Fundraising 2.0: Boosting Profits & Turnout With Social Media
Jessica Young, Community Manager at VolunteerSpot.com, gave Ticketbud a few tips on how to use social media platforms to boost fundraiser profits and turnout.
“Fundraising is like a ball game,” says Young, “and a guaranteed way to hit it out of the ball park and reach your goals is with social media engagement. Facebook and Twitter are your dugouts – your players are already hanging out there on their computers, smart phones and tablets. Now all you have to do is get them to step up to the plate.”
With the surge of social media platforms, nonprofits are reaching wider and wider audiences with less effort. Facebook and Twitter have been big key players in this digital marketing world. To keep it in the baseball theme, they’re the two teams playing at the World Series. Using these two social media platforms effectively can help you meet your goal. It’s simple, quick and Free!
3 Top Tips for Boosting Fundraiser Profits & Turnouts with Social Media:
- Plan ahead! Have a clear roadmap to help track your progress and promote your event online in a timely manner. Start tweeting and posting about your fundraiser 3 to 6 weeks prior to your event. Young says, “Be specific with dates, location, times and activities. If you have a hashtag for your event, share that as well. Tagging your fundraiser with a hashtag (like #SummerFest13 or #BlueGala) gives your social friends and followers alternative ways of finding out about your event. If recruiting volunteers for your big day, post links to your online signup sheets and allow volunteers to signup at their convenience from their computer or smartphone.”
- Grow your community and create buzz. Networking is an important task of any organization, and the ability to build community is essential! Connect with like organizations and other groups with similar causes in your area by liking, following, and messaging them on social media. Young explains, “Social media is about creating buzz about your event and the impact your fundraiser will have (where the proceeds will go to). Make sure your audience knows you have a social presence by sharing your Facebook and Twitter addresses on your webpage, in eNewsletters and mailings, on banners, flyers, promotional materials, etc. Encourage your professional and nonprofit network to follow you.”
- Engage on many levels. What is Multi-level engagement? Using all available channels to start a conversation about your cause, from posting a blog article, to tweeting, facebooking, sending out eNewsletters and more. Young describes, “When you post a great image on Facebook, tweet a link to that image. Incorporate Facebook and twitter news feeds into the interface of your website, and embrace your volunteers & donors with special shouts of appreciation via social media, on your blog and on your website! Recognition and appreciation are top ways to retain a loyal donor and volunteer community so get creative! Post ‘thank you’ videos, slideshows or art on Facebook, twitter and a special section of your webpage. Announce milestones and ‘goals reached’ this way too.”
Jessica Young is the Community Manager for VolunteerSpot.com, the leading free online signup and volunteer scheduling tool. She gets to engage with a community of do-gooders on facebook and twitter while providing expertise on recruiting and engaging volunteers and fundraisers with content marketing and social media.
VolunteerSpot.com’s free online signup tool makes signing up volunteers and organizing events & fundraisers a breeze! With simple online scheduling of volunteer needs and donations, 24/7 access to signups from computers & mobile devices, and automated reminders – VolunteerSpot saves tons of time (and stress) in doing GOOD!
baseball photo credit: Nathan Congleton via photopin cc]]]]> ]]>