Build excitement before you ask: Rethink your year-end giving social media plan

We all know how important year-end giving is for nonprofits. Many organizations raise anywhere from 25-46% of their revenue in the last couple months of the year. Social media is an important part of this plan and can help drive donations. But beyond that, there’s another way to use social media that your nonprofit should consider for making the most out of the giving season. 

This year, create a social media strategy that gets donors excited to support your organization. Remind your audience why they love your cause and your organization. And most importantly, get them used to engaging with your content. That way, when the donation request rolls around, you’ve already got them ready.  

Here are a few types of content you can add to your social media plan to support your success this giving season. 

Repurpose the best content from the year 

Less than 12% of your followers see your content, so now is a great time to repurpose the top content from the year. Find the posts from the last year that had the most likes and comments. Then, reshare them to your feed with some slight changes to the text, so they’re not exact duplicates.  

This is a great way to get some easy content ready to share, while also reminding your audience of the amazing things you’ve done over the last year.   

Encourage interaction with engaging posts

Clicking a link is one of the hardest things you can ask someone on social media to do. People stay on these social platforms to enjoy the scroll, not to click a link and leave. So, if you want them to click your donation request when it comes up, you need to get your audience used to engaging with your content.  

Warm them up with polls or easy open-ended questions, like asking what their favorite program or event of yours was over the last year. Trivia-based questions are another fun and informative way to engage your followers. Make photographs interactive by inviting commenters to add a title to the photograph or by answering a true or false question. 

Whatever you do, make sure you’re always responding to comments. The goal here is to build a positive community that wants to support your cause, so you need to be active in it. 

Tease things you’re working on

If you know some of the programs you’ve got coming up in 2024, share a few details to get people excited. Perhaps you can offer a glimpse of a planning meeting or a few objects that hint at next year’s gala theme.  

Double up on engagement by having people guess an upcoming special event or other occasion you’re planning for on social media. You can respond by letting them know if they are getting close, without fully revealing anything.  

A bonus of doing this is that it will entice followers to support your year-end ask. If they are excited for the upcoming year, they’ll be more excited to give. 

Share your followers’ content 

Depending on your organization, people may be sharing social posts that include photos of your cause that you can re-share. This is another great way to build community. It celebrates your followers and shows your impact. 

Just make sure you get permission! Reach out directly to the individual and ask if you can share an image of them or their photo on your organization’s social media feed. However, you can also create a special hashtag that you invite them to use if they want to share (For example, we have invited our followers to share their favorite Candid community location using #CandidCommunity). 

Show off your impact

This is probably one of the most important posts, and one you’ll likely want to do right before you start asking for donations. Find ways to show off what you’ve accomplished this year. If possible, use numbers to showcase your impact, since they are eye-catching on social media.  

While it may seem like a great opportunity to add an ask for donations, consider sharing your impact without a call to support your nonprofit. Use it as a way to celebrate what you’ve accomplished and thank your donors for their help and support. 

Mix these ideas together for a strong social media plan

Instead of just picking one of these ideas, combine them to create a year-end giving social media plan that showcases your past, present, and future. This compelling mix of content keeps people interested and gets potential supporters hyped up for giving season.  

That way, when it is time to make your ask, your supporters are ready: They know your impact; they feel like they are part of your community; and they are excited to continue supporting your nonprofit in the upcoming year.