Here are the responses to date of our one-question survey regarding Twitter :

Which statement about Twitter to you most agree with?

1. Twitter is a killer app and will become hugely important to nonprofit communications and fundraising going forward — 38%
2. Twitter will be only marginally useful for most nonprofits, because only a very small segment of their donors & activists will adopt it — 34%    
3. Twitter has all the long term importance and hard benefits to nonprofit communicators and fundraisers as skywriting — 28%

[Where do you fit in? You can still voice your opinion here]

The range of comments from Agitator readers reflects this percentage distribution — from true believers to mildly impressed to skeptics. Here’s a sampling …

• This is just the beginning of a huge new source of contacts and ways of operating. Don’t overlook it!     
• Maybe the jury is still out, but there seem to be a lot of MLMers and "get rich quick" types on Twitter, who may be drowing out the rest…     
• Don’t really know what the future will bring for Twitter. For us right now, we are not using Twitter, but keeping an eye on all the info flowing.
• I think Twitter will only be useful if used thoughtfully as part of an integrated strategy. It won’t work in place of other proven fundraising channels (ie direct mail, telefund, in-person). It is better for education and engagement, not the ask.     
• All communications are good. Twitter is immediate and will be good for political situations and charities engaged in advocacy. But it is inherently a secondary — whoops I hit the 140 character limit!
• Fads come; fads go! Always been the case, and always will be!     
• My 21-year old daughter thinks Twitter is stupid!     
• I agree with the first part of the statement I selected (Twitter will be only marginally useful for most nonprofits), but not because of the number of donors and activists who participate. Rather, I think Twitter will be ineffectual because of the medium. Most "regular" people on Twitter aren’t making any sort of impression on their followers, but just blend in with the rest of the buzz. Unless nonprofits invest smartly in tweeting as an essential form of communication, offering contest links, advocacy updates, etc., their time is probably better spent fulfilling their mission and fundraising in ways that already work for them.     
• Current demographic may not use it, but we have to reach out to the younger generation – I’m over 50 and use it all the time – it can be very powerful and so easy to use without being time consuming.
• Twitter is good for getting info when you want it … "I’m looking for an Italian restaurant in the sw part of the city, any suggestions?" or "i know my congressman twits during the state of the union, that would be fun to watch/read"…other than that it will have minimal use.   
• It will certainly become an important communications tool, but its ability to raise money is much less certain.     
• I’ve tried it…I get it…but I don’t ‘get it’. I’d rather update my Facebook page. And I really don’t think many of our donors will give two padiddles about Twitter. If no one’s following us, it’s pointless.
• Just like with Facebook, it’s about the soft communication, not the hard sell, that Twitter provides. Nonprofits can’t expect to beg people for $$ in tweets, but keeping them up-to-date on what’s going on will drive them to your website/ Having a good website then is key.     
• Given choice between killer app and marginally useful, I went for latter, but I believe Twitter will be more than marginally useful, especially for communication between nonprofits. Marginally useful for fundraising. Very useful for spreading best practices between nonprofits.     
• IF the fundraising organizations can re-vitalize old fashioned "organization-centric" thinking and learn to think of themselves as part of the community, not just passive recipients from time to time. Orgs don’t yet include Twitter (and other social networking) as a truly integrated part of their marketing/fundraising plans. There is a desire to do so, but it’s not evidenced yet in many organizations.     
• I actually wanted a 4th option – Twitter has the potential to be a killer app… I find it very useful for now in terms of information seeking and it is bringing new people to the table to hear about Clean Air-Cool Planet. But slowly because I’m trying to build a quality network not a gigantic one at the moment.     
• Twitter is a relationship builder. If you use it only for fundraising – you’ll die. If you use it to create relationships, you’ll succeed. It’s called "social" media for a reason. Be social. If you push your agenda too hard, your followers will leave. Be informational, but only to a point. Fundraise – but only to a point. Be a personality and you’ll win.

Thanks, readers. Lots of food for thought here.

Tom