Social media was born from a need to attach—throughout neighborhoods, borders and causes. Whereas a lot of right now’s content material skews business, nonprofits have a singular alternative to return social media to its roots: constructing group, inspiring motion and amplifying human tales.
That doesn’t imply leaving efficiency behind. The truth is, nonprofit social media advertising can each drive significant engagement and ship on targets like attain, donations and volunteer sign-ups. Simply ask Adam Jorgensen, Social Media Supervisor at GivingTuesday, whose position blends content material creation, video enhancing, graphic design, copywriting and extra—a mirrored image of the wide-ranging abilities right now’s nonprofit entrepreneurs carry to the desk.
On this article, we’ll share Jorgensen’s high nonprofit social media advertising ideas, together with marketing campaign inspiration you need to use to encourage your technique.
What’s nonprofit social media advertising?
Nonprofit social media advertising is the follow of utilizing social platforms to advance a nonprofit’s mission—whether or not which means elevating consciousness, inspiring motion or deepening relationships with supporters. Whereas lots of the methods overlap with these used within the for-profit world, the aim behind them usually appears to be like totally different.
The aim isn’t simply to advertise a service or product—it’s to mobilize individuals round a trigger. That distinction influences every thing from content material technique to group administration. Nonetheless, the core rules stay the identical.
As Jorgensen places it: “It doesn’t matter what your corporation or nonprofit group is about, your finish aim is to make connections with individuals. Actual individuals. Which means your communications ought to cater to their wants, considerations and goals.”
9 high-impact social media techniques for nonprofits
There’s no one-size-fits-all method to nonprofit social media advertising—however these confirmed techniques assist the simplest nonprofit social media groups construct momentum and deepen group engagement.
1. Set up your crew
You don’t want a full manufacturing staff to create nice content material—however you do want help.
“Recruit a handful of individuals,” Jorgensen advises. “This may be your colleagues, volunteers, individuals served or friends that assist you create content material and brainstorm concepts.” A small, trusted group can function each a sounding board and a supply of compelling tales that may in any other case go untold.
Begin by figuring out people who’re already participating along with your group. You can too ship out a fast curiosity survey, embrace a content material opt-in on donor or member varieties and even construct social media fundamentals into your volunteer coaching. The aim is to make content material creation really feel like a shared mission, not an added burden.
2. Share impact-driven tales
Storytelling is likely one of the strongest instruments nonprofits have on social. It places a human face to your mission, builds emotional resonance and conjures up your viewers to take motion. That impression grows when tales are well timed, relatable and rooted in your group’s function.
Take it from GivingTuesday. In the course of the 2024 Summer season Olympics, their staff shared the story of Bob—an occasion volunteer who sprang into motion to gather swimmers’ misplaced caps throughout a break within the girls’s 100-meter breaststroke.
“By paying shut consideration to what was occurring in actual time and the thoughtfulness on the a part of our digital communications supervisor Vanessa, who pitched the concept—we created what remains to be considered one of GivingTuesday’s top-performing posts with over 322,000 views and seven,500 likes,” says Jorgensen.
The important thing to a narrative like Bob’s isn’t simply luck; It’s staying near the motion and holding your mission high of thoughts. Encourage staff members and volunteers to flag on a regular basis moments that mirror your values—you by no means know which small act may spark large engagement.
3. Promote a number of methods to present
If each social publish is a fundraising enchantment, you threat overwhelming your viewers—or worse, shedding their consideration totally.
As a substitute, use your social channels to showcase the numerous methods supporters can contribute to your trigger. Volunteering time, donating provides, attending occasions or just amplifying your message can all function significant entry factors into your group.
“We noticed that folks needed to present in a number of methods, not simply monetarily,” says Jorgensen. “For instance, we discovered by means of social listening that one of many rising methods organizations have been asking individuals to present in 2024 was organ donation.”
Broadening your definition of generosity builds consciousness and deepens relationships with potential donors over time. Not everybody may give cash straight away—however they could turn out to be a few of your most passionate advocates in case you supply them different methods to become involved.
