Social Media for Nonprofits: Tips on How to Grow Followers
Following the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social movements that occurred in the Summer of 2020, there has been an increased public interest in nonprofits. Social media was already extremely popular, but during these times, it became one of the most important tools for activism. This created a unique environment where interest in both nonprofits and social media was very high among the public.
Nonprofits strive to improve the quality of life for others and one of the ways they achieve the advancement of public interest is to raise awareness of their work and the issues they seek to resolve. By raising awareness, nonprofits can secure more funding, attract volunteers, and convey important information to the public to successfully carry out their mission. Social media affords nonprofits incredible opportunities not just to raise awareness but also build communities of like-minded people, inspire actions, and share the impact of their work. Those are a lot of benefits for nonprofits, and social media should be something nonprofits of all sizes should focus on.
America’s most famous civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached that “The time is always right to do what is right.” Today, with the increased popularity of nonprofits and social media in society, now is one of the best times for enacting change in human history because we have the tools, the capacity and the will to make the world a better place.
Benefits of social media for nonprofits
The use of social media as a tool for social impact saw an explosion of popularity in 2020. As a result, many nonprofits gained an increased following and more funding, inspired actions that led to change and were able to build a virtual community of like-minded individuals. These are the key benefits social media platforms like ImpactWayv offer.
· Promoting awareness: Nonprofits and social media are both all about promoting awareness, albeit about different things. While nonprofits aim to promote awareness of issues facing a certain group or community, social media promotes everything and anything from news, sports, entertainment, and even people letting you know that they got a haircut. Despite the difference, social media still provides nonprofits with a variety of ways to raise awareness about their work, goals, and the issues they aim to solve. In fact, it may be refreshing for some social media users to see posts that are raising awareness for real issues rather than what song someone is listening to or where they’re going for lunch.
· Build communities: The connectivity social media offers is the main draw for most users. While these communities are typically based around sports teams, celebrities, movies, TV shows, or video games, there is equal potential for communities based around nonprofits and the social issues they address. Nonprofits and social media collide on ImpactWayv. It’s the first social media platform of its kind, dedicated to building virtual communities around nonprofits and social issues.
· Inspire action: Increased awareness of an issue often leads to actions such as signing a petition, donating to a nonprofit, calling local elected officials, or volunteering. Social media also gives nonprofits the ability to easily share information about events they have organized or are partaking in, encouraging followers to take action by attending these events.
· Share impact: The “share factor” is important to both nonprofits and social media because sharing information on an issue raises awareness and all social media platforms encourage sharable content. Today, there is no better tool for sharing inspirational quotes, stories, articles, ideas, and more than social media. Sharing their impacts is how people grow their nonprofits, and social media is the best place to do so.
Ways to grow your nonprofit social media following
Nonprofits and social media are all about growth. Nonprofits seek to grow awareness on their efforts and social issues, and on social media, users try and grow their following. The larger the social media following, the more awareness you can spread, so nonprofits should focus on how they can increase their following. Here’s how you can grow your nonprofit’s following on Social Media:
· Hold creative contests
· Include a visual with every post
· Share more videos
· Be responsive and engage with followers
· Change and rotate your profile banner image
Taking these actions will entice users to follow your account. They also encourage more engagement.
What to post?
Considering how important the “share-factor” is to the growth of nonprofits and social media accounts, nonprofits should focus on content that users will want to share and content that’s easy to share.
Shareable content
· Stories: These could be stories about what made your nonprofit’s founder start the organization, stories of people your nonprofit has helped, stories about why what you’re doing is important, stories about people or other organizations that inspire you, and any other story you feel relates to your nonprofit’s mission.
· Fundraising campaigns: Every nonprofit needs funds to operate. Share your fundraising campaigns and donation links on social media so your followers know how they can support you financially.
· Events: Is your organization putting on an event? Or are you taking part in an event another group is putting on? Share your plans on social media and encourage your followers to come to them. You’ll be able to connect in person, and your followers can share posts with friends, so more people are in attendance.
· Program updates: Especially if they donated, your followers want to know what progress you’ve made on your programs. Share how close you are to hitting goals, who is helping, and if any significant changes have been made. Also, be sure to follow up on the programs you’ve completed and convey to followers the effect they’ve had. The more updates you give, the better.
· Relevant external news: Not everything you share needs to be explicitly related to your nonprofit. You can share information about other nonprofits you feel are doing good work, things politicians have said or done that relate to your efforts, examples of the issue you are trying to solve, what other communities are doing that you wish to replicate, and anything else you feel is significant to your mission. Whatever you post, just make sure you’re clear on how it relates to your nonprofit.
· Press and announcements: If you’ve reached a certain goal, achieved something you’ve been working towards for a long time, or have anything out of the ordinary happen that’s a good thing for your nonprofit, share it on social media. If you’re excited about something, chances are your followers will be, too! You should also share anytime your nonprofit has been mentioned in the press, whether it be on TV, in an article, or on social media.
Join A Digital Platform Focused On Impact
Nonprofits and social media collide on ImpactWayv, a social media platform unlike any other. ImpactWayv focuses on impactful content about real issues and gives nonprofits, businesses, and other organizations a place to connect with others striving to make a positive change in the world. It’s a platform solely focused on how users can make a positive difference in the world, gives them the tools to do so, and connects them with other like-minded people and organizations. Join the community and download the app for your iOS device today (Android version coming soon)!