Using social media for fundraising

Whether you want to promote your next charity event, create a buzz around a new campaign or simply want to show supporters the impact you're making - social media is an important tool for every fundraiser.

There are dozens of different social media platforms on offer, all requiring time, energy and investment if they are to deliver. This makes it all the more important for you to be strategic about the ones you use, taking into account which platforms your donors are most likely to use and what you’re looking to achieve through social media fundraising.

Social media users

Before you start social media fundraising, it’s important to think about who your audience are and which social platform they are likely to use.

Facebook is still the most widely used social platform and its most engaged users are Generation X (1960s-80s) and Baby Boomers (1940s-60s). Groups are a popular function on the platform so it might be worth creating a group page to share updates and interact with your followers.

As the second largest social platform, Instagram's biggest user groups are millennials (1980s to mid-90s) and Generation Z (late 90s to mid-2000s), although the app is becoming increasingly popular with Baby Boomers.

Generally speaking, Twitter space is dominated by Millennials. LinkedIn leans towards an older audience but millennials also make up about a quarter of LinkedIn users.

Generation Z are the biggest users of camera based social platforms and share personalised content on TikTok and Snapchat.

Whether your goal is fundraising or to raise awareness, charities must know which groups of people make up their supporter base, and identify who they would like to reach out to. If your team is small, it’s best to prioritise a couple of social platforms that are popular with the audience you’re trying to reach.

Top tips for social media content for fundraising

Don’t just ask, give

Only 20% of your content should be fundraising, asking for support or appealing for volunteers. Make sure that you’re entertaining, informing and engaging your social media followers as well as fundraising. Share other people’s content, share photos or videos of what you’re up to, or even share a joke to build relationships with your followers.

Plan a schedule

Check when your followers are online. Instagram Insights will tell you the times when your audience are engaged while free resources from Hootsuite and Sprout Social provide insight into other social media platforms.

Try and post your fundraising content at times when your social media followers are likely to see it. A free tool such as Buffer or Hootsuite lets you schedule your content for optimum times.

Use social media fundraising tools

Some social platforms have inbuilt tools to help your fundraising. Instagram has a donate button you can add to your page and a sticker to add to Instagram stories. This makes it really simple for your followers to see your content and head straight to your fundraising page.

TikTok has donation stickers, which when clicked will take followers to your fundraising page.

If you have a budget for social media fundraising, try using social advertising. As little as £10 could get your post in front of thousands of followers on Facebook or Instagram.

Share a goal

What are you fundraising for? A new member of staff? New equipment? To keep an important service running? Share your fundraising goal with your social media audience and give regular updates. This will inspire your followers to help you achieve your goal as well as highlight the impact their donations have had.

Say thank you!

Without dedicated and generous supporters many charities would struggle to provide a good service to those that need it. Always remember to thank your followers for everything they do to support your work.

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