4. Accomplice with influencers
Influencer advertising isn’t only for large manufacturers—it’s a strong device for nonprofits seeking to amplify their mission by means of trusted voices. By partnering with creators who align along with your values, you may faucet into new audiences and construct credibility by means of genuine storytelling.
“We not too long ago started proactively pitching tales and collaboration alternatives with influencers, like Jacob Simon, who’re aligned with our mission to uplift inspirational tales of GivingTuesday and GivingTuesday Spark Leaders like Money the Conservation Child,” says Jorgensen.
“This ongoing tactic has led to a rise in our basic model consciousness whereas boosting visitors to data-backed assets that help native fundraising and group constructing efforts.”
Sprout Social’s 2024 Influencer Advertising Report discovered that just about half of all shoppers belief influencers simply as a lot as they did six months in the past, whereas near 30% belief them extra. For nonprofits, that belief interprets right into a useful alternative to achieve hearts and minds by means of individuals already inspiring motion of their communities.
5. Pitch earned media alternatives
Your social technique doesn’t should stay solely on social platforms. Pitching your most compelling tales to native shops, journalists or editorial boards may help your content material journey additional. You may even attain audiences chances are you’ll not have entry to by means of natural social alone.
“If in case you have a financial institution of strong tales and people who find themselves snug being extra public with their views, including in an earned media factor to your marketing campaign could possibly be notably useful,” says Jorgensen. “It is a free, albeit not assured, technique to increase help of your group and impression.”
By main with a story-first method and a extra human, casual voice—reasonably than relying solely on conventional PR techniques—you may create outreach that feels much less like a press launch and extra like a significant second value sharing.
6. Make your content material go the additional mile
Don’t let nice content material stay simply as soon as. By repurposing content material, you may attain extra individuals, create extra engagement and save time on content material creation.
“For instance, in case you’re engaged on a weblog to showcase the newest success story of your mission or service, brainstorm methods you may flip that right into a carousel on Instagram, a TikTok and a collection of posts in a Tweet thread,” advises Jorgensen.
There are many methods to increase on a single piece of content material. Listed below are a couple of approaches to repurposing that’ll make your content material work tougher for you:
Repurpose top-performing content material: Repost your finest content material from the previous—this could possibly be success tales, group shoutouts or testimonials. Don’t be afraid to repost, even when it’s a couple of months outdated.
Diversify codecs: Flip weblog posts into participating visuals, create quote graphics or remodel key statistics into video snippets or TikToks.
Section your content material: Break down long-form content material into bite-sized items for social posts, e mail blasts or newsletters.
Repurpose low-performing content material: Typically, posts that didn’t carry out properly initially can achieve traction with a special angle, format or timing. Revisit these with recent eyes.
“It’s not a nasty concept to repost your top-performing content material every so often, and even these posts that flop,” provides Jorgensen. “The knowledge you may have is helpful, and also you frolicked creating that publish, so benefit from it.”
By trying again at your content material’s efficiency metrics and studying from previous campaigns, you may tailor your content material repurposing technique to resonate higher along with your viewers shifting ahead.
7. Tailor your message
Efficient content material isn’t nearly what you say—it’s additionally about the way you say it. That’s why Jorgensen recommends nonprofits take time to know the tone, preferences and expectations of their viewers on every platform.
“Irrespective of the place you publish, it’s vital to make sure you’re talking the appropriate language for every platform,” he says. “And I don’t imply English or Spanish, however take time to know how your viewers communicates. Are they severe or sarcastic? Do they like information or do they like tales?”
This platform-aware method to messaging ought to inform every thing out of your publish copy and visuals to the social media tendencies you lean into and the way in which you present up in your remark sections. As an example, a witty tackle a meme may resonate along with your TikTok followers, whereas a data-driven infographic is likely to be extra compelling in your Fb viewers.
8. Use the GivingTuesday Information Commons
Talking of information, your social efficiency metrics aren’t the one insights value tapping into. The GivingTuesday Information Commons is a strong useful resource for nonprofit leaders seeking to higher perceive generosity, giving tendencies and the evolving nonprofit panorama.
This open-source hub brings collectively a variety of datasets—from authentic GivingTuesday analysis to contributions from world companions—designed to help data-driven technique and innovation throughout the sector.
