With little to no marketing budget, social media marketing for nonprofits can be a precarious situation. How do you move the fundraising needle in a big way with very little resources? For potential donors to feel motivated to give, the nonprofit must accomplish three things:
- Create awareness of your cause and nonprofit organization
- Connect emotionally with your potential donor
- Making donating simple and hassle-free
This is no small task when funds are limited! Lucky for you, we’re living in a digital age. Social media can help you accomplish all three items— even with limited cash flow.
Create awareness of your cause and nonprofit organization.
Social media is low cost and high ROI. You should allocate a small budget every month for paid social promotion, whether that be boosted Facebook posts or even Facebook ads. Paid options will get your content in front of new eyes and boost awareness of your cause. Be discerning with the content you promote. Make sure it’s high impact, resonates emotionally with viewers and has a strong call to action. Monitor the performance of your content over time and begin optimizing your campaigns. Once you know what works, you can put more dollars behind it the following month.
Work your social connections! There may be people in your social network who have relationships with influencers. One way to spread the word is to have all staff members connect with the nonprofit on social media. Create content for staff to push out to their networks on a consistent basis. This content can include direct donation solicitation or asks for friends and family to share a particularly compelling video.
Connect emotionally with your potential donor.
Make sure the content you’re pushing out on social media demonstrates your work on the ground, tells your organization’s story and touches your supporters in a way that can motivate them to take action. Spotlighting people working on behalf of your constituents or even telling a personal story of someone affected by your cause are great examples of effective content. Remember— video is king! Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be expensive to produce for it to be effective. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram allow users to easily livestream content.
Make donating simple and hassle-free.
Now that the groundwork has been completed, it’s time to ask for donations! At the end of the day, a nonprofit will never be able to sustain the community work it is doing and continue making a difference without charitable giving. When soliciting donations, easy is the name of the game. Donations can often be spur-of-the-moment decisions when someone feels particularly moved to give. It’s critical to capitalize on that impulse by making the donation process as quick as possible. One way to do this is through a Facebook “Donate Now” button on your nonprofit page. Learn more about Facebook’s Charitable Giving Tools here to optimize your social presence.
Social media marketing for nonprofits is an extremely effective, low cost option to raise awareness of your cause and ultimately solicit donations. With the right content and promotion strategy, you can get your message in front of members of your target audience and make a difference in the lives of those affected by your cause.
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