Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential

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Ep 30: Your Impact Is More Than Your Likes Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

YA'LL. It is episode 30. I know - this is not a big deal. It ranks maybe a little lower than celebrating a half birthday, but it feels good to have 30 episodes under my belt! You KNOW how much I love to celebrate little victories. So that's what we're doing today!

I'm celebrating by giving you some really good stuff! Let me tell you about the episode first… Then, we'll get to the freebies.

Today, we are talking about real life results of Facebook and Instagram and how sometimes, the number of "likes" or followers you have doesn't tell the whole story.

In fact, the impact you make by having a consistent and purposeful presence on social media can actually extend WAY BEYOND the numbers you see as "likes."

How many times have you spent a bunch of time on a Facebook or Instagram post finding the perfect picture to use, crafting something great to say in a caption, and you even go the extra mile and add your location tag, and maybe some hashtags on Instagram – you do EVERYTHING you're supposed to do, and you eagerly check back a few hours later, and see that only ONE PERSON has "liked" your post.

Total deflated balloon, right?

Well, here's the good news. Facebook and Instagram "likes" don't tell the whole story. Sure, it's nice to have a lot of "likes." And they can even help your posts be seen by an even wider audience, but sometimes nonprofits have to post about things that are… SENSITIVE! And in case you didn't know, if someone "LIKES" ANY POST on Facebook or Instagram, their reaction – the "like" – is public. When they hit that little thumbs up or tap that heart button, it is public. Everyone in the world can see it.

So, think about it…

If your organization has to do with ANYTHING medical or health-related, you can expect that not everyone is going to be "liking" your posts. Medical situations are sensitive, and frankly, not everyone wants the world to know that they need to see a doctor. Or go to a free clinic. Or whatever! There are a lot of people out there who like to keep any and all medical issues and services they might need totally confidential. So, if you're posting about anything health or medically related, don't get discouraged if the "likes" aren't pouring in on your posts.

If your organization has anything to do with helping people in need – say a food pantry. You might not get a lot of "likes" from the people that need your services because again, by "liking" your post, they might feel like they are making themselves vulnerable.

And let's be honest here, nobody likes to feel vulnerable.

So don't fret if you're not racking up the "likes" on every post. IT'S OKAY!

Here's what you DO need to be looking for…

Look at how many people are coming to you for your services and through the door.

You might not see the "likes" on Facebook and Instagram, but are you asking the people you serve how they found you? There might be an uptick in the number of people that come through your door that is related to social media. They might not have "liked" your post – but if they saw it, they still learned about you and took action! And if that's the case, you are using social media to your advantage!

Now, I told you I was going to give you a present because it's the 30th episode – here it is! Knowing how people found you is SUCH AN IMPORTANT piece of information for you to have, that I am giving you TWO templates you can use to ask the people you serve to fill out as they come through your door.

You can download them as Microsoft Word documents, so you can actually go in and tailor them to your organization. You can add your logo, you can change the answers if you don't like the ones I already wrote in. There are check boxes and fill in the blanks already made and ready to go – so you can hand this form to one of the people your nonprofit is serving and gather information from them. But what's VERY IMPORTANT is HOW THEY HEARD ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION!

Did they hear about you on Facebook? Instagram? Maybe you have a radio ad or an advertisement at a church. There are plenty of checkboxes on the forms, so you can find out HOW people are finding you.

You can tweak and change these templates so you can ask the questions and get the information you want to find out. When you compile the data from these forms, it will help you learn about your audience and how to talk to them, so they can find you. You can also use this information to present to your board and your donors.

I mentioned there are TWO templates – one is very generic – the Information Sheet – it can be used how it is or you can tailor it more specifically to fit your organization. It can even be used to gather information from volunteers, or new people that show up to your events.

The second template form is an Intake Sheet – it's geared towards a pregnancy resource center – because you know how I love my PRC's – So, I'm giving you a template you can use at your center – or if you have any type of medical organization, or your organization offers multiple types of services, you can easily alter this template to work for your situation.

SO – how do you get these? You'll find the link to download these templates at the bottom of these show notes. I'm so excited for you because these forms are going to GIVE YOU SO MUCH VALUABLE INFORMATION!

You can find your marketing strengths when it comes to getting people in the door, and what areas you need to work on for marketing your nonprofit organization to people you serve, your supporters and donors.

If you're not seeing those "likes" on social media AND you aren't seeing good numbers come through your doors… Then consider these two things:

Do your posts have a good clear message + a good picture + one call to action?
- This free download – How to create really good Facebook & Instagram posts – will help you check your posts.
- And listen to Episode 2 to refresh yourself about how to create a good quality social media post.
If you're posting about a sensitive service, consider boosting a post from time to time.

- The more money you spend on boosting a post, the more people you can reach, but if you're operating on a tight budget, $5 is enough to boost a post for 5 days.
- Boosting posts puts your post in front of people you might not normally reach because you get to choose the demographics the post reaches
- THEN keep track to see if the number of people coming in the door of your nonprofit is affected.
- To boost a post: create a new post and then a button that says "Boost Post" comes up. Click that and it will take you through a couple short little steps and you've boosted your post.
- To boost a recent post, view it and you'll see on the bottom right corner of the post, a button that says, "Boost Post," then it takes you through the same steps to boost that post.

Boosting a post results in more people seeing your post. And don't underestimate the power of even $5. It works! You can get hundreds of people to see your post with just a little budget.

Be sure to choose your audience – once you click on that "Boost Post" button, you'll have the option of choosing the audience for your post – age, location, interests. If you're brand new to boosting your posts, you can start out by just selecting the audience in your geographic area. That way, your post will be shown to local people. Just start, if it's your first time! Take the first step, boost a post with $5 for 5 days and in no time you'll be comfortable with it.

And as a bonus tip, go back and listen to Episode 12 – you'll learn how to read the statistics and insights that Facebook and Instagram show you besides "likes." It's a good episode for understanding a little more about Facebook and Instagram numbers.

Remember, the goal of having a consistent social media presence is to build credibility for your organization, and to help get the word out. You're not trying to become Internet famous. You're trying to get people in the door.

People might not react to your post by "liking" it on social media because of their associated feelings or emotions or the risk of embarrassment, so it's a good idea to survey them when they come through your door to see where they heard about you.

Social media is a tool to get people in the door – it is NOT the official tally of how well your organization is doing but it's an important tool for you to know how to use well and use to your advantage.

If you have any questions – I'm right here for you! Ask away! Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram or send me an email through NonprofitPotential.com and I'll happily write you back with an answer!

Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcast app, or get episodes delivered straight to your email by subscribing at NonprofitPotential.com. Follow Nonprofit Potential on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for special content released throughout the week, too.

Until next time, my friend!

Links mentioned in This Episode

Episode 2 - The Anatomy of a Good Post

Episode 12 - How Many People Have REALLY Seen Your Post

Information Sheet and Intake Sheet Downloads

How to create really good Facebook & Instagram posts

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/30

Ep 29: How to Actually Achieve Your 2020 Goals Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 29, we're talking about goals and why it's important for you to actually write them down. I know, I know, if you're like me, you might be thinking, why take the time to write down goals? I don't have time. I'll remember them. I'm busy right now. I'll do it tomorrow. What's the point?

Or maybe, you're one of those people who loves to sit down and make a list of goals…

Either way, today, I'm going to tell you why you should ABSOLUTELY spend the time writing down your goals, plus how to do it in such a way that is proven to be the most effective in actually helping you accomplish your goals - there's more to it than just jotting down things like "I want to raise more money for my nonprofit" or "I want to lose 10 pounds." We'll talk about what to do and how to do it today.

Whether you want to meet personal goals or you've got goals for your nonprofit organization, listen up, because this episode is going to help you start off – and stay strong along the path to meeting your goals in 2020.

In 2019, I decided my goal was going to be to take better care of myself.

