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May 6, 2022
Using Social Media To Update Donors On Campaign Progress
An important component of any nonprofit fundraising campaign is keeping your supporters updated on your progress. Whether raising money for a specific project or a general fund, your donors should be (and want to be) kept in the loop of how close you are to your goal. Updating donors on your progress makes them feel more connected to your campaign and more likely to share it on their personal social channels. Updates also help inspire them to make ongoing donations. According to Hootsuite, the average individual spends 2.5 hours per day on social media.1 That means Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are the perfect platforms to stay in touch with your donors. You can start by ensuring you post a variety of updates across social platforms. Below are a few types of updates you can share to engage your audience.
Fundraising Progress
- Share an update on where you are in relation to reaching your goal whether your metric is monetary, number of donors, number of new donors, or otherwise. Example: Albany State University
- Screenshot your fundraising page or fundraising thermometer to easily create a fun graphic to share.
- Create simple graphics ahead of time to share for various milestones or take it one step further and share quick videos with updates from your staff. Example: University of Bridgeport Alumni
- Share posts from your peer-to-peer fundraisers. This is a great way to publicly acknowledge and thank them for their participation, and to provide inspiration to other peer-to-peer fundraisers who might not be promoting their campaign yet on social media. Example: Camp For All
500 million people use Instagram Stories daily. That’s great motivation for using your mobile phone to quickly film and easily share a video update to your Instagram or Facebook Story. As you approach the deadline to reach your goal, share a quick update across your social media channels. If your campaign includes an event, share regular countdowns to the event date.
Press Coverage
Has your fundraiser gotten any newspaper, TV, or radio press? No mention is too small to share with your biggest supporters. Example: Over the Edge Fundraiser
Project Updates
If you are raising funds for a specific project, like upgrading technology in your classrooms, share an update based on the amount raised so far and how much you have left to go.
Example: Thanks to our donors we are now able to purchase smart blackboards for 2 classes. Help us upgrade all 8 of our classrooms with a donation today!
Ongoing Thank You’s
Throughout the campaign, post thank yous to specific donors. If you have their permission, mention them by name and tag their social media profiles.
With GiveSmart, fundraisers can set up their own peer-to-peer customized fundraising pages with personalized keywords.
Post Event Thank You’s
A crucial element of storytelling is the resolution. Keep your donors engaged by sharing the results from your campaign. This is a great way to let your donors know how they made a difference for your organization and their community. Examples: Maricopa Health Foundation, Darien Foundation, Women’s Symphony League of Tyler.
Through transparent and frequent communication, you will have more engaged donors who are more likely to give again because you have shown them how you put their generous gift to work making a difference for your cause.
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