With an estimated 5.2 billion social media users worldwide in 2025, having a strong presence on these platforms is paramount to the success of any industry, organization, or brand. For nonprofits, social media not only helps achieve marketing goals, but it also cultivates a mission-oriented community that's bound by a common goal. Nonprofit fans are often deeply connected with the missions of their chosen organizations, and they tend to be very passionate about their causes. These audiences can be found both on and offline, so it's important to engage with them across multiple touchpoints.
Why Is Social Media Marketing Important to Nonprofits?
By offering relevant, meaningful, and timely content, nonprofits can communicate their values and offer worth to users. Social media marketing also enables these organizations to connect with younger audiences that may not typically raise funds for their organizations. Thanks to all the apps available online these days, charities can activate and inspire people on channels like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and Instagram Reels. In the nonprofit world, it's all about inspiring others to join your circle – and social media is the perfect outlet to stimulate change.
Social media has proven to be a great place to motivate people to come together and rally around certain causes. Think about how much publicity the ALS Bucket Challenge got, for example. This campaign went viral and did amazing things for a good cause, increasing the funding for the ALS Association by 187& globally.
Achieving Nonprofit Marketing Goals Through Social Media
Social media can be a powerful tool in a nonprofit's marketing arsenal, allowing brands to cultivate relationships, build trust, and achieve business goals. Some common nonprofit marketing goals may include:
- Building brand awareness
- Broadening awareness of a cause or mission
- Increasing financial support to the organization
Social media can assist in all of these areas and more.
A social media presence amplifies a nonprofit organization’s reach and messaging to its advocates and beyond, reaching audiences that may not yet be familiar with the organization while capturing new fans. Additionally, social media marketing offers opportunities for users to financially contribute to meaningful causes. For example, many nonprofits seek donations through Facebook Fundraisers or the Instagram Stories donate sticker. Both of these tactics result in 100 percent of donations being passed along to the nonprofit. You can also utilize online fundraising platforms like GiveWP, a WordPress plugin that helps you easily create donation pages through your website.
Outlining Your Social Media Strategy & Measuring Results
Though the benefits of employing social media for nonprofits are clear, it's critical to have a well-thought-out and researched social media strategy first. The following are some things you should consider before you dive into this process:
- What are the key points you want to convey about your organization?
- How can you tell your stories in compelling and engaging ways?
- What types of visuals will you use?
- How will you convey your organization's voice in writing?
- What are your competitors doing on social media that's working (or not working) for them?
- Which social channels are being used by fans of your nonprofit?
Once the nonprofit marketing strategy is developed and executed, it's important to continually measure your successes through analytics. When your social campaign is off and running, you should examine fans' engagement over time, paying attention to the actions they take (such as click-throughs to your website or clicks to read particular articles). You need to understand your audience's general patterns of behavior as they relate to your content. From there, you can make any necessary tweaks in real-time to provide an enhanced social media experience and increase your brand's social engagement.
Create a Winning Social Media Strategy for Your Nonprofit Organization
Every successful social media campaign requires careful planning, goal setting, and, often, a dedicated digital marketing partner. If you need assistance creating and executing a social media strategy for your nonprofit organization, Zero Gravity Marketing can help. Contact us today to learn how we can ensure you reach your organizational goals through nonprofit Social Media Marketing!
Daniel Hamilton
