Facebook Marketing For Charities, Non-Profits & Governments

Charles Doyle | February 10, 2015

Though the majority of our social media management contracts at Yabsta are those of traditional businesses, we also represent a number of charities, nonprofits and Government entities on a Facebook basis. Understandably, the management style of representing an organization whose first priority isn’t necessarily profiteering requires an alternative approach with clear, concise messaging that extolls the nobility of said cause. Using three client examples, we’ll now explain how we go about doing this:

Bermuda Heart Foundation (Charity)

The Bermuda Heart Foundation (BHF) is a high profile charity tasked with spreading heart health awareness across Bermuda. Given that the island has an alarmingly high rate of heart disease and diabetes, the management style of their Facebook page requires a mix of blunt, succinct medical facts, positive messaging and information regarding upcoming events/initiatives etc. Since they’re not pushing a specific “product” and aim only to promote cardiovascular health, we’re afforded a level of creative license in coming up with post ideas. Often, we’ll use Google News to find the latest news articles pertaining to heart health, read them to assure relevance, then thematically link the contents of the article to the work that the Bermuda Heart Foundation is doing. Of course, given the seriousness of Bermuda’s heart disease problem, it’s important to strike a balance somewhere between sobering and upbeat, transcending the sentiment that “even though its a big problem, we can and will work through it”.

S.C.A.R.S. (Nonprofit)

Saving Children And Revealing Secrets (S.C.A.R.S.) is a non-profit organization dedicated to combating child sexual abuse in Bermuda by educating the public on how to recognize it and respond potential warning signs. Given the extremely sensitive nature of their area of focus, our strategy for managing their Facebook page involves a mix of inspirational messaging, promotions of their various educational initiatives and an overall sentiment of “hope”. Since the content we promote can sometimes be unsettling for an average Facebook user (ie. sexual abuse statistics), it’s important to caption each potentially “controversial” post with a message that acknowledges it’s sensitive nature, but supports its sentiment regardless.

Department For National Drug Control (Government Branch)

The Department For National Drug Control is a branch of the Bermuda Government that falls under the Ministry Of National Security. Running their Facebook Page requires specific adhesion to their desired messaging, which involves educating the public on the dangers of various illegal substances. Since we’re speaking under the voice of the Department itself and are essentially acting as a Government representative, we have to follow their guidelines very closely and ensure that the posts mirror the Government’s official positions. For this page in particular, we’ll scrutinize the content we find even more so than usual to ensure that we’re following the client’s plan.

Category: Branding, Copywriting, Social Management