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How Nonprofits Can
Utilize Social
Media To Do Good
Social Media Marketing Nonprofit
Statistics
Copyright © 2018 Customer Insight Group, Inc.
Must-know social media stats about fundraising and donor stewardship:
•55% of people who engage with causes via social media are inspired to get
more involved. (Source: nonprofithub.org)
•50% of nonprofit communicators label social media as a “very important”
communication tool. (Source: Nonprofit Marketing Guide)
•55% who engaged with causes via social media have been inspired to take
further action. (Source: Waggener Edstrom)
•YouTube is the number 1 social media site used by US charities and non-
profit organizations. (Source: UMASS)
•Of all social media platforms, nonprofit marketers use of Instagram
increased the most in 2016 from 38% to 58%. (Source: CMI & Blackbaud)
•65% of Gen Y audience prefers to learn about nonprofits via their websites.
Social media followed at 55%. (Source: Millennial Impact Report)
Goals for Social Media Marketing
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1. Engage your community to keep people them inspired and active
2. Raise awareness of issues and educate people about your cause
3. Advocate on your issues to change hearts and minds
4. Build brand awareness
5. Help you monitor and build your brand’s reputation
6. Position your staff as thought leaders and/or experts
7. Recruit and engage participants to use your programs or services
8. Recruit and engage volunteers to help deliver your programs and
services
9. Support fundraising from individuals making small to medium gifts
10. Support major donor fundraising
11. Support event fundraising (galas, walks, etc.)
Social Media Nonprofit Best Practices
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1. Show Donors How They Make a Difference
2. Encourage Storytelling
3. Think Visual
4. Use Pinterest as a Gift Shop
5. Leverage Your Network
6. Think Like a For-Profit
1. Show Donors How They Make a
Difference
Copyright © 2018 Customer Insight Group, Inc.
The beauty of social media is that it is right here, right now. Never before have some
non-profits been able to connect with their donors in real time to reinforce how
donations make a difference.
•Share updates with your donor base through tweets, Facebook posts, and live
feeds.
•Be sure to steer them toward donating by tweeting links to your charity’s donation
landing page and sharing how their donation made an impact.
•Acknowledging their support, especially where their friends and followers can also
see it, will go a long way toward solidifying your donor and their long-term
involvement.
2. Encourage Storytelling
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Facebook can be an ideal place to engage with followers and share stories of how
your non-profit affects the lives of others. On the Make A Wish Foundation
Facebook page, there are personal posts from those families who have benefited
from Make-A Wish’s efforts, along with photos and stories on their Notes tab.
3. Think Visual
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A Pinterest study from Shareaholic reported that 21% of users have followed
through with a purchase after discovering it on Pinterest. Think that only applies to
retailers? Think again. Imagine how sharing some of those inspirational and
emotional photos could drive donations. Get started by creating pin boards with
images that relate to your cause. For example, Habitat for Humanity pins pictures
of volunteers building homes across the globe, as well as graphics with information
about upcoming volunteer opportunities.
4.
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Use Pinterest as a Gift Shop
You can also think of Pinterest as an extension of your “gift shop”. Upload pictures
of those items you “sell” to drive donations, like bracelets and bands (think Lance
Armstrong’s popular yellow Live Strong bands). Be sure to include your donation
landing page URL in the “Edit” section of your pins. Last of all, it’s important to keep
the interaction two-way, so follow those people who repin from your board to nurture
that ongoing relationship.
5. Leverage Your Network
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Tips
Update Your Status: One of the easiest ways to get your event out
there is in a status update. Be sure to include an image, description
and a link to your event page.
Share an Article: This is a great way to share more details as well as
to talk about previous events with case studies or testimonials and
photos.
LinkedIn Groups: If you’re a part of a LinkedIn group related to your
event, you can share a post with everyone in that group.
Direct Messaging: Send a message to your connections to promote
your event.
Promote Your Post: LinkedIn posts and status updates can be
sponsored, allowing it to be shown to anyone with specific job titles or
in a certain industry or location.
You know how it is — it’s all about who you know. And LinkedIn is a pioneer in
leveraging social media to let you socialize with the “right” people.
6. Think Like a For-Profit
Copyright © 2018 Customer Insight Group, Inc.
We know. We know. You’re a
nonprofit, so you have a different
tone and approach to things. But, that
doesn’t mean that you can’t utilize
some of those same tactics that for-
profits use with great success.
•Try engaging donors with a social
media contest. Whether it’s
submitting favorite photos from one of
your recent events, to making the
best YouTube video that explains
your organization’s cause, to who can
tweet using your charity’s hashtag the
most, a contest may be well received
by your donor audience, increase
awareness of your cause and help
promote your events.
Nonprofit Marketing Resources
LinkedIn for Nonprofits: https://nonprofit.linkedin.com/
Facebook for Nonprofits: https://nonprofits.fb.com/learn-the-basics/
Social Media Blog: http://www.customerinsightgroup.com/marketinglibrary/
Retention and Loyalty Blog: http://www.customerinsightgroup.com/loyaltyblog/
Copyright © 2018 Customer Insight Group, Inc.
Sallie Burnett
President, Customer Insight Group, Inc.
ph: 303.422.9758
e: sallie@customerinsightgroup.com
w: http://www.customerinsightgroup.com
Copyright © 2018 Customer Insight Group, Inc.
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