A path forward to tell about the good things your organization does

People linked to non-profit or community organizations like to say that the good things they do are among York County’s best-kept secrets.

You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve said it.

Those sentiments grow from the on-target belief that the goodness in our Rotary clubs, houses of worship and other non-profits should be experienced by others.

Some folks in York County have found a path forward in publicizing their organization’s services and events.

They are cross-sharing on Facebook, the practice of sharing the same information on multiple Facebook sites – groups and pages - in addition to their own. Many non-profits do post - or share - their stories on their organization’s Facebook page. That’s a time-tested practice of informing members. But they stop there.

Dick Hershey is one of those who is developing the practice of Facebook cross-sharing. He has identified 30 Facebook groups in the county to tell the story of free tax preparation offered by AARP for people above 50 years in age.

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When he cross-posts, Hershey shares his tax preparation story to audiences of other Facebook groups. For example, when he cross-posts on the well-managed York County PA; York, PA Happenings; and Southern York County PA groups, he has placed the availability of free tax preparation before potentially a combined 68,000 people. Most would not otherwise see news about AARP’s offerings.

It’s early in the testing process, and he’s had to work around the pandemic, but Hershey is aware of phone calls from the public seeking AARP’s free tax help coming from this cross-posting practice.

He started cross-posting on Jan. 1 for the current tax season, for example, before word went out through traditional channels, and calls started coming in.

In the three years he has publicized AARP’s efforts on Facebook, he is aware of people saying, “I saw that on Facebook.”

List give opportunities to share

Cross-posting is a simple practice - Facebook promotes it - and does not have to be done by social media specialists.

It’s a loss for the community that many non-profits and community groups - those concerned that their services are not known - keep posting only on their own Facebook pages, thereby preaching to the converted. Our inability or unwillingness to share across our county is a symptom of a siloed tendency still besetting our organizations and communities.

It could be that some organizations are concerned about spamming, but smart cross-posting means targeting useful information relevant to the Facebook audiences of other groups.

So news of a chicken barbecue sponsored by a club in Wrightsville could be cross-posted in say, the Eastern York County group, but should not be shared in, for example, Hanover Helps. That would be spamming. People in Hanover likely wouldn’t travel to Wrightsville to pick up a chicken dinner.

But a major county or regional event - the annual Bridge Bust on Veterans Memorial Bridge spanning the Susquehanna - could be posted on Hanover sites. People travel from Hanover to Wrightsville for that event.

So where can you find community-minded Facebook groups, headed by moderators who welcome relevant posts?

I have developed a list of such York County Facebook sites - including many put forth by Dick Hershey. They can be viewed at: https://yorkblog.com/yorktownsquare/york-county-places-to-post.

Some people will contend that many elderly people are not on Facebook. I believe that concern is overstated, and Hershey, 82, is one of thousands of senior county residents who regularly login to Facebook.

But Hershey also hears examples of a son or daughter seeing his post and telling a parent or older relative. Or, a neighbor saw it and passed the word along.

Shaping and forming community

Other community non-profits are seeing the benefits of cross-posting.

Hanover YWCA is one of them.

In late December, the Deb Smith-led organization cross-posted a notice in the Retro York group about the MLK Day of Service for students in Grades 7-12.

That post gained the attention of a community influencer in York who told me: “Hanover YMCA has it going on.”

In a recent cross-post to several groups about a member who received a York County Parks passport, OLLI at Penn State York reached 647 Facebook users and gained 68 likes, comments and shares. Users clicked or tapped on the post 86 times.

OLLI’s Jennifer Geubtner-May produced cross-posting examples that showed “that we reached far more people than our usual posts.”

Of course, an organization’s reason for getting its story before new audiences goes well beyond the important goals of getting people out for an event or gaining new members.

Stories shared across a community help shape and form that community.

An example of that came earlier this month when the York County Bar Association cross-posted a story on the Retro York Facebook group, one of the YDR groups I co-moderate.

The post told about retired District Attorney Stan Rebert reaching his 50th anniversary as a member of the bar. That cross-post potentially reached more than 5,000 people and drew more than 850 views, likes, shares and comments.

If that news had not been cross-posted on Retro York, many in the community - including me - likely would not have seen it. It gave everyone a chance to catch up with Rebert, who has been battling illness for many years.

I appreciated seeing the story - it made me think of my deep respect for Stan Rebert.

When it comes to profiles in courage in the community in the past 50 years, Rebert would be at or near the top for his decision to dig into 30-year-old cold cases in the York race riot-era deaths of Lillie Belle Allen and Henry C. Schaad. His decision put him at odds with many county leaders and cost him friends.

Seeing the picture of John Uhler and Chris Ferro of the bar association handing Rebert a certificate of appreciation, well, that showed community in action.

And that action is only strengthened with the cross-posting of such news across the community. The good works of our non-profit organizations don’t have to be best-kept secrets.

Upcoming presentations

I will be presenting on these topics in OLLI at Penn State York’s Spring Semester: “Religion in York County: A Complex and Influential Piece of our Past”; ‘After the Civil War: York County’s People and the Coming Industrial Revolution”; and “Articles of Confederation: Stronger than a Rope of Sand.” Times and dates: https://olli.psu.edu/york/courses/.

Jim McClure is the retired editor of the York Daily Record and has authored or co-authored eight books on York County history. Reach him at jimmcclure21@outlook.com.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: A path forward to tell about the good things your organization does