{"id":10676,"date":"2018-05-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=10676"},"modified":"2024-05-09T16:50:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T16:50:57","slug":"instagram-for-nonprofits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/instagram-for-nonprofits\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Instagram Right For Your Nonprofit?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To say that Instagram is a popular<a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/connect-donors-social-media\/\"> form of social media<\/a> would be an understatement. In fact, as of mid-2017,<a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.tumblr.com\/post\/165759350412\/170926-news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"> Instagram reported<\/a> an astounding 800 million users and 500 million daily users. That\u2019s huge!<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, this image-focused social media platform, which is owned by Facebook, is poised to continue growing. Along with this growth comes the opportunity for businesses and nonprofit organizations to create a presence along with the rest of users and organically reach both current and prospective supporters.<\/p>\n<p>So, has your nonprofit jumped on the Instagram bandwagon yet? Let\u2019s break down the ins and outs of Instagram for your nonprofit.<\/p>\n<h2>The 411 on Instagram<\/h2>\n<p>This social media platform is based on a simple social sharing premise. Users upload pictures and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/nonprofit-video-storytelling-instagram\/\"> short videos<\/a> and share them either publicly or privately (depending on preference) as a permanent standalone post or disappearing \u201cInstagram Story.\u201d Instagram also allows users to tag others in photos and utilize hashtags to increase shareability and connections with others.<\/p>\n<p>The 800 million-plus Instagram users are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Predominantly female<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.tumblr.com\/post\/146255204757\/160621-news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Reside <\/a>in the United States and abroad<\/li>\n<li>Over 50% under 30 years old<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the realm of social media, Instagram stands out against the likes of Facebook and Twitter because it\u2019s visually-focused. Through one image, video, or story, anyone can share their own story, whether that be the meal they\u2019re enjoying, the party they\u2019re attending, or the cause they\u2019re supporting.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10677\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10677\" style=\"width: 596px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10677\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/IMG-3521-596x1024.jpg\" alt=\"instagram\" width=\"596\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10677\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This picture tells a thousand words (and half of those words are synonyms of \u201cmouth-watering\u201d)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Is Instagram Right For Your Nonprofit?<\/h2>\n<p>You may be wondering: <em>What does all this mean for my nonprofit? <\/em>And the good news is that there\u2019s a good chance Instagram can help increase your online presence and expand your organic reach.<\/p>\n<p>Instagram may be right for you if you answer \u201cyes\u201d to any of these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you want to gain visibility among younger donors?<\/li>\n<li>Are you looking for ways to increase your relevancy?<\/li>\n<li>Do you strive to find alternative methods to share your nonprofit story?<\/li>\n<li>Are you utilizing<a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/fundraising-best-practices\/community-driven-fundraising-playbook\/\"> community-driven fundraising<\/a> techniques, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/peer-to-peer-fundraising-software\/\">peer-to-peer fundraising<\/a> and social sharing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you determine you\u2019re ready to hop onboard the Instagram train, there are two big things to consider before incorporating your new account into your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/audit-nonprofits-social-media-strategy-2016\/\">communications plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Time:<\/strong> Instagram is a very active social media platform that requires regular posts to keep viewers engaged. This requires a definite time commitment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Content<\/strong>: Each Instagram visual should feature a picture\/video that represents your nonprofit. Consider whether you have enough opportunities for content before you sign on.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Instagram Advantages<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When push comes to shove, Instagram is a smart social media platform to use. Here are a few of the major benefits your nonprofit may experience using Instagram.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>It Illustrates Your Work<\/strong>: Nonprofits can use Instagram to put a face behind their organization. This platform allows your followers to see the inner-happenings of your nonprofit in a visual way. In fact, it\u2019s a great (and likely welcome) change from the traditional graphs, infographics, and lengthy content featured in normal marketing materials such as your blog.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You Keep Followers Updated<\/strong>:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/5-social-media-target-audience\/\"> New content<\/a> can (and should) be frequently added on Instagram. Many experts suggest uploading at least one picture per day. Each picture has the ability to further engage followers in your work and ensure that you remain relevant and top-of-mind daily.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It Evokes Emotion: <\/strong>What better way is there to tell your nonprofit\u2019s story than through a picture or video?<a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/nonprofit-storytelling-crowdfunding\/\"> Nonprofit storytelling<\/a> is essential, and a well-timed and aesthetically pleasing visual can do wonders in evoking emotion from your online audience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You Can Post In Real-Time <\/strong>\u00a0In the past, nonprofits relied on newsletters and annual reports to share news and recap events. Today, nonprofits can upload pictures directly to social media like Instagram in real-time. There\u2019s no better way for your followers to feel connected to your cause.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increased Visibility<\/strong>: Instagram allows posters to use both tags and hashtags, which naturally increase your public visibility. Tags connect people with your posts while hashtags detail the message behind your post.<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hootsuite.com\/instagram-statistics-for-business\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Stats prove just how important it is to use those tags and hashtags<\/a>. Researchers found that tagging another user\/business\/nonprofit (using @ symbol) increases engagement by 56%. Likewise, posts with a hashtag (# ) generally experience a 12.6% spike in engagement. For example, Project AWARE used the following Instagram post to connect with other users searching for topics like #conservation, #scuba, and #ProtectOurOceans.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10679\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Project-Aware-1.jpg\" alt=\"Instagram\" width=\"632\" height=\"419\" \/>Here\u2019s a great way to incorporate tags and hashtags courtesy of The Justice Movement.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10678\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Justice-Movement.jpg\" alt=\"instagram\" width=\"635\" height=\"312\" \/><\/li>\n<li><strong>Engagement <\/strong>&#8211; Instagram naturally engages your audience because they have the opportunity to like, share, and comment. And, because<a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/donor-retention-statistics\/\"> engagement leads to retention,<\/a> this is another way to keep your donors, in particular, interested in your work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Instagram continues to grow, and if you are looking for a great way to reach a new audience, it\u2019s definitely worth giving it a try.<\/p>\n<p>Head to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"> Instagram<\/a> to sign up and get started. You\u2019ll need a mobile device to upload your media, but you can engage with other users on a PC\/Mac at your convenience.<\/p>\n<p>Happy posting! @Causevox #InstagramForNonprofits #ReachNewDonors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To say that Instagram is a popular form of social media would be an understatement. In fact, as of mid-2017, Instagram reported an astounding 800 million users and 500 million daily users. That\u2019s huge! Thankfully, this image-focused social media platform, which is owned by Facebook, is poised to continue growing. Along with this growth comes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":51306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/instagram-nonprofit-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/instagram-nonprofit-600x492.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Candace Cody","author_link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/author\/candace\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}