I’ve fundraised $725,000 in a single yr for a neighborhood charitable basis, and its social media technique performed an enormous half within the outcomes.

In contrast to companies, nonprofits don’t promote services or products. It’s a must to rethink your method and concurrently evoke compassion in your followers, improve their depend, and make donors consider in your noble trigger.

All beneath a restricted advertising and marketing funds. When you’re questioning the best way to pull this off, maintain studying.

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Why Nonprofits Ought to Use Social Media

How do you inform your story as a nonprofit to draw both donors or engaged audiences? A web site alone gained’t do. No person googles NGOs to make a contribution or change into a follower until they already know you. Which means website positioning isn’t your profitable technique.

However social media is.

1. Social media provides you model publicity and visibility.

70% of donors go to a nonprofit’s social media profiles earlier than making a present, as Bloomerang discovered. However let’s go away fundraising apart for a second. Social media is a robust means to encourage supporters and get your group found by new audiences.

Viral video content material on TikTok is your go-to software. Organizations can construct a following exponentially by creating shifting or humorous content material.

An instance is a Highlight Humanity video gathering 1.1M views. The video is kind of easy — just a bit deed which means an entire life to a baby.

2. It helps you nurture supporter relationships.

LinkedIn, X, TikTok, Instagram — all foster two-way communication and maintain audiences linked to a trigger. It additionally opens new doorways for networking with influential backers.

For instance, TeemTreas, a collaborative fundraising marketing campaign launched by YouTube star MrBeast, planted 20+ million timber. The initiative discovered its supporters throughout completely different social media platforms.

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3. It provides to your transparency and credibility.

The most important worry of a supporter is that cash shall be spent elsewhere. Creating open annual reviews with all incoming and spent funds by articles provides immense transparency to an NGO of any measurement.

Subsequent, you create a sequence of social media posts the place you share your numbers and beneficiaries’ tales.

4. It amplifies fundraising efforts.

Fb and Instagram supply particular instruments and options for nonprofits to ship extra givers to your web site or increase cash instantly on Fb and Instagram.

5. It helps you recruit volunteers and employees.

How did I uncover a basis to fundraise for? By means of their Instagram account, specifically Reels. How can we collect volunteers to take away particles or assist distribute meals kits?

Guess the reply. Social media campaigns.

We even employed a number of staff members who DM’d our Instagram account and provided their assist as volunteers.

Media content material is the easiest way to attach with change-makers and create a greater world.

The only instance is clean-up campaigns.

Bonus: You’re turning into a acknowledged thought chief in a selected sector, subsequently, boosting model consciousness on a neighborhood and international degree. Members of your group shall be provided interviews and broadcasts.

The right way to Construct a Nonprofit Social Media Technique

At District #1 Basis, a nonprofit I’m a part of, we use YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram as our prime channels. Nevertheless, we’ll quickly be launching TikTok as effectively. I joined the group in its first yr and wanted its stable on-line presence to speak with potential donors.

Right here’s a step-by-step information to social media technique improvement which you can observe in your personal group.

1. Define the targets you need to obtain.

You may’t stretch your self skinny and create all doable content material without delay. Choose your three desired outcomes you need to obtain first and construct up a technique round.

I like to recommend beginning with:

• Elevating consciousness about your mission.
• Recruiting volunteers.
• Rising donations or recurring items.

Whereas chasing these targets, you’ll mechanically drive extra visitors to your web site and construct a group of like-minded folks.

Secondly, flip these targets into measurable, time-bound goals.

Instance: Develop our Instagram engagement charge to 1.5% and add 1,000 new followers by June 2025. Increase $3,000 to purchase tools for clean-ups. Interact two influencers within the initiative by June 2025.

After you have it, develop your ICP (a great buyer profile) that you just need to appeal to. Use HubSpot’s ICP Worksheet to search out best-fit supporters.

2. Consider the important thing viewers segments.

Earlier than you write a single caption or cue up a reel, get clear on who you’re speaking to. Then, converse of their language.

Donors fund the mission — they need to really feel the true affect.

