Why Nonprofits Need a Social Media Presence

By Vicki Bohlsen
President

Running a full-service marketing agency has made me very aware of the importance of having a social media presence as a business, especially in today’s world. Many of the clients Bohlsen Group works with are nonprofits, and we see how their social media strategy may differ from how other businesses operate their own platforms. With different goals, what works for one organization may not work for another.

Here are a few reasons why having a social media presence as a nonprofit is important and how it can help your organization's overall success.

You can tell your story

Utilizing social media platforms will allow your nonprofit organization to tell its story to a vast audience. While it may take some time to garner a presence, it’s worth the effort to dedicate a few hours each week to building your social appearance. It’s one of the most accessible ways to share your mission and purpose for free and can help build the image of your nonprofit.

The creative freedom across all social media is endless. Whatever you want your audience to know about your organization, you can share in a fun, engaging and emotional way. For example, some great content would be videos of volunteers in action, announcements of upcoming events and success stories within your organization. Sharing the heart of your mission online will allow your audience to see what your nonprofit is really like, thus building a sense of community in and out of your organization.

It’s a relationship builder

Piggybacking off of the last paragraph, support from the community is essential to the success of a nonprofit organization. Social media allows users to engage with your organization and strengthen the relationship between one another. With a great strategy and engagement tactics, your organization can also build relationships with potential volunteers, partners, staff and other stakeholders that can contribute to the overall success of your nonprofit. So, even if someone isn’t involved in your organization (yet), social media opens the door for that connection to happen. It’s a way to boost current relationships, but also a great way to make new ones.

It drives traffic to your website, thus boosting SEO

I know, I know, now I am getting into marketing terms. But, this is especially important with the digital world we live in today.

Utilizing your social media captions to link back to your website URL is a great way to increase the traffic of your site. This is important because it means more individuals have access to your website to learn more about your organization, connect with it and potentially provide donations or sign up to volunteer if your mission and purpose resonates. With that in mind, linking your website in social media captions can improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which can then increase the credibility of your website. And SEO is important because it makes your website more visible in a Google search result, meaning more individuals are likely to see your web page.

If you don’t know a lot about the digital landscape, social media can be daunting. But, it’s nothing to be afraid of. There are plenty of resources available to allow you to establish a strategy to help you reach your goals. If you are a part of or affiliated with a nonprofit organization, I highly recommend you consider upping your social media presence to garner results. It’s an effective way to expand your reach and engage with individuals who align with your mission.