Facebook is best known for its ability to connect people. It's starting to get better known (at least in the marketing circles we frequent!) for connecting people to brands and driving lead generation. But where Facebook is really coming into its own is through fundraising and its ability to help non-profit organizations both expand their audiences as well as build stronger connections between their cause and their supporters.
Because generating interest and connecting with its entire support community is critical to a non-profit's success, having an end-to-end promotional strategy that includes Facebook is mission-critical to meeting your cause's financial goals. Whether you're a Facebook vet or are just getting started, here are three Facebook tactics that should be front and center for your non-profit marketing team.
1. Use Status Updates to Be Persistent and Engaging
Fundraisers know that persistence is key to any effective promotional strategy. And where you've had to spend money on direct mail and email marketing in the past, Facebook allows you to be almost "undetectably persistent" for free. Assume that Facebook users not only want to know about the "parties" you're throwing but also the history of your organization, current projects, staff members, notable donors, beneficiaries of your hard work -- the list could go on and on. Use status updates on Facebook to post videos, share links to blog posts, upload photo albums, or publish daily sentence or two descriptions of what your team is working on. People who have 'Liked' your Page will see your posts in their News Feeds. Instead of "last chance" mailings that feel like attendance Hail Mary's, regularly share information about your organization, and stay top of mind with potential donors.
2. Use Events to Drive Awareness
Creating a Facebook event on your Page needs to be as second nature as booking the function space for your fundraising event. Upon creation, you'll be able to invite all your Fans directly through Facebook, as well as invite others through a basic email function. These events will then appear on the right-hand side of your Page until the date of your event has passed. And because there is no way (at least not yet) for a person to prevent others from seeing which events they are attending, each RSVP to your event will be reflected in the attendee's News Feed and viewable by that entire person's friends list. Facebook also systematically reminds users of invitations to which they have no yet committed (in one way or the other). If you do a good job of making your events social and fun and can reflect that with good copywriting, then each "YES, I'M GOING" could mean you're snagging the interest of others and pumping attendance well past the number of your mailing list.
3. Use Apps to Publicly Track Your Goals
When it comes to fundraising, the only thing more effective than telling people you need their help is showing them you need their help. By using third party developers like Causes, your non-profit can display thermometers prominently and take donations right on your Page. Timely updates pointing to your progress will give your goal visibility and encourage donations.
What is your non-profit doing on Facebook to promote its fundraising goals?
Photo credit Dave Rutt
