Social Media is a powerful tool that can help you reach and engage with different audiences. It can also attract more support and help your project to thrive.

Here’s some ways you can use social media to put your project on top.

It can help you raise awareness of your project and its mission

First things first, people need to know who you are and what you’re doing. Social media platforms like Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram are perfect for sharing your story.

Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you be present on every platform. Choose the one’s where your audience is. Each channel requires time and resource, so you don’t want to take on too much and feel overwhelmed.

Try to regularly post updates about your project. Include posts like behind-the-scene looks, success stories, and testimonials.

Videos, infographics and blog posts can be used to highlight your mission and the postive changes you’re making in the community.

Remember, storytelling is key. Make your audience feel connected to your cause and care about your success.

Raise awareness of your fundraising campaigns

Social media can also be a powerful fundraising tool.

Here’s a few ways you could encourage people to donate:

• You can use Facebook and Instagram’s built-in fundraising features to make donating easy for supporters.
• Promote your fundraising campaigns with posts, stories or evecn live streams.
• Link your Just Giving page or fundraising page to powerful posts with a call to action.
• If you’re finding the algorithm isn’t working in your favour and your posts aren’t reaching a lot of people, try posting your fundraising link in the comments section of your post instead.
• Share good news stories and images showing how donations will be used.
• Publicly say thanks to everyone who donates.

Connect with your community to increase participation

To make your project successful, you need to find people who can benefit from your services.

Social media can help you raise awareness of your services.

Join local Facebook groups and community forums where your target audience might be active.

Share easy-to-understand content that explains how your project can help them and invite them to join your group or activities.  

Ask your current members to share their experiences on social media, tagging your project to reach more people.  

You could also advertise open days on social media or through local press to encourage new people to come along. 

Find volunteers

Volunteers are the backbone of many community projects, and social media is a great way to recruit them.

Highlight the rewarding experiences of current volunteers through posts and videos.

Create volunteer spotlights to show appreciation and inspire others to get involved. Use LinkedIn to post volunteer opportunities and connect with professionals looking to give back.

If you have a link on your website where volunteers can sign up or register their interest, make sure to include this in your posts.

Advertise jobs

If your project is growing and you need to hire staff, social media can help you find the right people for the job. Post job opportunities on your social media channels and relevant groups.

You could also reach out to like-minded organisations that your target audience are likely to follow and ask them to share your job post. This will help you reach more people that might not follow you on social media.

People always want to know more about what it’s like to work at your organisation. You could post some “day in the life of” content or interviews with your current employees. This works particularly well on LinkedIn.

Connect with other charities and stakeholders to build a network

Finally, use social media to connect with other charities, local businesses, and stakeholders who share your vision.

Follow and engage with them, share their content, and join the conversations that matter to your project.

LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Instagram can be excellent platforms for networking and building strategic partnerships. Instagram and Facebook allow you to collaborate on posts, meaning the content will be shared with both your followers and the other page you have collaborated with.

You could also consider hosting joint online events, or campaigns to pool resources and bring more awareness to your project.

Building a strong network is also a great way to share and learn from projects doing similar work.

Let us help you

We’re keen to amplify the stories you share about your National Lottery funding. Remember to tag us in your posts at:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• X