I wanted to be less stressed, feel good and healthy in my body, and feel happier – which, anyone will tell you, happiness is correlated with how you're feeling physically.

Here's an example for you - I used to exercise and train this horse, and he was always so cranky. He almost seemed mad. He had a permanent unpleasant expression – he was grimacing all the time! One day, we brought in a special vet who did some x-rays and a few other tests, and we found out he had a serious foot problem that was causing him pain. We got him a new kind of fancy horseshoes – the Air Jordan's of horseshoes - and it wasn't long before he turned into this sweet gentleman of a horse! His expression and attitude totally changed for the better. It's the same for us - if you feel good in your body, you feel good in your mind.

In 2019, I decided I was going to take better care of myself and put more effort into caring for my body. Now, to meet this goal, I had to think about how I was going to do it. What steps did I need to take to achieve this goal?

Eating well and exercising were definitely part of the plan, but I knew I had to catch up on some of those regular appointments we all put off.

I needed to go to the dentist, go to the doctor and get a physical, go to the eye doctor, plus do things like get my hair cut on a regular basis (not just twice a year like I had been), and also regularly see a chiropractor. (By the way, for almost my entire life, I thought chiropractic was a lot of hooey, but after suffering a back injury, I'm into it. It helps me feel better.)

All these things had been hanging over my head FOREVER.

For example, I was still wearing the SAME EYEGLASSES I got 18 years ago. In 2019, I decided this was going to be the year where I was going to make those appointments.

Since I've moved across the country since my last appointment, I had to find a new optometrist – and four other new doctors, plus a hair stylist! I had to find out what my insurance covered, I had to find someone I thought I would like – and I had to do all of this for ALL of these doctors and for the other service people I was going to make appointments with.

I made the appointments, I adjusted my schedule so I could actually go to the appointments, I made any necessary follow up appointments – yes! I actually went to the dentist TWICE last year and I have another appointment already scheduled!

And you know what? I feel great about it! I feel on top of one of the simplest, yet easiest to neglect parts of life – taking care of my body.

The takeaway from this is, I set a specific, measurable, realistic goal of taking better care of my body.

I wrote down my goals and made sure they were...

Specific – I was going to take care of my body – physically and emotionally.

Clear – I was going to eat well, exercise, catch up on doctors' appointments and take care of my outward appearance.

Goal Had a Timeline – I would finish this goal in 12 months.

What that did for me was propel me into action. I knew what my next step was going to be throughout the whole plan. It gave me energy and a "next step" to get started and to keep going.

When I finished one appointment, I felt proud because I'd achieved a little more success and then I made the next appointment. I could see I was achieving my goal a step at a time.

I gave myself a deadline of 12 months to make all the appointments – which was probably longer than I actually needed, but I wanted to spread it out because I was dreading all of it. I am kind of a wimp about that stuff – but it's good that I recognized that and took the steps to reach my goal in a reasonable amount of time!

All along the way, I kept in mind, the reason why I wanted to accomplish this goal. I wanted to take care of myself, I wanted to go to sleep at night knowing I was doing the best I could to take care of the only body I have.

I totally believe that by writing down my goal - and the specific details of it - helped me stay on track and ultimately succeed.

I used to be one of those people who hated making New Year's resolutions or thinking of new goals every January – because often times, I wasn't meeting them. It wasn't even just that I wasn't meeting goals, I couldn't even REMEMBER them a few months later.

Recent research says, however, that if you write down your goals – not just list them, but actually write them in specific, vivid detail, you can actually almost double your chances of succeeding.

Why?

First, if you write your detailed goals down on a piece of paper, and then hang it above your desk, or on your refrigerator, or on your closet door, or somewhere that you see it every day, it is easier for you to remember. Duh. Right? If you have a visual reminder of your goals – you SEE them every day – it helps you create the mindset and motivation you need every day to work towards meeting your goals.

The second part of the science behind successfully meeting your goals, is called encoding. I'm no neuroscientist, but basically, it means, if you write something down, you have a much better chance of remembering it. Writing something down helps to store it in your long-term memory.

Let's talk specifically about how to set yourself up for success with your goals:

Write down your goals - Be specific, detailed and vivid in your description and use a pen/pencil and paper. Spend 30 minutes or an hour, thinking about your goals for the year, writing them down, and what it looks like once your goals are achieved. Writing your goals out by hand on paper will help to cement them in your brain – typing or dictating them into your phone doesn't have the same effect on your brain.
Make sure that your goals are realistic and worthwhile. Saying, "I'm going to raise $1,000,000 this year!" is a great goal – but it's likely not very realistic for most nonprofits. Setting a goal to become the World's Fastest one-handed clapper is probably not a very worthwhile goal. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble if that was your goal. There's just no money in one handed clapping.
Make your goal measurable. Saying, "I want to grow my nonprofit" is nice, but HOW are you going to grow it? Are you going to raise more money – if so, how much? Give a dollar amount. Are you going to grow your social media following – if so, how much? 300 new Facebook followers? Give yourself a measurable goal to aim for.
Give yourself a deadline. Tell yourself, for example, I will raise $100,000 by October 2020. Set the deadline to help keep you motivated and accountable, but also remember it's OK to adjust if you need to. Unexpected things happen. Life happens. Don't beat yourself up if you can't meet the deadline you set for yourself – focus on what you CAN do and what you HAVE already done (celebrate your success thus far) and adjust your next steps and your deadline.

Most importantly of all:

Ask yourself, "Why do I want to accomplish this goal?" It will help you stay focused on your priorities and motivate you to work hard to meet your goal.

By following these tips and setting goals for yourself in the New Year, you are going to help yourself – and your nonprofit – be the best it can be!

Just start… Even if you're not sure what goals you want to set, just start thinking, start scribbling down some ideas. Clarity will come to you once you get the ball rolling. You are capable of more than you even know!

I was watching a football game the other night and during the interview with the winning quarterback, he quoted Ephesians 3:20: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..."

Remember that! You are capable of more than you even know. Let God inspire your goals in 2020.

If you have any questions – I'm right here for you! Ask away! Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram or send me an email through NonprofitPotential.com and I'll happily write you back with an answer!

Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app, or get episodes delivered straight to your email by subscribing at NonprofitPotential.com.

Also check out the free tools we have on NonprofitPotential.com like the easy-to-understand guide for how to make REALLY GOOD Facebook and Instagram posts.

Get access to the free guide now at Nonprofit Potential.com

Until next time, my friend!

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Forbes Magazine - Article about goals

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/29

Ep 28: Raise More Money in 2020 With These Tips Dec 31, 2019

Show notes

How much money do you want to raise in 2020? A lot? More than last year? How are you going to do it? Do you have a tried and true fundraiser that is your go-to money maker every year? Or maybe you're going to try something new and different?

While there are lots of different ways to fundraise in the nonprofit world, there's nothing quite like an event to get it done. Not only are events EXCELLENT for bringing in financial support for your organization, they are also great for building your relationships with your donors and supporters.

You get valuable facetime with them and they have a good time at your event – which cultivates positive feelings and positive associations with your organization… You can really take your relationship to the next level with them by showing them what your organization is all about and by showing them you are organized and professional enough to put on a quality event. Again – SO IMPORTANT in gaining and keeping their future support!

SO, what event are you going to host in 2020?

Once you decide, the big challenge is getting people to actually show up. And that's what we're talking about today...how to market your event in three steps.

This Three Step Plan will help you get people to SHOW UP to your event, and also prime them so they'll be ready to donate when they get there!

I think we can all agree here, events are a big deal in the nonprofit world – whether it's a class, a fun run, a fundraising banquet or gala – we all want as many people as possible to show up to support our cause and Facebook is the tool for that!

Facebook is an INCREDIBLE tool to use to market your event. It's great to get the word out, build excitement, engage with your audience before the event, and build that know, like and trust factor that is so important in having a successful organization.

