In recent years, the nonprofit world has begun to learn what potential social media really has. Many nonprofits had already understood the importance of sharing their story with the world around them (whether for to raise support or to generate exposure for their organization), but hadn’t adapted the platforms on which the new generation were telling their stories. Before social media, storytelling would inevitably cost any organization large sums of money, depending on how much marketing each organization was willing to do. But the beauty of social media is that it has provided us with one of the largest platforms to reach millions of people instantly – and it’s free. Social media is also much more effective in targeting your audience more specifically. Analytical tools allow you to track how much attention your posts are getting as you work to build your online community of supporters.
Nonprofits often have too tight a budget and too many other priorities to build a social media team or even craft a social media strategy. However, studies have shown that having a strong social media presence can substantially further your cause as a nonprofit.
In order to help nonprofits build a more effective social media strategy, we reached out to 33 organizations around the world that were characterized by having a strong social media presence and asked them to give us their top social media tip for fellow nonprofits. We organized them according to the category the fall under, in order of frequency. Here’s what your fellow nonprofits said:
Nonprofit organizations do incredible work to make the world a better place But they often operate on tight budgets and with limited resources This can make marketing and outreach challenging,
Social media offers an affordable way for nonprofits to spread their message, raise awareness for their cause, and connect with supporters. With some planning and effort, it can become an invaluable tool to achieve your mission
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the benefits of social media for nonprofits and dive into actionable tips to maximize your impact
Why Social Media Matters for Nonprofits
With over 4 billion social media users worldwide, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer immense potential to connect with target audiences.
Here are some of the key advantages of social media for nonprofits:
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Spread awareness – Inform people about your cause through educational and inspiring posts. Social media is great for storytelling.
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Fundraising – Include donation links and run campaigns. Make giving easy for supporters.
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Engage your community – Build relationships and facilitate discussions with followers.
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Recruit volunteers – Advertise opportunities to get involved.
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Promote events – Share upcoming fundraisers, conferences, and more.
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Crisis communication – Provide urgent updates and information quickly.
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Brand building – Create a consistent presence and identity across platforms.
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Low cost – Access a wide reach for free through organic posting.
With careful planning, social media can become an invaluable extension of your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.
12 Social Media Tips for Nonprofits
Here are some best practices to maximize your social media impact:
1. Set Measurable Goals
Define your target objectives and metrics for success. Do you want to increase website traffic by 30%? Gain 1,000 new followers in 6 months?
Setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals will help focus your efforts.
2. Choose the Right Platforms
Assess your audience and determine the best platforms to meet them. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are popular options. But also consider emerging platforms like TikTok if demographics align.
Focus your efforts on 2-3 platforms instead of spreading yourself thin.
3. Create an Editorial Calendar
Planning content in advance makes consistent posting manageable. Outline topics, campaigns, and events you want to promote.
Scheduling posts also allows you to experiment with timing and optimize engagement.
4. Post at the Best Times
Learn when your followers are most active on each platform. Post consistently at peak times for maximum visibility.
For instance, early mornings and evenings tend to see high engagement on Facebook.
5. Tell Stories
Share your mission through storytelling. Highlight personal experiences of people you’ve impacted.
Visual content also helps make connections. Include photos, videos, and graphics in your posts.
6. Respond and Engage
Build relationships by responding to comments, questions, and messages. Show supporters you value them through active engagement.
7. Promote UGC
Repost compelling user-generated content related to your cause. This shows you listen to the community and encourages further participation.
8. Analyze Performance
Use built-in and third-party analytics to identify best-performing content. Find opportunities to refine your approach for better results.
9. Embrace SEO and Hashtags
Optimize with relevant keywords and hashtags in posts to get discovered. This helps extend your reach to new audiences.
10. Drive Website Conversions
Include clickable links, CTAs, and well-designed landing pages to prompt visits to your website and desired actions.
11. Collaborate with Influencers
Partner with influencers to tap into their engaged networks and increase awareness. Ensure brand alignment.
12. Maintain Brand Consistency
Use consistent voice, tone, messaging, images, and design elements across your social presence. This boosts recognition.
5 Key Types of Nonprofit Social Media Content
Here are some of the most effective formats of social media content for nonprofits:
1. Storytelling Spotlights
Share inspiring stories of specific individuals or communities impacted by your work. Putting a “face” to your mission fosters emotional connections.
2. Behind-the-Scenes Videos
Give followers insider access to your operations through videos of staff, volunteers, or program beneficiaries. This builds trust and transparency.
3. Interactive Polls and Q&As
Engage your audience by prompting discussions through polls and ask me anything (AMA) sessions. This provides value and cultivates community.
4. Infographics
Present data on issues, explain processes, or showcase impact through visually compelling and easily digestible infographics. These tend to attract high engagement.
5. User-Generated Content
Repost photos, videos, and testimonials from supporters showing them actively involved in your cause. This inspires others to participate too.
