In 2025, nonprofits will have to navigate a dynamic social media marketing landscape, leverage emerging trends to amplify their missions and engage supporters.
As short-form videos continue to dominate, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts offering compelling storytelling and outreach avenues, nonprofit organisations must include them in their content strategy.
Authenticity remains paramount, as user-generated content and transparent communication are essential for building trust and fostering community. And, as organic reach declines, nonprofits will continue turning to targeted advertising to connect with specific audiences effectively.
On the other hand, the rise of social commerce presents new opportunities for fundraising and merchandise sales directly through social platforms.
Additionally, cultivating private online communities will allow for deeper engagement and support. By embracing these trends, nonprofits can enhance their social media strategies, driving greater impact and connection in the digital age.
All of this might seem overwhelming but don't worry. We wrote this guide to help you develop the right nonprofit social media strategy.
How do nonprofit organisations use social media?
Social media has become an indispensable tool for nonprofit organisations, enabling them to expand their reach, foster relationships, and drive impact.
From posting real-time updates about initiatives to organising crowdfunding campaigns, nonprofits use social media to:
- Increase visibility: Sharing stories, achievements, and milestones to boost awareness and community engagement.
- Engage with supporters: Responding to comments, hosting live Q&A sessions, and sharing user-generated content to build stronger relationships.
- Drive fundraising efforts: Utilising donation tools on Facebook and Instagram or linking to campaigns through stories and posts.
- Educate and inspire: Posting infographics, videos, and resources to inform their audience about critical issues and solutions.
- Fostering partnerships: Leveraging social media to collaborate with like-minded organisations, sponsors, and influencers, amplifying impact and building a broader support network.
For nonprofits, social media offers a cost-effective and dynamic way to connect with communities and inspire action.
Source: Feeding America
What is the best social media platform for nonprofits?
Choosing the best social media platform for your nonprofit organisation depends on your goals, target audience, and type of content.
Here’s a breakdown of popular platforms and how they align with nonprofit missions:
- Facebook: Ideal for fostering community and sharing detailed updates. Its fundraising tools make it a favourite for nonprofits.
- Instagram: Perfect for visual storytelling through photos, reels, and infographics. Great for reaching younger audiences.
- LinkedIn: The go-to platform for professional networking, ideal for building partnerships, connecting with donors, and recruiting volunteers.
- TikTok: Excellent for creating viral campaigns and engaging Gen Z through creative, bite-sized videos.
- X (Twitter): Useful for advocacy, real-time updates, and engaging in trending conversations.
The best platform is often where your audience spends their time and where your message resonates the most. For many nonprofits, using multiple platforms and crafting a tailored approach to each platform’s strengths yields the best results.
What is the social media strategy for nonprofits in 2025?
In 2025, a successful social media strategy for nonprofits revolves around leveraging trends and organising content for maximum impact. Here are actionable tips to refine your approach:
1. Adopt a content pillar framework
Using content pillars will help you ensure your social media content calendar is balanced, consistent but diverse in messaging. Here are eight ideas for nonprofit social media content pillars and quick post ideas that you can borrow:
1. Education
Share knowledge and insights related to your nonprofit's mission to inform and inspire your audience.
- Quick post ideas:
- Create an infographic on key statistics related to your cause.
- Post a carousel explaining a complex topic in simple terms.
- Share a “Did You Know?” fact about the issue your nonprofit addresses.
- Highlight a success story with actionable takeaways.
2. Advocacy
Amplify your voice by raising awareness and encouraging your audience to take action.
- Quick post ideas:
- Share a petition link and explain why it matters.
- Post a call-to-action asking followers to write to their representatives.
- Create a reel or short video explaining a current issue and how followers can help.
- Use trending hashtags to join a broader conversation about your cause.
3. Community stories
Showcase real-life stories of the people, volunteers, or communities you serve to build emotional connections.
- Quick post ideas:
- Share a volunteer spotlight with a picture and quote.
- Post a before-and-after story of someone positively impacted by your nonprofit.
- Publish a short video interview with someone directly benefiting from your work.
- Highlight user-generated content featuring supporters in action.
4. Fundraising
Encourage donations by sharing the impact of giving and simplifying the donation process.
- Quick Post Ideas:
- Create a countdown graphic for an upcoming fundraising event.
- Post a reel showing how donations are used in specific projects.
- Share testimonials from donors explaining why they support your cause.
- Create a donation challenge (e.g., “Every $10 donation feeds one child for a week”).
5. Behind the scenes
Show the human side of your organization to build trust and transparency.
- Quick post ideas:
- Share a photo of your team working on a project or preparing for an event.
- Post a day-in-the-life reel of a team member or volunteer.
- Share a “throwback” post celebrating a milestone or key moment.
