Do you remember the social media craze that had everybody pour a bucket of ice water on their head? Of course you do, your friends probably made you do it, too. The ice bucket challenge is one of the best examples of how social media can be leveraged by charities to spread the word, gain supporters and raise funds for their cause. A successful campaign depends on many variables, so we’ve put together a list of dos and don’ts to help you get the most out of social platforms for your purpose.

Dos

• Have a clear idea why you are using social media. This will dictate what kind of messages are going out, how you interact with your audience and how you measure results.
• Show supporters that you appreciate their effort no matter how big or small it is. This will strengthen your community. A simple like, retweet or thank you comment will mean so much to your followers and it doesn’t cost you anything.
• Maintain constant activity across channels. One of the struggles many charities face is resource scarceness and time is one of them. Having a plan can save you time and an editorial calendar in particular can be useful. Take time at least once a month to put together a schedule detailing where, when and what is being posted. Inconsistent and irregular activity can be detrimental to your brand image and damage your cause overall.

• Interact with other organisations online. The more varied your interaction pool, the better the response to your activity. Identify organisations that complement your mission and start a dialogue. The way to a partnership has never been easier to build!
• Take a peek at what others are doing, especially successful campaigns such as #movember, #nomakeupselfie and the #icebucketchallenge. These will give you an idea of what messages the audiences are receptive to and what kind of online interaction they are open to when it is a charity starting the conversation. Look at specific aspects such as: what platforms, what tactics, what tone of voice and what imagery they are using. What works and what doesn’t?

• Be specific about the amount of funds you’re hoping to raise by the end of a campaign. You already do this for other communication mediums, so why not apply it to social media, too? Other KPIs can be number of donors or petition signatures.
• Be genuine and transparent.
• Leverage influencers. Reaching out to them can play a crucial role especially when your resources are limited. They will increase your reach, engagement and, why not, make your campaign go viral.
• Have dedicated and trained staff managing your social media accounts to ensure consistency. If that’s not possible, reach out to agencies with experience in working with charities such as Shake Social.
• Take advantage of the live streaming feature of Facebook and Twitter at your fundraising events. Real time interaction with your supporters will make them feel closer to you and valued. Not to mention that it increases the reach of local events. Invite your audience to connect with what’s happening on the ground.
• Try new things and re-invent your strategies. Novelty will keep people interested and coming back to your pages.

Don’ts

• Don’t ignore negative comments. With over 2.3 billion active social media users, there will always be people challenging your actions online, however they are neither a reason to stop the dialogue or get defensive. If you stay quiet, you will come across as indifferent about the issue or your brand image. If you respond, you will show that you value all opinions and it will also give you a chance to turn critics into fans.

• Don’t ignore your fundraisers. Identify your active campaign initiators and interact with them in a supportive way. Sharing their efforts and sending them additional information will boost their enthusiasm and faith in your cause.
• Don’t forget to create integrated communications. Link in your offline channels such as outdoor advertising, TV commercials and radio so as to create a seamless brand image and direct the receiver towards the same end goal. More important, tie in your social media strategy with your fundraising strategy.
• Don’t go out there without a plan. Even if social interaction online happens almost in real time, you can’t start a campaign on the spot. In order for your campaign to reach its objectives, careful planning is needed to get the timing right. Take into consideration when recurring popular campaigns are taking place e.g. Movember and plan around them. You don’t want to be competing for attention and funds with long-standing campaigns that people are looking forward to every year. However, do take advantage of international days related to your cause such as World Cancer Day on the 4th of January.
• Don’t just broadcast. What type of host do you think would be more popular with their party guests: the self-centred one who just got everyone together so that they can find out the latest successes of the host or the one who focuses on making sure their guests are enjoying themselves and their needs are attended to? Talk to your followers about what is important to them and the issue you are fundraising for instead of just posting news about your charity. Seek to build relationships.
• Don’t forget to follow up with supporters after you’ve achieved your goals!

If done right, social media platforms possess tremendous potential for charities to get their message out. Every cause is different and different actions will work, however following the above guidelines will ensure you have got the fundamentals covered. If in need for tailored advice, do reach out to us and we’ll happily help you.