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As social media continues to embed itself into every facet of our lives -- personal and professional -- it has become an operational necessity for organizations to have a social media policy.

For non profits that deal with vulnerable groups, this can be quite a challenge. How do you balance the need for a social media presence and issues of liability for example?

I found myself in one of those “let’s have a comprehensive media policy” meetings recently.

It was a heated debate. At times, I will admit, it felt like I was attending a Politburo meeting with Josef Stalin at the Kremlin. There is a tendency among many to rush to ‘control’, an eagerness to shut down many of the doors opened by social media. But can you really control social media? Maybe you can control what your staff can share on media share. Beyond that, anyone can say or do what they want.

Regardless, this was a necessary debate and one of many to come.

If your organization is in the process of getting a media policy, you can try the  Social Media Policy Tool.  Also, here is one example of a social media policy.

It’s a good start, but it may not address the particular challenges that non-profits have to grapple with.