I know, there are some people who say people don't use Facebook anymore, but friend, the numbers don't lie.

One of the largest research studies to date on the status of the event industry showed that 52% of professional event planners said that Facebook is the most effective social media channel for event marketing. And 31% rate social media campaigns as very important and 53% as important… In case you missed that… that means EIGHTY FOUR PERCENT of professional event planners agree that social media campaigns are important or VERY IMPORTANT!

I'm going to boil it down to a basic Three Step Plan for Event Marketing. You can get started on it RIGHT AFTER THIS EPISODE!

Number one… Create the event on Facebook ASAP. Be sure to add all the BASIC important info – the who, what, when, where, why and add a link where people can buy tickets or register if you have that available – look for the little box where you can add that in on Facebook when you're building the event.

BASIC INFORMATION

Event Name or Title: Note that the box where you type in the name of the event must be BRIEF, yet descriptive… it's OK to shorten it for social media marketing purposes like "Agatha's Angels Fun Run" and you can put the full name and more details in the actual event description itself… Your EVENT TITLE, however, needs to be short and sweet. And keep using that same Event Title over and over. Stick with the same title.

Event Description: I know it's very tempting to put a WHOLE lot of information in here, but again, I want you to whittle it down to the very basics. If you overload this box with words, people won't read it. It overwhelms people who may be interested in your event, and the last thing you want to do is give someone a reason NOT to be interested anymore.

WHEN should you create the event? I'm a big believer in a LONG runway. For a bigger event where you're selling tickets or sponsorship tables and you need commitment from people as early as possible, create the Facebook event about 15-18 weeks ahead of the day of the event.

If you don't have that long, that's OK – just create it right now! Even if you are only 10 weeks out from your event right now, or even TWO weeks out from your event, you can still draw attention to it and potentially draw in more people to attend.

For smaller events – let's say, a half day class that you're teaching, or a community park cleanup day, you can scale the timeline down… Create your Facebook event and start posting about it 6-8 weeks in advance. Think of it as a mini campaign.

Don't be shy - repetition and reminding people about your event is so important. Remember you might be tired of seeing things about your event because you're close to it but that is not the case for your audience.

Okay. So of the three step social media event marketing plan… Number one was Create the event on Facebook.

Number two… Plan Your Posts. Typically, you're posting for your organization a maximum of 2-3 posts a week. If you have less than 10,000 Facebook followers, it's the best way to continuously grow your audience while also maintaining your sanity. So, when you have an event, use that third post of the week for your event. For example: Post Number 1 on Monday - inspirational post with a short quote and a pretty picture. Post Number 2 on Wednesday - a clear and easy to understand post about a service you provide. Post Number 3 on Thursday or Friday will be about your event. If you want to only post twice a week, just make one post about your organization, and one about the event. You'll repeat this cycle until about two weeks before your event…

Ideas for event posts: As soon as this episode is over, I want you to come up with 15-18 ideas for posts – or one for each week leading up to your event … How are you going to do that? Well, look at your entire event and imagine you're slicing it up like an onion – super thin…. It has to be SO EASY for people to understand what you're talking about – Don't ever assume anyone has a clue of what you're talking about! You have got to keep it simple for your audience.

Think about the early stages of the event… First, you need to introduce people to it, so your first post, or first couple of posts will be just a basic who, what, when, where, why.

Then, do you have a speaker or a band? Introduce them in a post… Use pictures, videos and graphics to make it even more exciting and generate buzz.

If you're selling early bird tickets – create a post about it. Create some FOMO –– you know, FEAR OF MISSING OUT!

Are you hosting a banquet? Make a big deal about the menu – this is where pictures really come in handy. Ask your caterer for pictures, or if you can utilize some on their website…. Mention the caterer in your post – they'll love it, your audience will be excited about it. Let's be honest, people LOVE pictures of food… That's all Food Network IS – Pictures of food.

Are you having a live or silent auction? Post about it! You can even make a few posts about this – remember, slice the onion thin. Don't just post a list of every single auction item, choose a handful of big-ticket items and highlight those… and include a picture if possible.

Another great post idea… let people know where their money is going…. What is fundraising for? One of my clients was a community center and we would do a post – or even a couple of posts – on all the things that were fixed or improved, like gym floors, new locker rooms, things like that… all because of the funds raised at their banquet. People like to know where their money is going. They want to know SPECIFICALLY what they're supporting.

The two weeks leading up to the event will be all about URGENCY, telling people tickets are almost gone, and they'd better buy now, or they'll be missing out! If they have tickets, they'll be PRIMED for a good time, if they don't have tickets, they'll remember that they missed out and BUY FASTER next year!

Also – regarding those 15-18 post topics, it's OK to repeat posts. It's OK to have multiple posts about your speaker or band… It's OK to have multiple posts about early bird tickets, but I encourage you to come up with those 15-18 post topics because then you can pick and choose the STRONGEST ones to use… And remember CLARITY is everything… Slice the onion thin. Use ONE topic for ONE post. If you need a great reminder on how to do this, take a listen to Episode 2. Your post should be 1-2 sentences on whatever the topic is, and then a one sentence call to action… Buy tickets now at this link… Sign up now by calling this phone number.

OK – So Number ONE in the plan is Create the event on Facebook… Number TWO is Plan Your Posts.

And Number Three is…Boost the Posts.

I know, I know, part of the charm of social media is that you can get it to work for you for free… BUT, I'm here to tell you, if you want your event to get major attention, you need to put SOME MONEY INTO IT. Honestly, I've run social media event campaigns with a budget of zero dollars or just $20 dollars, and I've run them with $800 dollars. I've seen measurable success with both. If you're curious where your budget falls in line with those professional event planners from the research study we were talking about before… 28% of event planners spend less than $200, 26% spend NOTHING, and 25% spend $200-$1,000. The other combined 21% spend more than $1,000.

So, I recommend putting what you can towards boosting your event – and if you're apprehensive, I encourage you to try it.

Choose a target audience that you want to reach – when you click on the boost button below your post – you'll see a window pop up where you can customize the audience you want to reach – I recommend choosing the age range of the people you want to reach, and their location.

Then, add a $5 budget and boost the post for a dollar a day for 5 days. If you start to see results - keep going! You can choose to boost your post about the event each week – I recommending boosting for 5 days at a time for a dollar a day on the low end… Or, you can try boosting your actual Facebook Event page itself to generate more interest… Experiment. Change the number of days you're boosting – You can always re-boost your event, too. Try adding more money into your budget. See what makes a splash.

If you feel like you're not making a splash… more like a flop… Then stop and check yourself. What are you posting? Who cares about it? Are your posts clear and to the point? Are you explaining what your event is about, or when it is, or why people should care? What about your pictures and graphics? Are they clear, or confusing? Take stock of what you've got going on and re-evaluate. Pretend like you're new in town and you've never heard of this event – does that bring up any questions for you?

If you don't have a budget to spend on boosting your posts – that's OK! You can still successfully market your event on Facebook. Just keep showing up, be consistent and clear, and make sure you never miss out on a chance to engage… share your organization's event posts on your personal page. Invite people to the Facebook event. When someone comments or asks a question – make that a positive experience for them. All of these things are FREE and effective… AND Facebook even does you a few favors here and there by alerting people in your area about the event if Facebook thinks that person might be interested. Sometimes people will get a notification when their friend is interested in an event… There is still PLENTY of room for success in your social media event marketing, even if you don't have a budget.

If you have any questions, I'd love to hear them so we can answer them in an upcoming episode and help others who might have the same questions! I absolutely LOVE hearing from you. Get in touch by going to NonprofitPotential.com/contact and let me know what questions you have.

Remember to subscribe to the Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential Podcast… And you can also listen directly on our website Nonprofit Potential.com …Also – find me on Facebook and Instagram – let me know you're listening so I can say thanks… You can also check out pictures from my whacky life in Wyoming!

