If you haven’t already heard, Instagram recently took a page out of Snapchat’s book by adding Instagram stories. The main idea is that you can create a story of pictures and videos that will appear at the top of your feed. The great part is, everyone who follows you can see your story at the top of his or her feed as well. This is great for everyone, but especially nonprofits!
If you’re a nonprofit organization it can be hard to come up with new and exciting ways to share your story with others… but not anymore! Instagram has made it easy for your organization to not only share your story with everyone but share it in real time as well.
The Instagram stories will only last 24 hours making this feature critical for nonprofits. You might think it would be hard to come up with a new story every 24 hours, but think again. As a nonprofit organization you have an ongoing story to tell: your mission. You can utilize this time limit to create urgency during your end of year fundraising campaign. For instance, you could have a 24 hour donation countdown, or a countdown for Giving Tuesday.
There are endless ways to promote your mission through Instagram stories every day. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Capture the moment
If you see something interesting happening in the office or at a fundraising event, take a picture. Take a picture of a company meeting or group event and then you can add text. Text can be used to sum up the overall purpose of what you are doing as an organization at that exact moment and how it relates to the cause. People prefer to see candid moments of people and places as opposed to a scene that looks like it was put together.
2. Video with a purpose
If you use the video feature make sure to record something that will leave a lasting impression on someone. For example, take a short video of someone describing how your organization affects them. Or take a video of participants taking off at the start line of a 5K fundraiser. If your video is captivating, your audience will take the time to learn about your organization and get involved but if not, they will likely swipe to the next nonprofit story.
3. Make meaningful stories
Although things are happening everyday, ask yourself before you post something “is this the most compelling way to tell our nonprofit’s story.?” If you answered no then don’t post it. Don’t post something for no reason, post a picture or video to your story if it tells your audience who you are as an organization. When you want to add text, emojis, or filters to a post make sure you don’t over do it. Make everything appropriate and relevant to your mission.
“Instagram has always been a place to share the moments you want to remember. Now you can share your highlights and everything in between, too.”
If you want more information about Instagram stories check out this blog for all the details on how to make your nonprofit story shine.