Your nonprofit organization may have a substantial following on social media, but many of those followers are only taking passing glances at your posts and messages. Your personal social media offers more leverage in spreading the word about events as well as getting people to act, whether it be to attend the event or just donate to your nonprofit.
Most of the time, your friends and family will take a greater interest in what you have to say than will the followers of a business page (even if it is a nonprofit), simply because they know you personally. Follow these best practices when turning to your personal network to promote your nonprofit organization’s events:
While filtering through your personal network, start by identifying your core contacts, people you know personally and are naturally willing to help. They should fully understand what you are doing and your end goal. Contact these people and ask them to look out for promotional posts about your organization and its events, and have them share with their own networks to attain a larger reach.
Don't make the mistake of thinking only about your own personal interest or agenda when reaching out to your personal network. The most effective networking method is to ask what you can do for others, not what others can do for you. For example, rather than simply asking people to donate money or attend an event, offer them a compelling case study of how your nonprofit is doing good in the world – this gives their donation a sense of purpose, rather than feeling like they’re just throwing money at a cause.
Make sure to keep track of who is donating to your nonprofit or signing up to attend your organization’s events – if they are someone from your personal network who didn’t start showing an interest until you started promoting to them, they probably responded to your personal promotional efforts. Make sure you thank them for supporting you and your organization.
The key to getting signs ups and donations for your nonprofit's event is to make people feel like they are really being useful and helping you out. People want to feel good about the cause to which they are giving their money, and you can help giving them a good reason to support your nonprofit in particular and thanking them when they do so.
Image: Modern Manners Guy
