In the digital age, a social media presence isn’t just optional for non-profits—it’s essential. Whether you're a small community organisation or a national charity, platforms like Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok offer invaluable opportunities to build awareness, mobilise supporters, and connect meaningfully with your community.

But with great reach comes great responsibility. The same tools that help you do good can also damage your reputation if used inappropriately. Interacting with your community on social media requires strategy, empathy, consistency, and a clear understanding of your mission and values. In this post, we’ll dive deep into what non-profits should and shouldn’t do when engaging on social media.

The Importance of Social Media for Non-Profits

Social media serves as a virtual town square for your supporters. It’s where stories are told, communities are built, and movements gain traction. For non-profits, the benefits include:

• Raising awareness for your cause
• Engaging donors and volunteers
• Building trust and transparency
• Responding to issues in real-time
• Amplifying your beneficiaries’ voices

However, social media is a conversation—not a broadcast channel. Engagement is a two-way street, and the way you interact with your audience determines how your organisation is perceived. Authenticity, respect, and responsiveness are your most powerful tools.

What To Do as a Non-Profit on Social Media

1. Be Clear About Your Voice and Values

Before posting anything, establish a consistent tone of voice and make sure it aligns with your brand. Are you warm and conversational? Professional but compassionate? Bold and action-oriented? Whatever your tone, it must reflect your mission.

Tips:

• Create a social media style guide for your team.
• Use inclusive language and accessible formatting.
• Don’t try to mimic trends that clash with your organisation’s ethos.

2. Engage With Your Community, Not Just Your Supporters

Don’t just talk to your donors or volunteers—talk to the whole community. This includes people who benefit from your work, potential allies, policymakers, and even critics.

Best practices:

• Ask questions and invite feedback.
• Celebrate community milestones.
• Highlight stories from service users and partners.

Example: If you’re a homelessness charity, share stories not only from staff and volunteers, but also from individuals who have been supported by your services—with their consent and involvement.

3. Respond Promptly and With Empathy

Timely, empathetic responses go a long way in building trust. Even if you can’t solve a problem right away, acknowledging someone’s message shows you care.

To do:

• Set up alerts for mentions and DMs.
• Have pre-approved response templates for FAQs or sensitive topics.
• Train your team in trauma-informed communication.

What it looks like:

"Thank you for reaching out—we’re really sorry to hear about your experience. We’ve passed this on to the appropriate team and will be in touch shortly."

4. Celebrate and Credit Others

Social media is not a competition. Celebrate the work of other organisations, partners, volunteers, or beneficiaries doing amazing things in your space. Collaboration shines brighter than competition.

Ideas:

• Share or retweet other non-profits’ content.
• Acknowledge funders and collaborators in your posts.
• Feature guest posts or takeover days from partners or community members.

5. Use Storytelling to Inspire Action

People connect with people. Use personal stories (with permission) to illustrate the impact of your work. Avoid jargon or overly institutional language.

Tips:

• Pair powerful stories with strong visuals.
• Include a clear call to action (e.g., donate, sign a petition, volunteer).
• Make sure the subject of the story has agency and dignity in the narrative.

6. Be Transparent During Crises or Mistakes

If something goes wrong, acknowledge it. Silence can often be more damaging than a carefully worded apology or explanation.

Steps:

• Issue a sincere statement.
• Share the steps you're taking to fix the issue.
• Invite feedback, and actually listen to it.

People are more forgiving of mistakes than they are of evasiveness.

What NOT To Do as a Non-Profit on Social Media

1. Don’t Use Trauma or Poverty as a Prop

One of the most damaging practices is “poverty porn” or exploitative storytelling. Avoid images or stories that strip dignity from those you aim to help, or that turn suffering into a spectacle for likes.

Avoid:

• Posting images of children or vulnerable people without consent.
• Using overly emotional language to manipulate.
• Telling stories that “other” people instead of humanising them.

Instead, tell stories of strength, agency, and impact—not just need.

2. Don’t Ignore Criticism or Tough Questions

Constructive criticism is a gift. Dismissing or deleting comments that challenge you (unless they’re abusive or off-topic) can make your organisation seem defensive or unaccountable.

What to do:

• Acknowledge the concern publicly when appropriate.
• Take sensitive conversations to DMs if needed.
• Use the feedback to inform your strategy or operations.

3. Don’t Jump on Every Trend

Just because something is trending doesn’t mean you should be part of it. Irrelevant hashtags, memes, or dances can dilute your message or make your organisation appear insincere.

Examples to avoid:

• Joining viral challenges that have no link to your cause.
• Using tragedy hashtags just to boost visibility.
• Using humour that doesn’t align with your values.

Stick to content that makes sense for your mission and audience.

4. Don’t Over-Automate Engagement

While tools like schedulers and bots are helpful, relying solely on automation makes your organisation seem robotic or impersonal. People want to talk to people.

Avoid:

• Auto-replies that don’t answer the actual question.
• Reposting the same content across platforms without adapting it.
• Leaving comments unanswered for days or weeks.

Strike a balance between planning and being present.

5. Don’t Post Without Accessibility in Mind

Excluding people with disabilities from your social content is not just a missed opportunity—it’s a barrier to inclusion.

Ensure:

• Use alt-text on images.
• Add captions to videos.
• Avoid low-contrast visuals or complex text overlays.
• Capitalise hashtags for screen readers (e.g., #SocialJustice).

Accessible content is better content—for everyone.

6. Don’t Make It All About Fundraising

Yes, you need donations. But if every post is a fundraising ask, people will tune out. Social media is about relationships, not just revenue.

Instead:

• Share impact stories.
• Educate your audience on the issue.
• Invite participation in ways other than giving money—like sharing content, volunteering, or attending events.