Pairing your inside information with this broader analysis offers you a sharper perspective on what’s motivating right now’s donors, volunteers and advocates, so you may construct smarter campaigns that meet the second.
9. By no means cease testing and studying
Irrespective of how well-planned your social technique is, not each publish will hit—and that’s okay.
“Don’t quit. Hold experimenting!” says Jorgensen. “The truth is, the web is a busy place with rather a lot happening and always altering algorithms and also you gained’t all the time get it proper.”
Success on social isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence. Regulate what your viewers engages with, keep versatile and use every marketing campaign as a studying alternative. One of the best nonprofit social methods evolve, formed by curiosity, creativity and a willingness to strive one thing new.
3 nonprofit social media advertising campaigns to encourage your method
As Jorgensen places it, social content material for nonprofits ought to do greater than inform—it ought to encourage individuals to take beneficiant motion. And whereas that may sound like a lofty aim, it usually begins with one thing so simple as a inventive marketing campaign concept, a well timed publish or a compelling story.
The next three campaigns from GivingTuesday’s group showcase the facility of considerate social technique in motion. Whether or not you’re brainstorming your subsequent GivingTuesday social media marketing campaign plan or on the lookout for year-round concepts, let these examples spark your creativeness.
1. Partridge Creek Farm
Throughout GivingTuesday 2024, Partridge Creek Farm hit each their base and stretch targets—elevating sufficient to buy the land considered one of their group gardens sits on, securing it as a long-term useful resource for meals entry.
Social media performed a key position in that success. The staff started content material creation early, filming in September when the backyard was at its most vibrant. They interviewed workers and backyard members to share what the area meant to them, then distributed these tales throughout e mail and social—layering in compelling stats from their annual backyard member survey.
Takeaway: Plan forward to seize video and visible content material throughout peak moments. These tales—particularly when instructed within the voices of your group—can gas your social content material year-round, serving to you keep constant with out all the time ranging from scratch.
2. Seek for Widespread Floor
For GivingTuesday 2024, Kalindi Cordero, Social Media Strategist at Seek for Widespread Floor, pitched an concept impressed by a narrative she encountered throughout a 2022 program journey to Tapachula, Mexico. There, she met Adolfo, a Venezuelan man who fled violence carrying solely a increase field and microphone—symbols of the identification he refused to go away behind.
That story sparked a strong query and marketing campaign: What do we feature once we go away every thing behind? The end result was The Issues We Carry—a multi-platform storytelling effort that drove over 1 million impressions, almost 9,000 video views and greater than 59,000 visits to sfcg.org.
One contributing issue to that success was a user-generated content material immediate that inspired supporters to share their very own “Issues We Carry” tales—including extra emotional depth and serving to increase the marketing campaign’s attain.
Takeaway: Invite your viewers into the narrative. Campaigns that ask supporters to mirror and share private tales on social media have the facility to spark better participation, attain and impression.
3. Tuesdays for Trash
What started through the pandemic as a grassroots effort to soundly reconnect and clear up native neighborhoods has grown into a world motion. Tuesdays for Trash teamed up with GivingTuesday—one other Tuesday-centered powerhouse for social good—to make a fair larger impression on the yr’s most charitable day.
By becoming a member of GivingTuesday, Tuesdays for Trash gained publicity to new audiences, strengthened its missions and rallied help for its aim: inspiring world generosity and clearing 100,000 kilos of trash by Earth Day 2025.
Takeaway: Strategic partnerships don’t dilute your mission—they amplify it. Collaborating with like-minded organizations can increase your attain, deepen engagement and assist you obtain bigger, shared targets.
Make nonprofit social media advertising work in your mission
Social media may be one of the highly effective instruments in a nonprofit’s toolkit—when used with intention.
From surfacing group tales and partnering with mission-aligned influencers to repurposing content material and inspiring viewers participation, the simplest methods are rooted in authenticity, creativity and experimentation.
If you happen to’re gearing up for a serious social marketing campaign, a powerful basis is essential. Obtain our free social media marketing campaign transient template to carry construction to your technique, streamline your planning course of and benefit from each publish.
