Social Media Guide

Social Media Guide

Share Your Story

Social media is a powerful tool for fundraising. We recommend including a personal appeal on your social media networks. We love seeing event coverage on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, but when it comes to fundraising success, Facebook is the top social channel.

Tips for social media

Share updates about your progress and any other stories that are relevant to your fundraising campaign. People love hearing about your progress.
Make your content catchy, snappy, and interesting to help capture people’s attention.
Use social media for timely shout-outs to your donors thanking them for supporting you (tag them so they and their friends see it). This technique often inspires others to give after they see a recognizable name or want their own shout-out.
People love hearing about a large gift that moved your campaign forward or a contribution that came in from a surprise donor. Maybe an old high school friend was touched by your appeal, or a group of kids raised money on your behalf. Share these stories.
Use images to grab attention. Handwrite your appeal on a piece of cardboard and take a "selfie" or include an image that best represents your event to you. Short video appeals work too.
Make sure you always include the link to your fundraising page in your social media posts. Make it as easy as possible for someone to donate to you.

Example 1:
"Today, I want to raise $250 for Covenant House Vancouver. Why $250? Because it will enable one vulnerable youth to come in from the streets and stay for a night in the Crisis Program, with access to healthy food, mental health counseling, clean clothes, and a safe and warm bed. Please make a donation to help me reach my goal [include link to your personal webpage]."

Example 2:
The youth who come to Covenant House looking for help have nowhere else to turn.

70% have witnessed family violence.
50% of our youth present with an addiction problem.
43% have been in foster care.
39% of our youth present with a mental illness.
30% have been involved in the sex trade.

Think about ways to tie these stats to your fundraising. For example, in one appeal, consider requesting donations of $70 - in recognition of the 70% of homeless kids who flee violence at home. In a follow-up appeal, request donations of $50 - so that no young person at Covenant House has to face their addiction alone.

Facebook

Share specific information to help supporters understand their impact

People respond better to specific requests and they feel more connected when they know what they are helping to fund. Offer amounts and what they represent, but make sure your supporters know that gifts of all sizes are valued.

Here are some ways your donation can help the youth at Covenant House:

$10: Provides a youth with three nutritious meals for one day
$50: Provides drop-in access for one homeless youth to all services in the Drop-In Centre
$70: Provides three nutritious meals for one youth in the Shelter Program every day for one week
$100: Allows Outreach Workers to connect with one youth on the street and introduce them to Covenant House programs and services
$250: Offers one youth 24-hour Crisis Care in the Shelter Program for one day
$500: Provides drop-in access for 10 homeless youth to all services in the Drop-In Centre
$1,000: Allows Outreach Workers to connect with 10 youth on the street

Use photos to tell stories
Photos are powerful storytelling tools. Think about the kinds of photos you already take, and figure out how to use them for posts about your event.

Do you love food, and snap photos of your dinner? Share a photo that your foodie friends will enjoy and post that $10 can provide a youth with three nutritious meals for one day
Are you interested in clothes and style trends? Share that the most-requested item of clothing at Covenant House is new socks.
Do you share photos of your neighbourhood and where you live? Ask your friends to imagine not having a safe and warm place to live, and the thought of carrying all of their possessions with them as they search for somewhere to sleep at night.
Covenant House Vancouver shares many stories on our social media channels. Feel free to share our posts with a few thoughts of your own. Example If you share a youth story we have posted you can say “this story shows the great work Covenant House is doing and why I am supporting them through my event”.

Share personal stories
Personal stories can be effective and inspiring. Do you have a specific reason for wanting to help homeless youth? If so, share your story in a status update, or shoot a quick video of you telling the story, and then post it to your feed. Help your audience connect with the reason why you are holding your event.

Say thank you to a donor (who is also on Facebook)
Post a quick thank you note on a donor’s Facebook wall and add an image to get extra attention.

LinkedIn offers you the opportunity to send InMail messages to your contacts, which can be an effective way to reach people in your business network. We also suggest publishing a post with a catchy title.

Example:

"[Insert a personalized title]

For homeless young people, there is Covenant House. Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has been available to meet the immediate needs of homeless youth, with a hot meal and a safe bed and to help them further their education, get a job, find permanent housing, and develop the skills they need to live a healthy, independent life. In essence, Covenant House helps these kids step into a brighter future.

By creating an event in support of Covenant House, I am doing my small part to make sure the doors stay open for all who need them. Please help me help youth by making a donation in support of my efforts.

[include link to your personal webpage]."

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