How to Use Facebook for Nonprofits

If you want to amplify your nonprofit’s impact in the digital world, you need a strong social media footprint. 

• 93% of nonprofits have a Facebook page, and 25% post daily.
• Social media platforms drive 57% of traffic to fundraising campaign pages.
• 71% of nonprofits worldwide agree that social media is effective for online fundraising.

While LinkedIn and other platforms are incredibly useful channels for nonprofits striving to grow and thrive, Facebook still reigns as the social media juggernaut. You’re doing yourself a great disservice if you don’t have a presence there. 

Here’s how to use Facebook for nonprofits: 

What Are You Using Facebook for?

You and your team should answer the following before diving in: 

• What are you hoping to accomplish on Facebook? Are you looking to raise awareness, build a community, prepare your next campaign launch, etc.?
• How will having a Facebook account fit with the rest of your marketing strategy? With your only social media accounts? 
• What is your mission?
• What is your messaging, and how will you convey it?
• Who are the donors you’re trying to reach, and what sort of content interests them?

Come up with some initial goals—these can include aiming to reach 500 new page likes by the end of your first month, or hitting a certain number of likes, comments, and shares. These goals will likely need to be adjusted over time, so revisit them regularly. 

Forming a plan ahead of time will give you a clear focus when creating your Facebook page. As with other social media platforms, you should determine who will manage your page and its engagement. This can be you, a board member, one of your employees, or another trusted source.  

Facebook for Nonprofits: Page Setup

Facebook has a social impact page that will make your life much easier. According to it, here’s how to create a page:

1. Go to facebook.com/pages/create
2. Use your nonprofit’s name as the page title.
3. Select Company & Organizations as your page type, then pick your subcategory.
4. Use your nonprofit’s logo as the profile pic.
5. Include a cover photo that spotlights what you do. If you need inspiration, consider using your website’s hero image, or another prominent photo. The dimensions for your cover photo are 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall. 

Create a Content Strategy

You don’t want to create your Facebook for nonprofits page and have nothing to populate on it. 

Create a content calendar to determine what content you’ll share and when. Be sure to follow the 70/20/10 rule, the 5/3/2 rule, or something comparable. It’s not an exact science, but it’ll give you an idea of what content you should promote and how often. 

Mix and match the content you’re posting. Share a hodgepodge of photos, videos, and ‘thank-you’ posts. Ask questions or use fill-in-the-blanks to encourage engagement, especially since Facebook’s algorithms tend to favor posts that gain popularity. Here are a few ideas:

• What’s your favorite charity to donate to?
• Why do you volunteer?
• If I could solve one world problem, it would be _________

Post frequently and consistently, and always engage with your followers. The more you interact with them, the more likely they are to engage you in the future. 

Here are a few more helpful tips on Facebook engagement:

• Video earns 12 times more shares than text and images combined.
• Share links instead of photos.
• Never underestimate a good chart or graph.
• Keep posts short and sweet.
• Keep your videos short, too.
• Publicly celebrate your wins and milestones. Your followers will want to celebrate with you.

Get Verified

Getting your Facebook page verified is like setting up your business on Google. Your verified badge tells visitors that your page is authentic. It also helps you show up higher in news feeds and search results, making it easier to attract more followers. You can verify your page by filling out this form. 

Facebook for Nonprofits: Final Thoughts

At this point, you should have a Facebook page created and verified, and a wealth of content to populate on it. Now, you can start thinking about your next fundraising campaign and how you’ll leverage Facebook to maximize your impact. If you need help, send us a message.