15 Social Media Content Ideas for Nonprofits

Nonprofits are unlike other companies because they do not offer their services for money. For this reason, nonprofits do not create content to pursue conversion and sales. Instead, they aim to create awareness, and engage, inspire and educate people. For these reasons, social media post ideas for nonprofits often differ from other organisations. So, what […]

Nonprofits are unlike other companies because they do not offer their services for money. For this reason, nonprofits do not create content to pursue conversion and sales. Instead, they aim to create awareness, and engage, inspire and educate people. For these reasons, social media post ideas for nonprofits often differ from other organisations.

So, what type of content works best for nonprofits? Is there a suitable content strategy for NGOs? In this guide, we answer the questions and provide some of the best content formats to try out as a nonprofit. 

How can Nonprofits Use Social Media? 

To understand how nonprofits can use social media, you should first understand how content/ social media marketing for nonprofits is different. 

Other businesses often chase sales, growth and conversion through their content. Non-profit, on the other hand, seeks to engage supporters and find donors.  According to Hubspot, nonprofits must create brand awareness, fundraise, share news, and recruit volunteers. 

Social media can be beneficial to achieve those goals, especially since millions of people use it. This means having a social media platform gives nonprofits a chance to promote their organisation and find people to champion their cause.

15 Content Ideas for Nonprofit Organizations 

One of the first steps to creating content that stands up is understanding your company’s mission and target audience. The next step is to find content that helps you communicate your mission to your audience. With that said, here are some ideas to generate great content for your nonprofit’s  social media: 

1: Share Your History

Have a picture in the archives? Share it and let people see how far you have come. Also, it would help if you highlighted certain milestones like a year-old anniversary,  a new project, new hires, expansions, or maybe even the time the founder’s mother came to the office to surprise everyone. 

2. Shareable Quotes

One of the best nonprofit content ideas is to share quotes relevant to your company’s mission. A good idea is to have a template you can use and reuse for different quotes. Also, make sure that you add the URL and logo of your organisation to increase your visibility when reshared. You can also share quotes from top leaders or your founder to inspire people. People love to be motivated!

social media post ideas for nonprofits example from Stand Up to Cancer

3. Annual Reports

Wait…? 

Yes! 

You can share visual images and details of your annual report to show your audience and community the impact your nonprofit is making. If your company is doing great work, sharing your yearly reports should be easy and beneficial.

4. Stats and Data

One of the ways nonprofits can use social media is to share statistics and data about the current state of things in their field of work. If your non-profit focuses on gender rights, share research and statistics on gender issues to drive the point home. You can also make use of visual elements like charts and graphs to make it more interesting. 

We have to say that stats can sometimes be boring though. The good news is that you can make data more interesting by making them more personal. For example, instead of just posting that “working mothers are 40% likely to be more stressed,” add follow-up content like asking your audience how they deal with stress or balance their work-life.

social media post ideas for nonprofits example from Stand to End Rape

5. Behind the Scenes

Another great nonprofit social media post idea is to carry your audience along through behind-the-scenes footage. What’s going on in your organisation? Share some behind the scenes of your projects and the programs you organise. 

6. Ongoing Programs

Do you have any ongoing programs you’re working on? Let your followers know about it, why you are working on it, and what you hope to achieve. You can also share visuals or videos of your previous projects to attract more audience and get them involved in your organisation’s activities. 

7. Testimonials/Inspiring Stories 

One of the best nonprofit content ideas is to share a testimonial or inspiring story from someone who has benefited from the work your nonprofit does. This could be a donor, volunteer or community member you helped. Stories are one of the best ways to connect to other humans and make them care about what you do. 

8. Takeover

Host a takeover with an influencer or expert on a particular subject to expand your audience reach. Be sure to work with someone with an affiliation, connection, and influence with your nonprofit’s mission. For example, say you run an NGO championing women’s rights and health. In this case, you can have an influencer show what it’s like to be a new mother managing an empire through a takeover on your social media. 

You can also invite an expert to speak on a particular subject either as a takeover, written down answers, webinar, short-form videos, or live.

social media post ideas for nonprofits example

9. Polls and Questions 

A great way to engage your audience as a nonprofit is by asking questions. Asking questions is fast becoming one of the most popular social media ideas for nonprofits and other firms. Questions elicit responses, boost engagement and help you connect better with your audience. 

You can ask different questions ranging from simple things like ‘what are your plans for the weekend’ to deep prompts like ‘what’s your favourite project from our organisation and why?’. Nonprofits can also create questions and polls to educate their audience on a specific topic. 

The question post can especially be fun on Instagram, where you can use features like polls, Ask Me Anything (AMAs) and Q&As.

social media post ideas for nonprofits example
social media post ideas for nonprofits example

10. Showcase Your Impact

What do you do at your non-profit? A great nonprofit social media content is to share posts that help people understand what your nonprofit does, your contributions to society, the cause you’re championing and the projects you’ve worked on. Do not forget to use storytelling when showcasing your impact to connect better with your audience. 

11. International Days

Your nonprofit can highlight International Days such as mother’s day, world sleep day, food day, and women’s month on your social media pages. This is a great way to celebrate with your audience and highlight certain days related to your non-profit. 

For example, if you run a health NGO, you should always highlight health days like World Malaria Day, World Cancer Day, and so on. If your NGO focuses on autism awareness, you should promote days like Autism Awareness Week. If you focus on women, you should highlight days like Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Breast Cancer Awareness.

12. Images/Videos From Events 

One of the best social media practices for nonprofits is to make all your team members photographers. 

Encourage them to take pictures and footage at events, presentations, stakeholders meetings, and whenever possible. You can also set up a Google Drive folder for your team members to upload pictures to make it easy for them to collect valuable content. Post these images and videos from time to time on your social media pages. 

13. Highlight Volunteers and Employees 

Another excellent nonprofit social media idea is profiling your volunteers, employees, and supporters. Appreciate and highlight your volunteers now and then, give them a shout-out, post details of their contributions to the organisation, and include pictures to boost engagement. 

Always encourage highlighted volunteers to reshare the post with their friends to reach a wider audience. This will make them feel honoured and encourage more people to volunteer with you. You can also do the same for your employees, and supporters.

social media post ideas for nonprofits example from Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN)

14. Shout Out Sponsors and Donors

Using social media for nonprofits can also involve showcasing and shouting out your sponsors and donors. You can make this more interesting by posting a quote from them or the reason they chose to support your organisation. This will make your donors feel special and encourage more people to support your nonprofit. 

15. Cross-Promote Your Website Content

If you have a website or blog, you can always tailor excerpts from your posts and share them on your social media pages. You can share a link to the blog post, a carousel of key takeaways or an infographic to condense your written articles. This strategy is one of the best social media practices for nonprofits who want to increase their website traffic. 

Bonus: GIF/Meme

Don’t be afraid to keep things fun and light by sharing memes, jokes, and gifs. You can find a load of shareable gifs and memes online, or you could create your funny content yourself. 

Bottom Line:

There are so many social media post ideas for nonprofits but the best are those to help you communicate your mission to the audience. Now that we have given you ideas on what to post on your socials, it’s time to get out there and create great content for your non-profit.

Read More From Our Blog