Fundraising can be a stressful endeavour for many Not-For-Profits (NFPs) and often the anxiety surrounding the raising of the money can start to outweigh the advantages of the actual cause itself.

Asking for money can be difficult despite your belief in your organisation. Thankfully, social media tends to bridge the gap between asking people for money directly. Instagram, in particular, is a leader when it comes to raising money, providing you have your ducks in a row. Instagram allows users or NFPs to share photos or short videos and add appealing captions and hashtags. The ease of the social media app is why it is so popular – particularly for those under the age of 30.

Share Your Fundraiser

There is no point having a fundraising page if you are not sharing it on Instagram in the first place. Put emphasis on the ‘social’ in social media and get the conversation started. Sharing is caring when it comes to NFPs and their fundraising efforts. Don’t forget to also include your fundraising page in your Instagram bio. Focus on the keywords to maintain relevancy to your fans.

Mix Up The Images

Have a wide variety of images on hand to increase your fundraising engagement. Instagram users are active so posting comment-worthy pictures will lead to more acknowledgements of your fundraising efforts. Feel free to post at least once a day about your campaign but change the image to catch your audience’s attention.

Hashtag It

The hashtag can be one of the most powerful fundraising tools you have so use them to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to lean on the hashtags to increase your audience interaction. Use approximately ten hashtags for optimal effect and reach.

Time Your Shares

The best times to post on Instagram are between 8 am and 9 am in the morning and 5 pm onwards to maximise your efforts. While you can post at other times during the day, your messages may get lost in the mix or get ignored in the middle of the business day.

Strategise Your Events

If you are fundraising out and about, then share photos and capture real-time moments to enhance your campaign. Use statistics and quotes to increase individual engagement. People love having their photos shared on social media so do them a favour and spread them as far and as wide as you can.

Using technology and social media to your advantage will help you to fundraise and promote your charity if used efficiently and wisely. It is time for organisations to assess how they have been doing things in the past and update their systems to make it easier for their staff and their cause.

What changes can your NFP make to keep up with the times?