Last week we had a lot of fun in the office, and in the midst of it all, I hosted a webinar about social media called “How to be a #foodrecoverynetwork Boss on the Internet.” It was great to hear from our FRNds Renee and Paul at University of Denver and Maria from Whittier College. Leyla, our National Team social media wizard, also shared some of her insights.

Let’s take a quick look at some of our stats. There are 103 chapters on Facebook, 39 on Twitter and 36 on Instagram. In February, there were almost 17,000 likes on all the chapter Facebook pages combined and almost 300 posts! Why do those numbers matter? Because the more people paying attention to FRN on the Internet, the more people who are thinking about the shift from food waste to food recovery. “Online engagement can lead to offline engagement” is a mantra that makes sense for the 21st century, and we heard how true that can be for both DU and Whittier's chapters.

Paul, in an attempt to win a competition ZipCar was coordinating for community service organizations, shared a “petition” on. Because of his and the rest of his chapter's online outreach, DU was awarded a $2,000 grant. How cool is that!? Maria touched on how beneficial it is to use images in any call to action you post on social media. People are more likely to respond to a good looking graphic than lines of text.

Both chapters shared that it’s important to invite everyone you know to like your Facebook page. Invite anyone who’s a student at your school, your best friend from childhood and your aunt for good measure. The more people who are following along with your chapter, the more people who can help volunteer and also celebrate your achievements. Paul and Renee regularly share updates from their recoveries, like the time they recovered 400 pounds and celebrated with Voodoo Doughnuts. Leyla, who runs the FRN National Facebook page, says that’s the best kind of post a chapter can share: an exciting update about a recovery or other awesome event with a good picture.

So, if you want more details on how to be a #foodrecoverynetwork boss, you can watch the whole webinar on YouTube. There will also be a social media workshop at the National Food Recovery Dialogue. Hope to see some of you there!

...One last thing: Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.