Social Media For Non-Profits: Gain Growth Momentum Through The COVID-19 Crisis
Is it possible to grow when everything is shut down?
Is it possible to succeed in fundraising for non-profit organizations when people are cutting spending and retooling their budget?
Most importantly, can non-profit organizations maintain their growth momentum when their volunteers are staying at home, their offices closed, and their phones automatically transferred to the voicemail?
These are the questions flying around among the non-profit communities, while executive-level decision makers are scrambling through the overflowing information on grants, forgivable loans, and other growth methods.
When they had the most powerful growth tool on their hand this whole time…
For Free.
Three Pandemic Social Media Growth Hacks For Non-Profit Organizations
First Thing First, Self Check Pls
I’m dead serious.
Before you even begin to think about what you should do, check these red-flags for No-Nos when it comes to social media marketing for non-profit organizations.
If you find yourself desperately doing the following things, it might be time to take a deep breathe, step away for a few, and re-evaluate what exactly you are posting, and what you are trying to accomplish.
Specifically, look for the following red-flags:
ARE YOU ASKING FOR PEOPLE’S DONATION OVER AND OVER AGAIN, LIKE A BROKEN RECORD?
We understand. Things are tough right now, especially when over 60% of the population had their cashflow interrupted and are retooling their budget and reducing spending. Many non-profit organizations have agreed that fundraising is their biggest challenge right now, because growth aside, many 501c3s are now merely fighting for their existences.
But heed these words: sticking your hand into people’s pockets isn’t going to get you any donation - rather, openly asking for donation repeatedly in a short amount of time is more likely to cause annoyance and other negative emotions.
HAVE YOU BEEN POSTING NOTHING BUT DEAD-SERIOUS CONTENT?
Facts and numbers are important, and people shouldn’t neglect the causes your non-profit organization is working for, especially during this challenging time. Sometimes it is necessary to rub raw facts into people’s faces, but a good balance of content is always critical to running successful social media marketing for non-profits.
In a recent article published by the America Marketing Association, the author suggested businesses to cater to the “underlying psychological needs” of the consumers. This exact strategy should be used fully by non-profit organizations on social media as well in order to build a strong, intimate relationships with the audience, leveraging the lockdown as an opportunity for communications.
ARE YOU ENGAGING IN ANY POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS SURROUNDING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC THAT’S BEEN GOING ON?
On a public note: social media and politics almost never go together, and engaging in a political debate with a business or official account is beyond foolish, unless your organization is a politically-oriented non-profit, which would justify your active participation in the already-nasty left vs. right ruckus online.
If you need to talk about a certain policy or relief program that directly impacted your organization or your audience, try to maintain a neutral tone. Use facts with a touch of humanitarian pathos instead of anger and political misfires.
Trust us, this works much better.
HAVE YOU PRETTY MUCH STOPPED POSTING BECAUSE YOUR OFFICE ISN’T OPEN DUE TO LOCK-IN ORDERS?
No judgement if you haven’t been as motivated as you used to be. For many non-profit organizations, providing engaging content became so much more challenging when volunteer activities were mostly canceled, and fundraisers postponed indefinitely until quarantine orders are lifted.
But at least talk about some thing. Post stupid memes. Share baby kitten gifs… We are talking about your organization here - we are talking about a cause, or multiple causes you’ve poured your soul into - surely you can find something genuine and sincere to share with the others.
Be Genuine, Real, And Raw
This is not the time to go fancy with filtered photos or posts generated via Canva templates. Neither is it time to fill up your feed with inspirational and encouraging quotes - a little bit of positive energy is healthy, but when overdone… it will bring more harm than good.
Both the organization and the audiences understand a crude fact in their heart:
Things are pretty screwed right now.
Cashflow is unstable, spending is hard to predict, and the economy certainly hasn’t looked the most promising. As a non-profit organization that mainly rely on givings from other individuals and businesses, there would be no point in painting a flower field to cover the real struggle you are going through.
So here are a few things you can do to be genuine, real, and reasonably positive but not foolishly optimistic:
Share positive quotes to boost morale occasionally, but talk about how you and your organization have been feeling lately in the caption - be honest if you are struggling or frustrated, because that makes you more human;
Work-From-Home snippets and memes are always a good addition. Make fun of the bad situation - because humor always wins;
Interact with your volunteers digitally, and share those clips;
Interact and collaborate with other organizations that share similar goals with you, and build a strong collective marketing campaign
In general, don’t lose your spirit, but be sure to not turn away from reality. Be open and honest with your challenges, and show some vulnerability when proper.
Use Stats & Facts To Show Impact
The non-profit sector is an indispensable part of the mechanisms that allow our society to continue to function. Personally, we could not, and would not want to imagine a world without the non-profits taking care of our communities - that would certainly be a horrifying picture.
And that is why now is the perfect timing to show stats and facts to back up how much tangible, solid difference your organization makes for your community.
We are not encouraging you to scare people - although some of the data collected and published by officials right now is indeed scary, and shines more light on why during these challenging times we need the power of non-profits more than ever.
However, do be honest with the facts and stats. If numbers don’t look good - that’s exactly why people need to take action to make changes, and exactly why individuals considering themselves as responsible residents must support local 501c(3)s who are diligently trying to make a difference.
There simply is no argument against numbers. And numbers are one of the most powerful tools any non-profit organizations should leverage in their social media strategy.
Some useful stats and facts you can publish online include:
Infographics;
Reports released by the census bureau, municipal government, the law enforcement institutions, and local organizations or research facilities;
Critical news related to the cause you support
Infographics and data collected by your own organization in the past years proving the efficiency and effect of your work
AN ADDITIONAL TIP:
If you are a smaller-scale non-profit, focus on numbers you gathered from your local area. The closer these numbers hit home, the more likely they are to create an impact among your audience.
Make The Pandemic Work For Your Non-Profit With Social Media
Social media is the only way people are communicating with each others right now, at least on a large scale. So make sure you are riding the tides and soaring high.
Social media marketing for non-profit organization is not a complicated game. Like all other marketing methods, at the end of the day, it’s about how you tell your story, and how genuine and effective you are.
Leverage these three tips we mentioned above and see what happens. Fill up your content calendar with a variety of items and throw in a few wild cards. Be creative, innovative and genuine - those are the secret ingredient to a successful non-profit social media handle.