How to Build Community on Social Media for Nonprofits
For nonprofit organizations, community is key. Having a strong community enables a nonprofit to really understand the needs of those they serve and better meet those needs. A sense of community also creates advocates for your organizations – people who are more likely to volunteer, fundraise, attend events, or help to spread the word about the impact you are making because they feel connected to the mission.
Overall, building a strong community can lead to increased opportunities and support for the organization, while also benefitting the community members by enriching their lives with a sense of belonging and purpose. So, how can social media support community building efforts? Keep reading to find out.
Followers vs. Community Members
Often, people think of social media as a place to gain followers, but social media can also be a tool to build community.
Followers can be a metric to consider when assessing the growth and health of your social media accounts, but it can also be a vanity metric. Followers make us feel good, but they are fickle. Followers can be easy to come by, bought even, and they can tap the “unfollow” button just as fast as they followed. Followers lack loyalty and may not even fully understand who is behind the accounts they are following or what their purpose is.
Community members can be followers, but they are also so much more than that. They are followers who know, like, and trust the organization. In turn, community members are:
Loyal – people who feel a sense of connection and belonging with the organization
Engaged – people who stop scrolling when they see a post, consume it thoughtfully, and engage with the content
Passionate – people who truly understand the mission of the organization and strongly believe in it
Advocates – people who will share, fundraise, volunteer, or show support in another way, sometimes without the organization even asking
Due to these attributes, communities are incredibly valuable to nonprofit organizations, but this takes time and effort to cultivate. Now, let’s explore how it can be done through social media.
What it Takes to Build Community on Social Media
Building community on social media requires forming a reciprocal relationship with your followers. This is a long-term commitment, and we will break down four things your organization can do to build this relationship: be clear, consistent, visible, and communicative.
Clear
Clarity is so important to developing the “know” in “know, like, trust.” People aren’t likely to feel connected to a mission that they don’t understand, so you must be clear in your messaging.
Never assume that people who view your content have any prior knowledge of your organization, and instead write your content as if you are talking to someone who is hearing about your organization for the first time. This will ensure that your content feels accessible to people who may not already be familiar, or haven’t been paying attention, and it will come off more like an invitation to join the community rather than an “in group” they have been excluded from.
You should also repeat language often. Use the same key phrases and share the same core messages repeatedly, which will help your organization’s mission become memorable and easily recognizable.
Consistent
Consistency comes in many forms, but at its core, it means doing something with the same quality over time. When it comes to social media, this could mean maintaining a regular post schedule, having uniformity in your branding and messaging, and having similarity in your content pillars. By knowing what to expect from you, your community members will form a trust with your organization. They will also be more likely to connect with your content because they will recognize it when they see it.
Visible
Visibility helps build trust and connection between your organization and its community members. Social media is a social platform, after all, and people connect with people. Organizations can certainly utilize graphic content, but sharing photos and videos of the people involved in your mission gives your community a better sense of who you are and what you do. This also helps to form a more authentic connection with your community, who will get a better sense of the values and motivations guiding the organization.
Communicative
Communication includes two key considerations that support the know, like, and trust factors between your organization and its community. The first is communicating value. People follow accounts on social media that add value to their life, whether that is information, inspiration, motivation, relatability, entertainment, or something else. Consider how your organization can communicate value, while keeping it related to your mission, and your community members will be more likely to spend time consuming your content.
The second key to communication is having a two-way conversation with your community members. Showing that you care can go so far in turning a follower into a community member, because people want to feel seen and heard on social media. Be sure to engage with your community members. This can happen in the comments, in DMs, or on their content. You can also create feed or story content that invites them into the conversation by asking them to send you a DM, answer a question, or including another call to action focused on engagement.
In summary, building a community on social media requires an investment of time and effort, but this investment can pay off in the long-term by cultivating a stronger affinity to your organization among your followers.
Building communities on social media is our specialty at Social with Purpose. We can help you to be clear, consistent, visible, and communicative through content and engagement strategy. If you’re ready to build your community and you’re looking for support, schedule a discovery call with our team!
