Social media fundraising is successfully used by many nonprofits and charities worldwide.
Social consciousness has grown exponentially over the last couple of years, mainly thanks to social media. Supporting and educating people through social media campaigns such as Clapping for the NHS, Black Lives Matter, and climate change has encouraged many of us to be kinder and more empathetic toward each other.
Used efficiently when fundraising, a social media campaign can set off an explosion of energy that boosts awareness of your cause, increases donations, and gains you unlimited and recurrent supporters.
Here’s a list of the top social media trends that can optimize your fundraising campaigns and make a lasting impression.
Social Media Fundraising Means Getting Online
First, you need to be online to be part of the social media wave. So, make sure you have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok to promote your fundraising campaigns and increase your event’s outreach and awareness.
If your organization doesn’t have the capacity to maintain all of these platforms (many don’t), consider the ones that are most essential to your audience and focus there. It’s certainly better to engage actively and thoughtfully on a couple of social media platforms than to do a poor job on all of them. You should try to post daily on your social media platforms or at least three times per week.
Content is Key to Social Media Fundraising
Think like a supporter when you create content for your social media fundraising campaign. If you can get into the mindset of your donors, you will be able to engage with them successfully and have them coming back for more. Spark an emotional reaction and inspire action by creating compelling, relevant, and sincere content for your charity’s cause. Make your posts humorous where possible and eye-catching content is a winner. Add headlines, hashtags, bullet points, infographics, GIFS, memes, and videos to grab the attention of your followers and keep them sharing your posts to gain wider outreach. Don’t forget to thank your supporters in certain posts and recognize their value to your fundraising campaign.
Learn to Live Stream
Hosting a live stream fundraising event is a great way to boost awareness for your cause and maximize your outreach among supporters. Live streaming has gained incredible popularity since the start of the pandemic, primarily due to the growth in virtual fundraisers. The great thing about a live stream, as part of your fundraising campaign, is that it allows you to engage with your supporters and show the human face of the story behind the cause you’re raising awareness for. Most social media platforms have live streaming capabilities such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram Live, and LinkedIn Live.
Here are a few fundraising ideas for live streaming:
- Campaign Kick-Offs (especially for P2P campaigns to motivate fundraisers)
- Live stream events, such as Happy Hours, workshops, galas, or concerts
- Draw fundraising raffle winners
- Host a live auction
- Live Interviews and Q& A Sessions with a panel, industry expert, your organization’s beneficiaries or volunteers
- The opening of a new facility or center
Videos Also Work
If you have visited any social media platforms recently, think about how many posts contained videos. Last year the number of videos posted on Facebook increased by 75% and this is only destined to keep soaring. Videos often tend to increase reach over photos and links, so think about the benefits of using videos in your social media posts for fundraising, to boost popularity and awareness of the event. Make your videos entertaining, creative and genuine to your cause, to tap into the emotional and personal interests of your followers.
Create #Hashtag Challenges
Over the last decade, hashtags have been used for everything from product launches to movie titles to fundraising challenges. Many nonprofits use hashtags to boost awareness of their cause and fundraising campaigns are no different. It’s a great way to expand your audience, educate your supporters on the story behind your challenge and generate donations for your charity. Take the ALS #IceBucketChallenge. This is a perfect example of the power of hashtag challenges, where over 90 million dollars were raised through a global challenge.
Here are a few tips to help you create your perfect #fundraisingchallenge:
- Choose the right social platform for your fundraising campaign. Ideally where the majority of your supporters are active. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest all support hashtags.
- Pick a stand-out name for your hashtag to title your fundraising challenge. It needs to be short and unique to engage people and a sense of humor can help attract more followers.
- Promote your cause with your hashtag by mentioning it in your campaign story a couple of times. Make sure to add links, photos, and videos to engage with your audience to give it a personal touch and boost awareness. Ask the online community and friends to share your hashtag – the outreach can be incredible when re-sharing starts rolling.
- After creating the perfect hashtag for your fundraising campaign, start raising money and awareness for your chosen cause and charity.
TikTok is Trending
TikTok is the most recent giant among social media apps. Allowing users to create 15-second videos with music and filters and host live streams, TikTok has become the media platform of choice for a younger generation. It is an attractive app to many fundraisers due to its simplicity to use. TikTok is an engaging way to spread awareness of your cause on a global scale and interact with your supporters. Also available are donation stickers to add to your TikTok video to raise more money for your charity. Again, think about your audience here. If you work with or want to reach a younger demographic, TikTok is a great choice. Consider Using Facebook Fundraisers
Facebook boasts over 1 billion active users a day, which is fantastic news when planning a social media fundraising campaign. Global outreach and charity awareness is unlimited when it comes to sharing your story on Facebook. Specific fundraising campaign options are available on Facebook, which includes a Donate Now button on your page, where supporters can donate directly inside the platform, or they can be directed to your external donation website. While Facebook allows the option to generate more exposure and awareness among communities, many organizations prefer to get donors on their organization’s website early and often.
Use Personal Stories and Highlights
Storytelling is central to the success of social media fundraising campaigns. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn provide a platform to create personal stories. These posts are available for a 24-hour period before disappearing and allow you to engage with your supporters, providing them with an insight into the daily operations of your fundraising event. Interact with your followers on a more personal level by creating appealing content about your fundraiser, its progress, and the story behind it by sharing posts, tweets, polls, questions, and donation stickers. Why not host a Q&A with a public figure or influencer, which will boost your visibility and awareness online?
Stories are only available to view for 24 hours. So some organizations create Highlights, which are a curated selection of Instagram Stories. These Highlights will allow people to watch your fundraising Stories long after they have disappeared and give new supporters a good look into what your fundraiser and charity are about.
Summary of Social Media Fundraising Trends
Social media, as a tool to optimize fundraising campaigns, is here to stay. It’s a great way to engage and converse with your supporters and build personal relationships with your donors. Connect and convert new donors while cementing your relationship with recurring supporters through compelling social media fundraising campaigns.
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