Social media is becoming more and more necessary for nonprofit organizations to share information and make themselves known, especially during these times when there are fewer chances to interact with people in person.
In the past, social media’s ability to boost recognition and support for nonprofits was underestimated. Its power became clear with the ALS Ice Bucket challenge that went viral in 2014. This creative marketing strategy took social media platforms by storm, and raised $115 million dollars for ALS research in a two-month period. I even remember taking part in this challenge myself as a kid.
On social media, things spread like wildfire. The trick is to use this to your advantage. It’s extremely important to create a platform that makes it easy to navigate and maintain a social media presence. Here are a few cost effective programs I recommend exploring:
Later is a social media marketing platform that helps you create and schedule posts, build your platform, and monitor your analytics. Not only does it give you a rundown of how your content is being received, but it also gives personalized recommendations based on your analytics. Later offers 50 percent off to nonprofits and 100 percent off to nonprofits that fight racism.
Buffer helps you plan and schedule your posts, measure the performance of your content, and engage with your community online. It lets you see what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your content. It also helps you manage your comments, and make sure that you’re addressing the most crucial comments first. Buffer offers 50 percent off to registered nonprofits.
HootSuite assists you in creating and scheduling content, planning out your posts, and monitoring engagement with your content. HootSuite makes it easier to manage your social media platform by putting everything you need in one place. This platform is extremely collaborative by providing team management, assignments and permissions, and comprehensive training for new team members. HootSuite has public channels and private messages available, making it easier to engage with your community effectively. HootSuite offers up to 50 percent off to nonprofits.
Canva makes it easy to create and publish content for your social media platform. You are given easy to use templates for designing posts, banners, ads, and so much more. It provides templates for a variety of social media platforms, and allows you to make your platform look clean, organized, and cohesive. It has a very simple drag-and-drop feature that allows you to make professional looking content with no hassle. Canva offers their premium content to eligible non-profits for free.
Social media is extremely important for a nonprofit, and these programs help you do it right. Check them out, and see what they can do to boost your presence and improve workflow.
Phoenix Medley, age 16, began volunteering with SEED Impact in 2020. She connects with SEED Impact’s client-partners and researches topics of interest. She enjoys writing to support their work, and as a way of drawing more attention to their passion, vision, challenges, and life-giving outcomes.