You are a nonprofit executive. You eat lunch at your desk regularly, 50 hours a week is a "short" week, and you're understaffed. You are the head of human resources, lead fundraiser, and mentor to a team of young idealists. You don't have time to become an expert in social media, but you don't have to be. Here are five tips for faking it.

1.     Have a communications plan. This plan does not have to be complicated. It could be as simple as, "We will post to Facebook three times a week to share upcoming events, recent successes, fundraisers, or interesting news articles our supporters will appreciate." Although I recommend something more complex, if you have NO strategy, simple is better than nothing. This is the template I use with my clients and will help you and your team determine your social media goals.  

I have a soft spot for Volunteers with Tom Hanks and John Candy because it's one of the rare movies about the Peace Corps and where Tom Hanks doesn’t portray the “good guy.”  Instead, Hanks plays Lawrence Bourne III,  a wealthy playboy with a gambling problem who accidentally joins the Peace Corps while escaping his bookie.  Candy plays Tom Tuttle, a do-gooder volunteer who also lives in the village where Bourne is assigned.  At one point, Bourne explains his lackadaisical attitude towards making a difference in one short line, "It's not that I can't help these people. It's just I don't want to." 

I spend many evenings a month with different voluntary organizations in my neighborhood.  I enjoy meeting my neighbors and learning about what they care about, but I often wonder why it’s the same dozen or so people.  Most of my neighbors want positive change in the community and believe it's important to be part of the democratic process, so why don't they show up?  Can a nonprofit somehow figure out who is likely to volunteer and who isn't?  What makes someone stop being a Bourne and start being a Tuttle?

I love figuring out how things work.  I read instruction manuals for new gadgets - paying special attention to the "troubleshooting" section so I can anticipate potential problems.  I drive my chiropractor nuts asking questions about why he is adjusting "this" joint to help "that" pain.  And although I suspect she is exaggerating, my mom swears that my first word was “why?”

I’m a “passionate geek” about advocacy. A citizen’s right to tell her elected officials what she wants is, to me, an essential part of democracy. Google any political or social issue and you will find someone who advocates for or against it. The environment. The second amendment. Education. Foreign Affairs. Public Safety. Infrastructure. Animal Rights.

Advocacy is voting intensified. It’s freedom of speech. If you're in a group, it's freedom of assembly and association. It’s how we tell the government to spend money and shape policy to better reflect our values.

And I love it.