Holiday checklist for nonprofits using social media

As we head towards the final few weeks of the year many charity organizations might have a little extra time to revise some of the strategies used for nonprofit fundraising they they employ every day. As with many things in life if something seems to ‘work’ we tend to just leave it as it was, however with social media things are constantly changing and not reviewing our approach means that there’s a high likelihood that you’re missing the potential to expand your reach and connect with more potential donors.

The interesting fact about the holidays at the end of the year is that most people have either a little or a lot more free time than at any other time of the year. As a result social media interaction often peaks for some sites from around December 21st until January 2nd, at the exact same time that many businesses and charities are taking some time away from their offices.

As a result it’s an ideal time to use this week to set aside time to schedule some social media content output, seeing as you can now schedule posts on Facebook and Twitter along with blog posts on all of the large blogging platforms you can add engaging content throughout the holiday period. The beauty in this is that you don’t have to manually post any updates but still try and schedule a few minutes to ensure that every update posted successfully and that the links worked correctly. Naturally when scheduling updates a week or even two in advance you’ll want to avoid updates that have any sort of ‘sell-by date’ but it’s a great time to remind your audience about your accomplishments in 2014 along with your goals for next year.

Just in case you see a large upturn in traffic including comments and interactions make sure that your social media team have someone who will have time to respond and engage with your audience. Ironically it’s the time of year when such engagement can be more likely than at any other. By the same token if there are a few days where your office and channels will be completely unattended make sure that email is set to auto-respond and that your social media channels share an update wishing your readers a happy holiday and the date that you’ll be back to work.

There’s no need to overplay the festivities in your updates, just as with the public at large your online audience represent a complete cross-section of our population. One or two pleasant references to season’s cheer and goodwill is suitable but I don’t think every image and graphic needs a Santa hat or a wrapped present by a fire, although I do like the social media icons above. Late December means something different to everyone so consider that when posting and scheduling your updates.

I think the most important thing to remember is that if you celebrate Christmas the spirit of giving is very much a part of the season and therefore it applies more to philanthropy than most fields, it’s a fitting time to celebrate kindness and compassion.

Finally, if you like numbers as much as I do – the end of the year is an exciting time to measure social media and web traffic results. Take the time to complete your analysis of the performance of your many different channels for 2014 and compare the data with previous years. With a new year just around the corner it’s the perfect time to revise some of your blogging and social media strategies or even add/replace a tool or two.
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