Using social media as a non-profit is and effective way to connect with your audience, build awareness, and drive action. However, for small- to medium-sized non-profits, managing social media can feel like a daunting task. Limited budgets and time constraints often mean that hiring a professional social media manager or investing in high-end content creation is out of reach.

Yet engaging visuals are key to capturing attention and inspiring action on platforms that are increasingly saturated with content. The good news is that with thoughtful planning and a bit of creativity, even the smallest non-profits can use visuals effectively. Here's how to choose the right visuals for your social media accounts.

1. Understand Your Audience and Goals

Before you start selecting or creating visuals, take a step back to think about your audience and your objectives. Who are you trying to reach? Are they potential donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, or a mix of all three? What kind of action do you want them to take after engaging with your content?

For instance, if you’re targeting younger donors, dynamic and authentic visuals might resonate best. If your goal is to educate about an issue, clear infographics or compelling before-and-after photos could be more effective. Understanding your audience and goals will guide your visual choices and ensure that every image serves a purpose.

2. Prioritise Authenticity Over Perfection

Many small non-profits worry that their visuals need to look as polished as those from large organisations. But the reality is that authenticity often resonates more than perfection. Your followers are more likely to connect with real, relatable imagery than with overly staged or glossy visuals.

For example, photos taken during your events, candid moments of volunteers in action, or snapshots of your beneficiaries (with their consent) can tell a powerful story. These images might not be magazine-quality, but they show the human side of your work, building trust and connection with your audience.

3. Make the Most of Free or Low-Cost Tools

If you don’t have a professional photographer or designer on hand, there are plenty of resources that can help you create high-quality visuals on a budget. For instance:

• Canva: This free design tool offers a wide range of templates for social media posts, infographics, and more. It’s user-friendly, even for beginners.
• Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay: These platforms provide free, high-quality stock photos that can be used in your social media posts.
• Your Own Photo Gallery: You’ve no doubt already got hundreds of photos taken at volunteer events, fundraising drives, out in the field, or in the office. Why not go through and use them on social media? Modern smartphones can take incredible pictures, and even if the ones you have aren’t exactly perfect, the originality and authenticity of them alone will count for a lot.

By leveraging these tools, you can create engaging visuals without needing advanced skills or expensive equipment.

4. Use Your Branding as a Guide

Consistency in your visuals helps establish your organisation’s identity and makes your posts instantly recognisable. Even if your non-profit is small, it’s worth defining some basic branding guidelines, such as your logo, colours, and fonts.

When creating or selecting visuals, try to align them with these elements. For example, you can use Canva to add your organisation’s colours to infographics or overlay your logo on photos. This small step ensures that your visuals look cohesive and professional, even if you’re working with limited resources.

5. Focus on Storytelling

One of the most effective ways to use visuals is to tell a story. People are naturally drawn to narratives, and compelling visuals can make your story even more impactful.

For example:

• Share a photo series showing the journey of a beneficiary, highlighting how your organisation has made a difference.
• Post before-and-after pictures of a project you’ve completed, such as a community clean-up or a renovation.
• Use short video clips to share testimonials from people whose lives have been changed by your work.

These kinds of visuals are not only engaging but also provide concrete evidence of your impact, making your organisation more credible.

6. Keep Accessibility in Mind

Accessibility is often overlooked, but it’s an essential part of choosing and using visuals effectively. Ensure that your content can be enjoyed by all members of your audience, including those with disabilities.

• Use alt text to describe your images for followers who use screen readers.
• Ensure that text overlays on images are clear and have sufficient contrast.
• Avoid using colour alone to convey important information, as it may not be visible to those with colour blindness.

By prioritising accessibility, you make your content more inclusive and expand your reach.

7. Experiment with Video

Video content is increasingly favoured by social media algorithms and audiences alike. You don’t need fancy equipment or editing software to create effective videos; a smartphone and a simple editing app can do the trick.

Consider filming:

• A short clip of your team at work.
• A “thank you” message from your beneficiaries.
• A behind-the-scenes look at your projects or events.

Keep videos short (under 2 minutes) and engaging, with captions for viewers who watch without sound.

8. Engage Your Community

Your supporters can be a valuable source of visual content. Encourage volunteers, beneficiaries, or event attendees to share their photos or videos and tag your organisation. With permission, you can repost this content, showcasing your community's involvement while reducing the pressure on your team to create visuals.

User-generated content not only saves time but also helps build a sense of community around your cause.

9. Analyse and Adjust

Not all visuals will perform equally well, so it’s important to track what works and refine your approach over time. Most social media platforms offer analytics tools that can show you which posts are getting the most engagement.

Pay attention to patterns: Do your followers prefer photos or videos? Are infographics shared more often than other content? Use this data to guide your future choices, focusing on the types of visuals that resonate most with your audience.

Choosing the right visuals for your non-profit social media accounts doesn’t require a big budget or a dedicated team. By focusing on authenticity, leveraging free tools, and prioritising storytelling, you can create content that engages your audience and drives action. With a bit of planning and experimentation, your small non-profit can use social media to make a big impact.