Social Media for Nonprofits + Charities: How to Build Your Strategy
Being able to create a social strategy as a nonprofit or charity is incredibly important. Here is your guide for nonprofits on social media strategy and growth.
Posted 10 months ago
Written by
Mackenzie TaylorPosted 10 months ago
If you’re a nonprofit or charity, you might be wondering why in the world you should have social media when you’re focusing more on raising money for your organization. And guess what? That’s the exact reason why you SHOULD be on social media! With billions of people online every single day, you’re missing out on connecting with donors, recruiting volunteers, and sharing your story with people to help raise awareness for your nonprofit or charity. If you’re nervous about taking the plunge and not exactly sure where to begin when it comes to social media, we’ve got you. Don’t worry, we’re here to hold your hand every step of the way. Here’s how to build your strategy for running social media for a nonprofit or charity.
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Why is social media important for nonprofits and charities?
Social media is important for any business or brand, especially those who are looking to connect with more people and increase their brand awareness, like nonprofits and charities!
Some of the biggest reasons you should be using social media are:
- Fundraising. If you’re a nonprofit or a charity, chances are you are going to be holding a fundraiser at some point. Using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram will help you easily promote the fundraiser.
- Promote events. If you have any events (either virtually or in-person!), you will be able to list out all the details and share them with your followers. It helps you get the message out there about your event, while also being a place for people to bookmark and save for later when they’re looking up details.
- Promote awareness. How are people going to know about you and how to support you if you’re not on social media? Educating people online about your organization is one of the best ways to spread the word about your campaigns and anything happening in the local community. It will help you connect with others and gather support so you can continue helping others.
- Inspire action. How can people support and create change? Share this information with them on your social media platforms and you can inspire action. Start encouraging people to protest, run marathons, call politicians, and more to help get things moving forward.
- Share your work. People love knowing how a nonprofit or a charity has inspired change and caused an incredible impact in the community. Share the work that you’ve done to help inspire your followers to be part of the work that you do.
How often should you post on social media as a nonprofit or charity?
When it comes to social media, the more consistent you are with posting, the better your engagement and reach will be across platforms. Plus, the best way to grow online is by being consistent as people know there will be new content from you.
A good rule of thumb is to post about 3 times a week online, and if you’re on TikTok, we recommend posting at least once a day on the platform.
Flick’s Tip: If you’re worried about consistency, we recommend getting a scheduler to schedule out all of your content. Start your 7-day free trial with Flick to start scheduling and streamlining your workflow.
What social media platforms should a nonprofit or charity be on?
While you don’t need to be on every platform, you should find out where most of your audience is and how to best communicate with them online.
- Facebook: Facebook has loads of great features for nonprofits and charities, including fundraising options. If you’re looking for a place to host a fundraising campaign, Facebook will be your best bet. With the option to receive donations online by adding a donate button to your Facebook page or creating ads, you can also live stream videos, create events for your fundraiser, and so much more.
- Instagram: Similar to Facebook (as IG is owned by the owners of Facebook), Instagram allows the same features that you would get on Facebook. The best part of this is that you have a whole new (and slightly younger!) audience you can reach on Instagram. You’ll have access to all the fundraising features, with buttons and stickers that link to your fundraising page that you can add to your Instagram Stories to get people to quickly and easily donate.
- Twitter: If you want to give your audience a quick update on things that are happening in your nonprofit or charity, Twitter is a great way to do just that. Keep it short and sweet and you’ll go far.
- LinkedIn: With LinkedIn, you can connect with new and potential partners, donors, and volunteers. Get people interested in your upcoming events and excited about how your charity or nonprofit gives back to the community.
- TikTok: If you’re looking to engage and connect with a slightly younger demographic, TikTok is the place for you. Work with influencers and creators that will help you with raising brand awareness for your organization.
How to set up a Facebook page for a nonprofit
If you want to create a Facebook page for your nonprofit, it’s super easy! Here are the steps to do it:
- Type in the name of your nonprofit or charity
- Select “Company & Organizations” as your page type
- Select your page subcategory
- Add a profile photo (want to find the perfect PFP? Click here to find out our top tips)
- Add a cover photo
If you want to be able to have people send donations, be sure to sign up for Facebook’s Charitable Giving Tools.
How to set up an Instagram page for a nonprofit
The biggest thing to remember when it comes to starting an Instagram account for your nonprofit is to make the account a business one. This will enable you to connect your Instagram to your Facebook page and create a donate button to add to your bio and Stories.
How to add a donation button to your Facebook page
For your company to take donations, you’ll need to set up the ability to take donations on both your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Here is how to add a donation button on Facebook:
- Go to your Facebook page
- Click “Add Button”
- Select “Shop with you or make a donation”
- Click “Donate” and then “Next”
- Click “Donate through Facebook”
Sidenote: You’ll need to be enrolled with Facebook Payments for this to work. You might also need to submit paperwork to show that you are a nonprofit or charity to accept donations on your page. - Click “finish”
How to add a donation button to your Instagram page
This is very similar to setting up a donation button on your Facebook page. To do this, you’ll need to:
- Go to your profile and click the hamburger menu at the top of the page.
- Select “Settings”
- Click “Business” then “Donations”
- Toggle the button to turn on the “Add Donate Button to Profile.”
Voila! You now can accept donations by adding a donate button to your profile and sticker links in your Instagram Stories.
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