October 8, 2024
The Impact Issue #30: Make the Most of Your Nonprofit’s Social Media Accounts
Maximize your nonprofit’s social media presence with expert tips, campaign tools, and real examples. This week’s The Impact by Instrumentl helps you boost engagement and fundraising.
Social media can be your biggest asset…or your worst nightmare if you’re not careful.
The good news is that in this issue we’re going to teach you how to use its powers for good.
We’ll share tips for using social media effectively, tools for analyzing engagement, and some strategies to help improve your project management skills.
Welcome to The Impact.
Pitfalls and Pointers
Social media can be a game-changer. Just look at the success of viral challenges and campaigns in not only raising funds but driving brand awareness.
However, not every post is going to go viral—and that’s okay!
Just because your posts aren’t getting millions of likes or shares doesn’t mean you should leave your accounts on the back burner.
⚠️ Pitfall: Not Utilizing Social Media Effectively
Too many nonprofits don’t take advantage of the power of social media. Either they’re not using the right platforms, not sharing the right content, or simply not using it at all.
Whatever the case is, they’re doing themselves a disservice. According to research, about 55% of people who engage with nonprofits on social media take some type of action.
Letting social media take a back seat at your organization could lead to a lot of missed dollars and awareness.
💡Pointer: Be Strategic in Your Approach to Social Media
Resist the urge to go all in and start an account on every single social media platform out there. Instead, be thoughtful in your approach.
Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
- Consistent storytelling: Create a content plan and stick to it. You want to be consistent in how and when your audience hears from you. There are tools you can use to schedule your posts in advance (more on that below). Example: The World Wildlife Fund does a great job of maintaining consistent posts on their Instagram.
- Authentic engagement: Don’t try to hop on social media trends just because they’re popular. It won’t feel authentic, and it’ll look like you’re trying too hard. Instead, just be authentically you and it will resonate with your target audience. Example: Greenpeace lets their personality shine through their posts without wavering from their mission.
- Clear calls to action: In anything you post, make sure there’s a clear call to action for your audience. Do you want them to donate? Make sure you have a link in your caption. Do you want them to understand the impact of their gift? Use an infographic. Be clear in what you are communicating. Example: The World Health Organization makes it extra clear what they would like readers to do in each of their captions.
🎉 Learn more about running effective social media accounts for nonprofits!
Tech You Should Know
You don’t have to be glued to your computer or phone to make the most of your social accounts. There are tools that can help you maintain an organized and pre-planned content calendar with ease.
What:
Buffer is a social media management tool that’s perfect for scheduling posts, tracking performance, and engaging with your audience. Best of all, you can do it all from one easy-to-use dashboard.
How Grant Writers Can Use It:
- Schedule Content: Plan posts in advance to maintain consistency, even on your busiest days. You never have to worry about missing a post again!
- Analyze Engagement: Measure the success of campaigns with detailed analytics, including how many views, likes, and comments you had. You can understand your reach and better target your posts moving forward.
- Collaborate With Your Team: Streamline your workflow by centralizing all your social media efforts in a single platform and collaborating with your team.
Keep in Mind:
- Price: While there’s a free option, you’ll get the best tools with their paid subscriptions. Prices range from $60/annually to $1,200/annually, though nonprofits can get their subscription for 50% off.
👉 See what Buffer can offer you!
Expert Perspectives
🏆 Jami Yazdani on Improving Your Project Management
Successfully managing grant-funded projects is incredibly important—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Jami Yazdani, Founder and Chief Consultant at Yazdani Consulting and Facilitating LLC, shared with us five key elements of effective project management to improve impact and increase your grant success.
Here’s her expert advice:
- Define Your Scope From the Start: A lack of understanding about scope derails projects. Before the project even starts, make sure that you clearly define its scope and tie it to the larger mission. Example scope statement: “In support of (broader goal, mission) this project will (action + broader outcome) by (deadline).”
- Consider All Stakeholders: Your stakeholders should be anyone impacted by the project/outcomes and anyone involved in executing the project itself. Make sure they are clearly identified and their feedback is considered.
- Prioritize and Plan Communications: Project communication should be planned for—not an afterthought. Who needs to know what, and when and how will they know it? Maintaining a system for collaborative communication should be a priority.
- Let Your Outcomes Guide Your Work: Outcomes drive your project’s actions, so make sure that you clearly define them from the start. Let your outcomes guide your tasks so you know what needs to be done to achieve success.
- Maintain a Strategic Schedule: Now’s the time where you have to be realistic about what you can accomplish in a set time. Consider the project lifecycle and set clear deadlines. Use milestones to monitor and celebrate progress. And don’t forget to plan for delays—they’re inevitable!
🌟 Explore all of Jami Yazdani’s insights in more detail in the full webinar!
Opportunities Spotlight
🩺 ACT on Health Equity Community Solutions Challenge Grant
Who It’s For: Nonprofits who are working on health equity challenges in local communities
Next Deadline: April 5, 2025
Grant Amount: Up to $30,000
The Details:
The Community Solutions Challenge (CSC), launched in 2021, works to advance health equity through the support of community-based nonprofit programming that prioritize the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of historically excluded and disenfranchised populations. It offers grants to nonprofits who are working to address nutrition as a social determinant of health, improve access to quality healthcare, advance cancer care, and expand STEM education access in underserved communities.
📱 Resiliency Grant Program
Who It’s For: Nonprofits with focus areas in internet and technological advocacy
Next Deadline: July 30, 2025
Grant Amount: $250,000-$350,000
The Details: The Internet Society Foundation’s Resiliency Program supports projects that increase network resiliency in communities prone to natural disasters. As a result, these communities will be better able to prepare for and withstand the effects of natural disasters on internet connectivity. It is intended to help local communities maintain, repair, or re-establish internet in times of crisis.
🔍 Explore thousands of other grant opportunities now!
Networking Nook
The opportunities that were originally shared in this issue of The Impact have since passed. To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.
In Case You Missed It
📑 Article: 4 Social Media Fundraising Examples for Successful Campaigns
When done correctly, social media fundraising can be an incredibly effective tool. Explore real-life examples of nonprofits that have successfully driven donations through creative social media campaigns.
📑 Article: Grant Narrative Tips: How to Tell a Winning Story
Your grant narrative is what will entice funders to give to you, and we offer actionable advice in this ultimate guide. Nail your next grant narrative and win more grants with these expert tips.
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