Have you considered using social media to engage volunteers?
Do you get overwhelmed at times by the amount of content and social channels available on the internet? It is easy to journey down any number of rabbit holes with all the information at our finger tips. Since there is a great deal of material, it can be challenging to decide what truly stands out to your clients, team, and volunteers.
Engaging your team of volunteers can be simple if you think in terms of what might attract their attention. Consider the following three ideas to improve the engagement of your volunteers as well as improve their retention.
Visual Appeal
What is it that immediately catches your eye? Is it a bright color or a pretty picture? While perusing the internet, we often click on things that grab our attention. There are many ways to visually appeal to your audience:
- Pictures
- Graphics
- Logos
- Comics
- Cartoons
The more creative the visual, it is likely the individual will want to learn more about what you are promoting. The graphic does not have to be extravagant, it can be simple.
Hashtags
What is a hashtag? It is a tag that connects users to messages with certain themes. This means you can connect your message with any searched hashtag on social media. It can be extremely beneficial to link your ideas with powerful messages. Linking ideas and content can help spread your message fast to a very broad audience.
As an example, if you use this hashtag: #philanthropy, users will be directed to you because it is a general term to find what they are looking for. They might not be looking for your organization, but there it is right in front of them. You are drawing attention to your organization and the message you want to convey.
Be Authentic
Be you. Be unique.
Setting your organization apart from other organizations can intrigue potential volunteers. They want to feel something when they read your content, they want it to add value to their lives.
Being real and true to your brand is the only way to show authenticity. Many organizations try to put on a show for the user. They think this will encourage engagement. Being unique and demonstrating your brand and your individuality in the non-profit arena will produce positive results when appealing to volunteers.
As your organization revamps its social media plan, remember to think in terms of your audience. What would engage them and encourage them to interact with your organization? Make social media fun and think outside the box. Trying different strategies can only benefit your organization.
