Insights and New Data from Experts

As a digital advertising professional, I’ve tried a number of methods over time. And one factor I’ve realized is that advertising nonprofits requires a specialised strategy.

In contrast to companies, nonprofits don’t promote services or products. As an alternative, they need individuals to assist a noble trigger.

Their advertising price range can be normally restricted, however social networks come to the rescue. They’re free, run 24/7, and have a worldwide viewers already current.

On this information, I’ll clarify find out how to use social media for nonprofits and share a few of finest practices when creating content material on every platform.

Leverage Social Media for Nonprofits

In response to HubSpot’s 2024 Social Trends Report, 82% of entrepreneurs discovered that social media advertising was efficient for his or her manufacturers.

Specialists who’ve labored with charitable organizations additionally vouch for social media as an efficient marketing strategy for nonprofits.

Will Yang, head of development and advertising at Instrumentl, says, “It allows direct interplay with the viewers, permitting nonprofits to foster private connections with their supporters — a necessary facet of fundraising and advocacy work.”

We’ve established that advocating to your trigger on social media works. However does that imply advertising on all of the social media channels is one of the best transfer? Not a lot.

Whereas it’s nice to have a diversified nonprofit social media technique, specializing in too many platforms directly makes use of up a whole lot of time and sources.

So, as a substitute, I recommend choosing two to 4 platforms that work finest for my trigger and sticking to them till you attain your social media targets.

My favorites are Fb, Instagram, TikTok, and X. Since every platform has its distinctive options and consumer preferences, you must observe totally different methods to maximise my content material’s influence.

1. Fb

I’ve been utilizing Fb ever since I bought my first smartphone.

However regardless that it’s one of many oldest social networks, it nonetheless stays the preferred amongst manufacturers. HubSpot’s analysis discovered that 65% of B2C manufacturers use Fb as certainly one of their high advertising channels in 2024.

And that is true for nonprofits as effectively. The 2023 Nonprofit Tech for Good report states that 96% of nonprofits have a Fb Web page.

Take into account No Kid Hungry, a charity group that goals to finish childhood starvation within the U.S. The nonprofit has gained over 318,000 followers by often posting about its campaigns and actions on its Fb Web page.

Numbers apart, I desire Fb attributable to its simplicity and flexibility. I’ve had success selling all forms of content material, from texts and movies to infographics and polls. Let’s take a look at some methods I observe.

use Fb for nonprofits:

• Livestreaming. In comparison with pre-recorded movies, livestreams give organizations greater engagement charges. You’ll be able to present real-time updates about your nonprofit’s actions by livestreaming them. On the similar time, viewers could make donations via the livestream itself.
• Utilizing the donation button. Throughout a fundraising campaign for unsheltered individuals, one professional created a devoted Fb Web page with a donation button. This made it simpler for supporters to make donations as soon as they visited the web page.
• Becoming a member of Fb teams. Teams permit nonprofits to succeed in a worldwide viewers that shares the identical ardour. You’ll be able to submit on totally different Fb teams to ask for donations or volunteers. You may as well handle your individual group, the place you’ll be able to share updates with supporters.

2. Instagram

With 50% of B2B and 53% of B2C manufacturers lively on Instagram, it at the moment ranks because the third hottest social media platform amongst companies. Actually, 23% of brands obtain the very best engagement on this platform.

Nonetheless, Instagram solely promotes visible content material codecs like photos and movies. This will pose a problem for those who desire writing about your model. Nonetheless, Instagram can unleash creativity.

Utilizing numerous reel templates, memes, and different social media developments for nonprofits, you’ll be able to flip severe charity data into enjoyable content material your viewers will love.

Hilarity for Charity’s Instagram submit just lately grabbed my consideration whereas scrolling via my newsfeed.

I like how they used a well-liked reel template to create a playful environment whereas educating the lots about Alzheimer’s illness.

The group spreads consciousness concerning the situation utilizing its personal mascot, trending audio, and an attention-grabbing message.

use Instagram for nonprofits:

• Partnering with influencers. Influencer advertising is one of the key strategies to extend viewers interplay, and Instagram is a superb place to search out public figures who’re obsessed with charitable causes. You’ll be able to ask influencers to create reels showcasing their assist to your trigger.
• Cross-sharing. If I make a submit on Fb, I can share it on Instagram with one click on. So, even for those who’re low on time, you’ll be able to shortly run a marketing campaign on two social media platforms directly.
• Utilizing Instagram Tales. You should use Instagram Tales to construct curiosity amongst your followers and get them to go to your profile. Tales usually embody sneak peeks into your newest campaigns, shoutouts to supporters, and a few behind-the-scenes photographs of volunteers working.