The stronger your community connection, the more likely people are to donate when you do ask.

Platform-Specific Considerations

Each platform has its own culture and expectations. What works on Instagram might not work on LinkedIn. Here’s a brief guide:

Facebook

• Great for community building and local events
• Use groups for deeper engagement
• Post 2–3 times per week with storytelling and news

Twitter (X)

• Best for real-time updates and advocacy
• Be concise and clear
• Monitor mentions regularly

Instagram

• Highly visual—use strong imagery and reels
• Ideal for behind-the-scenes content
• Make use of Stories and Highlights

LinkedIn

• Focus on professional tone and impact metrics
• Share staff perspectives, thought leadership
• Great for B2B and partnership development

TikTok

• Creative, fast-paced, and authentic
• Requires a more informal, engaging approach
• Powerful for reaching Gen Z with storytelling and action

Fostering an Inclusive Community Online

Inclusion isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a vital part of meaningful engagement. For non-profits, fostering an inclusive digital space means ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, identity, or experience, feels respected, heard, and welcomed in your online community.

This goes beyond just accessibility features (though those are crucial too). It’s about being mindful of tone, context, cultural differences, and lived experience—especially when dealing with sensitive issues such as race, gender identity, disability, poverty, or trauma.

It means:

• Inviting everyone to the table, especially those often excluded.
• Listening with humility, not just replying with prepared scripts.
• Responding with care, not just control.
• Owning your missteps, and showing your learning.

The goal isn’t to “manage” your community. It’s to walk alongside them—with your values showing in every post, every comment, and every interaction.

How to Build an Inclusive Community on Social Media

1. Set and Model Inclusive Norms

If your social media channels are a digital extension of your community space, then it’s your job to create the conditions for safety, respect, and equity.

• Create clear community guidelines and post them in your bio or as pinned content. These should outline what behaviour is acceptable, and what isn’t (e.g. racism, ableism, trolling).
• Moderate comments consistently and fairly. Don’t let abusive or discriminatory remarks stay up—even if they're directed at someone else.
• Model inclusive language. Use gender-neutral terms, avoid assumptions, and respect people’s identities.

Example: Instead of “he or she,” use “they.” Instead of “the disabled,” use “disabled people” (in the UK) or “people with disabilities” (depending on context and preferred language).

2. Lift Up Marginalised Voices

Inclusion also means making space for those whose voices are often overlooked. Use your platform to amplify the experiences, perspectives, and leadership of people with lived experience of the issues you work on.

• Run guest takeovers by community members.
• Share first-person narratives—always with permission and involvement.
• Tag and credit contributors from marginalised communities.

Example: A domestic abuse charity might share a survivor’s story (with their informed consent), and include a caption that highlights their resilience, links to resources, and avoids voyeurism.

3. Respond Inclusively in Real Situations

Here are a few examples of common community interactions, and how to respond inclusively:

Inclusivity isn’t about getting it perfect—it’s about staying open to feedback, learning, and demonstrating respect in every interaction.

Communication: Thinking Before You Respond

One of the most overlooked skills in online community management is the ability to pause, reflect, and respond thoughtfully—especially when confronted with anger, disagreement, or frustration.

In many cases, what looks like hostility is really hurt, fear, or deep frustration. People may be reacting to years of being ignored or mistreated. As a non-profit, especially one rooted in social justice or community work, it’s vital to meet that with empathy rather than defensiveness.

Tips for Responding Thoughtfully

1. Don’t Assume Intent

Try not to jump to conclusions about why someone is saying what they’re saying. Ask yourself:

• Could this person be speaking from lived experience?
• Are they highlighting something we’ve missed?
• Are they inviting us to reflect, even if it’s uncomfortable?

This doesn’t mean accepting abusive behaviour—but it does mean not dismissing critique simply because it’s delivered with emotion.

Example: If someone says, “You never feature people of colour in your posts,” don’t reply with “Yes we do—see last month’s post.” Instead, respond with curiosity and a willingness to listen:
“Thank you for raising this—we’re going to review our recent posts and reflect on how we can ensure better representation going forward.”

2. Pause Before You Post

In heated moments, take a breath before replying. What you say publicly can be screenshotted and shared—so make sure it reflects your values.

Ask yourself:

• Is this a human response?
• Does it invite connection, or close the door?
• Could this be misinterpreted?

Even if you’re under pressure to respond quickly, a kind and thoughtful delay is better than a defensive or flippant reaction.

3. Bring the Conversation Offline When Needed

Some issues are best resolved privately—especially if they involve sensitive information or a service complaint. You can still be transparent while protecting privacy.

Example:
“We’re sorry to hear this and would like to help—could you DM us or email [address] so we can look into it properly?”

This shows care without escalating tensions in a public thread.

Putting It All Together

Interacting with your community on social media isn’t about PR—it’s about relationship-building. It’s not always easy, and it certainly won’t be perfect. But if you lead with empathy, inclusivity, and a genuine desire to listen, you’ll build a space where people feel seen, safe, and inspired to join your mission.

Final Thoughts

Social media offers non-profits an unparalleled opportunity to engage, educate, and empower their communities. But it must be approached with intention. It’s not about going viral—it’s about building trust.

By showing up with empathy, clarity, and respect, your organisation can turn followers into supporters, and supporters into lifelong advocates.

Key Takeaways

✅ Be clear, consistent, and authentic in your messaging
✅ Engage in dialogue—not monologue
✅ Share stories that uplift, not exploit
✅ Respond to criticism with humility and transparency
✅ Use each platform intentionally and accessibly

In short: treat your community like humans, not metrics.

Now more than ever, your voice matters. Use it wisely.