Engage supporters and drive fundraising results with Instagram.
Instagram is where people keep up with the things they love, and they can act on their passions. Learn how to tap into Instagram as a key tool in your organization’s fundraising marketing mix.
Tell your organization’s story.
Try different formats like posts, Stories, and Reels to express your organization’s story and bolster your fundraising efforts. Each allows for a different style of communication and may help you reach different segments of your audience where they’re at.
- Establish your presence on Instagram through consistent posting of eye-catching images, videos and carousels which can now include up to 20 photo and video cards to go even deeper on a topic.
- You can add a fundraiser directly from your post to generate awareness of your campaign with your followers.
- Stories are fun, casual and last 24 hours. They’re perfect for quick, authentic storytelling and campaign updates to keep your audience connected.
- Post Stories as Highlights to save them beyond 24 hours and create series for your followers to return to. For instance, you might create a series showing the impact generated by fundraising efforts.
- Reels are short videos that you can create on Facebook and Instagram to express your organization’s mission.
- Use this format to entertain and engage your audience, helping to bring your fundraiser to life through compelling storytelling that illustrates your cause and the impact donations can have.
- Going live on Instagram allows you to bring your supporters along with you behind the scenes in an authentic and real time manner. Broadcast with a fundraising appeal, to share volunteer work or to host Q&As with people in your community who can share their stories of your organization’s impact and take questions live.
- You can go Live off the cuff or schedule a live in advance so you can promote to your audience and set reminders.
- Learn more about fundraising on Instagram Live here.
Employ creative best practices.
The most compelling story will only be as impactful as the creative you use to tell it. Create content that will entertain, engage, and speak to the passions of your audience by leveraging creative best practices.
- Include a clear Call to Action to your followers to engage, whether it’s to save a post, respond to a Poll, donate now or start their own fundraiser. Ensure your call to action carries through in multi-asset Stories and videos so that supporters can find their way to your fundraising destination no matter where they enter.
- Create a hook in the first 2 seconds of your post or video, whether through your caption, a captivating image, or opening line so that your fundraising message is not lost.
- Create your assets to fit the format to help drive higher performance and increased fundraising outcomes:
- Reels - Create video in vertical, with sound on, adhering to safe zones. Make it short, relatable and entertaining! Learn more about Reels best practices.
- Stories - People tend to consume Stories much faster than other mediums. Make your first frame stand out and tell your story with speed. Use native Stories stickers strategically to call supporters to action like with the donation sticker. Learn more about Stories best practices.
Reach new followers who care about your cause.
Engage your followers to help share your fundraising goals with their own communities. Share content that they will want to share - content that’s relatable, speaks to their passions, and reaches them on an emotional level. Try adding links in your stories, reels and Instagram bio to make it easy for new supporters to follow your organization and donate.
Tap into cultural trends or try partnering with a creator. Identify the areas and creators that authentically intersect with your organization’s brand and values to create relevance for your existing audience and share your story with new supporters.
Advertising on Instagram - take the next step in amplifying your organization’s story and fundraising goals with advertising. Learn how ads work and then dive into Meta’s best practices with Performance 5.
Learn from the insights.
Visit the insights section of your Instagram profile to understand what content is performing through metrics like views and engagement. Consider those learnings when mapping out your next few weeks of content. Do more of what worked well and test new formats and story concepts to see what’s sticky.
What works for your organization may shift over time based on changing consumer behaviors, cultural trends and current events so keep an eye on the insights to continue optimizing your strategy.