- Create a quick Q&A video answering commonly asked questions about your nonprofit.
6. Celebrations and milestones
Celebrate achievements to build credibility and thank your supporters.
- Quick post ideas:
- Post a graphic celebrating a milestone (e.g., “10,000 meals served!”).
- Share a thank-you video from your team or beneficiaries to donors.
- Highlight anniversaries or special moments in your nonprofit’s journey.
- Post a picture of your team celebrating a completed project.
7. Interactive content
Engage your audience with polls, quizzes, and interactive posts.
- Quick post ideas:
- Post a poll on Instagram Stories asking about an issue related to your mission.
- Create a “Guess the Fact” quiz carousel.
- Post a caption contest with a fun photo from your work.
- Share a “This or That” post to spark quick engagement.
8. Supporter recognition
Show appreciation to your donors, volunteers, and followers to foster loyalty.
- Quick post ideas:
- Post a “Thank You Thursday” graphic highlighting a top donor or volunteer.
- Share a video of your team expressing gratitude to supporters.
- Post a photo of handwritten thank-you notes or gifts for donors.
- Create a “Shoutout” post for a supporter who went above and beyond.
To track the success of your content pillars, we suggest you label them and track results with Sedible's feature Campaigns.
2. Prioritise short-form video
Short-form videos are crucial for nonprofits as they align with current social media trends and capture audience attention quickly.
With the rise of platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, short videos offer a dynamic way to convey powerful stories, showcase impact, and inspire action in just a few seconds. They’re ideal for driving engagement, increasing visibility, and reaching younger audiences.
Low-budget solutions for creating short video content
- Use free editing tools: Platforms like Canva, CapCut, and InShot provide easy-to-use features for creating polished videos.
- Smartphone recording: Modern smartphones have high-quality cameras that can record professional-looking videos.
- Leverage volunteers: Recruit skilled volunteers who are passionate about your mission to help with filming and editing.
- Repurpose content: Transform existing photos, testimonials, and long-form videos into engaging short clips.
Short-form video ideas for nonprofits
- Highlight a day-in-the-life of a volunteer or team member.
- Share a quick behind-the-scenes look at an event or project.
- Create a mini-interview with a beneficiary or donor sharing their story.
- Post a countdown or teaser for an upcoming campaign or fundraiser.
- Show transformation before-and-after stories in a visually engaging way.
- Answer FAQs or bust myths related to your cause in a fun and informative style.
3. Incorporate interactive features
Interactive posts are vital for nonprofits as they foster engagement, create a sense of community, and provide valuable insights into audience preferences and behaviors.
Interactive post ideas for nonprofits
- Polls: Use Instagram Stories, X (Twitter), or Facebook Groups to ask questions like, “What issue matters most to you?” or “Which initiative should we focus on next?”
- Quizzes: Create a quick quiz related to your cause, such as “How much do you know about [topic]?”
- Caption contests: Post an image and invite followers to come up with the best caption.
- Q&A Sessions: Host live sessions on Instagram or Facebook to answer follower questions about your work.
- Surveys: Share a link to a short survey about your nonprofit’s initiatives and future plans.
- Challenges: Encourage followers to participate in a fun challenge, like sharing a photo of their involvement with your cause and tagging your account.
4. Optimise for social SEO
Social SEO is becoming increasingly important for nonprofits as search engines like Google and social media platforms prioritize discoverability through keywords and tags. Optimising your social media profiles and content ensures your mission reaches the right audience.
Key tips for optimising posts for social SEO
- Use keywords: Include relevant keywords in your bios, captions, and hashtags to make your content more searchable.
- Add alt text: Use alt text for images on platforms like Instagram and Twitter to improve accessibility and searchability.
- Leverage hashtags: Use trending and niche hashtags related to your cause to increase visibility.
- Update profiles: Ensure your profiles are complete with updated links, mission statements, and consistent branding.
- Geo-tag posts: Add location tags to posts when relevant to connect with local audiences.
5. Plan and schedule social media posts in batches
Batch content planning helps nonprofits stay consistent and efficient by reducing the day-to-day workload of creating and posting content.
Steps for successful batch planning
- Create a content calendar: Outline major events, campaigns, and themes for the month or quarter.
- Repurpose content: Plan how to reuse existing content, such as turning a blog into an infographic or a webinar into short video clips.
- Schedule posts: Use social media management tools to schedule posts in advance, ensuring consistency and freeing up time for other priorities.
- Prepare visual assets: Design graphics and videos in bulk using tools like Canva or Adobe Express.
- Review and adjust: Periodically review the performance of your batched content to tweak and improve future posts.
6. Embrace AI-powered tools
Artificial intelligence is revolutionising social media management, providing nonprofits with tools to streamline processes and amplify impact.
