By achinn@hubspot.com (Alana Chinn)

“Whether you have a full-time staff member responsible for social media or someone that posts occasionally, I highly recommend having some kind of social presence — whatever that looks like.”

This advice comes from Terri Johnson, Director of Donor Relations & Special Events at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW).

Johnson’s team wears many hats (as many nonprofit employees do), and that includes managing BGCGW’s social media strategy.

I thought she’d be the perfect person to ask how nonprofit organizations can tap into the power of social. Let’s take a look at her top tips.

Table of Contents

• Why Social Media Matters for Nonprofits
• Social Media Best Practices for Nonprofits

Why Social Media Matters for Nonprofits

Before we dive into the how, let’s talk about the why — why is it important for your nonprofit organization to be on social media?

For starters, we can look at the data: 55% of people who engage with nonprofits on social media end up taking some sort of action. This includes donating money, volunteering, or participating in community events.

I can actually speak to this personally.

I’m a big animal lover. I recently came across a post from The Humane Society on Instagram, and started scrolling through their feed.

Image Source

Wow, they really do such great work for all types of animals, I thought to myself. So great in fact, it prompted me to make a donation to the cause.

Social media gives you the platform to:

• Generate awareness of your cause — Quickly meet your target audience where they are with information about your mission.
• Showcase your impact — Use this as an opportunity to highlight the meaningful work your organization does.
• Expand your fundraising efforts — Maximize the reach of your campaigns, and collect donations directly from the platforms.

It also doesn’t hurt that it’s free to get started. And when you do, here are 10 tips you should keep in mind.

Social Media Best Practices for Nonprofits

In an interview with Terri Johnson, BGCGW’s Director of Donor Relations & Special Events, we discussed some of her favorite social media best practices for nonprofits.

Let’s take a closer look at what she shared.

1. Figure out your social media goals.

Terri says, “It’s hard to measure success if you have nothing to compare it to.”

That’s why it’s important to set benchmarks for your social media activities. And from experience, I can confirm that this is true for all marketing efforts.

…read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog