Running a nonprofit means juggling a seemingly endless list of tasks, and it's inevitable that some slip through the gaps. But social media should be a top priority.
Social media presence has many benefits for nonprofits, including attracting donors. We’ll cover why you need social media and how to put together the perfect social media strategy for your NPO.
Before we look at the best social media strategy for nonprofits, let’s go over the major benefits of social media for your organization.
One of the major goals of a nonprofit is to raise awareness around a cause. You need to reach people and help them learn about the issue you are dealing with. And social media is the right place to spread your message.
According to research, as of April 2023, there are 4.80 billion social media users, equal to 59.9% of the world’s population. That means you can reach almost 60% of the global population on social media.
Social media is the best way to get your message to your target audience and help boost awareness of your cause.
Once people are aware of an issue, they want to talk to other like-minded people and get more information about the cause.
Social media is an excellent place to form communities where people can share facts and stories. This helps attract new people while also creating space for connection among existing people.
Because so many people are on social media, it’s an ideal place to try to reach new donors. You can advertise your nonprofit through tools like Facebook ads but don’t underestimate the impact of your followers sharing your posts.
If someone is passionate about your cause, it’s likely that some of their friends will be too. Social media is an excellent space for the organic spread of awareness. And you can use your social media content to educate people about the importance of your nonprofit.
People are far more likely to donate to a nonprofit if they have a clear sense of what it is doing and why that is valuable. Your social media posts can highlight the problem at hand and what you are doing to solve it.
Social media is also a great way to direct people to your website for more information or a page where they can donate.
There are many ways to use social media to boost your fundraising campaign and it makes it much easier to spread the word about your fundraiser. So whether it’s an online or in-person event, posting about your fundraiser on social media can help to attract guests.
Not only can you promote your fundraiser but some platforms, like Facebook, have integrated fundraiser features, making it user-friendly for both you and people donating.
While some people can support your nonprofit by making a donation, others might prefer to donate their time and volunteer for you. This is a great option for students who care about a cause but don’t have disposable income.
You can use social media to make people aware of your organization. In turn, this can help attract people who want to volunteer to help you. You can even advertise available positions to help people know how they can best assist.
Before you can build up your social media, you need to know exactly who your target audience is. What sort of people are likely to be interested in supporting your nonprofit and learning more about relevant issues?
Once you have your target audience you need to understand where they gather online. Different demographics will frequent different social media sites. You’ll be more likely to find millennials on Instagram than on Facebook.
It’s important to think carefully about where to focus your efforts, especially if you have a limited budget. Don’t forget to think outside the box, like considering LinkedIn for nonprofits to attract working professionals.
Consistency in posting to social media is key. To help remain consistent, plan your content in advance and schedule how often you want to post. For boosting engagement, you can also post at specific times of the day when your audience is online. Trial and error plus analytics can help you work out what times are best.
Different social media platforms will require different styles of marketing. An Instagram post aimed at millennial women will be vastly different from a TikTok video for Gen Z. Research the kind of content that is popular on a particular platform and use that to plan your content.
Many nonprofits don’t have the resources to have one dedicated social media manager. Rather they will have a group of people, sometimes volunteers, sharing the role. Be sure to choose people with a good understanding of social media.
It’s also recommended to have a social media policy to provide guidelines about what sort of things are appropriate to post. You should also have consistency when it comes to fonts and colors, so a style guide is very helpful. This ensures that your nonprofit is easily recognizable.
Learning about social media analytics can be time-consuming but the value you gain from understanding your analytics is massive. You can see how people respond to your content, and get valuable information about the substance, format, and timing of your posts.
Paying attention to analytics is a surefire way to boost your social media presence and unlock more benefits of social media.
Now you have everything you need to develop an excellent social media account for your nonprofit. You’ll be able to build a social media strategy and reap all the benefits of social media for nonprofits.
The best way to grow a social media account is to just get started and continuously adjust your strategy to learn what posts work best and drive results.