For nonprofits, social media presents a major opportunity. Nonprofits can share their stories, interact with supporters and donors, and have an impact on the daily life of their communities.
As of 2019, Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of American adults are on social media. Facebook was most popular with 69 percent of adults using it. From that group, 74 percent said they use Facebook daily.
Looking at those statistics, it should come as no surprise that social media can have an impact on the fundraising of a nonprofit. CatholicSocial.Media, a Steier Group partner, found that churches that post daily on Facebook report household giving that is 44 percent higher than those that post less frequently.
Here are four ways to boost your social media presence and drive donations:
- Meet your audience on the right social media platform: For many organizations, Facebook is the best social media platform to engage with your supporters. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore other channels. YouTube is a great platform for organizations with video capabilities. If your supporters skew toward younger generations, Instagram could be a great place to focus efforts. Do you mostly work with professionals? LinkedIn could be a strong option.
- Post daily: The more active your account, the more active your following will be. That provides your organization with the chance to connect with your supporters daily. Don’t worry about overwhelming your supporters with posts. Per GlobalWebIndex, people spend an average of 2.5 hours on social media and messaging per day. Most will not be overwhelmed by a nonprofit, close to their heart, posting daily.
- Use video: Videos that are short and to the point allow for easy viewing. Social media platforms value videos over other types of posts. If you have a strong capital campaign video, breaking it up into segments to share on social media will provide more return on your investment.
- Don’t focus on fundraising: It may sound counterintuitive, but don’t focus your social media efforts on asking for donations. If your Facebook page feels like just another place to ask people for money, they will not engage with your nonprofit. But if you put in the work to engage with your supporters through daily posts and creative videos, they will be more likely to support when you do ask for donations.
For Catholic churches looking to improve their social media presence,
CatholicSocial.Media provides daily, high-quality, non-branded, Catholic posts for parishes to share with their parishioners. For a four-week free trial and a personalized analysis of your social media presence, sign up and use the promo code STEIERTIPS.
I know social media can be overwhelming to a small nonprofit. The same can be said of a capital campaign. The Steier Group is here to help. If you have questions or would like to learn more about the services we offer, please contact me.
