Social media was born from a want to attach—throughout neighborhoods, borders and causes. Whereas a lot of immediately’s content material skews industrial, 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. Actually, nonprofit social media advertising and marketing can each drive significant engagement and ship on objectives like attain, donations and volunteer sign-ups. Simply ask Adam Jorgensen, Social Media Supervisor at GivingTuesday, whose function blends content material creation, video modifying, graphic design, copywriting and extra—a mirrored image of the wide-ranging expertise immediately’s nonprofit entrepreneurs convey to the desk.

On this article, we’ll share Jorgensen’s prime nonprofit social media advertising and marketing suggestions, together with marketing campaign inspiration you should utilize to encourage your technique.

What’s nonprofit social media advertising and marketing?

Nonprofit social media advertising and marketing is the apply 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 most of the methods overlap with these used within the for-profit world, the aim behind them usually seems to be completely different.

The aim isn’t simply to advertise a service or product—it’s to mobilize individuals round a trigger. That distinction influences every little thing from content material technique to group administration. Nonetheless, the core ideas stay the identical.

As Jorgensen places it: “It doesn’t matter what what you are promoting or nonprofit group is about, your finish aim is to make connections with individuals. Actual individuals. Meaning your communications ought to cater to their wants, issues and desires.”

9 high-impact social media ways for nonprofits

There’s no one-size-fits-all method to nonprofit social media advertising and marketing—however these confirmed ways assist the best nonprofit social media groups construct momentum and deepen group engagement.

1. Set up your crew

You don’t want a full manufacturing workforce 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 enable you to create content material and brainstorm concepts.” A small, trusted group can function each a sounding board and a supply of compelling tales which may in any other case go untold.

Begin by figuring out people who’re already partaking along with your group. You can even ship out a fast curiosity survey, embody a content material opt-in on donor or member kinds 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 without doubt one of the strongest instruments nonprofits have on social. It places a human face to your mission, builds emotional resonance and evokes your viewers to take motion. That influence 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 time Olympics, their workforce 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 one in every 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 maintaining your mission prime of thoughts. Encourage workforce members and volunteers to flag on a regular basis moments that replicate your values—you by no means know which small act may spark large engagement.

3. Promote a number of methods to provide

If each social put up is a fundraising attraction, you danger overwhelming your viewers—or worse, shedding their consideration solely.

As an alternative, use your social channels to showcase the various 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 provide in a number of methods, not simply monetarily,” says Jorgensen. “For instance, we discovered via social listening that one of many rising methods organizations have been asking individuals to provide in 2024 was organ donation.”

Broadening your definition of generosity builds consciousness and deepens relationships with potential donors over time. Not everybody can provide cash instantly—however they may grow to be a few of your most passionate advocates for those who provide them different methods to get entangled.

4. Accomplice with influencers

Influencer advertising and marketing isn’t only for large manufacturers—it’s a robust device for nonprofits trying to amplify their mission via trusted voices. By partnering with creators who align along with your values, you may faucet into new audiences and construct credibility via genuine storytelling.

“We just lately 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 site visitors to data-backed assets that help native fundraising and group constructing efforts.”

Sprout Social’s 2024 Influencer Advertising and marketing 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 precious alternative to achieve hearts and minds via individuals already inspiring motion of their communities.

5. Pitch earned media alternatives

Your social technique doesn’t must stay solely on social platforms. Pitching your most compelling tales to native shops, journalists or editorial boards may also help your content material journey additional. You possibly can even attain audiences you might not have entry to via natural social alone.

“In case you have a financial institution of stable tales and people who find themselves comfy being extra public with their views, including in an earned media factor to your marketing campaign may very well be notably useful,” says Jorgensen. “It is a free, albeit not assured, strategy to enhance help of your group and influence.”

By main with a story-first method and a extra human, casual voice—reasonably than relying solely on conventional PR ways—you may create outreach that feels much less like a press launch and extra like a significant second price 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, for those who’re engaged on a weblog to showcase the most recent success story of your mission or service, brainstorm methods you may flip that right into a carousel on Instagram, a TikTok and a sequence of posts in a Tweet thread,” advises Jorgensen.

There are many methods to increase on a single piece of content material. Listed here are a couple of approaches to repurposing that’ll make your content material work more durable for you:

• Repurpose top-performing content material: Repost your finest content material from the previous—this may very well be success tales, group shoutouts or testimonials. Don’t be afraid to repost, even when it’s a couple of months previous.
• Diversify codecs: Flip weblog posts into partaking 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: Generally, posts that didn’t carry out effectively initially can achieve traction with a unique angle, format or timing. Revisit these with recent eyes.

“It’s not a foul thought to repost your top-performing content material once in a while, and even these posts that flop,” provides Jorgensen. “The data you may have is helpful, and also you frolicked creating that put up, so profit 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 transferring 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.

“Regardless of the place you put up, it’s essential to make sure you’re talking the correct 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 critical or sarcastic? Do they like information or do they like tales?”

This platform-aware method to messaging ought to inform every little thing out of your put up copy and visuals to the social media traits 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 may be extra compelling on your Fb viewers.

8. Use the GivingTuesday Information Commons

Talking of knowledge, your social efficiency metrics aren’t the one insights price tapping into. The GivingTuesday Information Commons is a robust useful resource for nonprofit leaders trying to higher perceive generosity, giving traits‌ 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 provides you a sharper perspective on what’s motivating immediately’s donors, volunteers and advocates, so you may construct smarter campaigns that meet the second.

9. By no means cease testing and studying

Regardless of how well-planned your social technique is, not each put up will hit—and that’s okay.

“Don’t quit. Maintain experimenting!” says Jorgensen. “The truth is, the web is a busy place with loads happening and consistently altering algorithms and also you gained’t at all times get it proper.”

Success on social isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence. Control 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 attempt one thing new.

3 nonprofit social media advertising and marketing 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 thought, a well timed put up or a compelling story.

The next three campaigns from GivingTuesday’s group showcase the ability of considerate social technique in motion. Whether or not you’re brainstorming your subsequent GivingTuesday social media marketing campaign plan or searching 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 objectives—elevating sufficient to buy the land one in every of their group gardens sits on, securing it as a long-term useful resource for meals entry.

Social media performed a key function in that success. The workforce 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 house 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 advised within the voices of your group—can gas your social content material year-round, serving to you keep constant with out at all times ranging from scratch.

2. Seek for Frequent Floor

For GivingTuesday 2024, Kalindi Cordero, Social Media Strategist at Seek for Frequent Floor, pitched an thought 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 depart behind.

That story sparked a robust query and marketing campaign: What do we supply once we go away every little thing behind? The end result was The Issues We Carry—a multi-platform storytelling effort that drove over 1 million impressions, practically 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 replicate and share private tales on social media have the ability to spark better participation, attain and influence.

3. Tuesdays for Trash

What started throughout the pandemic as a grassroots effort to soundly reconnect and clear up native neighborhoods has grown into a worldwide motion. Tuesdays for Trash teamed up with GivingTuesday—one other Tuesday-centered powerhouse for social good—to make a fair greater influence 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 enable you to obtain bigger, shared objectives.

Make nonprofit social media advertising and marketing work on your mission

Social media will be some 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 best methods are rooted in authenticity, creativity and experimentation.

In case you’re gearing up for a significant social marketing campaign, a powerful basis is essential. Obtain our free social media marketing campaign transient template to convey construction to your technique, streamline your planning course of and profit from each put up.