Our goal for this Taproot Plus session is to receive strategic, practical guidance on how Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center should prioritize and use social media to advance our mission and organizational goals.

During this 60-minute call, we would like to:

Review our current social media platforms, audience size, posting cadence, and internal capacity

Discuss the relative costs, benefits, and effort required for different social media platforms (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok) for a mission-driven science nonprofit

Identify which content formats (e.g., short videos, photos, data visualizations, behind-the-scenes content, event promotion, educational explainers) are most effective on different platforms

Explore how social media can realistically support specific goals such as volunteer recruitment, fundraising, event attendance, and public education

Develop a small set of clear, achievable engagement goals and basic metrics we can use to assess success given our staffing and resources

We are not looking to redesign our branding or outsource content creation. Instead, we want high-level strategic advice that helps us focus our limited time and resources on the platforms, content types, and metrics that matter most.

We will provide context in advance or during the session, including an overview of our mission, programs, current social media accounts, audience demographics, and internal constraints. The desired outcome is a clearer, more focused social media strategy and a short list of actionable next steps we can implement immediately.

Organization Mission

Our mission is to foster public understanding of Earth’s weather, climate, and environmental systems and to continue to produce, maintain, and analyze a meticulous, consistent record of weather and climate observations. The Observatory is leveraging its considerable scientific assets to promote and protect the health and well-being of all people and the planet through the lens of climate science—across research, education and outreach. Our Assets Include: An Observatory that is a National Historic Landmark and is recognized as a Centennial Observing Station by the World Meteorological Organization. There are only 11 in the U.S. Over 10,000 adults and youth visit us for educational tours. An unbroken and unmatched 140-year record of the weather at the same site with minimal environmental change resulting in historic data that are an essential resource for climate change research and education. Current scientific analysis of daily weather observation and analysis from an expert meteorologist reported daily, monthly and annually on the Observatory's website and direct to our network Climate Science and STEM educational programming A highly credentialed and engaged Board of Directors National and local strategic partners