Social Media Guidelines

Social media has the potential to both help the Kinsmen Foundation and TeleMiracle brands grow to reach new publics, or lose what they have.

Whether you realize it or not, we are all ambassadors of the brand and what you say and do in person and online can impact the public opinion of our Foundation, TeleMiracle, and Kin.

Our Social Media Goals

  1. Present a unified front with consistent messaging and branding, while getting our messages out to the right people, at the right time.
  2. Increase our charity’s reach, so we keep attracting new donors and participants.
  3. Represent TeleMiracle and the Kinsmen Foundation in a positive light,  protect our reputation and the public’s trust in our organization, in order to continue receiving donations.
  4. Increase traffic to our website and social media channels, in order to reach more supporters and be able to take advantage of other income opportunities.

Some of the benefits of an active social media presence.

By getting the right kind of interactions with our website and social media, and by increasing our followers; as well as, the number of people who visit our website/social media, we increase our chances for the following:

  • Reinforce the Kinsmen Foundation and TeleMiracle brands.
  • Help connect D3 members, Foundation Board, TM Committee, Office Staff, Production, and the people of Saskatchewan.
  • Get a good mix of new and veteran donors/fundraisers, Sask. Talent, On-Air Presentations, Kin Members for Committee and Board, etc.
  • Increase knowledge of our organization and help people distinguish between the three legs of our organization: 1) Kin Canada/D3/Clubs/Club Projects, 2) Kinsmen Foundation Inc./funding provided by the registered charity, 3) TeleMiracle, the fundraising event.
  • Ensure consistency and avoid mixed messages, thereby avoid confusing the public.
  • Have up-to-date information circulating around, instead of outdated or incorrect information.
  • Communicate important information quickly. Also have information and resources easily accessible by the public, in a timely fashion, at a low cost, and at a time of day that is convenient for them.
  • Last but not least, if we get our number of followers high enough, we become eligible for (appropriate) passive income sources like sponsorships, affiliate marketing, ads, etc. These have the potential of gaining world-wide reach and can become very lucrative. 

How can you help?

Social Media Interactions

  • Follow/Like the TeleMiracle account on whichever social media platforms you are on. (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok).
  • Recommend to your followers that they also follow TeleMiracle.
  • React to TeleMiracle’s posts (Like, Love, Laugh, etc.)
  • Share/ReTweet TeleMiracle’s posts.
  • Comment on TeleMiracle’s posts (remember, what you write is public).
  • When you create a post about TeleMiracle,
    TAG US by using @ in front of our account name (ie @TeleMiracle on Facebook or @telemiracle.official on Instagram, etc.). This sends a notification to the TeleMiracle account that someone has mentioned them and makes it easier for us to respond to the mention or share it on our page.
  • Use hashtags such as #TeleMiracle #KinsmenFoundation #RingThosePhones #SKCharity #TM_47 in your posts, so that people searching for or following those hashtags also see your post.
  • Send Direct Messages (DMs) to our account letting us know about applicable posts that we should know about and might be interested in sharing on our pages. Or recommend content/posts for us to create.
  • Use the “In support of” versions of the logos in your ads/posters/posts, etc. to distinguish between something being put on BY TeleMiracle/Kinsmen Foundation (the Brand) and something being put on FOR TeleMiracle/Kinsmen Foundation by Kin or general public. Contact Richard at the office to get logos sent to you or download them from the Kin Dashboard.
  • DO NOT REPLY TO TROLLS, it only adds fuel to the fire. TeleMiracle and the Kinsmen Foundation have people who monitor comments and they will respond if they deem appropriate.
  • Follow the general social media guidelines below.

telemiracle.com Website

  • USE the website. Navigate around and get familiar with what it contains. Check back from time to time, to keep up with updates. If you have a question about TeleMiracle or the Kinsmen Foundation, check the website for the answer. Use the search box if you don’t know where to find the answer.
  • The website now contains information that answers many of the frequently asked questions (applying for funding, fundraising, Sask. Talent, Board, Committee, historical, Staff roles and contact info., etc.), with more being added all the time. If someone asks you a question, even if you’re fairly certain you know the answer, recommend they search the website for the most up-to-date answer. If you can, send them the link to the exact place the answer can be found.
  • As much as possible, use the online version (ie forms) instead of paper or over the phone.
  • Sign up to be a “Miracle Maker”. Get the quarterly TeleMiracle newsletter and get new blog posts (“What’s New” tab on the website) sent directly to your email so you never miss one.
    Also helps us avoid the social media algorithms. For example Facebook only allows our posts to be seen by 2%-5% of our followers. That only increases slightly if we boost the post. Compared to 100% of our Miracle Makers see every newsletter and blog post.

