Social media can be an extremely powerful tool for nonprofits and other community-based organizations. By integrating social media with other marketing tools, nonprofits can connect with potential donors, volunteers, and supporters worldwide. Additionally, nonprofit social media marketing can help nonprofits raise awareness, solicit donations, and promote events.
If your organization is not utilizing social media, it’s time to create a nonprofit social media strategy and start reaping its many benefits.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Let’s dive in to learn how to create working social media plans for nonprofits!
Nonprofits are feeling the squeeze when it comes to social media. With the overwhelming number of channels and the constant algorithm changes, it's hard to know where to start. But the truth is, social media is still one of the best ways to connect with your audience and grow your base.
We’ll demystify social media for nonprofits so you can create an achievable strategy that really works…
Follow these steps and you'll be on your way to nonprofit social media strategy success.
Just as your organization’s goals drive your mission statement, specific goals should drive your social media posts. Here are some of the top reasons nonprofits use social media:
Keep your desired outcomes in mind and you’ll create a social media strategy that is sure to convert your audience to supporters.
When launching your nonprofit social media strategy, you need to measure and monitor the results. As a nonprofit, you want to ensure that your efforts lead to more donations, volunteers, and other goals your organization has set.
Setting key performance indicators (KPIs) will help you understand the strategies that are working—and weed out those that don't deliver.
Your social media KPIs might include:
Bear in mind that your metrics should align with your goals. For example, if your goal is to drive website traffic, you’ll want to measure the number of website visits after posting on social media and linking to your web page.
Establish a social media policy for nonprofit organizations that advises staff and volunteers on how to use the designated social media channels, and to safeguard against inappropriate behavior online. You may choose to conduct training for staff, interns, and volunteers on social media usage and strategy.
Which channel is the right one for your organization? Here are the top social media channels for nonprofits:
Diversifying your social media presence is generally a good idea. However, some nonprofits don’t have the time and resources to maintain numerous platforms. To start, choose one or two channels to focus on. If you find you’re managing well, feel free to branch out!
Most marketing and social media professionals use a calendar or schedule to plan their posts ahead of time.
How often should you post?
60% of nonprofits post on social media between 0 and 3 times per week, and 21% of nonprofits post between 4-10 times per week. To keep your supporters engaged, shoot to post a minimum of once per week.
Wandering how to create an effective social media calendar? Download our social media calendar template here.
The key to nonprofit social media success is to create content that compels and inspires your supporters. Below, you’ll learn all about how to create engaging social media content for volunteers.
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What kinds of content will engage new volunteers and donors while continuing to inspire your existing supporters?
Here are some nonprofit social media content ideas:
You’ll generate 94% more post views by adding compelling visual content, so consider incorporating visual storytelling into your nonprofit’s social media nonprofit strategy.
Here are some examples of visuals you can share in your next social media post:
Engage supporters by sharing content they can interact with. Most social media platforms have a fun way of creating interactive content, such as:
Additionally, link to different pages on your website, like volunteer sign-up pages, event pages, or your “About Us” page. The more traffic your website sees, the more likely your organization is to show up on the first page of Google’s search results.
Your volunteers are the heart of your organization. Why not share their stories? Highlight their impact and illustrate why they play such a vital role in your organization.
You can also feature upcoming volunteer recruitment opportunities or share positive feedback you've received from volunteers who have already taken part in a project.
We understand that it may seem implausible to produce new content several times per week. While a majority of your content should be original (and directly related to your organization’s mission), you may choose to occasionally share, “repost,” or “retweet” content created by others.
For example, you may come across an inspiring news story that you think your supporters need to know about, a photo of an adorable animal, or a post from a community partner that you want to endorse.
Social media should be a two-way conversation. It's not enough to post updates and hope people will see them.
Here are a few tips to engage with your audience on social media:
Check out these examples of successful nonprofit social media campaigns:
Need more inspiration? Check out these social media campaign ideas for volunteer programs and nonprofit organizations.
Social media marketing for nonprofits fosters relationships and connects with potential donors, volunteers, and supporters.
Crafting a successful social media plan for your nonprofit can be challenging, but there are a few tips and tricks to get you started.
With these best practices in mind, craft a plan that works best for you, and get ready to grow your nonprofit with the power of social media!
Investing in a nonprofit social media strategy can help you reach more people and create meaningful connections with them. Social media for nonprofits strategies offers numerous benefits, including:
By taking the time to create a successful social media strategy, you can reap the rewards of increased donations, volunteers, and public awareness.
Creating an effective social media calendar is essential to creating a successful nonprofit social media plan. It allows you to plan ahead and ensure that you have a consistent, organized presence on all of your channels. When it comes to crafting the perfect social media calendar, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
With an effective social media calendar in place and the right social media strategies for nonprofits, you'll be well-equipped to succeed in growing your reach and impact online.
By following a few best practices and utilizing some creative volunteer engagement strategies, you can use social media to reach new heights.
So go forth and conquer those social media platforms. And if you need help managing your social media community, Galaxy Digital is always here to help. Our volunteer management software can help streamline your volunteer community communication and improve your social media presence. Contact us today to get a free demo, access our social media strategy for nonprofits template, or learn how to get volunteers for an event.