Engage with Other Organizations to Boost Your Nonprofit's Social Media

Facebook continues to lower post reach as they encourage pages to pay for reach. While corporations moan and groan over that, it's often nonprofits that feel the pinch the most. There is no budget to pay for post reach, and without it, how to you continue to spread the word beyond a handful of established followers?

One trick is to engage with other organizations and their followers online. Have your page Like pages of other nonprofits in your area and in your field. Local businesses are also good to follow on Facebook.

You can see your page's newsfeed by clicking Home next to your page's name in the upper right corner of your page's Facebook profile. Scroll through, and look for posts that:

1. Would be of interest to your followers. Share these posts with a note that adds value and be sure to tag the original poster.

2. Are relevant to what you do. Comment on these posts as your page- but be sure to leave a comment that is relevant and useful to the existing discussion.

Engage with relevant, fun posts.

3. Offer an opportunity to humanize your organization. Sometimes you can find opportunities to
leave comments and engage in the discussion on a more personal level, even as your page. For example, if you work for an animal welfare organization, your page might leave a comment on another animal welfare organization's post that asks for photos of pets. Snap a pic of your own pet, and share it, maybe with a comment like "Georgia dog loves to help around the office! - Nicole". One important note- if you leave a more personal comment, sign your comment with your first name or initials. It shows the humanity behind the organization.

Getting your page to be an active participant on Facebook provides more value to followers and your organization alike. After all, you wouldn't just show up and say things in your personal status but never comment or Like your friends' posts. Why should an organization's page be any different?