Importance of social media for NGOs

This era is dominated by social media and powerful platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest can be used to raise awareness about you and your work.

No! Your work itself cannot engage with people.

40-50% of NGOs are not able to complete their motive, even with all the resources. Why? 

Because they fail to engage with people.

Quick facts:

• 92% of NGOs engage with people with Facebook, followed by Twitter and Instagram with 72% and 39% respectively.
• 80% of your potential donors are on social media.
• 49% of GenXe and 80% Millenials use online forams for donation.

3 Important reasons what you should consider social media

         1. Awareness-raising awareness of your organization and associating with different people is crucial to growth. As a non-profit organization, it is really important to communicate your ideas to thousands of people for a better future.

• More people know about you, more will be people trusting you. People are going to volunteer themself. You can easily execute any program and benefit many people. 

         2. Attract donors-80% of potential donors are on social media. And these numbers are increased after the pandemic. Using social media you can work on networking and gain the trust of people. Consistency in posting and providing informative quality content on social media has proven beneficial for many organizations, especially NGOs. 

• Organizations as UNICEF, Oxfam, BRAC, and many more use social media as a weapon to connect to people and spread their idea on ‘ the change’.

         3. Benefit people- Non- profit organizations have several programs to benefit people but they don’t know how to reach people in need. With help of social media, you will be more accessible to people.

• By posting about your programs you attract supporters. People will join your various programs and help you grow into a global movement.

• Show your work– One of the important to show your achievement. What your NGO is doing for a better tomorrow? What is your future goal? Is there a particular concern you are fighting for? 

Answering your audience will give you an advantage.

• Promote upcoming events– Promote your upcoming programs through social media by posting videos, posters anything you are convenient with. 

Studies have shown NGOs that use social media were able to engage with more people than usual which made their event a massive success.

• Provide links to fundraising events- By having social media, you basically prove your authenticity and build a strong relationship with the audience. You can provide links to fundraising events taking about your motive.

• Asking people to donate– 80% of potential donors are on social media. You can pursue people to donate with your posts. 

• Direct audience to your website– By providing the link in the bio or description of your website, you can direct the audience to your website.

• Asking people to volunteer– If you are open to volunteers, you can post on different social sites and get results.

Then, here are some pointers you can use to boost your reach on Facebook-

•  Write an engaging bio taking about your motive, aim.
•  Add the link to your website. 
•  Support other organizations by liking their post, commenting. This really works well when you are new to Facebook. People will notice you and visit your page.
• Join NPO groups and talk about your work, events by sharing your post in the group. Basically, do networking.
• Add informative and quality content.
• Be consistent.

Then, here are some pointers you can use to boost your reach on Instagram-

• Change your personal profile to a business profile. It will give you a lot more benefits.
•  Write an engaging bio taking about your motive, aim. You can also add quotes related to your NPO.
• Add the link to your website. 
• Follow some great NPOs, you look up to.
• Post quality content on your profile. It can be about your organization, quotes, events, or upcoming programs.
• Use relevant hashtags. For example, you can you #explorepage to appear on the superpower feature of Instagram, Explore page.
• Make reels. One of the ways to reach your audience very quickly is through reels. You can make videos by editing pictures and showing your human side. Talking about how you are working for change. You can use graphics to make it better

Then, here are some pointers you can use to boost your reach on Twitter-

• Create user names according to your organization.
• Write a clear and engaging bio. Use the keyword “non-profit organization.”
• Add the link to your website. 
• Tweet about your work, upcoming people.
• Use hashtags while posting anything on your profile to soar up your reach.
• Keep engaging your audience by sharing posts, images, and videos.
• Be consistent and keep reaching out to more people.
• Share others’ tweets, encouraging them. This will increase your networking.

If you are facing problems reaching your audience or don,t know how to be successful on Youtube.

Then, here are some pointers you can use to boost your reach on youtube-

•  Write the engaging bio in the about you section. Don’t forget to use keywords like “ non-profit organization.”
•  Create great videos giving insight into your organization, your program, events, etc.
• Write an engaging description.
•  Use strong and relevant hashtags.

Youtube does take time to grow but if you post youtube links on your other social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and share youtube links in the various groups you will be able to reach thousands of views and subscribers quickly.

Now, all the platforms need consistency, hard work, and a lot of effort. You need to handle social media accounts carefully and professionally. Growing your social presence is gonna take some time. Before opening your accounts please ensure you have all the resources and time for making posts, videos. 

• Hard work does pay off and you will be able to turn your NPO into a global movement.