Volunteers give their time — they want a purpose to point out up.

Advocates and influencers carry your message — they thrive on tales value sharing.

Each wants completely different content material.

Tip: Completely different age teams desire completely different platforms. Gen Z could also be extra energetic on TikTok or Instagram Reels, whereas Gen X leans towards Fb.

Use a free purchaser persona generator to know shared and distinctive traits of your audiences.

3. Analyze in style volunteer actions and charitable organizations’ social media.

That is your goldmine of thought-provoking, humorous, touching, and entertaining campaigns to encourage your content material technique.

Begin by analyzing native charitable initiatives and organizations, and search for their social media. Take notes of top-performing posts and make assumptions about why they labored out.

Take note of the viewers phase a put up was created for.

Right here, you need to get concepts for attracting volunteers and micro-influencers.

The right way to discover such initiatives? Google charitable organizations registered in your metropolis or nation, or use hashtags on social media.

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Examples: #AnimalRescue + #Seattle, #HomelessOutreach + #Philly, #LAvolunteers, #BeachCleanup, #ForYou, #donate.

Tip: Use ChatGPT Mannequin 4o to generate related hashtags.

4. Create a content material technique.

Plan your content material pillars. These are classes of posts you may rotate between.

Impression Tales

Movies of beneficiaries, their earlier than and after, or clips taken from the sector. This content material format is ideal for TikTok and Instagram Reels, in addition to for paid advertisements. It can be a carousel put up.

And keep in mind, your movies shouldn’t all the time be of superior high quality. They need to convey feelings and the fact on high of the rest. Have a look at the put up beneath from an animal shelter rescue from Gaza.

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Behind-the-Scenes

These are primarily employees intros and each day staff actions, from the workplace and the sector.

Calls to Motion

Posts aiming to collect volunteers, emergency response, donate to a trigger, join your publication, signal a petition, and so forth.

For instance, MercyCorps urges you to donate to ability coaching applications for smallholder farmers in Guatemala by matching 2X your contribution.

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Academic Posts

Infographics, consciousness information, or survey outcomes. In each video and graphic codecs.

For instance, UNICEF Ukraine shares academic Reels, Tales, and Carousels twice every week to show dad and mom or youth about how to deal with war-caused nervousness, the best way to correctly feed an energetic teenager, and so forth.

Within the put up beneath, UNICEF collaborated with a baby therapist and featured 24 concepts for drained dad and mom to play with the child.

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Occasion Highlights

If you attend occasions for NGOs, fundraising evenings, or speak to authorities officers, you need to share the information and key takeaways and tag the occasion or an necessary individual. This manner, you forge trustworthiness and improve model consciousness.

You may create a standalone put up or repost considered one of your colleagues.

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Donor Spotlights

Acquired a non-anonymous contribution or signed a brand new contract with a donor? Flip this into the put up! Make photographs with a contributor, file a brief video-interview (may be achieved on-line through Zoom), and make them really feel appreciated.

Plus, the giver will repost it and present your work and affect to their audiences.

At District #1, we share such information throughout all platforms.

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5. Measure outcomes and enhance.

And, as the ultimate step of your social media technique for a nonprofit, flip to analytics. Outline what metrics you’ll be working in direction of originally and verify each month if you happen to’re on monitor. Attempt to replicate top-performing content material and see if it yields the identical outcomes.

What metrics to trace:

• Engagement charge
• Attain/impressions
• Hyperlink clicks/visitors
• Follower progress
• Donations from social

Run and analyze all of your social media campaigns from one place. Join with folks you care about on every social platform.

Greatest Social Media Platforms for Nonprofits

In accordance with HubSpot’s 2025 Social Tendencies Report, 85% of entrepreneurs discovered that social media advertising and marketing was efficient for his or her manufacturers. Charitable organizations additionally noticed above-median engagement charges throughout all social media platforms, with TikTok dominating the engagement charge per video.

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Whereas it’s nice to have a diversified nonprofit social media technique, specializing in too many platforms without delay makes use of up plenty of time and sources.

