On July 15, the entire online community will celebrate Social Media Giving Day. Launched in 2013 by Givver.com, this event is intended to inspire social media sites to help in the gathering of donations for charitable causes.
Over a decade later, you can leverage the spirit of this cyber event to give to your community, while simultaneously spreading the word about your business or nonprofit.
1. Verify the information on your social media pages
If your store or nonprofit is like most, you take the time to post on a number of social media forums, each of which caters to slightly different audiences and preference sets. With the many tasks you juggle every day, it’s easy to forget to keep each of them updated.
Examine all of them, ensuring that your name and contact details are accurate and consistent, the logo or picture in all of your profiles is right and the “About” section clearly and correctly states your mission.
If your fundraiser will appear directly on Instagram or Facebook, be sure to update your information on Candid’s Guidestar.
2. Start early
For events like Social Media Giving Day that occur on a specific date, it’s vital that you give people advance warning that your campaign is about to launch. Countdown posts are great ways to ramp up visitors’ excitement in anticipation of the big day.
Your countdown post can also be the perfect vehicle to let visitors know what their donations will do. Feature photos of how past gifts have made a difference to inspire viewers to take a second look. Then post a graphic of what impact various donation amounts can have on the target community.
Don’t forget that email remains a powerful alternative channel for connecting you with your audience. Use your point of sale system to send out a blast to everyone in your customer loyalty program. Alternatively, feature your upcoming Social Media Giving Day promotion in the newsletter or blog post you share every month.
3. Create a compelling video post
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. That’s why this type of content is the most popular vehicle on today’s social media sites.
It doesn’t require a degree in cinematography to make a video that people will relate to and share. Use this medium to showcase your organization and the work it does, concentrating on the vital impact that volunteers and financial donations have.
Be clear about your call to action, and encourage viewers to share your message with their own followers. Even if they are unable to donate time or money themselves, one of their contacts might.
4. Encourage your staff to share your content
Messages from individuals, friends and employees are trusted and respected more than those pumped out by a brand or corporation. Therefore, it is vital that you find ways to inspire your staff to share what you have to say. Hint: there is no law against contests and other incentives to get the ball rolling.
The real fun starts once your post goes live. It’s a great time for staff, friends and volunteers to comment on your post and share it with as many of their own contacts as possible.
The higher the number of people who see your information, the better the chances that your cause will garner positive attention and tangible donations.
5. Give your campaign time to flower
Even though you have created compelling video content and have gotten the word out about your Social Media Giving Day campaign, it is quite possible that things could appear flat on the big day, with few donations coming in.
In reality, it can take time for a message to make its way around the social media ecosystem.
Don’t panic. Give your audience a chance to absorb your message and content and share it with their contacts. Just as a snowball takes time to gather momentum before it rolls down a hill, your story needs to germinate before it flowers.
You might be surprised to receive calls, offers of help and financial contributions long after July 15 has gone into the record books.
Social media has rapidly empowered the world to communicate, converse and create in ways and at a scale that was unimaginable just a decade ago. Harness its power this year, and Social Media Giving Day just might be one of the most important dates on your company calendar.
North is a leading financial technology company that builds innovative, frictionless end-to-end payment solutions designed to simplify and grow businesses of all sizes. From the front door, to the back office, the developer world, and partnerships that expand the payments landscape, North offers proactive, comprehensive merchant services, in-house processing, and more.