And hey, I just want to remind you, especially if you're just starting out, YOU GOT THIS! You CAN DO THIS! And I'm going to be here to help you along the way with tangible, do-able, step-by-step tips to help you get the word out about the good work your organization does!

I'm Lauren Creagan, meet me back here next week as we continue Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential!

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Episode 2 - The Anatomy of a Great Post

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/28

Ep 27: Why Your Donors Want to Hear From You TODAY Dec 24, 2019

Show notes

It's the end of the year – in fact, this episode is actually being released ON CHRISTMAS EVE… so Merry Christmas!

The end of the year is a GREAT time to check in with your donors with an email!

Truth be told, it's ALWAYS a great time to check in with your donors – any time you have a good reason to check in with them, or give them an update on what's going on with your nonprofit, you are growing your relationship with them.

Your relationship with your donors is the BIGGEST part of them giving you money. If you have a good relationship with your donors – you keep in touch CONSISTENTLY, you make them feel good – like the hero. You let them know their donation is making a difference – they will want to give you money!

So really, this is a great time to send them an email… Think about it…at this time of year, you love hearing from people you care about…whether a card in the mail or with an email. So reach out and let your donors know you care.

Now, maybe you over-achieved and your nonprofit actually did send out a Christmas card to your donors… But maybe you didn't… and now, it's too late for you to jump on that train this year.

But it isn't too late!

Even if you DID send out a Christmas card, sending out another email with a "little season's greetings, thanks for your support this past year, here's what we accomplished this year with your support" is still a GREAT idea! And if you didn't send out a greeting, now you can send out a warm, feel-good email to express your gratitude and say Merry Christmas to your donors, volunteers and the people you serve too! It is the EASIEST and FASTEST way to grow your relationships with the people that matter to your organization.

Do it before the end of the first week of the New Year. That's PLENTY of time to write 3 sentences – that's all it has to be for this type of end of the year check-in email. Write 3 sentences and include a great picture.

To make it easy for you in the future – so you have some in-depth direction of where to go with your emails to your donors, this week I'm sharing with you a replay of Episode 13: 5 Things You NEED to Know About Email Newsletters

This episode is packed full of tips and tricks for writing the BEST EMAIL EVER!

Remember to keep in mind my little analogy - that your donors and supporters are like plants growing in a garden. They are getting watered with Facebook and Instagram and if you add EMAIL, it's like giving these plants FERTILIZER! The result? Your plants will be in full bloom year-round!

Why email? Because according to recent research, people prefer email for communicating with the brands they're connected with – yes, that includes your nonprofit organization.

If your nonprofit has multiple audiences you're talking to (donors and supporters, people you serve), you can use separate email lists to nurture your relationships with each group.

Here are the 5 Things You NEED to Know About Email Newsletters:

Write a great subject line. Think about it – if you get an email with a weak or boring subject line, do you want to open that email? No… probably not! You might even just delete it without even opening it, especially if it's a business or an organization. So, try to make your subject line genuine, interesting and of course, in-line with what your email is about.
Use the right framework: A picture, a paragraph and a call to action. Why? Because it WORKS! The picture captures someone's attention right off the bat, the paragraph goes into more detail, and the call to action clearly lets that person know what they should do after they read the email.
Put the most important information first. Pretend like you only have ONE SENTENCE to tell someone what your email is about. Make that the first sentence of your email. Start strong and tell them right away what your email is about in that first sentence.
Keep it simple and short. Your emails should be a quick and easy read and about ONE TOPIC. Try to keep your emails to about 200 words, or about 20 lines - if it needs to be longer, or shorter, that's OK – but just remember, take out anything that your audience doesn't have to know about. If it's not going to help your audience take action, then leave it out.
Give them something. Give them a reason to OPEN and read your email. Remember, they're asking themselves: 'Why does this matter to me?"

If you have two email lists – one list for your donors and supporters, and one for the people you serve, you're going to give these two groups of people two different things.

You're going to give your donors and supporters the uplifting, positive feelings they get because they are helping the community or a cause.

For the people you serve, you're giving them resources in your emails - small, digestible pieces of information that can help them - like a class or list or freebie.

Serve your audiences with ONE TOPIC in every email. It's all part of building that know, like and trust factor.

Again, be consistent with when you email your people – at the beginning, try sending out an email just once a month. Then work up to once a week, but again, the most important thing is that you are consistent. So, commit to a goal you can achieve.

And finally, always remember WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS! There is so much day to day stuff that can be overwhelming and distracting from your purpose and your mission, but always remember your WHY. What was it that first inspired you to get involved with your nonprofit organization? Take ownership of that! Keep that fire burning in your heart! You are making a difference in the world. A big difference is the culmination of a lot of little steps. So, take that next little step today, and get to work on your next email! You ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! What you're doing MATTERS.

Remember to check out the free tools we have on NonprofitPotential.com like the easy-to-understand guide for how to make REALLY GOOD Facebook and Instagram posts.

Get access to the free guide now at Nonprofit Potential.com

Episode 7: NonprofitPotential.com/7

Email me your "how do I…" questions about Facebook or Instagram – I'd love to answer you on the podcast. nonprofitpotential.com/contact

Let's be friends… Find me on social media and let me know what kind of nonprofit or business you're working with! Here's where to find me:

Facebook.com/NonprofitPotentialInstagram.com/NonprofitPotential

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/27

Ep 26: A Reminder of Why You Do What You Do Dec 17, 2019

Show notes

Well, here we are… Christmas is next week, and the year has come and gone – it seems like they go by faster and faster each year, doesn't it?

The end of the year is always a good time to look back and reflect. Just like at the end of a long walk, when you look behind you and see how far you've come, all that you've been through. You've seen beautiful and inspiring things – you've overcome obstacles and challenges. Good or bad, it's all part of the journey. It's all part of life, and what makes you who you are.

In addition to a time of reflection, this time of year can be busy, and stressful, and even difficult. But I want you to do something for me… I want you to think of all the people you made an impact on this year.

I want you to think of the lives you touched. Whether it's someone your nonprofit organization helped, or maybe it was just someone you saw in your life that needed a bit of kindness. You never know when something as simple as a kind word can change someone's life. It might not always be so obvious, but your words and actions can have a huge impact on the life of someone else.

So, think…think back over the past year... Who did you help? Whose life did you make better? Who did you make smile? What was something you did to help someone else?

I want you to think about all of those people, because I want it to remind you of the effect that you have on other people. I want you to look back at all you did, and let that motivate you to keep moving forward today, tomorrow, and next year. Think of the all the differences you've made in people's lives, and keep going.

Remember all the good. It's easy to get lost in the grind.

Let me tell you a story…

I used to be in charge of a program that gave Christmases to families in need. Now, when I say, "Gave Christmas" I mean, we found families that were having a hard time financially, and some of them had problems that went far beyond not having money to spare around the holidays… Some of them had a family member with cancer, some of them were unemployed, some of them had overcome addiction, some of them were just struggling to keep their heads above water.

We would find out from their friends or family what they needed. Maybe it was paying off a utility bill. Maybe it was presents under the tree for their children to open. Maybe they didn't have a Christmas tree at all, and we'd bring them one of those too! I remember there was one little girl who didn't have a bed to sleep in at night. She had to sleep on the couch in her living room. Another family didn't have a refrigerator. We'd find out what they needed – and we even found out what they liked, too!

One night in the weeks leading up to Christmas, a whole bunch of us would show up and surprise them. We'd knock on their door, wearing Santa hats and jingling bells, and yell "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" just like George in It's A Wonderful Life…

The surprise on these people's faces was priceless… They had no idea what was going on, but they got the picture pretty quick when they saw a train of people with armloads of presents lined up along the sidewalk.

