Leveraging the Power of Social Media for Non-Profits

The two main challenges that most Non-Profits face are: 1) Reaching out and engaging with the target audience & 2) Raising funds Amongst all the options on offer, taking the online route offers the best possible chances to overcoming these challenges. Some of the core benefits of going online are: 1) it is absolutely free! There are no costs involved in reaching out to people across multiple online platforms & 2) It offers the quickest possible way to reach out to a significantly large number of people in the shortest possible time, thereby improving the chances of engaging with a sizeable audience.

Have been part of a Non-Profit myself (www.thesaplingproject.com), I’ve faced these very same challenges in the past. Through carefully planned & executed activation's, we have leveraged the power of Social Media to snowball the idea of distributing Saplings for Plantation in an effort to green our neighbourhoods into a pan-India movement.

With the online world growing by leaps & bounds, it has become extremely crucial for Non-Profits to choose the right mix of platforms in order to maximize the potential for impact & change. So here’s a closer look at some of the more popular platforms that Non-Profits should be exploring further:

Facebook: Having a dedicated page for your Non-Profit, goes a long way towards building awareness in the medium to long-term & one can then look to forging a closer relationship with your target audience.

Twitter:

This popular micro-blogging platform is a hot-bed for real-time conversations. This makes it a prime candidate for Non-Profits looking to engage in one-on-one conversations with their followers.

E-Commerce: While profit is not the motive when it comes to social causes, one does need a steady line of funding to maximize the impact of efforts. E-Commerce platforms like Wishberry & Paypal are quite popular amongst non-profits for online fund-raising activities.

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Geo-Location: Services like Foursquare offer a great opportunity for Non-Profits to create listings on the various venues & places where they have a presence. Followers can then be engaged in a highly focused manner, based on their location.

Imaging: There’s no denying the power of the visual message. Services like Flickr & Instagram offer a great opportunity for Non-Profits to generate high levels of audience involvement by offering them a far-more immersive experience than their counterparts.

Blogs:

If images impact the mind, words have the power to move the soul. Blogs are a great way to increase audience participation, share detailed updates on various initiatives & encourage contributions from the community. In-fact, the world is replete with examples of causes being picked up by mainstream media after having first being discovered on blogs.

If you are a Non-Profit looking to establish & increase their online presence, then remember that no standalone platform is enough to serve all your needs. A mix of platforms would go on to improve your chances significantly. So choose well & here’s wishing you success in your next Social Cause!