10 Best Social Media for Nonprofit Fundraising & Engagement Posts from 2012

We are continuing with our “Best of 2012” series that we started yesterday with the 10 Best Nonprofit Fundraising Posts from 2012 by ranking our best social media related posts. We began a Social Media Series for nonprofit fundraising and engagement in the summer that continued throughout the year due to its popularity and the 10 most popular posts according to views are listed here.

Image courtesy of hawk-style.com

1. 6 Facebook Considerations for Nonprofit Fundraising and Outreach. One of the first posts in our social media series featured Facebook which is only fitting seeing as it does lead in all categories. This post gave some basics that nonprofits should consider when launching and managing its brand on Facebook.
2. 10 Website Tips to Maximize Nonprofit Fundraising and Engagement Opportunities. This next post focused on a nonprofit’s website as it is the first impression a (potential) supporter may have of the organization and, as such, it can determine whether they stay and learn more or move on. It is important that a website is strong enough to produce the desired results and these 10 tips will assist with that.
3. 6 Twitter Setup Tips for Nonprofit Fundraising. This post explored the social media platform Twitter that allows nonprofits to send messages 140 characters or less to existing and potential supporters. The set up of the Twitter profile also contributes to the success of the effectiveness of your presence on this platform and nonprofits should consider the tips included in this post during the implementation and integration phase.
4. 11 Revealing Stats from Report on Mobile Nonprofit Fundraising via Text. This post highlighted the growing trend towards mobile devices from 2011 through to 2012 and into 2013 when they are expected to overtake laptop and PC use. The research contained in the Real Time Charitable Giving study explored mobile giving statistics, habits and trends but focused on “why mobile phone users texted millions of dollars in aid to Haiti earthquake relief and how they got their friends to do the same”. This data was collected from 863 individuals who gave to the ‘Text for Haiti’ campaign and they were surveyed between September to October of 2011 and the 11 revealing stats were also included in this post.
5. 5 Tips to Effectively Use Pinterest for Nonprofit Fundraising and Engagement. Pinterest is the younger kid on the social media block but it certainly made its mark in a hurry. Pinterest is a virtual pin board where users share favourite images and videos found around the web and nonprofits should include Pinterest in its digital marketing strategies to take advantage of the benefits and tips contained in this post.
6. Instagram Benefits for Nonprofit Fundraising and Supporter Engagement. The growth of social media has created room for smaller platforms to shine and Instagram is one of them. This post focused on how this photo-sharing mobile app can be integrated into existing initiatives as it coincides with the trend towards mobile devices and allows used to transform a photo into a work of art with the touch of a few buttons. These photos can then be posted and shared across multiple platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and Foursquare. Instagram also has several other benefits that were contained in this post.
7. 8 Types of Online Videos to Help Increase Supporter Engagement and Nonprofit Fundraising. If you have never produced a video before, the thought of creating one can be daunting but that doesn’t have to be the case. There was a time when producing a video was very costly but technical advancements have streamlined the process making it more accessible. Creating your own in-house online video is relatively inexpensive once it is conceptualized and distributing can be done free through user friendly tools that even the most inexperienced can navigate their way through and make a quality video. A key part of conceptualizing is determining what type(s) of online video best represents the nonprofit’s brand and this post contained 8 online video types to consider.
8. 7 Facebook Page Set-Up Tips for Nonprofit Fundraising. This post was the first of our social media series that was started this past summer and it makes sense we started with Facebook as it ranks first in traffic in 126 out of 137 countries. As Facebook continues to dominate the social media landscape, nonprofits have been increasing their presence and use of this incredibly powerful tool but keeping up with its changes can be daunting and the 7 tips included in this post will assist with setting up and maintaining your nonprofit’s Facebook page.
9. 7 Tips for Successful Nonprofit Blogging. Blogging is a great way to engage donors with consistent fresh content while driving traffic to main website(s). It can also help build a brand’s reputation as experts in a field and has many other benefits and this post contained tips for nonprofits that are new to blogging or looking for ways to build on an existing blog.
10. 3 Tips for Using Social Media to Engage Supporters and Optimize Nonprofit Fundraising. The impact of social media platforms on nonprofits is extensive as they can help increase a nonprofit’s reach, engagement and improve nonprofit fundraising results. How these platforms are used does need careful consideration and planning so nonprofits are prepared to manage donor relations and this post explores 3 tips that will help nonprofits provide efficient donor care and support through social media channels.

You can check out our complete Social Media Series which includes further coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin and others. We will continue our “Best of 2012” series tomorrow with The 10 Best CSR Posts from 2012.

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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.