Now here's the thing – in order to make this magic moment this happen it took a TON of work. It took fundraising and sponsorships, advertising, a huge toy drive – which also included yours truly spending hours rifling through piles and piles of toys picking out what to give to the children in these families, recruiting and coordinating people to help make the surprise deliveries, vetting and researching these families in need, talking to their family and friends and finding out what they needed, shopping for them, and all of it on top of my regular job… you get the idea. It literally took up every waking moment of my life, and when I would sleep at night, I would dream about everything I had left to do.

You know that Nelson Mandela saying, "It always seems impossible until it's done?" That was my mantra. At times, it seemed like there was too much to do – it was an impossible amount of work to accomplish but then, one day, it would be done. If I put my head down, work and persevere, then everything would get done.

And you know what? All of the blood, sweat and tears were worth it every time I saw that priceless look of surprise, followed by gratitude and emotion on the face of the person who needed help at Christmas.

There are probably times throughout the year – or maybe all year! – that you feel overwhelmed with everything you have to do with your nonprofit. Don't get lost in the grind. Remember who you're helping. Take this time to really sit back and look at all you're doing. Take inventory. Look at how many lives you've impacted.

The more you recognize the impact you make on others, the more rewarding your life will become.

Even though it's been years since I finished working on that Christmas program, every Christmas morning, I think of that little girl who didn't have a bed to sleep in. And the look on her face when we brought a brand new bed into her house, just for her. With sheets decorated with characters from Frozen. She was so excited. Her mom cried. Her grandmother cried. We all cried. Every Christmas morning when I wake up thinking of that little girl, I don't care what presents are waiting for me under my own tree – I feel like I already got the best gift by giving to someone else and making an impact on someone else's life.

So, take a minute today and take stock of what you've given to someone else. And the more you recognize the impact you have on others, the more rewarding your life will become.

Merry Christmas.

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/26

Ep 25: Do you need more than one Facebook page? Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

One challenge that many nonprofit organizations face is trying to reach two or more audiences, primarily:

People they want to serve
Donors and supporters

It's a complicated situation because usually, these two audiences look very different.

Because these two crowds look very different, you might think you need to have separate Facebook and Instagram pages to talk to each audience, but the problem with that is – that takes time you don't have!

Even though these crowds look very different, you can talk to BOTH of them and grow your relationships with them by using just ONE Facebook page and ONE Instagram page really well.

In today's episode, we're going to talk about a few different ways you can grow your relationships with your two audiences without doubling your workload.

Here's why this matters… The less you have on your plate, the better you can accomplish your goals. If your day is loaded down with a million things to do – what happens? You have a hard time accomplishing everything AND then you have that cloud over your head remembering how many of those things are done half-way, or that you cut corners to get them finished. If your goal is to have a really great Facebook and Instagram presence for your nonprofit organization, then focus on having ONE really great main page for your organization. If you put all of your energy, all of your time, and all of your focus on your nonprofit's single Facebook and Instagram pages, you can make it that much better! Don't do two pages badly, focus your efforts on doing one page really well!

You won't be spreading yourself thin by trying to show up consistently for two pages – one specifically for your supporters, and one for the people you're trying to serve. You'll be spending less time with more reward for your efforts if you focus on having one central location where people can find your organization on social media.

Another reason why you should just focus on having one central page, is because your donors and supporters want to see your mission in action. They want to see where their money and support is being used. So if you train your donors and supporters to like, follow and share on your organization's one and only Facebook page where you are posting things aimed at the people you want to serve, they can see – and support – your mission in action.

Your nonprofit's ONE Facebook page and ONE Instagram page are letting your donors see what you're doing. You're letting them be on the front lines with you – and they'll love it! They'll feel more involved and more supportive and see the need for their role in supporting you.

Ok so let's talk for a minute about the actual logistics of how this is going to work. It all sounds great, but there are a few tips I want you to know that are going to help you do this well and then be successful.

1. Focus your posts. Make sure your posts are talking to the audience you want to reach. If you're talking to the people you want to reach, then write that post and pick out the photo you're going to use with it as if you were laser focused on that person you want to serve. If you are talking to your donors – talk to your donors like they are the only ones you're talking to.

Here's an example: If you're a community food pantry and you need canned food – ask for it from your donors. Don't ask for canned food, and then squeeze in a bunch of information trying to attract people that you want to serve too.

Don't confuse both of your audiences by making your post about more than one thing and talking to more than one audience. Zero in on what you want to say, and who you want to say it to and save everything else for another post.

2. Aim to post twice a week talking to the people you want to serve in your community. If you have a fundraiser, or an event for your donors, or you need something from that donor and supporter audience – add that as a third post in the week. So that's 2 posts per week for the people you want to serve, and if you need it, add in a third post per week for your donors.

3. Maintain your relationships with your donors via your email list. Email is a wonderful tool for giving your donors updates and information that they might want to know, and maybe isn't a good fit for a social media post. Also, if you email your donors consistently – once a month or more – that'll help to grow your relationship with them even more.

4. Train your donors and supporters to like, follow and share on your nonprofit's social media pages. In your emails to your donors, encourage them to follow your nonprofit on Facebook and Instagram and include links so they can find your pages easily! Let them know that by supporting your nonprofit on social media, they are helping your pages reach more people – AND they can have a front row seat to seeing your important mission in action! Remember, they want to help – they believe in your mission! So let them be out on the front lines with you and see the need for your organization play out on your nonprofit's Facebook and Instagram pages.

Ok – so there are some tactical tips on how to manage two audiences and one Facebook or Instagram page. Now, let's talk about a real life example of handling not just two, but THREE audiences and how to make something like that situation work!

I've talked about this before in this podcast – back in the early days – there's a wildly popular sport here in Wyoming, and really, the Rocky Mountains, Canada, and basically anywhere else that it snows 8 months a year so you have to find ways to entertain yourself. I'm talking about skijoring. If you haven't heard of it – it's a competition where a person rides a horse as fast as they can while pulling a skier behind them through an obstacle course. There are moguls, and jumps and sometimes there are rings the skier has to grab from a post… It's pretty much crazy. Google a video of it after you finish listening to this.

Anyway, every year in my community, a local nonprofit hosts a skijoring race to raise money for local causes. Last year, they asked me to take care of marketing the entire event from start to finish on social media. There wasn't even a Facebook page in existence when they asked me to start – so it was a big uphill climb!

In order for the event to be a success, I needed to zero in on three different audiences: Horseback riders, skiers and spectators. All of those people are very different, and have very different priorities, concerns, and different things that attract them.

So in order to manage all these relationships with these audiences – I looked at the timeline of the weeks leading up to the event. I realized that the horseback riders were making the BIGGEST commitment because loading up a horse in a trailer and driving anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours is a lot to ask of a person.

The horseback riders would need to know about the event the farthest in advance, so I started talking to them first.

I made sure the posts that were talking to them zeroed in on their concerns and priorities – free boarding for their horse, a safe dirt track to race on, a cash prize and belt buckles, and the fact that they didn't have to have a partner – we could pair them up. Whenever I wrote a post for that first stretch of the marketing, I made sure to address those things and talk to that one specific audience.

The thing is, even though I wasn't necessarily TRYING to talk to a skier or a spectator, if one of those people saw the post – they still understood that a skijoring race was happening soon and they could still be interested, they could sign up, buy tickets, and make plans. They had general information and knew the event was going to happen even though the post was not specifically focused on skiers or spectators.

After a few weeks of aiming my posts at the horseback riders, I moved on to targeting the skiers, and then in the two weeks leading up to the event, I focused 100 percent of my efforts on getting spectators to show up.

Remember, just because your post is aimed at one audience, doesn't mean your other audience won't get something out of it too.

The same is true for your audiences. The people you serve are learning about your services, and your donors are seeing what your nonprofit does in the community. When it's time to reach out for a specific event or fundraiser, your donors and supporters will already have a good idea about what your nonprofit organization has been doing for others throughout the year. They'll be ready to listen when you start talking to them specifically.

