Social media is an easy, effective and free way to make promote any fundraiser. The undisputed king of social media is Facebook. In fact, did you know that there are over 2 billion active users on Facebook every month? This audience presents an incredible opportunity to fundraisers of all types. How do you take advantage of Facebook? Here are a few easy tips to help make your fundraiser a success by using Facebook:
Do you have a Business Page?
Does your organization have a business page set up already? If you do, make sure everything is filled out and the information is correct. The more thorough you are the easier you will be to find. Double check that your cover image and display pictures are high resolution and look professional.
If you don’t already have a Facebook page, set one up! It makes finding you easier and can act as your website for the fundraiser. Here is a link with 8 simple steps for setting up a Facebook business page.
Add Team Members
This is an important step in building an audience for your page. If you have members who are computer savvy and who have a large network on Facebook, adding them as Team Members will help to spread the word about your event. The more people who have access to your page the bigger your audience is.
Create An Event
Creating an event on Facebook is easy. It will take three minutes and allow you to let people know when and where they can support you. Depending on the fundraiser your event may be in one place or happening all over the city. Try and pick a central spot and let your community know when they can come to support you. Remember to be detailed in your description and make sure the image you use is professional and high resolution.
Take Lots Of Photos
Wondering what you can post about? A lot of work goes into any fundraiser. Take photos of this work. When fundraising on Facebook snapshots of faces go further than custom graphics because they are more personal. Photos of your team making signs, packaging good or even shots from other team events let your audience know how hard you are working and that you are worth a donation! For more ideas, check out our fundraising basics guide.
Post About Your Fundraiser!
Facebook makes it easy to schedule posts in advance so that you don’t waste too much time online. Head to the Facebook Publisher and schedule 2-5 posts per week. These posts should be about your cause to get your audience engaged and create a community around your fundraiser. Why are you fundraising? Who is involved? What makes your cause special? What makes your fundraiser worth a donation?
Halenda’s makes it easy to promote your fundraiser with our social kits. We provide three posts that are ready for you to add your logo to, a quick caption and post. Make sure to tag us on Facebook so we can promote your event too!
Engage With Your Audience As Your Business Page
Social media is meant to be SOCIAL. When fundraising on Facebook engage with your audience as your page so that they will be able to find you. Comment on posts from local businesses, sports teams, schools and community events. Don’t promote your fundraiser on their pages unless it is appropriate to do so but be active and comment on news and events so that your page is visible. Don’t over think this part, a simple “beautiful picture” or “I can’t wait for this event” is all you really need. Be genuine and will intrigue an audience to check your page.
Share Your Content
Share your content in every way you can. Share on all of your social media channels, share on your personal page and encourage your team to do the same. The more shares you get for your posts the more people who will see your fundraiser. You can share content as is or add a personal note to speak to your friends and family and let know why you are participating and why this fundraiser is important to you.
Create A Video
Video content goes further than images. Videos are engaging and they allow you to express things in a different way. If you are fundraising for a sports team, get your team together in uniform and take a quick video that informs your audience of your fundraiser and thanks to their continued support. Videos should be between 10-30 seconds long and make sure you are in a quiet area so the sound will be decent quality.
Is Facebook Worth The Time?
Facebook is free and it reaches a huge audience that you may not be able to make an impression on otherwise. So yes, it is worth the time. Setting it up will take you a few minutes and creating content can be a lot of fun. This can also be a great way to get your kids involved. They know how to use social media and they will have fun posting pictures and making new friends online. Need some fundraising ideas? Check out our past blog for successful fundraising ideas that are sure to be profitable.
