Social Media & Non-Profits: How to Use Social Media Platforms to Build Better Communities.

GoodMatch was fortunate enough to host a Clubhouse with Brit Eames; Social Media Manager for the New Georgia Project, a preeminent non-partisan 501(C)(3) headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, to discuss the importance of social media engagement for non-profits.

We asked Britt, “how important is it for non-profits to be responsive to community needs while being mindful of audience fatigue?”

“It is important that non-profits constantly respond to the needs of their community. In terms of social media strategy, they must stay consistent with engagement, so they don’t lose their audience”, states Eames. However, “It is not like a political campaign where there are insane pressure points, deadlines, and election dates. Non-profits genuinely just want to do good for their community over the long term.”

Eames believes that “social media is a great tool to be able to build a community without logistical responsibilities and engage with many people without a lot of heavy lifting. Of course, work is still being done in terms of cultivating that intimacy between the organization and their audience, but they are not asking them to physically do something, all the time. Your followers can connect with a click of one button.”

With new platforms popping up all the time, we wanted to know the key to New Georgia Projects Success and what other non-profits should know.

In the non-profit space, social media can be an important part of the sustainability component and strategy for organizations that are going to be doing long-term community organizing. Because of this, Eames believes it is important to know which platform is right for your organization to find your audience and allow it to grow organically.

In Eames’ experience, the social media engagement to physical volunteering and donating pipeline is counterintuitive. “Usually, after someone has been with us [New Georgia Project] for a while, and helping their community through a non-profit, that is when they begin to engage online. It is not always about converting likes and clicks to action. You need to show up and stay consistent. This consistency can lead to a greater impact on your existing volunteer and donating base.”

Here’s what is important to know about this topic, states Eames, “your time is precious, your creative content is valuable, don’t spread it all over like it has no value. You must narrow down your target audience and find which platform they are using most. It is also all about the kind of content you are putting out. When you are putting out graphics you need to get on the stories to show there is an actual human tied to the account. There’s something about the subject matter like people are just really impacted by that by that platform. But the way you figure it out is simply by being on all of them, figuring out where your people are, and putting the energy in what platform works for your message.”

Check back next week where we discuss algorithms and how to deal with rude comments!

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