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Social media is ever-changing and evolving, and it takes a significant amount of time and effort to stay up-to-date on the latest trends – time that we know busy nonprofits often don’t have to spare! We’ve put together some social media tips to help you maximize the potential of social media for your fundraising efforts!
First things first: find your platform
Determine which social platform is most relevant for your audience – take the time to evaluate which of your platforms you receive the most engagement on, and prioritize that one.
For example, if you’re looking to reach a younger audience, data shows 71% of 18-24-year-olds engage on Instagram, while Facebook and Twitter are popular with a broader age range.
Add some variety to your content!
Try to stay away from posting the same type of content day after day and mix it up a bit! – One way to do this is by highlighting top supporters: how they got connected to your organization,
why they support your organization, etc. You can also thank top donors and sponsors; a simple shoutout goes a long way! If you have a fundraising team (e.g. team of individual fundraisers) for your event/campaign, highlight their pages and progress in order to keep morale high and increase visibility for your fundraisers!
Showcase your impact!
Encourage followers to support and donate by giving them an idea of the impact their contributions will have. The most important question to ask yourself: does your organization have a particularly compelling story that relates to the cause of your fundraiser? Storytelling is one of the most effective social media tactics. Tell stories of people your organization has impacted positively: volunteers, beneficiaries, donors, etc.
Foster broader awareness
Take this opportunity to not only share your organization’s mission but bring awareness to the cause you are fundraising for. Educate your donors, supporters, and followers on the importance of the issue you’re addressing, and current events related to the issue.
Create opportunities for engagement
Don’t just share a message with your audience and supporters, invite them to be a part of the conversation! One way to do this is to end your captions with a question that invites your audience to comment and engage! You can also create a unique hashtag for your fundraiser or organization. Try to create a hashtag centered around your brand and mission – something catchy! Hashtags are important in helping people find posts related to a specific topic (in this case, your organization or fundraiser).
Don’t forget: your ultimate goal with social media is not to gain direct donations, but rather to reach a wide variety of potential donors and bring them back to your website, where they will learn more about you, build a personal connection, and ultimately become donors and supporters.