#nonprofitsofinstagram: Does Your Nonprofit Need an Instagram Account?

April 2019 – Lauriane Lebrun, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

According to Augustus Franklin of CallHub, “Visual storytelling is powerful because it evokes emotions that help people connect with your nonprofit and motivate them to act.” Unlike other popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, Instagram is completely image-driven. This unique format can be a highly-effective fundraising and awareness-building tool for nonprofits. After all, nothing inspires people to action quite like strong feelings, and images can evoke strong feelings fast. In fact, the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than texts. Which is a compelling argument in favor of adding something visual to this article…

So, how do you know if Instagram is a good fit for your organization? It may be helpful to first consider how your target audience matches up with Instagram’s user demographics. Hootsuite reports that the majority of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 34, so it’s not a bad place to be if you’re looking to reach young adults. The same report reveals that, in the United States, more women than men use Instagram (although the gender demographics are pretty evenly-halved when viewed on a global scale).

Another point to take into account as you get started is what your organization hopes to achieve by using Instagram, and how that goal can be accomplished. Are you looking to raise awareness? Attract donors? Increase member engagement? Depending on your goals, you might try one or more of the strategies described in this blogpost from Wild Apricot. To summarize some of the major topics covered by the post:

Use hashtags to your advantage – that is, figure out what tags your target audience currently uses, and meet them where they’re browsing. If you don’t know where to start, Wild Apricot’s recommendation is to key “some relevant search items into Instagram’s search and see what pops up. You’ll quickly discover common trends in hashtag usage, which can help you decide which ones to use for your account.”
As an alternative to traditional photographs, use tools like ImageQuote to create your own word art with inspirational, informative, or even humorous quotations. The quotes can be from public figures, songs, movies, books, your organization’s supporters… anything that will catch the attention of your target audience.
Try posting some just-for-fun content or behind-the-scenes photos every now and then.
Spread awareness by way of user generated content (UGC). To do so, challenge your followers to post pictures captioned with your own unique hashtag. For example, if your organization’s mission has to do with environmental conservation, you might ask followers to post pictures of what small steps they took today to help the planet. In exchange for their participation, you could offer to feature the best photos on your organization’s social media accounts or award a prize item to one winner. The UGC tactic is great because it expands your reach to the followers of your followers. Plus, it increases engagement by giving your audience a chance to interact with your organization in a fun way.

Ready to get your new Instagram up and running? Check out this guide on How to Set Up an Instagram Account for Your Business (or Nonprofit)!