In today’s world, there are many different platforms where you can raise money for your nonprofit. The most obvious way to do this is by selling products or event tickets. However, there are other options out there that allow you to raise more funds without having to spend your own money.
One of these platforms is social media. We will look at how you can use social media platforms to raise funds for your nonprofit and why it might be worth investing in a cause-related campaign on Facebook or Instagram.
Create a Hashtag
For your campaign to be successful, you must create a hashtag. It is how users will find your campaign and share their support for it. For example, if you were raising money for a nonprofit called “Cancer Research,” you might use the hashtag #CRcanhelp.
One of the best social media marketing ideas for nonprofit fundraising is to create a unique hashtag to promote the cause and its message. It also allows users to track the progress of their donations by checking back on social media sites like Twitter or Instagram, enabling users to see what other people are posting under that same hashtag (e.g., #CRcanhelp).
Include a CTA
After all your work to create an engaging and interactive experience, you want users to take action. That’s why you must include a call-to-action (CTA). A CTA is a link or button within your campaign image or video that has been strategically placed there to direct users towards what you want them to do next. If statistics are to be believed, 55% of people who engage with nonprofit social media platforms end up either volunteering or donating to the cause.
If someone visits your nonprofit’s website after seeing an ad on Facebook, they may not know exactly where they are going or what they should do once they get there. By including a clear CTA on the landing page—such as “Donate Now!”, “Sign Up Here!” or “See Our Events Calendar”—you provide immediate direction for people who are interested in learning more about your organization but aren’t sure how best to do so.
Create Limited-Edition Merch with Your Logo and Mission Statement
To create your unique merchandise, you’ll want to keep in mind the following:
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Make it uniquely yours: It should use elements specific to your nonprofit, like a logo or mission statement. The design also shouldn’t be too complicated to easily replicate on different products (think t-shirts and coffee mugs) without costing too much money or taking up too much time.
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Use recognizable iconography or images: You don’t want people having trouble recognizing what they’re buying because they’re confused by what looks like an abstract painting of a cat wearing sunglasses on top of fake grass with no words below. Even though this might seem like an extreme example, sometimes being overly creative makes it harder for people who have never heard of you before to identify with you as quickly as possible, and that’s not good when we’re talking about raising funds.
Engage People in a Challenge Like Ice Bucket or Elevator Pitch
Social media challenges are another way to engage with your audience. Whether it’s a contest, sweepstakes, or a fun challenge, these activities can be a great way to get people involved in your nonprofit. Make sure the challenge you choose is exciting and meaningful enough that people want to participate. For example, if you’re raising money for cancer research, consider having participants donate $10 and then posting an Ice Bucket Challenge video on Facebook as part of their participation.
A good social media challenge should be simple enough that it’s easy for anyone in your target audience to complete and easy enough that they’ll want to do so quickly. The last thing you want is for someone who isn’t interested or familiar with what you’re doing to feel like they need to spend lots of time learning how this works. If financial requirements are associated with completing your challenge (like donating money), make sure there are also non-monetary options available so everyone can participate easily without feeling overwhelmed by what’s expected from them.
Organize an Online Auction
An online auction is a great way to raise funds for your organization. Here are some tips to help you get started:
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Choose an online auction site that has been around for at least five years and has positive reviews. You want to be confident in your site’s legitimacy and its ability to host your event effectively.
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Familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations of the website you choose (e.g., payment terms). These details may vary from site to site, so you must review everything thoroughly before starting an auction.
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Learn about how auctions function on this platform by reviewing sample listings or asking questions if necessary. Ensure you know how much time each item will be up for bidding and what happens when an article has no bids after its allotted time expires. If necessary, ask someone who has run successful auctions with this platform before so they can help guide your understanding. Also, ensure that bidders have gone through any necessary vetting processes before allowing access to your virtual gallery space on any given day. This step is crucial in keeping everyone safe while ensuring our financial situation remains secure throughout this process.
Utilize User-Generated Content
To optimize the potential of your social media channels, you’ll want to leverage user-generated content. It can be anything from a photo or video posted by one of your supporters to an article shared online by a journalist that mentions your nonprofit.
User-generated content is often the most powerful type of content on social media platforms because it comes directly from members of your target audience. In this case, people who are interested in helping out with nonprofit causes. When these users share their stories and experiences related to a cause they believe in (like yours), it helps spread awareness about what’s going on and drives more traffic back to your page, where you can highlight all the ways people can get involved with supporting your cause.
User-generated content also works well for promoting fundraising campaigns since it’s easy for nonprofits to repost photos or videos taken by supporters at events like galas or concerts held by other organizations. In addition, when someone else shares something that mentions how important something is while also mentioning they’re involved with this specific organization doing amazing things toward that goal, it may inspire others who hadn’t heard about it before.
Encourage Staff, Volunteers, and Supporters to Show Support Online
Encourage your staff, volunteers, and supporters to show support online. Social media is a great way to promote your nonprofit and generate interest in your mission. When you post about a cause that’s important to you, please encourage others to share it with their friends. When you post updates on other organizations’ work, ask those who work at those organizations if they’d like you to re-publish their posts or retweet them. Make sure everyone knows how they can help spread the word about your cause.
Now that you know how to use social media to raise awareness for your nonprofit, it’s time to put those skills into practice. The best part? It doesn’t take a huge budget or fancy technology to get started. Find the best platform for your organization and begin sharing updates with followers. If you want more tips on using social media, check out our blog post on how nonprofits can use Facebook ads here.