6 Key Social Media Benefits & Principles for Nonprofit Engagement

I began a Social Media Series geared towards nonprofit fundraising a few months ago which I continue to research and contribute to so I naturally jumped at the chance to attend a recent breakfast seminar aimed at how nonprofits can expand their donor base through social media. I am always on the lookout for resources, like The Social Habit report, that nonprofits can use to increase their exposure and results so I was interested to learn new information and strategies that I could share.

Despite how important social media is to any organization’s marketing schemes, many nonprofits just don’t have the human and financial resources and experience to implement a successful plan. Even though the basic approach to engaging supporters on social media platforms has remained the same, the social media landscape has grown and continues to evolve so more resources are required to properly maintain a nonprofit’s presence. In this post I would like to share the key benefits and principles for successful nonprofit engagement on social media:

• Added Value – According to recent research conducted by Lab42, 50% of the 1,000 social media users surveyed valued a brand’s Facebook page over their own website and 82% cited that the platform is a good way to interact with a brand. Given this information, a nonprofit can benefit from a presence on Facebook to maximize exposure and reach new supporters, attract their interest with captivating information while allowing them to visit your website and/or blog to learn more.
  

  Click image to view full infographic from lab42.com

• Peer-to-Peer Engagement – Nonprofits can tap into peer-to-peer engagement efforts on Facebook as the same research found that 69% of respondents ‘Liked’ a brand page because their friends did and 75% felt a connection to a brand simply through their Facebook page. Facebook in particular is a platform that is conducive to ‘peer-to-peer’ engagement because of its easy sharing feature and nonprofits can benefit from this by encouraging their online community to spread awareness of their cause to their networks.
• Plan & Strategize – As the old adage says: “Failing to plan is planning to fail” and it certainly applies when embarking on creating an effective social media plan. It’s important to make choices based on your organization’s target demographic and overall mission including which platforms to maintain a presence on, the type of content being shared, sharing frequency and which 3rd party management tool(s) to use. Ultimately strategizing your social media presence around your organization’s objectives will keep your focus on your cause and that will net strong results in the long run.
• Communication – The purpose of having a presence on social media is more than simply promoting a cause or its mission. Social media is meant to be ‘social’ and interactive, with two-way communication essential to engaging supporters and optimizing results. Have conversations with your community of ‘Likers’ and ‘Followers’ by listening to what they have to say on your walls or news feeds and responding to them in a timely fashion.
• Connect Live – Although social media connects you to your donors and supporters virtually, it’s important to provide them with the opportunity to connect live with meeting opportunities out from behind the screens of social media. Meet-up groups are an excellent way to take your social media efforts to the next level as meeting your community personalizes your organization and raises the level of engagement that can easily become stagnant and stale (or buried) online.
• Mobile is the Future – I have previously written about the growth and popularity in mobile devices like smart phone and tablets that nonprofits must include in their online fundraising and other marketing plans to maximize its effectiveness. Proactively planning for mobile optimization will ensure that you are not missing out on potential donors and supporters who are looking to connect with your organization through the latest mobile technology but cannot view your content.

It’s not surprising that some nonprofits have not truly embraced social media yet as it seems like just as you are warming up to it, it changes and it can be overwhelming. It’s important however to keep an open mind while realizing that one doesn’t have to know everything and that by consistently taking a few steps forward will gradually get you closer to achieving the results you desire.

Feel free to browse through the other posts in our Social Media Series for nonprofits which includes a series on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest along with other related topics.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.