Social media for nonprofits is one of the most critical areas for organizations. Setting up an account is the first step to attracting new donors and supporters, and garnering awareness of your nonprofit brand in the digital age. Using social media in an effective way can help you accomplish key organizational goals, such as reaching your target demographic and creating community engagement.
The use of images in your social media posts is one way to increase engagement. Images are two to three times more likely to be shared by people than posts with text alone. They also promote brand awareness, and increase website traffic. You can also use info-graphics, GIFs, and photos from recent events to boost your message.
Another method of engaging audiences is to spotlight your volunteers. Highlighting your volunteers can make them feel good about their contributions to your nonprofit, and help you attract more volunteers. In addition to featuring your volunteers, you can also highlight ongoing programs and share visuals, short videos, and descriptions. A good content calendar will also help your organization keep your social media profiles consistent and on the same page.
Nonprofits need to invest time and resources to create a successful social media campaign. Most nonprofits have small budgets and limited staff, so they often put their resources into other, more serious departments instead of social media. Consequently, nonprofits often leave social media as a side job or to volunteers. In short, nonprofit social media can seem to be a losing battle. However, there are many tools and platforms specifically designed to help nonprofits.