Social Media Strategy Guide

Social media poses both the biggest challenge and biggest opportunity for nonprofit organizations. Everyone from Millennials to Gen Xers to Baby Boomers uses it. Though it may seem daunting at first, social networks are arguably the best place to fuel your follower base with both new and existing supporters. 

Engaging your organization’s followers through compelling, shareable content, storytelling updates, and calls to action are great reasons why your nonprofit should use social media.  Millions of people come to GiveSmart Events and Fundraise campaigns via social media. Want to attract more donors? Request a demo of GiveSmart today. 

Read this guide for some facts and figures, tips, and how-tos, to make your social media more engaging and actionable. 

• Fun Social Media Stats 
• How to Use Social Media For Nonprofits 
• Why Nonprofits Should Use Social Media 
• Additional Resources 

Fun Social Media Stats 

Consider these numbers as you think about investing more time and planning in your social media strategy 

Nonprofit Social Media Stats 

• For every 1,000 email subscribers, the average nonprofit has 355 Facebook fans, 132 Twitter followers, and 19 Instagram followers. Education was the only segment where Twitter followers outnumbered Facebook fans. 
• Cultural groups were the only segment to have a larger audience in a single social media channel than on email. For every 1,000 email subscribers, Cultural groups had 1,639 Facebook fans. 
• Organizations posted to Facebook an average of 1.3 times per day and tweeted an average of 3.8 times per day. Cultural groups were the most active on Twitter, with an average of 7.7 tweets per day, while Rights and Wildlife/Animal Welfare groups led the pack on Facebook with an average of 2.0 posts per day. 
• Engagement with social media posts vary by segment, with Wildlife/Animal Welfare groups seeing the highest rates of engagement on both Facebook and Twitter, while Hunger/Poverty organizations saw the lowest engagement levels. Average engagement rates were 5.4% for Facebook and 1.6% for Twitter. 

General Social Media Stats 

• 67 percent use social media to stay in touch with current friends—64 percent current family and 50 percent old friends 
• 44 percent of Twitter users don’t tweet, but watch other people tweet 
• Facebook reaches 81 percent of the U.S.
• digital population, Twitter 36 percent,
• Instagram 34 percent, and Vine 14 percent 
• The average visit on Facebook is 18 minutes 
• Instagram posts generate 58 times more
• engagement per follower than on Facebook and 120 times than on Twitter 

Stastics compiled from the M+R Benchmarks Study, Statistic Brain, MarketingSherpa and Forrester Research 

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How to Use Social Media For Nonprofits 

Initial Steps for Your Organization or School 

Step 1: Make A Plan 

Set your goals and go after them 

Create a clear-cut plan of who and what you’re trying to target and craft content for those goals. In addition to internal goals, set weekly and monthly goals as part of your social media strategy around follower count and engagement, volunteer sign-ups, and donations—anything you can use social networks for in supporting your cause! 

Step 2: Customize Your Message 

Tailor your content to each platform 

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for social media. A great social media tip nonprofits should keep in mind is that every channel is unique, and your posts should reflect that. Facebook is a great place for slightly longer, engaging posts. Twitter’s character limit means you have to be short and to the point. And for Instagram and YouTube, you’ll need to create graphic and video content for your cause. 

Step 3: Inspire Participation 

Get followers involved in your cause 

A social media best practice is to put effort into growing your nonprofit’s social following by telling your story. All of your hard work will pay off, transforming social media into a powerful tool where you can get people involved, start conversations with followers, promote your fundraising events and campaigns, ask followers to donate and fundraise on your behalf, and more! 

Build an Effective Social Media Strategy 

A solid action plan is imperative for long-term fundraising success. Technology is not a miracle cure, it is an amplifier–and it amplifies both good and bad. A social media page alone is not enough!  

While many nonprofits do well with general awareness, organizations need a sound fundraising strategy to put behind their social media efforts to achieve ongoing success.  

Consider these things as you build your social media strategy: 

• Think about social as part of a long-term strategy for bringing in new supporters. 
• Design a social media strategy that builds on your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. 
• Test your mobile-friendly donation page and create shortlinks—this is vital! 
• Have a clear vision of what you wish to accomplish and how you’ll analyze the data. 
• Involve different departments and get your board engaged 

Why Nonprofits Should Use Social Media 

Event fundraising campaigns are huge in the nonprofit space, but it is imperative to have fundraising solutions that integrate with social media to make it easy for participants to support your cause and the event throughout the year. 

One example of a great reason why nonprofits should use social media is the Cartersville Dances with the Stars event. This wonderful event featured local celebrities competing to see who could raise the most money by getting the community involved using text-to-give keywords and individual donation pages to raise over $124k! 

Proven Strategies 

• Create a separate social network/Facebook page for the event. 
• Encourage “celebrity” participation and repost from their pages. 
• Produce content, images, and assets for use by participants. 
• Create individual donation pages to track, share, and promote. 
• Update social pages during every live event with photos, videos, etc. 
• Create posts to follow up with and thank donors and participants. 

Request a GiveSmart Demo 

Nonprofit Social Media Best Practices 

As a general rule, it is a social media best practice to focus your efforts on the one or two channels you are already using. Put a dedicated team member (who can write well!) in charge of posting updates across channels—their passion for your cause and the community will shine through. 

Follow these tips for how to integrate social media: 

• Identify the most compelling stories in your organization. 
• Test your mobile-friendly donation page and create shortlinks—this is vital! 
• Identify influencers (people with a lot of followers) and reach out to ask them to help share your fundraising campaign. 
• Provide staff and volunteers with talking points to use both in posts and in person 

Additional Resources

Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits  

Download our guide for more on:  

• The ins and outs of social media setup and reporting   
• Creative ways you can leverage your social media to get donations and support  
• The pros and cons of the different channels – like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more   
• Ideas and examples on how you can leverage influencers to further your mission  
• And more! 

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.  

Read our blog for a few types of updates you can share to engage your audience. 

Social media must haves for nonprofits  

This article by Steve Greanias, General Manager of GiveSmart, originally appeared in Philanthropy News Digest on March 29, 2022. It shares more on what your organization should – and should not do – to connect with your existing donors and volunteers, as well as attract new ones. 

Social Media Posts for #GivingTuesday 

It’s never too early to plan for #GivingTuesday. Read our blog for social media ideas to make your #GivingTuesday shine! 

5 Social Media Stats Nonprofits Need to Know 

Being strategic with your outreach online can make you feel less like you’re shouting into a void and more like you’re spending time with visible outcomes. 

Take a look at these stats for the information you need to find success with this fundraising strategy. 

Social Media as a marketing channel must be embraced by your organization. Not only is it a great tool for communication, but it helps organizations raise millions. It’s where you can reach multiple generations, gain referrals from followers, increase your brand’s reputation, and have real conversations with constituents. 

Interested in syncing your social media with your all-in-one fundraising management tool? Get started with GiveSmart today!