Giving Day Social Media Guide

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Giving Day Social Media Guide Fairfield County’s Giving Day is an opportunity for you to be part of an exciting movement that increases your nonprofit’s visibility and connects donors with your mission. We encourage you to engage your social networks in the months leading up to the big day on March 9, 2017, as well as post-event.

The Importance of Social Media Why is there an emphasis on using social media for your Giving Day campaign? Because social media is immediate, fosters engagement, and lets you amplify your messages. On a day like Fairfield County's Giving Day, social media will help you: • Share updates quickly. • Create a sense of urgency and excitement. • Amplify your campaign to people inside and outside of your traditional networks. • Increase awareness about your work and engage new supporters at little or no cost. • Use Facebook, Twitter and other platforms to engage donors with timely information and updates on your programs and events.

Follow the Community Foundation’s social media accounts to stay updated and easily share content on your sites  Facebook – facebook.com/fccfoundation  Twitter – twitter.com/fccfoundation  YouTube – youtube.com/fccfoundation Use #FairfieldCountyGives so that we can like and follow your posts!

The official website for Fairfield County’s Giving Day is FCGives.org.

Engaging Your Audience Social media followers respond to images: Twitter posts with images get two times the engagement and Facebook posts with images have an 87% interaction rate. So try to include photos, graphics, and illustrations. But, keep in mind, not all images get the same rate of attention. Be sure to post images that are relevant to your audience. And, “images” doesn’t necessarily mean “photos.” These images can be calls to action to donate, an infographic highlighting the impact of your work, or be part of your storytelling campaign. Free tools like Canva or PicMonkey are great for creating your own images. Just be sure to use consistent branding throughout your images so it’s obvious that these visuals are supporting your same message and campaign for Giving Day.

Remember- social media is about engaging with your audience – so be conversational, creative, and have fun!

What can you share and post before, during, and after Fairfield County’s Giving Day? • How easy it is to donate on FCGives.org, the online giving website for Fairfield County’s Giving Day. • The link to your profile and donation page on FCGives. • Why your organization needs support. • Ask your followers to post or tweet why they support you. • Engaging content about your programs and how you change lives. • Your success stories. • Like, share, retweet and pin Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s Giving Day posts. • Countdown to Fairfield County’s Giving Day. • Your results on Fairfield County’s Giving Day and how you will use the donations. • The importance of recurring donations, which can be started on Fairfield County’s Giving Day. • Thank your donors and let them know why their donation mattered.

Facebook Need to create a Facebook account? Sign up at facebook.com. Be sure to create a business page instead of a personal account. Facebook has no word limit – but shorter is better. Posts with images help make a bigger impression in the newsfeed which means more people will see your content!

Sample Posts: We have included sample posts for use in your campaigns. Feel free to use all of these postsbut remember- you can change up the posts to match your brand voice.

Leading Up To March 9th  Exciting news! We’ll be participating in Fairfield County’s Giving Day on March 9 and YOU can help! Mark your calendars and stay tuned for updates! #FairfieldCountyGives  Fairfield County’s Giving Day: 24 hours to give where you live. Like Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (link to Foundation’s Facebook page-FCCFoundation) to get the scoop!  Help us raise $[x] on March 9. Whether you give $10 or $100, every donation counts! #FairfieldCountyGives  Last year, (insert org) raised #XX during Fairfield County’s Giving Day. Let’s double it on March 9!  Next week is Fairfield County’s Giving Day! For 24 hours on March 9th, gifts $10 and above to (insert nonprofit name) on FCGives.org will go further.  Like this post if you plan to participate in #FairfieldCountyGives next Thursday!  Don’t forget – Fairfield County’s Giving Day is in just XX days! [NPO Name] will be competing to win cash prizes to support our mission – mark your calendars for March 9, and LIKE and SHARE this post if you want to help us improve our community.