How AI can help nonprofits
- Content suggestions: AI can analyse trends and audience behavior to recommend engaging topics and formats.
- Automated responses: Chatbots can handle basic inquiries on platforms like Facebook Messenger, freeing up team members for other tasks.
- Sentiment analysis: Monitor audience reactions to campaigns in real-time, allowing for quick adjustments.
- Personalised messaging: Tailor communications to different audience segments for higher engagement.
- Reporting and insights: Use AI tools to generate detailed reports on performance metrics and ROI.
Ways nonprofits can make an impact on social media with little budget
Budget constraints shouldn’t limit your nonprofit’s social media impact. Here are cost-effective strategies:
- Leverage user-generated content: Encourage your community to share posts and testimonials about their experiences with your organisation.
- Focus on organic growth: Use trending hashtags, participate in viral challenges, and tag collaborators to increase reach without spending on ads.
- Partner with influencers: Collaborate with micro-influencers who align with your mission and can amplify your message.
- Utilise free and low-cost tools: Use a social media management tool like Sendible that integrates with Canva, Flickr, Pexels, Google Analytics. This way you'll avoid paying extra for finding high-quality content, while keeping all your content creation, planning, and advanced analytics in one place.
- Host virtual events: Organise webinars, live-streamed fundraisers, or online workshops to engage audiences at low costs.
- Repurpose content: Transform long-form videos into shorter clips, turn blogs into infographics, or re-share impactful posts.
- Doubledown on evergreen content: Explore Sendible's social media holiday calendar (also integrated into the app) to find events that support causes to raise awareness. Then use the feature Smart Queues to automate their publishing in the months and years to come.
What to look for when choosing a social media management tool
When nonprofits evaluate social media management tools, they often prioritise features that align with their mission-driven goals, resource limitations, and need for efficiency. The most important aspects they typically look for include:
1. Ease of use
Nonprofits often operate with small teams or volunteers, so a user-friendly interface that requires minimal training is essential. Intuitive dashboards and straightforward navigation help save time and increase adoption.
2. Cost-effectiveness
Budget constraints are common in the nonprofit sector. Tools that offer affordable pricing plans or nonprofit-specific discounts are particularly appealing. The ability to scale as the organization grows is also a plus.
3. Content scheduling and automation
Batch scheduling, automated posting, and the ability to plan content across multiple platforms are critical for time management. This allows nonprofits to focus on strategic tasks rather than day-to-day postings.
4. Multi-platform integration
The tool must support a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and TikTok, to cater to diverse audiences and campaign needs.
5. Analytics and reporting
Robust reporting features that track engagement, reach, clicks, and ROI are crucial. Nonprofits need to demonstrate the impact of their campaigns to stakeholders, donors, and grant funders.
6. Collaboration tools
For nonprofits with teams or external partners, features like multi-user access, content approval workflows, and comment tracking streamline collaboration and ensure consistent messaging.
7. Donation and fundraising features
Integration with donation tools, crowdfunding platforms, or the ability to include donation links in posts supports fundraising efforts directly from social media.
8. Customer support and training
Reliable customer support, tutorials, and resources for troubleshooting are essential, especially for organizations with limited technical expertise.
9. Security and permissions
Nonprofits often deal with sensitive information. Features like secure access, role-based permissions, and platform compliance with privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR) are non-negotiable.
10. Customisation and branding
Tools that allow branded content and campaign-specific customisations enable nonprofits to maintain consistent messaging and enhance their professional image.
By prioritising these features, nonprofits can choose a social media management tool that maximises their impact while respecting their operational constraints.
Nonprofit brands that excel on social media
1. The Trevor Project
Source: @trevorproject
- Why they stand out: Strong focus on advocacy and providing resources for LGBTQ+ youth.
- Platforms: Instagram and X (Twitter) for resource sharing and advocacy.
- Key feature: Engaging video content and impactful mental health campaigns.
2. Feeding America
- Why they stand out: Clear messaging and impactful campaigns addressing hunger in America.
- Platforms: Facebook and Instagram for storytelling; LinkedIn for partnerships.
- Key Feature: Campaigns like #FeedTheLove with accessible donation options.
3. Doctors Without Borders
Source: @doctorswithoutborders
- Why they stand out: Transparent reporting and on-the-ground updates.
- Platforms: Facebook and Instagram for storytelling.
- Key Feature: Behind-the-scenes content that connects supporters with their impact.
4. National Geographic Society
- Why they stand out: Stunning visuals and educational content on nature and exploration.
- Platforms: Instagram and YouTube for visuals; X (Twitter) for discussions.
- Key Feature: High-quality imagery and global storytelling.
