Four ways social media can turbocharge your fundraising campaigns
Social media is an indispensable tool for fundraisers. Why? Because 70% of the UK population is signed up to one or more social platforms. And, according to the Giving Report, 29% of those people consider social media to be the communication tool that most inspires giving.
This means social media isn’t a nice-to-have for your fundraising campaigns. It’s a must-have.
So, how can you use it to turbocharge your fundraising?
Here are four suggestions to get you started:
1. Add a donation button to your social media pages
If you haven’t done so already, add a ‘donate’ button to your social media page. It’ll give people a quick and easy way to donate. If you consider that 55% of people who engage with non-profits on social media end up taking some sort of action (i.e. make a donation), it’s a no-brainer.
How to add a donate button to your Facebook Page:
Click on your charity’s Facebook page
Step 1: Go to your charity's Facebook Page (must be Page admin).
Step 2: Select + Add a button from your Page header, or if you already have a CTA button, hover over it and click Edit.
Step 3: Select Donate through Facebook to let people donate directly through Facebook (you'll need to sign up for Facebook Payments).
Step 4: Click Finish. Using the Donate button to collect donations directly through Facebook is currently only available to charities on-boarded to Facebook Payments.
2. Launch a challenge
The Ice Bucket Challenge. No makeup selfie. Movember. These are just three examples of challenges that set social media alight and raised precious pennies and awareness for charities.
The most famous is undoubtedly the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
First, it’s worth noting that the challenge wasn’t initiated by the charity. It was started by Patrick Quinn and Pete Frates (two US-based ALS sufferers) to draw awareness to the condition.
They posted videos of themselves doing the challenge in the summer of 2014 and before long, they’d gone viral.
Millions of people, including the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and George Bush poured buckets of ice-cold water over their heads in the name of charity – resulting in donations of more than $115 million for the little-known charity.
Think outside the box
While there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to replicate the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge, a challenge is a simple and cost-effective way to draw attention to your cause.
What can you do to get your charity on the digital map?
3. Take advantage of live streaming
A growing number of brands are using live streaming to connect with audiences.
British social media publisher, the Lad Bible, runs a live stream once a week. They cover all sorts of random things from legendary Welsh crooner Tom Jones talking about the biggest moments of his career, to advice on how to maintain an amazing moustache.
Believe it or not, they amassed 149,000 views with this Last Lolly Standing stream.
But it’s not just commercial brands adopting live streaming. Charities are doing it too. For example, bereavement charity Sue Ryder held a live Q&A with a world-renowned running coach ahead of the London marathon, and the RNLI hosted a live Q&A with lifeboat volunteers – although it was cut short by a call out!
What can you livestream?
While we wouldn’t recommend live streaming lollies melting, there are loads of things you can do to engage with donors, such as:
Take viewers on a tour of your office/facilities
Interview staff, trustees, and volunteers
A fundraising event (with behind-the-scenes footage)
4. Collaborate with Influencers
Influencer marketing is essentially an individual with a significant social media following promoting your products or services.
An example of this type of marketing is the British exercise clothing company Gym Shark. Since launching in 2012, they’ve shunned traditional marketing methods in favour of using social media influencers to promote their products.
Within seven years, the company was worth over £100 million. So, they’re doing something right.
While influencer marketing can’t be directly applied to charity fundraising, elements of it can. Using celebrity ambassadors to promote your campaign is a surefire way to get eyeballs on your page, drive engagement, and increase donations.
One charity that embraces this form of marketing is mental health charity, MIND.
During lockdown, they published a video of their ambassador Stephen Fry talking about the effect COVID-19 was having on people’s mental health on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The video was watched and shared by thousands, bringing attention to the topical subject of mental health and the work of MIND.
Final Thoughts
The beauty of social media is its reach (Facebook alone has 44.84 million users in the UK), its low cost (in fact it’s free, unless you decide to go down the paid advertising route) and it’s easy to use.
If you want to promote a fundraising post on social media, give us a call to talk tactics today on 0203 750 3111.