PIR-3For nonprofits to succeed on social media, they have to be good at social media and that requires a clear understanding of how, when, and why individuals engage with nonprofits on social media. With a primary focus on blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the webinar content below was presented by Heather Mansfield on November 8, 2016 to 2,150 nonprofit staff. It was the final presentation of the social media strategies webinar. To register for future free webinars, please see the Nonprofit Tech for Good Webinar Schedule.

1. Embrace social media fundraising.

2. Be an early adopter of digital payments.

3. Craft a content strategy.

4. Write good stories.

5. Create visual content.

6. Know the science of social media.

  • Facebook: Post 5-7 times weekly (at least once on the weekend) and then monitor your Insights. Post visually appealing photos and graphics and now that the new Reactions are live, test positive and negative content to see which inspires more engagement. Limit post text to 80* characters or less.
  • Twitter: Tweet or retweet every one or two hours. Use Buffer to schedule tweets in the evenings and on the weekends. Visually compelling photos or graphics receive 3X the engagement as text tweets – especially if the images are properly sized for Twitter Mobile (800 x 420 pixels).
  • Instagram: Post or regram once per day alternating between morning and late afternoon. Nonprofits that consistently use hashtags have up to 3X more followers.

7. Tap into the power of hashtag fundraising.

8. Broadcast your story live.

9. Grow your followers.

  • Build your email list and then use your email newsletter to grow your social media followers.
  • Convert your donors into social media followers during the online donation process. Ensure that you have a call-to-follow on your “Thank You” landing page and in your “Thank You” email.
  • Prominently feature your email newsletter opt-in and social media calls-to-follow on your website, blog, and in print materials.

10. Invest in social media staff.

  • Your organization’s ability to embrace social media as a storytelling and fundraising tools depends upon the hours and salary that you are willing to invest.
  • That said, for your social media staff to be effective on social media, they need an advanced skill set. If they don’t have the skills necessary, then provide the training and time necessary for them to learn – or hire new staff.
  • Social media is a waste of time and resources if it is not done well.

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Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits

mobile for good look insideBased on more than 20 years of experience and 25,000+ hours spent utilizing mobile and social media, Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits is a comprehensive 256-page book packed with more than 500 best practices. Written on the premise that all communications and fundraising are now mobile and social, Mobile for Good is a step-by-step how-to guide for writing, implementing, and maintaining a mobile and social fundraising strategy for your nonprofit.