General Social Media Guidelines

1. Use common sense
We are a charitable organization, dependent on the generosity of time and money from individuals and businesses and it is important that everyone maintains that reputation in the community. Just like it would be inappropriate to make rude, racist, sexist, or homophobic comments openly in public, it should not be done online either. The Kinsmen Foundation promotes excellence, integrity, accountability, compassion, pride, fellowship and inclusiveness, and everyone has a duty to uphold these values in public and online.

2. Assume what’s posted online is public
Even if your account is set to private or you’re posting in a closed/private group, anything that you share “privately” can quickly and easily become public. All it takes is for someone to screenshot your picture, post, or comment and share it somewhere else. If you wouldn’t want it showing up on the front page of your local newspaper, don’t post it.

3. Be an ambassador
As a participant in TeleMiracle or the Kinsmen Foundation you are a representative of who we are. Our vision and mission should be reflected by what we portray in person and online. You are responsible for maintaining good conduct of character and community standing; your actions online can carry just as much weight as your actions in person. 

4. Create a welcoming environment
More and more people are using an individual’s social media to get an idea of that person’s character. As ambassadors of TeleMiracle and the Kinsmen Foundation,  if they took a look at your Facebook page, what would they see?  Would the content that you post attract people to contribute to our charity or deter them?

5. Don’t rant on Facebook
While it can be tempting, ranting on Facebook (or any social media platform) about personal, professional or Kin things will rarely get you anywhere. Before you click “Post”, it’s a good idea to reflect on the situation and decide if the web is the appropriate place to talk about it. Never write or post a comment when your emotions are running high. Talk to a friend about it or “sleep on it” before you decide to post. You can’t take back your words once you have spoken or typed them and they may end up doing more harm than good for you or the people around you.

6. Keep confidential and proprietary information offline
Confidential or sensitive club, Kinsmen Foundation and TeleMiracle information, such as financials, etc. don’t belong on social media. If you aren’t sure if something is confidential, check with your Kinsmen Foundation Executive Director, Kinsmen Foundation Chair or Vice Chair, the TeleMiracle Committee Chair, or Production Volunteer Coordinators before posting it. You also should not post anyone’s personal information or private matters online where others would have access to it. Be mindful of posting photos of others too; not everyone likes to have their photo posted in places where people they may not know can see it.

7. Be aware of copyright laws and plagiarism
When posting content, videos or images that someone else created, give them credit. It’s important to link back to the original source when appropriate.

IMPORTANT: Any materials that you create and post must follow copyright laws. For example, do not take an image from Google for the purpose of using it to promote an event or fundraiser without asking for permission to use it or buying the rights to use it through a stock image website – you can be sued for using someone else’s intellectual property if you don’t follow the law. Some websites offer photos and templates that are open to the public to use for free (ie pixabay.com and pexels.com). If you aren’t confident that the creator of the content has given open access to their work, credit the original designer or find a different image to use.

8. Keep each other accountable
If you feel someone’s actions online go against our mission/vision/values, have been unprofessional/offensive, or are detrimental to the Kinsmen Foundation or TeleMiracle’s reputation, please bring it up privately to the member or contact your, Deputy Governor, Governor, the Kinsmen Foundation Executive Director, Kinsmen Foundation Chair, TeleMiracle Chair, or Production Volunteer Coordinator.

Conclusion

We know you care about TeleMiracle and the work the Kinsmen Foundation does.

We also know that there are many ideas on the best way to reach our goals. If you have suggestions, we want to hear them! 

Thank you for helping us achieve our social media goals!

Your participation and cooperation make a huge difference in the results we get! 

Together, there’s nothing we can’t achieve!