So, as a substitute, I counsel deciding on two to 4 platforms that work greatest for my trigger and sticking to them till you attain your social media targets.

My favorites are Instagram and TikTok. Since every platform has its distinctive options and person preferences, you must observe completely different methods to maximise your content material’s affect.

1. Fb

I’ve been utilizing Fb ever since I received my first smartphone.

However this yr, 1 in 5 entrepreneurs plan to chop investments in Fb and pour budgets into YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, in keeping with the 2025 HubSpot Social Tendencies Report.

On condition that, I’d not prioritize this platform, however ditching it fully would even be a mistake. Millennials are nonetheless hanging out on Fb, which means your viewers may be there. Plus, their personal contributions are beneficiant — most millennial donors gave between $100 and $499 in 2024.

(That is additionally why I counsel you to create a purchaser persona and perceive the place your supporters sit.)

Contemplate No Child Hungry, a charity group that goals to finish childhood starvation within the U.S. The nonprofit has gained over 334,000 followers by often posting about its campaigns and actions on its Fb Web page.

Numbers apart, Fb presents simplicity and flexibility. My friends from nonprofits had success selling all forms of content material, from texts and movies to infographics and polls. Let’s take a look at some methods they observe.

The right way to Use Fb for Nonprofits

• Livestreaming: In comparison with pre-recorded movies, livestreams give organizations greater engagement charges. You may present real-time updates about your nonprofit’s actions by livestreaming them. On the similar time, viewers could make donations by way of the livestream itself.
• Utilizing the donation button: Throughout a fundraising marketing campaign for unsheltered folks, one knowledgeable created a devoted Fb Web page with a donation button. This made it simpler for supporters to make donations as soon as they visited the web page.
• Becoming a member of Fb teams: Teams permit nonprofits to achieve a world viewers that shares the identical ardour. You may put up on completely different Fb teams to ask for donations or volunteers. It’s also possible to handle your individual group, the place you’ll be able to share updates with supporters.

2. Instagram

Instagram has change into the #1 platform for nonprofit discoveries amongst Gen Z, in keeping with 1,000 surveyed supporters. On high of that, 51% of Gen Z volunteer their time in tandem with their monetary contribution.

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So, this platform is right for participating the younger viewers and recruiting volunteers.

Nevertheless, Instagram solely promotes visible content material codecs like photos and movies. This could pose a problem if you happen to desire writing about your model.

Use numerous reel templates, memes, and different social media tendencies for nonprofits to show severe charity data into enjoyable content material your viewers will love.

Hilarity for Charity’s Instagram posts just lately grabbed my consideration whereas scrolling by way of my newsfeed.

I like how they use content material classes and model colours to create a robust and supportive environment whereas educating readers about Alzheimer’s illness.

The right way to Use Instagram for Nonprofits

• Partnering with influencers. Influencer advertising and marketing is one of many key methods to extend viewers interplay, and Instagram is a superb place to search out public figures who’re enthusiastic about charitable causes. You may ask influencers to create reels showcasing their help in your trigger.
• Cross-sharing. If I make a put up on Fb, I can share it on Instagram with one click on. So, even if you happen to’re low on time, you’ll be able to rapidly run a marketing campaign on two social media platforms without delay.
• Utilizing Instagram Tales. You should utilize Instagram Tales to construct curiosity amongst your followers and get them to go to your profile. Tales usually embrace sneak peeks into your newest campaigns, shoutouts to supporters, and a few behind-the-scenes pictures of volunteers working.

3. TikTok

TikTok’s 2.85% engagement charge per video in comparison with 0.66% for Fb makes this video-based platform a stable alternative for social media advertising and marketing technique for nonprofits. It helps charities not simply by way of fundraising but additionally by rolling out new options.

For instance, in 2023, TikTok donated $250,000 to the Uncommon Impression Fund whereas introducing options like sleep reminders and screen-time limits to help psychological well being.

TikTok’s demographics largely consist of individuals beneath the age of 34 . This implies I can simply attain Gen-Zers and youthful millennials on the app.

