Posting on social media can get stale quickly. Especially when you think of all the other things you need to be doing to keep your nonprofit afloat. But social media is a key ingredient to building relationships with your supporters and gaining new supporters. Here are 7 ways to mix up your nonprofit’s social media:
1. Go LIVE
Going “live” on social platforms such as Facebook or Instagram might seem intimidating to say the least, but it’s an effective way to connect with your supporters and get their feedback in real time. Social platforms prioritize livestreams and will notify your supporters when you are live so that you aren’t hanging out by yourself on video camera. You should have a general idea of the topics you want to hit on in each of your lives and prepare a list of questions you think supporters might have so you can answer them live if no one is engaging, especially for the first few lives. Many people jump in and out of lives so if you’re just awkwardly sitting there, you won’t get a lot of engagement and people won’t come back. If you are nervous about your first live, have a colleague join you on camera so you can have an authentic conversation and someone to bounce ideas and questions off of. Remember to look at the feed while live; welcome a few joiners in the beginning, remind viewers to drop any questions in the comment section, get creative and ask for a poll by liking vs hearting, and reading off the questions out loud so others can see the engagement happening.
2. Reach Next-Gen Donors on TT & IG
TikTok is the hot spot for reaching Gen Z and Instagram reels & stories have taking over all the Millennials’ feeds. Since these 2 generations are only going to donate more over time, you might as well join them where they are at! Research has shown that they want to be more than a passive donor – they want to know the charity deeply, be involved with decisions, and truly feel that their donation makes a difference in the world. So get on TikTok or Instagram and show them! Video behind the scenes footage, have a heart to heart live, and make a funny meme video about nonprofit life. The more creative you are, the better the chance of going viral!
3. Be Active in Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups are like elevated chat rooms from the 90s – it’s where people go to make friends of similar interests, ask for advice, and even ask for help during a crisis. Depending on the type of nonprofit you run, Facebook Groups could be a great way to connect with people who share similar beliefs/interests. Be sure to check the group’s rules so that you don’t violate them and DO NOT be salesy and ask for donations on the wall. Instead, join as the nonprofit’s page and be a thought leader. Offer your resources where appropriate, share links to verified information, and become a trusted source for the group. This will take time as you need to periodically check the group to read and understand everyone’s posts/thread comments before commenting as the nonprofit but in time it could pay off big!
4. Share the Love
Share and reshare relevant information to your followers. Was there a recent bill proposed in congress that would affect your org or something/someone your supporters love? Share it with your organization’s stance. Did a similar nonprofit halfway around the world come up with a fantastic video? Reshare it and spread the love. Find an interesting research article that coincides with your mission? Share it to your page with a CTA on why people need to take action. Speaking of CTAs…
5. Always Include a CTA
Every social post should have some sort of CTA (call-to-action). However, every CTA should NOT be asking for donations! You don’t want to be the nagging organization that is always asking for money. Instead, think of other ways for people to take action – like this post, tag a friend in the comments, reshare this post to spread awareness, sign up to volunteer, sign our petition, enter to win, the list goes on and on. Engagement matters in helping you spread the word of your mission and it doesn’t cost your followers a thing. Play the long game and they’ll be more likely to donate and donate more consistently when you are seen as a valued resource instead of the annoying page they want to unfollow.
6. Remember the 3 Rs
Repromote, Repurpose, and Refresh. Remember that infographic you create last year that had amazing engagement? Repromote it! Have an amazing blog with a # of tips in it? Repurpose it into a series of videos and post it on social media. Need to run your annual P2P campaign? Refresh it with new testimonials and use those on social media. Make your content work for you; not against you!
7. Pre Schedule Posts
Use a social media scheduling tool such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social to pre schedule your social media posts to when your followers are more active. These tools will suggest the best times of day and days of week to post on each platform you use so that you get the most views and engagement. By doing this on a weekly or monthly basis, you can free up your time so you can dedicate time to engage with your supporters and gain their trust by giving them personalized responses to any and all comments, DMs, and reviews. Just be sure to pay attention to the news and if anything relevant breaks, you can adjust your posts in the scheduler and accommodate for anything you need to post immediately.
Want more information on how to gain & retain donors on social media? Check out UncommonGood’s latest ebook: How to Gain & Retain Donors on Social Media. In it, we’ll teach you about nonprofit social media basics, going viral, & everything in between.
