Due to the importance attached to a social media presence, many nonprofits are now taking advantage of these platforms. According to recent research, although small nonprofits benefit immensely from social media presence, larger ones have the edge over the smaller ones. One of the biggest social media platforms that have stamped its authority in the market is Facebook. Its power has been felt across industries and nonprofits are capitalizing on its massive market to get to donors.

Although we can agree that many changes have occurred in the social media industry over the past few years, what we cannot dispute is that the power of Facebook when it comes to helping organizations to engage clients is still at the top. Facebook has become a crucial tool for nonprofits to access new donations. A survey by Pew Research found that seven in ten Americans use social media to reach one another, share information, entertain and find news content for themselves. As its importance continues being felt, organizations must now rethink the role that technology plays in raising money.

With many people now having access to different forms of social media, nonprofits must tap into the audience that is continually growing and readily available. In America, a majority of adults now have access to and use different forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest and LinkedIn. You don’t need to be on each of these platforms but must know where your potential donors and prospects are.

More = more

Research on success in online giving found that social media reach has an impact on the ability of nonprofits to fundraise online. It noted that an increase in the number of likes by 10 percent on a Facebook page of an organization leads to an increase of 1 percent in the amount of donations. This shows an undeniable impact that social media has on fundraising activities. The same platforms allow smaller nonprofits to reach many people, just like larger organizations with a little amount of input.

Social media allows donors to see how their favorite organizations carry out their daily activities. They can get information on different causes when they want, and comment on various issues. For them to get recent information, you must always update them regularly through images, videos and live broadcasts. Using these strategies will keep people aware of current needs and the contributions they can make. Using social media is also helpful in updating followers on events, venues and cancellations.

Plan it out

Just as you would do for any marketing strategy, social media efforts for nonprofits must have a plan. Your plan must address the who, when, where, what, and how of the course and the target audience and the goals that you seek to address. If you are targeting older people, you should use Facebook to provide answers to these questions because they tend to like Facebook more than Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.

In whatever you do, you must always know that social media strategy must continually be updated to meet the ever-changing needs of the donors. While using social media to reach a specific group of people may appear daunting at first, cracking the secret code of its potential may be a lot of fun as it helps you raise awareness of your cause and needs. In short, plan your strategy, share online and enjoy the results.