Social media plays a big role in fundraising – both for charities and for supporters fundraising for causes they care about. From July 2013 to June 2014, Facebook posts about JustGiving were viewed 905 million times and this drove 47 million visits to the JustGiving website. If you want to improve your fundraising through social media, read on and download our free Friends with Money guide, which includes lots of charity casestudies.

Fundraising checklist for social media

1. Identification

The first stage in fundraising through social media is finding people who are already talking about your cause, searching for relevant groups or Pages and identifying key advocates within your network.

• Look for key interest indicators: pay attention to hashtags and social media activity to find key contacts. Reach out and build relationships with like-minded people.
• Tap into existing networks: connect with members of online communities where people share your values and support your mission.
• Start with a simple message: when you make contact with new potential supporters, start by letting people know about just one project or goal.

2. Cultivation

Once you’ve identified existing and potential supporters, how do you engage with them?

• Embrace friends of friends: pay attention when people respond to supporters’ posts about you – engage in conversation with them.
• Get to know your supporters: ask questions of your followers often and respond quickly when they start a conversation with you.
• Take people on a journey: post content regularly, sharing stories as they unfold. Be transparent about your activities and ambitions.

3. Solicitation

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• Be prepared to act quickly: listen out for trends on social media and jump in when you see a relevant opportunity.
• Make donating easy: making donating as frictionless as possible for donors will mean more conversions for you so invest in a straightforward online donation platform.
• Keep up the momentum: use social media to share achievements and create buzz around your ask – tell people exactly how they are helping and the impact of their donation.

4. Stewardship

Your social media content should give your supporters personal, public recognition and an insight into how they are helping you create change.

• Make it personal: use a familiar tone, share supporters’ names and backstories, and recognise donors as individuals.
• Share supporters’ stories: in the run up to events, encourage participants to share why they have taken on the challenge. Engage your whole community in thanking supporters’ efforts.
• Tie thank yous into future events: don’t just thank supporters or donors – let other people know exactly how they can also get involved.

Inspired to improve your fundraising through social media? Download the free Friends with Money guide, which includes a Fundraising Checklist.