Alright – I think that's enough to think about for today! I hope this was some food for thought for you – as always, if you have any questions – I'm here for you! Write me an email at NonprofitPotential.com or send me a message on Facebook or Instagram.

You are doing an amazing job. What you are doing matters! No one can do what you are doing like you do it. Your donors and supporters think so too! I want you to think of ONE PERSON you have impacted with your work. Think of that person and how you made their life better. Feels good, doesn't it? Let that motivate you and keep you going! You are doing great!

Remember to subscribe to this podcast – it's the best and easiest way to support the show. If you want us to keep going, we need your support! You can subscribe through email at NonprofitPotential.com or through your favorite podcast player like Apple Podcasts or Google podcasts.

Get access to the guide that breaks down into easy-to-understand steps how and what to do for REALLY GOOD Facebook and Instagram posts – and it's free and yours to keep forever. It's available now at NonprofitPotential.com

Thanks for listening. I'm Lauren Creagan. Meet me back here next week as we keep Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential.

Links I mentioned in this episode: The Guide to REALLY GOOD Facebook and Instagram Posts If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/25

Ep 24: 5 Post Ideas to Get You Through the Holidays Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

I hope you are enjoying this special time of year – it can be a lot to handle with Christmas parties, end of the year gatherings, visits with family and friends, and on top of all that you might be trying to meet some end of the year goals at your nonprofit organization.

When things get busy like this, it might seem like a good idea to make some drastic cuts on your to-do list - like taking a break from posting to your nonprofit's Facebook and Instagram.

It's low hanging fruit that seems perfect for cutting from your to-do list… But don't be fooled – it's not!

Consider this: Have you ever had a new friend that you really enjoyed and liked hanging out with, but then, you got busy and stopped seeing each other for a few weeks or even maybe a couple months? Then, after a while, you don't really feel the need to reach out to them because, well, they're not reaching out to you, and eventually, they fade to the back of your mind, and you kind of stop thinking about them altogether.

Has that ever happened to you?

This same idea applies to your nonprofit's social media. Don't lose touch with your audience just because you're busy! Don't let your audience think you forgot about them, and don't let them forget about your nonprofit!

Also, consistent posting shows your audience that you are an active nonprofit organization who doesn't disappear off the radar just because it's the holidays.

What if someone is considering using your services and they check out your Facebook page and your last post was from weeks or months ago?

What if someone is considering volunteering with your nonprofit – maybe it's part of their New Year's Resolution – and they check out your social media and see you're not trying very hard to stay relevant, so they move on to the next nonprofit in need of a volunteer.

What if someone is checking out your nonprofit because they want to write your nonprofit a big huge Christmas donation and the last thing you posted was from a month ago?

You're not earning anyone's trust by disappearing from social media.

Consistent posting is your #1 secret weapon to keeping, growing and building trust with your audience on social media. You can't abandon ship just because it's the holidays – but you're busy…

SO – what are we going to do about this?

Here are FIVE post ideas to get you through the holidays.

That's right – use these ideas to post for your nonprofit on social media for the next 5 weeks. That's one post idea to use per week.

Yes, it's ideal that you post twice a week – but honestly, if you're so busy that you just can't possibly muster 2 posts per week, use one of these post ideas once a week and they'll get you through until the beginning of the new year.

It's my Christmas present to you!

Topic ideas to help you keep posting:

Say thanks to your volunteers. It never hurts to go overboard with the gratitude you show for a volunteer. Let them know how valuable they are to your organization and that you couldn't do it without them.
Say thanks to your donors. The holidays are a time when your donors are being asked for a lot of things. So, why not do the opposite? Instead of asking them to give you something, give THEM thanks! You will stand out and make them feel recognized and appreciated – like a breath of fresh air. Take it a step further and let them know some specific goals they've helped your nonprofit reach in the past year. What did their donation help pay for?
Post a picture of your staff and volunteers enjoying the season. Having an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party? Did someone bring decorated sugar cookies to share? Setting up a Christmas tree at your front desk? Doing a toy drive? Take a picture! Post it with a caption that says something like: Our volunteers had a blast at this year's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party! Or another caption could be: Nothing like cookies and decorations to get our volunteers into the Christmas spirit! (Feel free to copy and paste these captions as your own!) You get the idea! Remember, you're just trying to keep in touch with your audience!
Post a quote. Posting a quote on social media is not only easy, it's inspirational and shareable by your audience. I love to use Canva.com – which is a free website or app you can download on your phone – all you have to do is choose a background and add some text and then you've got a big beautiful quote graphic to post on social media. One liners make the best quotes on Facebook and Instagram.
Post a testimonial. Have you received a testimonial from someone your organization has served, a thank you note, a glowing Google review? Post it to your social media! Just make sure you keep in mind any privacy concerns or rules your organization might need to consider. Also leave out any personal information.

There you have it! Five post ideas to get you through the New Year!

Remember, your audience needs to hear from you! Keep in touch with them during this busy time – you won't regret it.

Bonus tips:

On Facebook, you can schedule a post so that it will post at a later date.

Note: Your post won't automatically go to your nonprofit's Instagram. If it's dire that you schedule an Instagram post, you can download an extra app (example: Later app) to help you schedule Instagram posts.

Sound intimidating? Email the text and picture to yourself so you can access it on your phone and then you can post it to Instagram more easily.

Here's the most important thing I want you to remember – just do the best that you can! It doesn't have to be perfect! Showing up consistently is what counts!

Remember, you're just trying to keep in touch with your audience. Don't stress about it, just use these post ideas to remind them that your nonprofit is alive and well in the holiday season.

Keep going! Look how far you've come in the past year! Look at all you've accomplished!

If you have any questions – I'm right here for you! Ask away! Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram or send me an email and I'll answer it on the show!

Remember to download the PDF guide that breaks down into easy-to-understand steps how and what to do for REALLY GOOD Facebook and Instagram posts – and it's free and yours to keep forever. Click here to get it now.

Links I mentioned in this episode:

Create your own quote graphics on Canva.com

How to schedule a post on Facebook

Instagram post scheduling app, Later

Write Lauren

Nonprofit Potential Instagram

Nonprofit Potential Facebook

PDF Guide: What makes a good social media post

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/24

Ep 23: Special Re-release: How to Train a Volunteer to Help You Post Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

Sometimes, the best gift you can give yourself over the holidays is an extra hand to help you get things done!

So I'm re-releasing the episode of Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential that is going to help you find and train that extra set of hands to help you keep up with your nonprofit's social media posting during this crazy busy time of year.

Why not just take a hiatus from posting during the holidays? Because consistent posting is your #1 secret weapon to keeping – AND GROWING – your social media presence! Don't stop because you're busy – it's more important than ever to keep going!

So here it is… The special re-release of How to Train a Volunteer to Help You Post!

First things first – taking care of your organization's social media is not a job for just any warm body. There are three qualities to look for in that person.

They have to have a passion for your cause
It's important that they are not intimidated by social media
They are a person you like working with

Does anyone you know come to mind? Then, you might have found the right person to help you with social media.

"Help" is the key word there - you're looking for help, not someone to do it all for you.

No one knows your organization better than you, and no one is more passionate about your organization than you are. You are the heart and soul of it. You can have someone help you with social media and help you come up with ideas, but it's a good idea to stay involved in what is being posted, at least until your volunteer is fully trained.

Be sure to set expectations. Show examples of the kind of posts you want. Decide your "call to action." Have your new social media helper listen to this podcast - it will help them understand your strategy, mission, and how to communicate that to others through social media.

