Social networking for charity
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Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have transformed the communication landscape in which charities operate. In the new digital environment, it’s cheaper and easier than ever for charities to reach supporters and the uninitiated alike. But using social media channels to their fullest potential can be harder than it looks.
With this in mind we’ve put together a simple guide to making the most of different social media methods. A cogent and thorough strategy will help maximise these channels ensuring that, although any plan should leave room for ad-hoc and reactionary flow of virtual ‘chatter’, the focus and direction remain clear.
The ‘friendship’ website is far reaching and can be of huge benefit to charities. Through the interconnected, user-driven way that Facebook works, it can be effective in spreading your message widely. Make your fundraising page a vibrant hub of information, telling people all about what your campaign entails, what you want to achieve, when it begins and ends and how they can get involved. Providing as much information as you can will really bring it alive and help to build relationships with your followers.
With more than 100 million users, the micro-blogging site is an incredibly powerful form of communication. Bridging the brevity of a text message with the broad dissemination of the internet, Twitter is a fantastic resource for charities. It makes it easy to get a conversation going, to share and to collaborate. It can also help create a persona for an organisation, making it easier for people to relate to it.
WANT MORE? Read our guide to creating a social media strategy for more advice
YouTube
The video-hosting site is hugely popular, with more than 3 billion clips watched every day. Effectively used, it can be an excellent way to engage your audience and gain supporters for your campaigns. Although smaller charities may be put off by the idea of producing a video, it doesn’t need to be a super-expensive production to appeal to viewers. Many of the most popular films on the site are simple, small scale productions that grab the viewer’s imagination.
WANT MORE? Click here for advice on making a video for your charity
Blogs
Platforms such as Blogger and WordPress.com enable users to set up a blog in a matter of minutes for free. Getting your charity online means information about the organisation and what it does can be easily found by anyone. There are lots of pre-designed templates to choose from, so pick one that is professional and clear, and reflects your charity; try to include images and video to make it as engaging as possible.
WANT MORE? Click here for advice on creating an engaging blog for your charity
Tumblr
A micro-blogging site that is easy to set up and use, Tumblr allows users to share whole blogs, rather than just posts, making for richer, more meaningful engagement. So while you’ll likely have more friends on Facebook than Tumblr, it’s probable you’ll meet more new ‘friends’ who are like-minded and have seen something about you they like and want to know more about.
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