3. TikTok

With 39% of B2C manufacturers utilizing TikTok, this video-based platform is a stable selection for social media advertising. It helps charities not simply via fundraising but additionally by rolling out new options.

For instance, in 2023, TikTok donated $250,000 to the Rare Impact Fund whereas introducing options like sleep reminders and screen-time limits to assist psychological well being.

TikTok’s demographics largely consist of individuals below the age of 34. This implies I can simply attain Gen-Zers and youthful millennials on the app.

Different nonprofits also use TikTok for growth and elevated attain. American Cancer Society, as an example, has constructed an excellent presence on TikTok and has gained over 26,500 followers.

Xavier English, co-founder of Supermix, shares the following tips: “In case you’re attempting to succeed in a very vast viewers of individuals in a youthful age bracket for a trigger that has mass enchantment, you’re in all probability extra prone to discover them on TikTok, which has a youthful consumer base.”

use TikTok for nonprofits:

• Creating video content material. I often create movies about subject actions, fundraising campaigns, and occasion planning. This reveals supporters how I’m spending their donations.
• Utilizing Donation Stickers. I additionally ensure that so as to add Donation Stickers to all my movies. This manner, followers can instantly make donations with out spending time trying to find a hyperlink.
• Importing brief movies. TikTok permits video uploads of as much as three minutes. Nonetheless, I add shorter movies which are lower than 30 seconds as a result of these get essentially the most engagement.

4. X (Previously Twitter)

Trendy companies are shifting their focus to video-based platforms, which explains why solely 31% of B2C manufacturers view X as a high social media platform. Nonetheless, I nonetheless think about X an ideal nonprofit advertising channel.

However it’s not simply me. Different nonprofits have had nice outcomes on this platform. Take into account Oceana International, an NGO devoted to saving and restoring the oceans. It has amassed greater than 496,000 followers on X.

X has a large celeb presence, which suggests you’ll be able to seize the eye of celebs who may be focused on working to your trigger.

Creating content material on the platform can be straightforward, because it permits customers so as to add brief captions to pictures and movies.

Nonetheless, what’s tiring about X is that I have to submit each day. In any other case, engagement charges shortly die down, and it turns into troublesome to extend your attain as soon as extra.

use X for nonprofits:

• Organizing content material into threads. X posts (previously tweets) have a restrict of 280 characters. However I’ve discovered that threads are a good way to get across the restrict. Not solely do they permit me to share extra data, however they persuade the X algorithm that my posts are participating.
• Posting throughout prime time. The trick is to submit at a time when customers are most lively. That’s once I get the very best engagement. In my expertise, 12-3 PM is one of the best time to submit on X.
• Utilizing actionable CTAs. One other approach I improve my engagement on X is by utilizing calls-to-action like “Share for those who assist this trigger” or “100k likes, and we’ll manage free well being checks this month.” This encourages individuals to work together with my posts via likes, reposts, and feedback, growing my attain.
• Creating branded hashtags. Utilizing standard hashtags may help you attain a big viewers. You may as well create your individual hashtags and encourage followers to make use of them of their posts.

Equally, a whole lot of different nonprofits have efficiently created social media campaigns on platforms like Reddit, Threads, and LinkedIn. The platform you select is determined by your aim and the demographics you need to goal.

Meagan Jackman, president and CMO of The Harkey Group, supplies steering that will help you select the best platform:

“If a nonprofit wants company donations, the group ought to flip to LinkedIn. If there’s a youth nonprofit trying to converse to folks, they need to leverage Fb. If the message is informational, YouTube is a superb medium.”

The last word aim is to be the place your audience can discover you.

Assist Your Trigger Via Social Media for Nonprofits

You’ve in all probability confronted a justifiable share of struggles when advertising your nonprofit organizations. Nonetheless, constructing a powerful social media presence on Fb, X, TikTok, and Instagram made it simpler to succeed in a worldwide viewers that shares your ardour.

By following finest practices and social media developments for nonprofits, you’ll be able to leverage your social media accounts to create model consciousness and have interaction along with your audience.

Editor’s notice: This submit was initially printed in June 2022 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.