“Whether you have a full-time staff member responsible for social media or someone who posts occasionally, I highly recommend having some type of social presence – no matter what it looks like.”
This advice comes from Terry Johnson, Director of Donor Relations and Special Events Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW).
Johnson’s team wears many hats (as do many nonprofit employees), and also includes managing BGCGW’s social media strategy.
I thought she would be the perfect person to ask how nonprofits can leverage social power. Let’s take a look at his top tips.
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Why does social media matter for nonprofits?
before we dive in Howlet’s talk Why —Why is it important for your nonprofit to be on social media?
For starters, we can look at the data: 55% people People who engage with nonprofits on social media ultimately take some kind of action. This includes donating money, volunteering, or participating in community events.
I can really speak to this personally.
I am a big animal lover. I recently found a post humanitarian society on Instagram, and started scrolling through their feed.
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Wow, they really work so great for all types of animals, I thought to myself. In fact it’s so awesome, it inspired me to donate to the cause.
Social media gives you the platform to:
- Create awareness of your purpose – Meet your target audience instantly where they are, with information about your mission.
- show your influence — Use this as an opportunity to highlight the meaningful work your organization does.
- Expand Your Fundraising Efforts — Maximize the reach of your campaigns, and collect donations directly from the platform.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s free to start. And when you do, here are 10 tips you should keep in mind.
Social Media Best Practices for Nonprofits
In an interview with Terry Johnson, BGCGW’s Director of Donor Relations & Special Events, we discussed some of her favorite social media best practices for nonprofits.
Let’s see what they shared.
1. Figure out your social media goals.
“It’s hard to measure success if you don’t have anything to compare it to,” says Terry.
So it’s important to set standards for your social media activities. And from experience, I can confirm that this is true for all marketing efforts.
She adds, “If you’re struggling, you can always integrate these goals into your broader strategic objectives.” For example, use social media to support a larger fundraising or brand awareness goal.
Ground level: Set clear goals so you can measure your social media work. This way you can assess whether “The juice is really worth the squeeze“(he says).
2. Choose the right platform.
As a nonprofit, your resources may be limited. Terry can “totally relate to this” as BGCGW faced a similar challenge not long ago.
The good news is that you don’t need to post on all platforms to make an impact.
In fact, Johnson suggests the following: “Make sure you understand which platforms are more popular with your target demographic.”
She adds, “At BGCGW, we use Instagram to appeal to our teen members and young professionals.”
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“At Facebook, we like to focus on content that is more relevant to parents and adults.”
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And this is true. This is what the statistics say 31% Instagram users Age is 18-24. And 49% Facebook users Age is 25-44.
Ground level: As long as you’re meeting your audience on the right channels, don’t feel like you need to be on every single channel.
3. Use visuals to tell your story.
For mission-driven organizations like nonprofits, a picture can certainly be worth a thousand words.
“Tell your story through imagination,” suggests Terry. “This is what we do. Our mission is driven by the youth we support, so we love to highlight them on social media whenever we get the chance.
These are some of my favorites from her Instagram feed:
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Ground level: Show people what your organization is about and why they should invest in you.
4. Be genuine and use an authentic voice.
“Social media is a great way to show and tell – to give your target audience an inside look at your organization,” says Terry.
Authenticity is key if you want to tell your brand’s story in an engaging way and attract more supporters to your mission.
“This allows you to showcase what makes you unique and can help you stand out from the noise,” says Johnson.
Ground level: Be honest, be genuine and believe what you say. If you can inspire trust, people will be more likely to listen.
5. Build a community around your brand.
Your community on social media is much more than the audience you’re trying to reach. This also includes your organization’s support system.
“When creating brand identity we like to mention our partners and sponsors to give them a shout-out,” says Terry.
She adds, “It also allows these companies and individuals to show their commitment to supporting our communities.”
Ground level: Social media is about being social. Start conversations, interact with your followers, and provide support to keep people engaged with your mission.
6. Take advantage of social media features for nonprofits.
Many social media resources exist to make it easier for nonprofits to promote their brand and accomplish their goals.
Here are two examples:
- Google Advertising Grants for Nonprofits, Google offers free and discounted search advertising credits to nonprofits. Terry said his team has taken advantage of this opportunity “many times” and have seen positive results.
- Platform-specific tools: Most channels, including Facebook and Instagram, offer built-in fundraising tools for nonprofits. For example, you can easily add a “Support” button to your profile or a clickable “Donate” sticker to your Story.
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Ground level: Do your research to see what benefits your brand can take advantage of, so you get the most bang for your buck on social media.
Alana’s bonus tip: Take advantage of AI writing tools.
AI isn’t perfect, but it can still save you time when it comes to content creation.
I’ve tried it several times, and it’s a great source of inspiration for me as a marketer.
I love using conversational AI (for example, ChatGPT) to generate topic and title ideas for blog posts and to summarize long-winded information into bite-sized pieces for social.
These are some social media writing prompt You can try:
- “Create a post for Instagram promotion [insert event name and description] In [insert number] Words or less.”
- “Write a Facebook post summarizing our new initiative [insert initiative description],
- “Draft a tweet to ask for support [insert cause description],
there is also hubspot free ai tools Available to help you draft compelling social copy.
Start Crushing Your Social Media Goals
Now is an excellent time to be social, especially for nonprofits.
Even if your strategy isn’t perfect or your resources are limited, you can always start small and refine things as you go.
Over time, you’ll be on your way to success on social media.