Insights and New Knowledge from Specialists

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

Not like companies, nonprofits don’t promote services or products. You must rethink your strategy and concurrently evoke compassion in your followers, enhance their rely, and make donors consider in your noble trigger.

All below a restricted advertising and marketing price range. If you happen to’re questioning how you can pull this off, maintain studying.

Desk of Contents

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 strong means to encourage supporters and get your group found by new audiences.

Viral video content material on TikTok is your go-to device. 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 sort of easy — just a bit deed meaning a complete life to a toddler.

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 someplace else. Creating open annual experiences with all incoming and spent funds by articles offers immense transparency to an NGO of any dimension.

Subsequent, you create a collection 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 immediately on Fb and Instagram.

5. It helps you recruit volunteers and employees.

How did I uncover a basis to fundraise for? By their Instagram account, particularly 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 couple of crew members who DM’d our Instagram account and provided their assist as volunteers.

Media content material is one of the simplest ways to attach with change-makers and create a greater world.

The best instance is clean-up campaigns.

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

After getting it, develop your ICP (a great buyer profile) that you simply need to entice. Use HubSpot’s ICP Worksheet to seek 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, communicate of their language.

Donors fund the mission — they need to really feel the actual impression.

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

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

Every one wants completely different content material.

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

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

3. Analyze standard 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 section a submit was created for.

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

The best 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 will rotate between.

Affect 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 adverts. It may also be a carousel submit.

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

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Behind-the-Scenes

These are primarily employees intros and day by day crew actions, from the workplace and the sector.

Calls to Motion

Posts aiming to collect volunteers, emergency response, donate to a trigger, join your e-newsletter, signal a petition, and many others.

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

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Academic Posts

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

For instance, UNICEF Ukraine shares academic Reels, Tales, and Carousels twice per week to show dad and mom or youth about how to deal with war-caused anxiousness, how you can correctly feed an lively teenager, and many others.

Within the submit under, UNICEF collaborated with a toddler therapist and featured 24 concepts for drained dad and mom to play with the newborn.

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Occasion Highlights

While 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 vital individual. This fashion, you forge trustworthiness and enhance model consciousness.

You’ll be able to create a standalone submit or repost one in every 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 submit! Make images with a contributor, report a brief video-interview (might be accomplished on-line by way of Zoom), and make them really feel appreciated.

Plus, the giver will repost it and present your work and impression 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 the direction of in the beginning and examine each month in the event you’re on observe. Attempt to replicate top-performing content material and see if it yields the identical outcomes.

What metrics to trace:

• Engagement fee
• Attain/impressions
• Hyperlink clicks/visitors
• Follower development
• 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.

Based on 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 fee per video.

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Whereas it’s nice to have a diversified nonprofit social media technique, specializing in too many platforms directly makes use of up plenty of time and sources.

So, as an alternative, I recommend deciding on two to 4 platforms that work finest 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, it’s best to comply with completely different methods to maximise your content material’s impression.

1. Fb

I’ve been utilizing Fb ever since I obtained 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 accordance with the 2025 HubSpot Social Tendencies Report.

Provided that, I’d not prioritize this platform, however ditching it fully would even be a mistake. Millennials are nonetheless hanging out on Fb, that means your viewers might be there. Plus, their non-public 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.)

Take into account 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 usually posting about its campaigns and actions on its Fb Web page.

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

The best way to Use Fb for Nonprofits

• Livestreaming: In comparison with pre-recorded movies, livestreams give organizations larger engagement charges. You’ll be able to present real-time updates about your nonprofit’s actions by livestreaming them. On the identical time, viewers could make donations by way of the livestream itself.
• Utilizing the donation button: Throughout a fundraising marketing campaign for unsheltered folks, one professional 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 succeed in a worldwide viewers that shares the identical ardour. You’ll be able to submit on completely different Fb teams to ask for donations or volunteers. You can too handle your personal group, the place you may share updates with supporters.

2. Instagram

Instagram has change into the #1 platform for nonprofit discoveries amongst Gen Z, in accordance 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 partaking the younger viewers and recruiting volunteers.

Nevertheless, Instagram solely promotes visible content material codecs like photos and movies. This could pose a problem in the event you choose writing about your model.

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

Hilarity for Charity’s Instagram posts 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 strong and supportive ambiance whereas educating readers about Alzheimer’s illness.

The best 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 seek out public figures who’re obsessed with charitable causes. You’ll be able to ask influencers to create reels showcasing their help in your trigger.
• Cross-sharing. If I make a submit on Fb, I can share it on Instagram with one click on. So, even in the event you’re low on time, you may rapidly run a marketing campaign on two social media platforms directly.
• 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 photographs of volunteers working.

3. TikTok

TikTok’s 2.85% engagement fee per video in comparison with 0.66% for Fb makes this video-based platform a strong selection 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 Affect Fund whereas introducing options like sleep reminders and screen-time limits to help psychological well being.

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

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

The best way to Use TikTok for Nonprofits

• Creating video content material: Create movies about area actions, fundraising campaigns, and occasion planning. This reveals supporters the way you’ll be spending their donations.
• Utilizing Donation Stickers: Make sure that so as to add Donation Stickers to all movies. This fashion, followers can immediately make donations with out spending time looking for a hyperlink.
• Importing quick movies: TikTok permits video uploads of as much as three minutes. Nevertheless, I like to recommend importing shorter movies which are lower than 30 seconds as a result of these get probably the most engagement.
• Use hashtags: It should make your account and movies discoverable for brand new supporters and shall be added to Google SERPs.

4. X (Previously Twitter)

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

Nevertheless it’s not simply me. Different nonprofits have had nice outcomes on this platform. Take into account 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 superstar presence, which suggests you may seize the eye of celebs who could be excited by working in your trigger.

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

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

The best 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 an effective way to get across the restrict. Not solely do they permit me to share extra info, however additionally they persuade the X algorithm that my posts are partaking.
• Posting throughout prime time: The trick is to submit at a time when customers are most lively. Latest research discovered a candy spot between 9 AM and 11 AM throughout workdays.
• Utilizing actionable CTAs: One other approach I enhance my engagement on X is through the use of calls-to-action like “Share in the event you help this trigger” or “100k likes, and we’ll set up free well being checks this month.” This encourages folks to work together with my posts by way of likes, reposts, and feedback, rising my attain.
• Creating branded hashtags: Utilizing standard hashtags will help you attain a big viewers. You can too create your personal hashtags and encourage followers to make use of them of their posts.

Equally, a whole lot of different nonprofits have efficiently created social media campaigns on platforms like Reddit, Threads, and LinkedIn. The platform you select relies on your purpose and the demographics you need to goal.

Meagan Jackman, President and CMO of The Harkey Group, offers steerage that can assist you select the best platform:

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

The final word purpose is to be the place your audience can discover you.

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

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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 submit 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 may double down on what works, even with a restricted price range.

Habitat for Humanity

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

Their crew focuses on creating area content material, exhibiting building in progress, and that includes tales with glad beneficiaries.

The web page seems vibrant and actually offers off that sturdy mission vibe. I like to recommend that nonprofits research 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 amazing 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 data his ideas on the subject and posts academic content material each day, together with beneficiaries’ tales, medical payments which are queuing to be paid, and many others.

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

Word: They repurpose the identical content material throughout completely different platforms whereas altering captions and colours. And this technique works! You’ll be able to 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 lively viewers below 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. Assume ‘why?’ for a second. Word it, too. Then, replicate the technique.