Social Media Benefits for Nonprofits:

According to the Global Trends in Giving Report, 29% of online donors say that social media is the communication tool that most inspires them to give.

Additionally, it’s been 7 years since Gregory D. Saxton and Lili Wang, professors at University at Buffalo SUNY, published their report on The Social Network Effect. The Social Network Effect revealed that in online environments, it’s not the size or efficiency of an organization that drives donations. Instead, the biggest factor affecting the amount of donations given to a nonprofit is the size of an organization’s online presence. Allison Gauss succinctly summarizes additional key findings of the study here. The thing is, most nonprofits have social media accounts; but there are plenty of organizations that still have an opportunity to use social media more efficiently. This article will provide 7 suggestions that’ll help you get the most out of your social media campaign.

Nonprofit Social Media Tip Number 1: Videos, Videos, Videos!

The use of Video marketing has been trending upwards for the past five years. The reason? Videos are better at conveying emotion, building trust, and getting shares than plain-text posts.

According to Wyzowl Statistics, 76% of users say they would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining and 69% of users would prefer to learn about a product or service by watching a video.

Videos don’t need to be fancy or high budget to have a powerful effect. Look at this video by Dressember Foundation, an organization which leverages fashion and creativity to restore dignity to victims and survivors of human trafficking.

Notice this video is simple, but it builds a strong connection between the audience and the organization. Hearing from these women directly is powerful, and it makes you want to support their cause. Making an effective video is an art, and you’ll get better as you go. For tips while you’re getting started, here’s an article on Video Marketing For Nonprofits.

Nonprofit Social Media Tip Number 2: Interact and Engage

The number one mistake nonprofits and businesses make on social media, is posting for the sake of posting. The goal of social media is to interact and engage with your audience. Reply to questions, “like” relevant content, support others with similar missions/goals. It will all bring attention towards your account.

“So far, I think the biggest tip I can give is to really find, and connect with your niche.”

–Blame it on the Sugar T’s, Nonprofit for Diabetics

Nonprofit Social Media Tip Number 3: Communicate Impact

One of the number one pieces of social media advice given to corporations, is to share their story. Consumers want to know who they are and what they stand for. The same applies to nonprofits! Share your wins. Spotlight success stories. Provide updates on beneficiaries; donors will love it! There’s plenty of research that shows donors want to see impact. People like knowing that their money (or time) is making a difference. Make sure to use social media to share that impact with your audience, and as you do, remember, videos and photographs are very powerful methods of communicating emotion and building credibility.

Nonprofit Social Media Tip Number 4: Identify Which Metrics are Important and Track Your Results

As you try out different social media strategies, it’ll be important to be able to look back and see what’s working and what’s not. Determine which measures are important to you. Are you prioritizing engagement, awareness, conversions, growth? Whatever it is, after trying different methods and analyzing your data, you’ll be able to recognize the best approach for your organization.

So, what tools do you need to download? Actually, none at all — most platforms provide this data for free!

Nonprofit Social Media Tip Number 5: Understand Key Differences Between Platforms

Every platform has a unique culture and audience. Understanding these differences is pivotal in implementing a successful social media strategy. For example, on Twitter, it’s recommended that you repost content relevant to your niche, whereas on Instagram it’s ok to focus on your own brand.

When deciding where to spend your energy, remember not all platforms are created equal! Tiktok may not be the best place to find donors. For businesses and nonprofits, Facebook and LinkedIn are typically the most effective outlets, although you should not limit yourself to those two.

For an in-depth analysis comparing and contrasting each social media platform, check out WholeWhale’s The Nonprofit Organization’s Guide To Social Media (platform breakdown begins on page 4); or for a shorter analysis, read, The Best Social Media Platforms For Nonprofits.

Photo by imjustmike

Nonprofit Social Media Tip Number 6: Hire a social media manager, or intern 😉

As you can probably tell by now, there’s a lot that goes into a successful social media campaign. Making sure to post on multiple platforms daily, staying on top of trends, analyzing results, and coming up with new content, it’s a lot of work. To really be done successfully, it should be someone’s responsibility. For the best results, consider hiring a social media manager, or if you’re on a tight budget, an intern. Social media is a growing field, and finding someone whose looking for experience shouldn’t be hard. See this article to learn how to recruit a loyal and motivated volunteer.

Nonprofit Social Media Tip Number 7: Use Social Media Tools

Hootsuite → allows you to schedule posts to be published at a set date and time

Canva → makes images look more professional, allows for an easy creation of infographics, miscellaneous photo editing effects

Sprout Social → swiss army knife of social media tools, supports scheduling, analytics, and trend identification across all platforms in one convenient place

Buffer → allows you to view scheduled posts in a calendar format to get a quick overview of everything at once

Just Get Started

Defining and implementing your social media strategy can be intimidating. There’s a lot to consider. Just remember to focus on gradual progress by analyzing your data to see what’s working and what’s not. And remember to take solace in the fact that the number one tip provided by leading social media managers was simply to be consistent. Your online presence will grow over time. You just have to work for it.

Civic Champs' Mission is to deliver the most intuitive and impactful volunteer management and engagement software for nonprofits and their champions