Different nonprofits additionally use TikTok for progress and elevated attain. American Most cancers Society, as an example, has constructed a great presence on TikTok and has gained over 28,700 followers.

The right way to Use TikTok for Nonprofits

• Creating video content material: Create movies about area actions, fundraising campaigns, and occasion planning. This exhibits supporters the way you’ll be spending their donations.
• Utilizing Donation Stickers: Be certain so as to add Donation Stickers to all movies. This manner, followers can instantly make donations with out spending time trying to find a hyperlink.
• Importing quick movies: TikTok permits video uploads of as much as three minutes. Nevertheless, I like to recommend importing shorter movies which can be lower than 30 seconds as a result of these get essentially the most engagement.
• Use hashtags: It’s going to make your account and movies discoverable for brand spanking new supporters and shall be added to Google SERPs.

4. X (Previously Twitter)

Fashionable companies are shifting their focus to video-based platforms, however X nonetheless has a justifiable share, with 63% of B2C manufacturers utilizing X. Personally, I additionally contemplate X an important nonprofit advertising and marketing channel.

But it surely’s not simply me. Different nonprofits have had nice outcomes on this platform. Contemplate Oceana Worldwide, an NGO devoted to saving and restoring the oceans. It has amassed greater than 482,800 followers on X.

X has an enormous movie star presence, which implies you’ll be able to seize the eye of celebs who is perhaps fascinated about working in your trigger.

Creating content material on the platform can be straightforward, because it permits customers so as to add quick captions to photographs and movies.

Nevertheless, what’s tiring about X is that I must put up each day. In any other case, engagement charges rapidly die down, and it turns into tough to extend your attain as soon as extra.

The right way to Use X for Nonprofits

• Organizing content material into threads: X posts (previously tweets) have a restrict of 280 characters. However I’ve discovered that threads are a good way to get across the restrict. Not solely do they permit me to share extra data, however in addition they persuade the X algorithm that my posts are participating.
• Posting throughout prime time: The trick is to put up at a time when customers are most energetic. Current research discovered a candy spot between 9 AM and 11 AM throughout workdays.
• Utilizing actionable CTAs: One other manner I improve my engagement on X is by utilizing calls-to-action like “Share if you happen to help this trigger” or “100k likes, and we’ll arrange free well being checks this month.” This encourages folks to work together with my posts by way of likes, reposts, and feedback, growing my attain.
• Creating branded hashtags: Utilizing in style hashtags may also help you attain a big viewers. It’s also possible to create your individual hashtags and encourage followers to make use of them of their posts.

Equally, lots of of different nonprofits have efficiently created social media campaigns on platforms like Reddit, Threads, and LinkedIn. The platform you select is dependent upon your objective and the demographics you need to goal.

Meagan Jackman, President and CMO of The Harkey Group, supplies steerage that will help you select the perfect platform:

“If a nonprofit wants company donations, the staff ought to flip to LinkedIn. If there’s a youth nonprofit trying to converse to folks, they need to leverage Fb. If the message is informational, YouTube is a superb medium.”

The last word objective is to be the place your target market can discover you.

My expertise confirmed that LinkedIn is the best approach to discover institutional companions and enormous donors. Nevertheless, I used a mixture of private branding and chilly outreach.

Social Media Ideas for Nonprofits

Use the following tips when designing your social media technique for a nonprofit group. It’s going to make you join with supporters sooner.

Prioritize high-engagement codecs.

As talked about above, the best-performing content material varieties for non-profits in 2025 are:

• Quick-form video (Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts)
• Picture carousels
• Infographics
• Behind-the-scenes
• Genuine content material

A fast iPhone video of a fieldworker explaining what a $25 donation supplies is extra highly effective than a static hyperlink put up. And $25 can feed a child, plant 25 timber, and sow lots of of greens.

Write with a human voice.

You need to be:

• Relatable, not robotic
• Emotionally compelling
• Motion-driven (use robust CTAs: “Be part of us,” “Give now,” “Watch this story”)

Make your model voice heard and convey it by way of your media codecs.