On March 9th  TODAY ONLY! All you need is 2 minutes and $10. Visit FCGives.org, search for (insert nonprofit name) and click “Donate Now.” #FairfieldCountyGives  Today is the day! Fairfield County’s Giving Day is here and we’re competing for our share of additional prize money. Search for us by our name on FCGives.org. The top 2 nonprofits receiving the most donations win BIG prizes, so please, LIKE and SHARE to help us win big!  What a day! We’re currently Xth in Fairfield County’s Giving Day with XXX donations and $XX,XXX raised! We’re in the running to win $XX,XXX if we get XX more donations! Go to FCGives.org and help us win! [Link to Giving Day Donation Page]  Can’t sleep? Neither can we! Giving Day is up and running! Visit (insert donation page) and click “Donate Now”. Every $10 and above can multiply into additional prizes – just like those sheep you’ll be counting soon!  Rise and Shine! Fairfield County’s Giving Day is here. Every donation helps us get closer to an additional prize!! [Link to Donation Page on FCGives.org] #FairfieldCountyGives  You’ve been working hard! Take a break, grab a coffee and donate to [insert nonprofit name] on FCGives.org. #FairfieldCountyGives  (4pm-5pm): It’s quitting time! Getting that #FairfieldCountyGives donation to [insert nonprofit name] before midnight - we could win some serious cash! [Link to Donation Page on FCGives.org]  For all you night owls, there’s still time to help us win the FINAL cash prize. Give once or give ten times – it all helps! [Link to Donation Page on FCGives.org]

After March 9th  You Gave. We Thank You! You helped us raise $XX! (inform your donors what you plan to do with their donations). #FairfieldCountyGives  Thanks again to all of our amazing donors, volunteers and staff for an AMAZING Fairfield County’s Giving Day last week. We raised $XX in just 24 hours!

Twitter Need to create a Twitter account? Sign up here. Remember that Twitter only allows for 140 characters -- use your words wisely and don’t forget to include the hashtag #FairfieldCountyGives. You can use a link-shortening site like bitly or tinyURL. You should also use images and video when you can – these get your audience’s attention!

Sample Posts: Before March 9th  23 Communities. 1 County. 1 Day of Giving. Together, we can make our goal of $XXX! #FairfieldCountyGives  24 Hours. 1 Day to Give. Let’s raise $1 million! #FairfieldCountyGives  This just in! (Insert name of organization) is officially registered for #FairfieldCountyGives on March 9!  We are thrilled to participate in #FairfieldCountyGives on March 9: 24 hours to give where you live! FCGives.org Retweet to spread the word!  Ready to help us fundraise & be part of something bigger? Mark your calendars for 3/9! #FairfieldCountyGives FCGives.org  “Be the change you want to see in the world” – Gandhi #FairfieldCountyGives is March 9; help us spread the word so we can change our county!  You’re invited to make a difference in your community on #FairfieldCountyGives. Won’t you join us on March 9?? www.FCGives.org  Next week is Fairfield County’s Giving Day! It’s time to give where you live! www.FCGives.org

On March 9th  #FairfieldCountyGives is today! We [short mission or description of who you serve]. Help us raise money and win prizes. Donate now! www.FCGives.org  #FairfieldCountyGives is TODAY! Help us raise money so we can continue to [mission]! Give now at www.FCGives.org  TODAY is the day to GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE! [Link to Donation Page on FCGives.org]  Rise and Shine! Fairfield County’s Giving Day is here. Every donation helps us win more!! [Link to Donation Page on FCGives.org] #FairfieldCountyGives  You’ve been working hard! Grab some coffee and donate to [insert nonprofit name] on FCGives.org - we could win some serious cash! #FairfieldCountyGives  Donate to (insert nonprofit name) and we could win BIG! FCGives.org  It’s quitting time! Getting that #FairfieldCountyGives donation to [insert nonprofit name] means we could win an extra cash prize! [Link to Donation Page on FCGives.org]  For all you night owls, there’s still time to help us win the FINAL cash prize. Give once or give ten times – it all helps! [Link to Donation Page on FCGives.org] #FairfieldCountyGives

After March 9th  You Gave. We Thank You! You helped us raise $XX! #FairfieldCountyGives

INSTAGRAM- Show & Tell Causes – SHOW your followers why you give! Take a photo of something you care about – your dog, your family, a park – and explain in the comments. Use #FairfieldCountyGives. Here are some sample ‘grams: -Picture of your dog: I am giving to xxx on Giving Day because I support animals -Picture of your family: I want to help all families thrive so I’m giving to xxx on Giving Day “Giving Selfie” – TELL your followers why you give! Snap a photo with you holding up a sign that says “I Give to ….”. Make it quick and powerful, and be sure to tag your post with #FairfieldCountyGives. Here are some sample messages: -I Give to End Homelessness -I Give to ensure Arts for our youth