Five tickets left for PR, association execs to build powerful LinkedIn groups

At the next Events Committee "Get It Online" lunch discussion, Peter Panepento, assistant managing editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, will share how his organization is using the professional social-networking site to build deeper connections with its readers, expand its audience and develop a new stream of revenue for paid content.

The Sept. 25 lunch will start promptly at 12 p.m. in the McClendon room.

PR and Association executives know that LinkedIn groups can be a powerful way to build and activate a community.

While, Facebook and Twitter get most of the attention, savvy organizations are using LinkedIn as the central piece of their social-media strategy.

The Chronicle's approach is somewhat unorthodox -- it closely monitors conversations within the group and it has strict rules for its participants. But with membership approaching 50,000 people, this LinkedIn group has become a valuable asset that is building important relationships and expanding The Chronicle's reach.

Panepento oversees its online presence at http://philanthropy.com and in social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. After joining the paper as a senior reporter in 2006, he created Give & Take, a Chronicle blog that covers the nonprofit blogosphere. Since then, he has been working to reinvent http://philanthropy.com, managing and moderating its popular Live Discussions series, and closely following nonprofit groups’ use of social media. Panepento reports in depth on issues such as fund raising, endowments, cause-related marketing, donor-advised funds and planned giving.

Prepared remarks will be limited to 10 minutes to maximize time for an informal discussion among the participants and Panepento.

Seating is limited. Members must register in advance using this link: http://press.org/events/get-it-online-lunch-series-peter-panepento There is no fee to register but you must be logged into the website in order to register. Members will provide their member numbers to the wait staff and pay for their own lunch.

For questions, contact Anthony Shop ([email protected]).