Keys to making things effective and efficient:

Give your volunteer a clear picture of who your audience is by sharing your notes from the ideal customer quiz from Episode 7. Your helper needs to know who the post is being written for - that makes all the difference.
Come up with a schedule. For example, tell them you want to have posts go out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Practice in a Word document. On Monday, the volunteer can sit down and plan out what those two posts will be. By creating posts in Word, changes can be made and you can approve or edit them before they go out. Have your volunteer save the large sized photos/graphics for posts in a file for easy uploading to Facebook and Instagram.

Remember, you are making a difference in your community, don't shortchange that! Don't pass off your social media to someone who doesn't care – social media matters.

Your consistent presence and clear message are often times a first impression to your community.

This is YOUR MISSION. You have a passion for this, and Facebook and Instagram can expand your reach to more people. Use social media as a tool. Be bigger and better with the help of a volunteer!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 2 Anatomy of a Good Post
Episode 4 What's Your Brand?
Episode 7 Who's Your Ideal Customer Portrait?
Click here to download Step-By-Step Instructions on how to add a page admin or editor on Facebook

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/23

Ep 22: These Call to Action Tips are a GAMECHANGER! Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that I never miss out on the chance to talk about the three things that every good social media post needs – a picture, a caption and a call to action.

Now, even though we talk about these three things all the time in this podcast, I think it's time we zoom in on one of these pieces that may be the most intimidating, possibly confusing, but definitely SO IMPORTANT. I'm talking about a call to action.

In today's episode, we're talking about what a call to action actually is, how to use one in your Facebook and Instagram posts, how to write a meaningful call to action, and I've got the most crucial tip on what your nonprofit's BEST call to action is.

By the end of this episode, you're going to be on fire about using these game changing tips to make your social media posts more effective than ever as we zoom in on the call to action!

A call to action is when you tell someone to do something.

For example, in your nonprofit's Facebook post, when you say "call us to volunteer," or "make an appointment today," or "register now." Those are each a call to action.

A call to action is when you are urging your audience to take action after seeing your post.

Now, why does a good nonprofit social media post need a call to action? Because your nonprofit's social media post is meant to increase support for your organization, or inform and inspire people to take advantage of your services.

To do any of those things, you need to ask your audience to follow through. You need to give people direction on what to do next.

Think about it, if you and I were standing in your kitchen, and I showed you a cup that I was holding in my hand, and then, without saying a word, I just handed it to you and walked away…

What would you be thinking?

You'd probably be kind of confused right?

You'd be thinking, "What do you want me to do with this? Hold it? Drink it? Put it down?"

The main purpose of a call to action is to avoid this kind of confusion and drive your audience to the next step – clicking your link, reading your blog, signing up for something, learning more about your mission or your services on your website.

You have to direct their next step after they see your post.

If you don't, do you know what's most likely going to happen? Nothing.

This is why you need a call to action in your nonprofit's Facebook and Instagram posts.

Now that you know what a call to action is and why it's important in social media, let's talk about what your nonprofit's BEST call to action is…

This is the most crucial tip on what your nonprofit's BEST call to action is…

The best call to action to use for your nonprofit's social media posts is the one you can monitor.

You have to pay attention to the thing that you just directed people to do.

If you told people to call your nonprofit on the phone, you have to answer their calls, or at least return their calls within 24 hours. If you told people to send you a Facebook message or email or contact you through your website, you have to keep up with your inbox and respond within 24 hours – that's what most people expect nowadays. If you told people to register for something, follow up with them to confirm.

In addition to choosing a call to action you can monitor, make sure that call to action is easy for your audience to use. It has to be one click, or one call, simple, straightforward and easy to understand.

Here are some tips on using a great call to action in your nonprofit's social media post:

1. Use only one call to action per post.

Think of your call to action as the only door in a room. If there's only one door, which one is your audience going to choose? The only one that is available to them. If you put more than one door in the room, then they have to make a decision, and that's where things get complicated. That's where people back out. It takes too much energy to make decisions, so they choose not to make one at all. So don't make your audience make a decision, guide them to where you want them. Give them one door to go through.

2. Make it stand out and easy to read.

Make your call to action its own paragraph or line so there is white space around it. This will help it to stand out more and easier to read, so even if your audience is just scanning your Facebook or Instagram post, their eye will be drawn to your call to action.

3. Use action words and phrases

For example: Learn more, register now, read more, sign up, call today, make an appointment, join us, click the link, support, donate, fight, transform, act. These are just some of my favorite examples to help get you started.

You can even take it a step further if you want and add in some inspiration and emotion to those action words and phrases. You can do this by adding identity to your call to action – tell your audience who or what they'll be helping or doing by using a call to action like, "Support a child," or "Help a family in need today," or "Save a dog from spending Christmas in a shelter."

4. Make it urgent.

Use words like "now" or "today." Instead of saying, "Call to make an appointment" say, "Call now to make an appointment." It's a little word with big power. You're not only telling your audience what to do, you're telling them to do it right away!

5. Keep it short.

The more words you add to your call to action, the more likely it is to become confusing. Keep it short – one sentence, for example: "Make an appointment today, call 555-4321 or online at agathasangels.com."You can give people more than one option for contacting you (like a website and a phone number), but stick to just one or two.

6. Save it for last.

Have you ever watched an infomercial? The other night, I found myself watching the infomercial about the steel nonstick frying pan - you know, the one where the chef melts a handful of peppermints, still in the plastic wrappers, in the frying pan and then easily wipes up the mess with just one swipe (I need to get rid of my TV). Every infomercial works the same. They present the problem, and their solution for it, and then, they hammer it all home with a call to action… "Call now to order your frying pan." They do that because they know they can't just ask you to buy the frying pan without seeing how it works first. They make you recognize the need for the product first, then they show you the solution to the need, and then, they tell you how to easily get on board. You're using those same principals in your nonprofit's social media posts with a call to action. For example, if you're creating a Facebook post for your nonprofit pregnancy care center… In your post, you will identify the need or the issue – which is generally a pregnancy in which the woman needs care or support – then you spell out the solution, which would be your nonprofit's services, and follow it up with a call to action – telling your audience to call you or visit your website.

Here's a sample post to give you an example of a call to action. (If the image is not visible, click here to view image of sample post.)

Remember, make it easy for your audience to act on the call to action you've given them, and to pay attention to them when they do follow through with it.

I hope this has been a big confidence boost to your call to action skills. This is just one more thing you can add to your tool kit in marketing your nonprofit organization.

You are doing a fantastic job – look at you right now, listening to this podcast, and taking steps to learn how to propel your organization forward and keep unlocking your nonprofit potential! You are doing amazing and I am so proud of you. I truly love hearing from you and what you're working on, so please don't be shy, send me an email, or find me on Facebook and Instagram using the links below and send me a message. Let me know what your organization is all about so I can be your biggest cheerleader.

If you have a question for me – be brave and ask! Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram or send me an email through NonprofitPotential.com and I'll answer it on the show!

Get access to the guide that breaks down into easy-to-understand steps how and what to do for REALLY GOOD Facebook and Instagram posts – and it's free and yours to keep forever.

Get access to that guide now and other great tools here.

Links I mentioned in this episode:

Sample Post

Write Lauren

Nonprofit Potential Instagram

Nonprofit Potential Facebook

If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/22

Ep 21: Your Questions Answered! Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

I love the quote, "The first step to receiving an answer is being brave enough to ask a question," because sometimes, it does take bravery to admit you don't have all the answers!

And you know what, that's OK!

No one has 100% of the answers 100% of the time.

Here's the good news. We all have different knowledge about different things. Life is like one big information-swap. But you can't start learning new things until you start asking questions… And that's what we're doing today… Answering your questions! A big thank you to everyone who wrote in with a question for today's episode.

Buckle up, we're covering a lot of ground in this episode – from how to share an Instagram post, to what's the difference between Facebook ads and boosting a post… and everywhere in between! Answersville, here we come!

Question: Any tips on making a good website?

Answer: Less is more. You need way less text than you think, especially on the home page – the first page people see when they go to your website.

