Social Media for Nonprofit Fundraising

Social media is essential for nonprofits, but fundraising with social media requires more than just posting content regularly. Especially in an election year like 2024, understanding timing, what topics to focus on, and what will drive engagement are crucial.

Let’s look at some key research on strategic communication and social media in nonprofit fundraising to see how it can be applied to your work.

Social Media Fundraising in an Election Year

Election years bring unique challenges to social media outreach, including fundraising efforts. Platforms usually have broad restrictions on advertising during election periods, which can affect nonprofit campaigns – even if they are non-partisan. Restrictions are targeted at all ad content, including efforts like encouraging people to vote. And they cause delays to all ads being reviewed because there is an overall increase in advertising in addition to the more complex restrictions being applied to all accounts. Research suggests nonprofits need to plan their campaigns well in advance of key election dates to avoid delays or complications with ad approvals. A proactive approach means preparing your social media content and getting approval for ads much earlier than usual so your messages are delivered on time, maintaining the momentum needed for successful fundraising.

Strategic Use of Social Media

Research from Walden University emphasizes the importance of strategic communication for increasing nonprofit fundraising revenues. Effective communication strategies should be data-driven, aligning messaging with stakeholder interests and expectations. To achieve this, regularly gather data on your donors’ preferences through surveys and social media analytics, then tailor your messaging accordingly.

Tying together your marketing and fundraising efforts is also important, especially on digital platforms. Marketing and fundraising teams should collaborate closely, working together to make cohesive campaigns that support both awareness and fundraising goals. It also helps to build a positive internal environment. A strong internal brand can help with social media efforts and ultimately drive higher donations.

Planning and review is key. Setting measurable goals, reviewing results regularly, and adjusting your approach can help align your social media efforts with organizational goals. 

Maximize Social Media Impact

Recent research published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly offers some valuable insights into what you can do to improve social media fundraising. The study showed having an active and engaged social media presence was foundational. Larger followings and frequent posts directly correlated with higher donations.

To apply this, make it a priority to post content regularly and continue to grow your followers with ongoing, targeted campaigns and consistent engagement. And don’t forget to include direct donation requests—these posts are the most effective at driving donations.

The research also found videos offered a unique opportunity to connect with your audience at a deeper level, which can lead to more donations. So, if you aren’t already, consider using videos in your content mix.

Understanding your donor engagement can also help guide how you use social media. The research showed organizations with strong donor influence focused more on policy advocacy and public education, but that content can overshadow connections with the general public. Try to keep a balance between donor expectations and being able to share your mission and vision with the wider public. 

This balance of content can also help to increase your social media engagement—which in turn helps with fundraising. Posts with more likes, comments, and shares tended to result in higher donation amounts. It’s all about connecting with your audience, keeping them engaged, and making it easy for them to support your mission.

Tips for Enhancing Your Social Media Fundraising

In addition to the strategies above from recent research, here are some more tips to improve your social media outreach.

Strong Visual Content: Infographics, photos, and especially videos are powerful tools for capturing attention and driving engagement. Videos allow for deeper emotional connections with your audience. Consider creating short, compelling videos that tell your story or highlight a specific impact of donations—this is especially important for engaging younger viewers.

Emotional Storytelling: People are more likely to share and respond to content that resonates emotionally. Be sure your stories are genuine and focus on the real impact of your work.

Consistency and Frequency: Keep your audience aware of your brand by regularly posting fresh content. Plan a content calendar to make it easier to post regularly and not lose momentum.

Fine-tune your social media by focusing on timing, strategic content, and engagement. Make sure to include national events like elections in your campaign planning to avoid delays. Make sure to bring in a mix of visual content, especially videos, to capture attention and tell emotionally engaging stories that connect with your audience. Balance donor-specific topics with things the public wants to know about your organization to make sure your messaging has broad interest. These strategies can help your organization build stronger connections, drive higher engagement, and achieve more successful fundraising campaigns.

Read More

To explore the research behind optimizing social media strategies for nonprofit fundraising, check out 

How Fundraisers Can Cut Through the Noise of a Big Election Year Chronicle of Philanthropy

Communication Strategies for Increasing Nonprofit Organizations’ Fundraising Revenues Walden University

The Role of Social Media in Nonprofit Organizations’ Fundraising Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly