The abandoned dog that found his forever home, the woman who was able receive treatment and is now cancer-free, the mother and children fleeing abuse who accessed clothing and shelter, all thanks to your organizations. These are the stories that make your cause worth donating to. These are the stories that explain why you do what you do, and why you put your heart into your work. Stories like these make nonprofits who they are.  

As a nonprofit leader, you already know storytelling is the key to your donors’ hearts. You’re probably already using some version of storytelling in your work, events, and donor engagement efforts to portray the importance of your mission. You know how to bring in donations by having someone positively impacted by your program speak at the podium of a fundraising event, but what about taking your storytelling online?  

While there are so many ways to engage with donors, many nonprofits have yet to use one avenue of storytelling to its full potential: social media. In today’s world, we know it’s more important than ever to engage with donors digitally.  

The trouble is, many nonprofits are not quite sure how to start. Let me provide you with a few basics that I hope will help.

Execution 

Executing powerful stories across social media is about choosing the right channels and platforms and crafting those stories in a way that resonates with the audience on that platform.  

First off, you’ll have to consider the length; your storytelling needs to be quite short to fit in the caption of a post, and the image or video that accompanies it should grab your audience’s attention and tug at their heartstrings right away, before they scroll past.  

For example, advertising business sponsorship opportunities for your nonprofit may be best achieved on LinkedIn by telling the story of a successful event and the thousands raised for your charity the previous year.  

On the other hand, a contest or a virtual silent auction might be better advertised on Facebook and Instagram, where you can use engaging images and daily stories to keep members up to date on who’s in the lead or how close you are to meeting your fundraising goal. Ultimately, you’ll need to engage your audience differently across different platforms to maximize your impact.  

Finding your audience 

When you’re getting started on social media, it can be a challenge to engage the right audience. Begin by researching the right hashtags, trends, and people to follow. It’s also wise to look to other nonprofits in your industry for examples and insights. 

When you’re getting started, you’ll want to follow local businesses in your area, your current and past supporters, and other businesses that could be potential sponsors and donors. Comment on and like their posts as your nonprofit, and then when it comes to a fundraising event, you can reach out to them and say, “We follow you on Instagram! We love your posts!” in hopes of securing a sponsorship. 

You’ll also want to follow marketing and social media experts like Hey Orca to stay up to date with trends. There are dozens of marketing experts out there that you can learn from. Although many trends will be more applicable to for-profit businesses, some of their recommendations will come in handy for your nonprofit to stay relevant. 

Tracking success 

And how do you know you’re doing it right? Analytics don’t lie. 

Most social media platforms have basic analytics tracking for business accounts which you can access for free, but if you want to go further, a social media management tool like Buffer or Later will provide access to in-depth analytics with their paid accounts.  

Although tracking analytics is always nice, by applying these concepts, you’ll be able to create tangible, measurable results in the form of donation dollars coming into your nonprofit.  

However, don’t get discouraged when you don’t get results right away. It may take several months, or more, to get the engagement you’re looking for. The key is consistent, relevant, and well-executed storytelling and engagement strategies across platforms.  

If you keep telling your stories over and over, eventually, you’ll find people who resonate with them and want to give back. 

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start posting! 

Vivian Gietz (she/her) manages a digital marketing agency for nonprofits and small businesses in Vancouver, BC. A nonprofit thought leader and expert content strategist, she has six years of digital marketing experience and a deep understanding of how to make social media work for nonprofits. She works with a number of nonprofit clients both in Canada and the USA executing social media content, Google Ads, monthly newsletters, and more. If you’re interested in working with Vivian, visit her website or send her a message on LinkedIn.