“I highly recommend that you have some social presence, whatever it may be.
The following advice is from Terri J. Johnson, Director of Donor Relations & Special Events, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
Johnson’s team has many hats, as do many nonprofit employees. This includes managing BGCGW’s social media strategy.
I thought that she would be the best person to ask about how nonprofits can harness the power of social media. Please take a look at some of her best tips.
Why Social Media is Important for Nonprofits
Let’s start with the why. Why is it important that your nonprofit organization be on social media before we get into the what?
We can start by looking at the numbers: 55% of people who engage with nonprofits via social media take some action. It could be donating money, volunteering, or attending community events.
I love animals. Recently, I came across a posting from the Humane Society and began scrolling through their Instagram feed.
Wow! They really do great work for animals of all kinds. It was so great that I decided to donate to the cause.
Social media is a great way to:
Spread the word about your cause – Quickly reach out to your audience with information on your motivation.
Highlight your impact — This is a great opportunity to showcase the important work that your organization does.
Increase your fundraising efforts – Maximize your campaign’s reach and collect donations straight from the platform.
Start your free trial today! Here are ten tips to keep in mind when you start.
Social Media Best Practices For Nonprofits
We discussed with Terri Johnson, BGCGW Director of Donor Relations & Special Events, and her favorite social media practices for nonprofits.
Please take a look at her words.
Set your social media objectives
Terri says: “It is hard to gauge success when you don’t have anything to compare it with.”
It’s crucial to establish benchmarks for social media. This is also true, and I know this from experience.
She says, “If you are having difficulty, you can always map back these goals to your broader strategy objectives.” For instance, use social media as a support for a larger fundraising target or brand awareness goal.
Bottom Line: Specific Set goals so you can measure your social media efforts. You can then decide if the “squeeze is really worth it” (as the saying goes).
Select the right platform
Your resources as a nonprofit may be limited. Terri “can totally relate” to this, as BGCGW faced a similar problem not long ago.
You don’t have to use all social media platforms to make a good impression.
Johnson says: “Be sure to understand which platforms are most popular with your target audience.”
She continued, “At BGCGW we use Instagram in order to appeal to our young professionals and teen members.”
We like to share content on Facebook that is more suitable for parents and adults.
It’s true. Data shows that 31 % of Instagram users have an age between 18-24. Of Facebook’s users, 49% are aged 25-44.
Bottom Line: Don’t feel that you need to be present on all channels as long as your audience is on the right ones.
Visuals can help you tell your story
A picture is worth a thousand words for mission-driven nonprofits.
Terri advises: “Tell your stories through images.” That’s what I do. We like to feature the young people who we support on social media whenever possible.
Here are some of my favorite photos from their Instagram:
Bottom Line: Show the people why they should invest and what you are all about.
Use an authentic voice and be genuine
Terri says that social media is an excellent way to share your story and give your audience a glimpse of what your company does.
If you want to attract more people to your cause, authenticity is essential.
Johnson says, “It can help you separate yourself from the noise and showcase what makes you different.”
Bottom Line: Be real, honest, and confident in what you’re saying. People are more likely to listen to you if you inspire trust.
Create a community for your brand
It includes your organization’s support system, too. This consists of the support system of your organization.
Terri says: “We mention our sponsors and partners as a means to build brand awareness while shouting them out.”
She adds, “It allows these companies and people to demonstrate their commitment to our communities.”
Bottom Line: The purpose of social media is to make it social. Start conversations, engage with your followers, and reward them for their support.
Use social media to benefit nonprofits
Social media can be used to help nonprofits promote their brand and achieve their goals.
Google Ad Credits for Nonprofits Google provides free and discounted credits for search ads for nonprofits. Terri said that her team had taken advantage of this opportunity “multiple” times and had seen positive results.
Platform Specific Tools: The majority of channels, such as Facebook and Instagram, have fundraising tools built in for nonprofits. You can add a “Support button” to your profile or a clickable sticker that says “Donate.”
The bottom line is to research the benefits your brand can take advantage of to get the best social media bang.
Alana’s bonus tip: Use AI writing tools.
Even though AI isn’t perfect, it can save you a lot of time in the creation of content.
It’s been a source of inspiration to me as a marketing professional.
Conversational AI, such as chatGPT, is a great way to come up with topic and title ideas and to summarize information in bite-sized chunks.
Here are some prompts for social media that you can use:
Create a post on Instagram to promote [insert the event name and description] using [insert the number of words] or less.
“Write a Facebook post summarizing our new initiative [insert initiative description].”
“Draft a Tweet asking for support for [insert the cause description].”
