions have at least one full-time staff person fully dedicated to social media, with the balance working part-time on social media initiatives.

Factors contributing to success in social media include having specific goals and plans, having institutional buy-in and support, ability to manage activities with a department, and having internal expertise.

The results of the survey were initially presented at a CASE conference on social media and community. Download copies of the conference presentation slides and initial survey results.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

CASE was founded in 1974 and maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE América Latina, 2011).

Today, CASE’s membership includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in 76 countries around the globe. This makes CASE one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves more than 70,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 17,000 professional members on its roster.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on—and therefore must foster—the good will, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with all of these constituencies by providing relevant research, supporting growth in the profession and fostering support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

About Slover Linett (www.sloverlinett.com)
Cheryl Slover-Linett
President
Slover Linett Strategies Inc.
+1 773-348-9204
cheryl@sloverlinett.com

Based in Chicago and founded in 1997, Slover Linett is an audience research firm for the culture and education sectors. Studies range from market research to program evaluation and outcomes assessment designed to reveal how well institutions are connecting with their audiences and how that connection can be deepened and broadened. Clients range from the Columbia University and the University of Chicago to the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Smithsonian Institution.

About mStoner (www.mstoner.com)
Michael Stoner
President
mStoner
+1 312-622-6930
michael.stoner@mstoner.com

Based in Chicago and founded in 2001, mStoner provides sustainable communications solutions to educational institutions and the nonprofit community. Specializing in marketing and new media strategy, mStoner helps organizations develop and execute comprehensive communications plans. Clients have included more than 200 colleges, universities, independent schools, trade associations and other organizations.

###