Social Media for Nonprofits: 5 Essential Tips for Success
1. Set Up Accounts as Nonprofits
Most social media platforms offer special features and resources for nonprofits. Facebook and Instagram allow nonprofits to add “donate” buttons and run fundraisers from their accounts. YouTube offers Link Anywhere cards, production resources, dedicated technical support, and fundraising tools.
Make sure to enroll as a non-profit in order to access these benefits.
How To Do It
2. Add Donation Buttons
If your non-profit collects donations, make sure you’ve added donation buttons on Facebook and Instagram. Both platforms have fundraising tools, too. But you never know when someone may discover your nonprofit on social media and want to contribute.
How to add a donate button to your Facebook Page:
- Go to your nonprofit’s Facebook Page.
- Click Add button.
- Select Shop with you or make a donation. Pick Donate and click Next.
- Click Donate through Facebook. (You’ll need to be enrolled with Facebook Payments for this to work.)
- Select Finish.
How to add a donate button to your Instagram profile:
- Go to your profile and open the menu.
- Select Settings.
- Tap Business then Donations.
- Turn the slider on beside Add Donate Button to Profile.
While you’re adding buttons, add links to your social media accounts to your website, newsletter, and email signatures. Make it easy for people to connect, and give them the confidence they’re following official accounts. Find all the icons you need here.
3. Take Advantage of Free Training and Resources
There are tons of free resources available on social media for nonprofits. So many, in fact, that the time it takes to wade through them almost outweighs their benefits.
4. Develop Social Media Guidelines and Policies
Nonprofits are often run by lean teams and supported by a network of volunteers with varied backgrounds, schedules, and skill levels. Social media policies for nonprofits allow organizers to provide structure and maintain flexibility.
With clear guidelines in place, it’s easier to onboard new volunteers and deliver consistency no matter who’s running the accounts.
5. Create a Content Calendar
A content calendar is a good way to keep your nonprofit team on the same page. It also allows you to plan ahead so teams with limited resources aren’t stretched too thin or left scrambling to put things together at the last minute.
Anticipate key events that are important for your cause. For example, a nonprofit that champions women will likely want to plan content for International Women’s Day, Mother’s Day and Gender Equality Week. Don’t forget traditional holidays or important anniversaries either.