As a Chicago Nonprofit PR Agency, we help Nonprofit organizations utilize PR & Marketing to increase exposure. Most small to mid-sized charities do not have large budgets. So how can they promote themselves cost effectively throughout the year? Social media is a huge part, as an essentially free platform where you have the opportunity to attract an audience of millions. Below we’ll talk about easy, effective and relatively low budget or no budget ways to raise awareness and use social media networks to your advantage.

Tug at those heart strings and convince donors to contribute to your cause. The best way to spread awareness is by sharing personal stories of the people helped by a charitable organization and how they benefited from that help.

Establish yourself as an authority in your industry and share facts, data and other news to keep everyone informed and updated regarding your cause. Show how your mission has been affected by this information and what you can do to change it.

The power of video is huge, so take advantage. But keep it short and concise. People have short attention spans and “skim” everything, so keep it brief and include text to support the audio. Storytell, share facts and use influencers to gain attention.

Remember to tie-into whatever is “in the moment” – holidays, trends, hot news – whatever it is, make your focus about that to grab attention.

It’s more important to stick to a posting schedule and have well thought out posts. Pick a few crucial platforms to post to consistently, but not necessarily frequently.

Tap into the influencer market and find people that have a tie to your organization. If they are passionate about your cause, a lot of people will want to help pro-bono or offer a lower fee. Experts recommend partnering with people with robust engagement with followers and an interest in your cause, rather than simply seeking influencers with large followings.

Facebook allows some nonprofits to place a “Donate Now” button on their page. The button can be added the same way as other call-to-action options. The page’s category must be set to “Non-Profit Organization” only – with no other categories selected.

Founded in 2005, Bettie Bomb is a Boutique Chicago Nonprofit PR Agency offering a suite of services from trusted industry partners under one creative umbrella. Nonprofit PR, Marketing, Social Media and beyond…we work as an extension of your team, creating personalized campaigns, building awareness and telling your story when it matters most.

We pride ourselves on being one of the Best Nonprofit PR Firms in Chicago specializing in all things lifestyle: food, fashion, hospitality, retail, health & wellness, medical, consumer and philanthropy. Partners Rebecca Kussmann & Laura Collins work closely with businesses & organizations to target key audiences and generate exposure all under the Bettie Bomb umbrella. Work one-on-one or have us build a team. We can be BIG and we can be small…that’s the beauty of it. Small, but mighty with the ability to grow. That’s us in a nutshell.