If people are overwhelmed by the amount of information they see, especially right off the bat, they are less likely to stick around and read it. It's like trying to give someone a sip of water from a fire hose – it just doesn't work. Whittle your message down to just a few sentences – 3-5 sentences or less – and work with that.

Think of 2 or 3 nonprofits, or businesses that you LOVE. You love their style, you love how they present themselves. Go to their website and look at how much text they have, especially on their front page.

Example: I'm obsessed with Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper. Her Magnolia Market website has two sentences in the main part of the front page, plus the company's manifesto and a few links.

Example: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. One of the biggest nonprofits out there. It costs $2.3 million dollars a day to run the hospital -- they definitely know what they're doing in terms of marketing and fundraising. They have 4 sentences on the page.

You don't need a lot of words, you just need your words to mean a lot.

Challenge: Find 2 or 3 businesses or nonprofits that you want to emulate – you like their style and you want your website to resemble theirs. Use their styles as a guide, and work to get the most important details about your nonprofit into less than 5 sentences on your nonprofit's website front page.

If you have a big story or important details that might be important to your donors, you can absolutely include that stuff – just give it its own separate page where people can read it if they are interested.

Q: What are the websites with the free, good quality photos you always talk about?

A: Unsplash.com and Pexels.com

Q: What is the difference between a Facebook ad and boosting a post?

A: Facebook ads is a more advanced version of boosting a post. Basically, you have more options to choose from when it comes to where you ad appears – for example, if you boost a post, it will show up more in the News Feed. With Facebook ads, you can choose if it appears on the side of the News Feed, or in Messenger ads, Instagram Stories, things like that. With Facebook ads, you also have some different options in creating different audiences.

To create a Facebook ad, you will use Facebook Ads Manager (facebook.com/adsmanager). From there, if you're signed into Facebook on a computer, you'll see your nonprofit's ad account. If you manage more than one page, you might have to select the account for the page that you want to access from the dropdown bar in the middle of the menu at the top.

You can get a lot of the same things accomplished with your advertising by simply boosting a Facebook post. Boosting a post or an event on Facebook is INFINITELY simpler and more user friendly.

If you're a busy person and you want to get a lot of bang for your buck without putting a ton of time and effort in, boost a Facebook post and don't mess with Facebook ads.

You can re-boost old Facebook posts that have worked for you in the past. You can still target your audience demographic and location. There's lots of overlap between Facebook ads and boosting posts, so I recommend going with just boosting a post if you've got a lot on your plate.

Q: I can't figure out how to share or like Instagram posts from your podcast. Help!

A: To LIKE a post on Instagram, all you have to do is double tap the picture you want to like.

Sharing on Instagram, is possibly the most complicated thing about Instagram. There is not currently a button you can just push to share a post in your feed.

You CAN, however, share someone's post to your Instagram Story…We went over how to use Instagram Stories back in Episode 16, if you need a tutorial (link below).

All you have to do to share a post to your story is tap the little paper airplane and select "Add post to your story."

It will let you preview it before you actually post it, plus you can add writing, stickers and things like that. I encourage you to try it – again, it will just send you to a preview before it posts, so there's no harm in just seeing how it works!

It is possible to repost someone else's post to your feed, but you have to download a whole separate app for that. There are a number of apps out there like the Repost for Instagram app that you can use in addition to regular ol' Instagram…. But I'm here to tell you, reposting apps like that are a time wasting machine, really hard to use, and not fun at all.

So if you truly want to support someone on Instagram, the easiest way to do that is to like their post, leave them a comment – even if it's just an emoji - and share their post in your story.

Q: What is a podcast?

A: I get this question a lot… and if you're listening to THIS podcast right now, you're already ahead of the curve! There are a lot of people out there who A) don't know what a podcast is, or B) have heard of podcasts but they don't actually know how to access them.

A podcast is basically, like a radio show you can listen to any time. It's an audio file that lives out there on the internet and you can access it anytime you want on your phone or a computer or a tablet.

There are different apps you can use to access podcasts like Apple Podcasts – if you have an iPhone, you already have this app downloaded. Stitcher is another popular podcast app, iHeart, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Luminary are all the big ones… You can listen to Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential on all of those apps - links to listen below.

Podcasts are really interesting because there is a podcast for everybody… It's literally a library of topics, and hosts, and genres. Health and fitness, self-improvement, gardening, podcasts that will teach you a foreign language, comedy, fiction, nonfiction, news, sports, entertainment and so much more.

I drive all the time – as you might know, I live in a very rural little corner of the world in Wyoming, so I regularly do things like, drive half an hour to get the mail. Or drive 100 miles one way to go to the dentist. So if I want to just zone out and be entertained or feel productive and learn something while I've got some windshield time, I listen to a podcast.

Q: Who are your favorite nonprofits to follow on social media?

A: Holy Angels and the Humane Society of Central Oregon.

Holy Angels, is a nonprofit organization based in Louisiana that supports and empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It's an amazing organization and they also have a fabulous social media presence. It's easy to see why they have more than 14,000 followers – their posts are clear and easy to understand, they often give a call to action that tells their audience what to do next when looking at their post like call or text a number, or visit a website or use a hashtag.

They also have a good blend of inspirational posts with educational posts and they showcase how they can be a resource to the community. They take lots of photos of their events and activities and it really puts a face to their organization and what they do, and it's easy to scroll through and be inspired by their mission!

Another great example of a nonprofit organization that has a great social media presence is the Humane Society of Central Oregon. Not only are they one of the MOST consistently posting organizations I've ever seen, they do a mix of inspirational and informational posts, and they almost always use "THE FORMULA" which is a picture, a caption and a call to action.

These organizations have been around a long time, and have grown their following over a long time. Do you know how they grew their following? Posting consistently and always posting about their mission. They kept showing up. They put effort into their posts, they tell their audience what to do next – how to support them, how to get involved. And, everything they post ties in DIRECTLY to their mission.

If you're brand new, or just starting out, or maybe your organization isn't new, but your consistent presence on Facebook and Instagram is new, then I want you to focus on being consistent. Keep showing up. And if you are overwhelmed by it, remember – all you NEED is a picture, a 1-2 sentence caption to go with it, and a call to action. You can download my cheat sheet below.

A HUGE thanks to Karen for writing in with her sweet note of encouragement – it made my day!

I think everyone has days where they're on the brink of quitting whatever it is that they're doing. But here's the thing… We can't quit. Now more than ever, we can't quit. The world needs YOU to keep going, and keep helping people in your community. There is someone that needs you to encourage them, someone that needs you to help them, and someone that needs your nonprofit. So even if you feel like you're just exhausted and you have no momentum, I want you to look at ONE THING you have accomplished this week. One step you took forward, no matter how tiny. I want you to look at that thing, and celebrate it. I want you to jump out of your chair and clap your hands because YOU MOVED FORWARD. Celebrate that!!! Then, I want you to build on it.

I love that quote that says:

"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out."

So repeat that tiny little step you took forward! AND LOOK, there is your momentum.

Keep going! Keep going! Keep going!

If you have a question for me – be brave and ask! Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram or send me an email through NonprofitPotential.com and I'll answer it on the show!

Remember to check out NonprofitPotential.com and get access to the guide that breaks down into easy-to-understand steps how and what to do for REALLY GOOD Facebook and Instagram posts – and it's free and yours to keep forever.

Get access to that guide now and other great tools at Nonprofit Potential.com

Links I mentioned in this episode:

Cheat sheet on really good Facebook and Instagram posts

Facebook Ads vs. Boosted posts

Facebook Ads Manager

Instagram - Privacy settings for sharing stories

Unsplash.com

Pexels.com

Episode 16: Instagram 101

Holy Angels on Facebook

Humane Society of Central Oregon on Facebook

Podcast Apps (Use one to listen to Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential!):