In the nonprofit marketing game, visibility and interaction are key. Finding the channels that reach and actively engage your target audience will drive your efforts across the finish line, whether you’re fundraising or recruiting volunteers.
That being said, when almost two-thirds of the world uses a certain communication channel every day, you need to leverage that unprecedented traffic. That’s where social media marketing comes into play.
When planning your nonprofit’s social media strategy, know that certain types of posts perform better than others, cutting through the noise and resonating with your target audience. Let’s explore ideas for social media campaigns that showcase your nonprofit's effectiveness, build stronger relationships, and provide accessible information for people looking to get involved.
1. Weekly Quote
Sharing a quote is a quick and easy way to populate your social media page and draw attention to your organization’s mission. Maybe you have a quote from a historical figure who shared your cause’s passion, words of wisdom from your nonprofit’s executive director, or a motivational quote for #MotivationalMonday that others can share with their networks—the sky’s the limit with this type of post!
How to Level Up This Post
Take suggestions from followers. Finding the perfect quote can be challenging, but your followers can inspire you. Put up a poll at the beginning of every month or week, asking followers to provide quotes and pick whichever is most relevant to your current initiatives. Then, tag the suggesting follower when the post goes live to boost engagement.
Include bold branding. If your quote is simply in text form, it can easily get lost in your followers’ feeds. However, Fifty & Fifty suggests including eye-catching branded elements, like bolded text and bright colors, to make it stand out.
Example Post
This post from the Atlanta Community Food Bank features a quote that illustrates the gravity of its mission. It also uses appealing graphics and bright colors, making the post even more eye-catching.
2. Beneficiary Spotlight
While powerful historical quotes can help emphasize the importance of your work, some of the most compelling appeals come from the people you serve daily. Sharing first-hand beneficiary testimonials leverages social proof, providing additional context to increase the quote’s emotional impact.
To remain ethical in your social media practices, always acquire consent to use beneficiary stories or photographs. Once you have permission to collect and share stories, you can interview community members and share a photo and a quick story that illustrates your mission or core values.
How to Level Up This Post
Incorporate video storytelling. Dynamic videos can convey more context and emotional depth than static pictures. Ask beneficiaries if you can record and post your interviews so your followers can learn more in a convenient and engaging way.
Include relevant links. Since the goal of these posts is to inspire immediate action, link to services pages, your donation page, or volunteer sign-up sites. Choose these pages based on the intended next action and who you’re trying to target with your post.
Example Post
PAWSAtlanta’s Instagram feed proves that even non-human beneficiaries can tell a story—after all, who isn’t charmed by these adorable animals? PAWSAtlanta features its adoptable animals with stories of how they came to be under the nonprofit’s care and testimonials from the humans who adopted their forever friends.
3. Staff Spotlight
Similar to beneficiary spotlights, staff spotlights are a great way for followers to get to know your organization’s team. When followers get to know your staff, they’re more likely to trust your nonprofit and support your initiatives. Plus, Lever suggests that with intentional framing and links to job boards, these posts could even help your recruitment efforts and fortify your employer brand.
How to Level Up This Post
Showcase activities related to your operations. Simply interviewing staff can be effective, but dynamic content is even more engaging. For instance, you could film a video where your staff member gives a tour of your organization’s facilities or where you shadow your staff member while they work (with everyone’s permission, of course).
Try a livestream. Unlike normal social media content that remains on your page forever, a livestream is a limited-time event which you can build hype for. During this livestream, you could have a casual conversation with a staff member or nonprofit leader, featuring questions sent by followers. This conversational approach is more approachable for casual social media listeners and can encourage them to continue watching the livestream for longer.
Example Post
This staff spotlight post comes from The PLACE’s Instagram, a nonprofit focused on helping youths exit homelessness. This simple yet effective graphic features a photo of Tayah, a Housing Case Manager, and a quote about why she’s passionate about her job. This portrays The PLACE as not only a great place to work but also an organization committed to working through difficult times to deliver results to beneficiaries.
4. Recognition Post
Imagine donating your hard-earned money or time to a nonprofit, only to receive radio silence in return—you likely wouldn’t support that nonprofit again. Feeling underappreciated can also reduce volunteer and staff engagement.
However, you can achieve two goals at once here—populating your feed while expressing your gratitude to supporters—by posting these messages to social media. Whether you’re thanking donors, praising volunteers, or acknowledging staff that go above and beyond, this social media post will help support your audience engagement goals.
How to Level Up This Post
Launch a thank-you video campaign. Your staff may want to express appreciation to donors, volunteers, corporate sponsors, and community members. Collect thank-you videos from multiple people across your team and post them to your social media as a campaign.
Leverage user-generated content. As mentioned earlier, you might have ideal opportunities for recognition but aren’t aware of them yet. Put an open suggestion box on your website so your stakeholders can suggest people to acknowledge. For instance, beneficiaries may highlight a volunteer or a staff member they worked with who they connected strongly with.
Example Post
While not a donor or volunteer, this post still recognizes an essential member of the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s team. By highlighting this award and what it means for its mission, the nonprofit reiterates that it couldn’t achieve its purpose without dedicated contributors.
To drive greater engagement with your social media posts, you need to market your accounts so your supporters know where to find you. Include links to your social media posts in your fundraising email templates, highlight your accounts on your website, and create QR codes that link to them at events.
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