Best Practices for Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns on Social Media
Social media offers immense potential to mobilize donors and raise funds for your nonprofit. Here are some top tips for optimizing social fundraising campaigns:
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Tell a compelling story – Share who you help and how donations make an impact. Facts inform, but stories inspire action.
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Spotlight a specific need – Rally supporters around a defined fundraising goal, whether it’s a new program, community project, or operating costs.
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Make donating easy – Include clickable donation links, QR codes, or text-to-give shortcuts in posts and bios. Minimize steps to give.
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Incentivize giving – Offer perks like merch or name mentions for different donation tiers. This adds a fun element.
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Go live – Host live Q&As or behind-the-scenes tours to create immediacy and transparency around campaigns.
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Report results – Share fundraising milestones and the impact of donations in real-time. This shows transparency and keeps momentum going.
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Thank supporters – Recognize new and repeat donors by name on social media and personally wherever appropriate. Gratitude encourages loyalty.
With some creativity and strategy, you can mobilize your online community to become powerful donors and change-makers for your cause.
10 Social Media Tools to Boost Your Impact
Integrating the right tools and apps into your workflow can save nonprofits time and energy while managing social media. Here are some top options to consider:
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Hootsuite – An all-in-one platform for scheduling, analytics, team collaboration, and more.
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Canva – Design free graphics and visuals for your posts.
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Later – A user-friendly scheduler and planner for Instagram.
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Buffer – Schedule and analyze performance across multiple networks.
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Sprout Social – Monitor mentions and engage your audience from one dashboard.
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Google Analytics – Track website traffic and conversions driven by social channels.
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Bitly – Shorten links for easy sharing and click reporting.
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Adobe Express – Quickly edit photos and create graphics and videos.
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Loom – Record engaging video messages and tutorials.
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** grammarly** – Catch typos and grammar mistakes in your copy before posting.
Investing in the right tools will give your social media managers superpowers, allowing your team to work smarter, not harder.
Key Takeaways
- With 4 billion users, social media offers immense potential for nonprofit outreach.
- Stay focused by defining SMART goals and KPIs to track.
- Choose platforms strategically based on your audience.
- Plan and schedule content in advance using an editorial calendar.
- Engage supporters through storytelling, videos, and interactive post types.
- Analyze performance and continuously refine your approach.
- Make donating and website conversions easy through clickable links and CTAs.
- Maintain consistent branding across channels.
- Collaborate with influencers and amplify user-generated content.
The time invested in strategizing your social media presence will pay dividends through increased awareness, engaged supporters, mobilized donors, and ultimately, more impact furthering your mission.
What social media strategies have worked well for your nonprofit? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
Seek out your target community:
“So far, I think the biggest tip I can give is to really find, and connect with your niche. There are literally millions of social media accounts and whatever your area of interest is, there is likely to be a relatively large group of people with similar interests/missions. So seek them out, connect and engage with them, and help grow the community.” – Blame It On The Sugar Tees
“We try to gather 2 niches, volunteers/adventurers and general public enclosed in 16 – 60 years old and we develop consistent posting in our social media everyday to make it grow in this communities.” – Medical Impact
“Quality over quantity.” – [Becky Mendoza] Changing Tides Foundation
“Our top social media tip is to concentrate on quality over quantity.” – Trevor Williams Kids Foundation
Engage with organizations similar to yours:
“My top tip would be to engage within your industry. Network with other accounts similar to yours.” – Communities Int’l
“We talk to facebook groups on this field or we follow and talk to people on instagram that follow unesco or certain volunteering hashtags and engage to them.” Medical Impact
“My tip is to be interpersonal with with accounts by commenting on relevant user’s posts.” Franklin County Animal Rescue
“Our biggest tip would be to interact with people who follow similar accounts as your own. For instance, since we feed kids, we would interact with followers of other non profits who feed kids. This gets your name out to people who are already interested in what you do!” – Love Dearly
“Engage as much as possible. Identify your target market and go speak to them. Go onto their profile and genuinely like a few of their s and even comment. It’s builds your community, a loyal following and your brand awareness.” – Peal Meets Crystal
How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Your Nonprofit
How do I create a social media marketing strategy for my nonprofit?
The first step in creating a social media marketing strategy for your nonprofit is deciding what you want to achieve. Why do you want to use social media in the first place? What do you hope to accomplish? Some organizations set broad goals such as “raising awareness”—but that’s pretty hard to track.
Does your nonprofit need a social media strategy?
With the right social media strategy, your nonprofit can create an engaged, active, and loyal online community that cares about your mission and is ready to help.
What is a nonprofit social media strategy on LinkedIn?
Therefore, both gaining followers and improving recurring follower engagement are important goals for a nonprofit social media strategy on LinkedIn. 2. Create cohesive and engaging content that demonstrates impact Give your followers a compelling reason to comment on and share your social media content whenever possible.
What are the best social media tactics for nonprofits?
Explore 2024’s top social media tactics for nonprofits: Engage better, increase visibility, and drive your cause with actionable insights. The harsh truth is that a lot of people do not donate to nonprofits because they are unsure o the nonprofit’s real motives.
