When was the last time you examined your non-profit’s social media strategy? Are you using the proper platforms in the most effective way for your mission, audience, and personnel resources? Do you have safeguards in place to protect your nonprofit’s reputation from harmful content?
These are important concerns, and you should evaluate them on a frequent basis. At the absolute least, you’ll need a social media policy that establishes some ground rules.
Annual Evaluations
As you are aware, the social media world changes rapidly. Today’s popular platform may not be so popular tomorrow. So, examine your web presence at least once a year to verify you’re allocating resources to the proper areas. Most nonprofits have a presence on Facebook and LinkedIn since those are the platforms where most potential donors hang out. However, if you’re an arts nonprofit or visually inclined, Instagram may be a better option. And if your constituents are teenagers or young adults, they are most likely to use TikTok.
In general, newer, more regularly updated profiles receive greater traffic and engagement. So, avoid overextending your organization by posting on several channels with limited personnel resources. Determine where you’ll receive the most bang for your buck by surveying supporters and looking into where other nonprofits post.
Content Monitoring
Social media operates around the clock, and incidents can swiftly escalate. So keep close tabs on your accounts and any conversations about your nonprofit. A “social listening” tool, which searches the internet for your nonprofit’s name, can be very useful.
However, the most effective defense against reputation-damaging incidents is a formal social media policy. Your policy should establish clear guidelines for what types of information are and are not permitted on your nonprofit’s official accounts and those of employees.
For example, it should prohibit workers, board members, and volunteers from disclosing nonpublic information about your organization on their personal accounts. Limit password access for organizational accounts and check postings and comments on a regular basis. Content from your feeds might easily go viral and spark debate. Maintain a zero-tolerance policy for offensive comments and train your personnel to engage with difficult interactions or posts.
Crisis Plan
Mistakes, or even intentionally malicious posts, can happen despite comprehensive policies. Create a detailed formal response plan to ensure you can weather such crises. The plan should outline responsibilities and provide contact information for different spokespersons, such as your executive director and board president. Identify specific triggers and a range of possible responses, such as sending a news release or hiring a crisis management professional.
Hopefully, a crisis will never happen. However, if one does occur, you should sit down and evaluate the effectiveness of your approach after the crisis has been resolved.
Select and Protect
Today, no nonprofit can afford to ignore social media. Just make sure you’re investing your time and effort on the proper platforms and protecting your accounts from those who could harm your firm.
© 2024