Use AI instruments to encourage your content material technique.

Normally, you’ve received infinite alternatives to snap a video whereas engaged on the positioning. Each beneficiary, be it a cat, a tree, the ocean, or a human, is a compelling story. However after I’m on a area journey, I all the time hesitate on what to shoot.

Right here, AI can come to the rescue.

As an SMM specialist, it’s your obligation to information your fieldworkers on the kind of content material you need them to seize. Ideate with ChatGPT or Jasper. Clarify the aim of a area journey and ask a robotic to generate concepts for various social media channels.

Use AI to hurry up social media technique creation and ask it to develop a social media calendar.

You’ll save days on it and reinvest time into analytics and creativity.

Collaborate with micro-influencers.

Mega influencers might rack up views, however micro-influencers are likely to have tighter-knit communities. Companion with mission-aligned voices who truly care about your trigger.

Encourage them to co-create content material and change into an actual a part of your initiative.

For instance, Weston Koury (@westbrouck) on TikTok partnered with The Good Patch and the It Will get Higher Mission to lift consciousness for LGBTQ+ youth psychological well being.

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Use superior data-driven ways.

Deal with conversions that matter. Donation clicks, volunteer sign-ups, occasion RSVPs. Mix social information with CRM insights for full-funnel monitoring.

Keep in mind to A/B-test a number of variations of the identical put up throughout completely different sub-audiences. Analyze micro-conversions (e.g., 10-second video views vs. hyperlink clicks) to refine messaging.

Add distinctive UTM tags to marketing campaign posts to measure platform ROI and see precisely which supply drives the highest-value actions.

Having these information factors, you’ll be able to double down on what works, even with a restricted funds.

Nonprofit Social Media Examples

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a charitable basis that helps with social housing. It has a presence on all social media apart from TikTok. Nevertheless, I observed that their Instagram generates essentially the most engagement.

Their staff focuses on creating area content material, exhibiting building in progress, and that includes tales with completely satisfied beneficiaries.

The web page appears vibrant and actually provides off that robust mission vibe. I like to recommend that nonprofits examine this Instagram and take notes on the sector content material.

Greenback For

Greenback For has a noble mission to pay hospital payments that individuals can’t afford. It has amassed an important following throughout completely different social media platforms with out investing in fancy video manufacturing. TikTok has 93,500 followers, whereas Instagram has 64,600 followers.

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The founding father of the group information his ideas on the subject and posts academic content material daily, together with beneficiaries’ tales, medical payments which can be queuing to be paid, and so forth.

I really like that degree of authenticity! It permits for an actual reference to the mission and his ardour, which is contagious.

Be aware: They repurpose the identical content material throughout completely different platforms whereas altering captions and colours. And this technique works! You may replicate this too for cost-effectiveness.

The Wildlife Trusts

Their noble mission is to revive nature throughout the globe. A 100-year-old basis discovered its supporters on X (aka Twitter) with 272,100 followers and an energetic viewers beneath its posts.

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They share stunning nature posts whereas additionally sparking debates with the UK authorities. One second it is a humorous animal meme, the following — it’s a name for donations or an academic infographic.

The Wildlife Belief is a wonderful instance of how completely different content material performs and the way it resonates with each loyal supporters and new guests. I additionally love how they use emojis in intelligent methods to strengthen that reference to nature.

Be taught from their posts and write down which posts captured your consideration. Suppose ‘why?’ for a second. Be aware it, too. Then, replicate the technique.

Assist Your Trigger By means of Social Media for Nonprofits

I do know firsthand how powerful nonprofit advertising and marketing may be — I have been there. However as soon as I began specializing in constructing a robust presence throughout platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram (quickly TikTok), I noticed how a lot simpler it turned to attach with folks and donors who actually care.

That’s why I consider in leaning into greatest practices and staying on high of social media tendencies. It’s helped me develop consciousness, construct belief, and create actual engagement — and I’m assured it might probably do the identical for you.

Editor’s be aware: This put up was initially printed in March 2014 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.