Nonprofit Social Media: Tips for Creating a Successful Campaign

Nonprofit outreach requires a strategic approach to create the right voice which will lead to the right result. Bringing Hope to the Family USA turned to The Hoyt Organization, Inc. (THO), the Los Angeles area PRGN member agency, to develop a strong digital presence to target U.S.-based companies and people to support the American division of the Uganda-based organization.

Christine Deschaine, the founder and executive director of the U.S.-based organization, joined me and Abbie Fink, host of the PRGN Presents podcast, to discuss some of the challenges, the solutions and how today it is driving the narrative for the non-profit.

It all began about 15 years ago, when Christine visited Bringing Hope to the Family in Uganda, an organization founded in 2000 to care for vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS and other illnesses due to poverty. After returning from the trip, she began supporting essential programs for the organization. When she saw the impact she was able to make, she founded Bringing Hope to the Family USA (BHTFUSA) in 2020. A 501(c)(3) to support the programs they had been funding and assisting in Uganda, this chapter of the organization provides basic needs, education, and clean water to orphans and displaced families in the Kaihura Village of Kyenjojo District, Uganda. 

A different nonprofit social media strategy

Many nonprofits often focus on highlighting individuals’ suffering, while encouraging donations to help those in need. But Christine wanted something different – she wanted to focus on the positive impact that her organization was having. Therefore, the nonprofit social media strategy here drives the narrative and storyline of BHTFUSA – with an emphasis on Joy and Gratitude found in the Village.

How can this be accomplished from so far away? Here’s how it was done:

• Lean into happy moments in the village, capturing photos of the construction of the new maternity ward, the graduation of 150 students from the New Hope Vocational Institute, and more;
• Build a visual link back to the U.S. to make it relevant to a donor base located in the U.S. In order to accomplish this, we leaned into photos/videos of Americans who visit the village (there is a group that goes every year);
• Capture joy and gratitude that is shared in the U.S. at various Bringing Hope fund raisers that are held here; if there is no photographer attending, appoint someone to make sure you can capture as much as possible;
• Highlight visiting students who come of the U.S. from Bringing Hope, and share their stories.

We learned some valuable lessons along the way:

• Take more photos/videos that you think you need and include as many people as possible;
• Allow the students who are visiting to rehearse; often we forget that everything here is new to them. Allow them to express the joy they are experiencing simply by being here.
• Remember, our culture is new to anyone from the village who has not traveled here before. For example, they call anyone here that they view as a support system “auntie,” which is considered a title of honor and respect.
• Set up a process to receive assets from someone in Uganda and be happy with whatever you get. Remember, they are not professionals!  Careful editing and photo shop can take care of the rest.
• Set up a communications outreach to stakeholders here to share and promote content on their own feeds.
• Remember, non-profits have limited resources, and today good photography can be captured simply with a smartphone and a talented user. Find a volunteer or a board member attending various events and tap them to capture content.

Some of the positive changes BHTFUSA’s social media pages have highlighted in the past include the construction of a new maternity ward for Hope Medical Center, the graduation of 150 students from New Hope Vocational Institute, the commission of two water wells in a Ugandan village, and the donation of sneakers from partnering with, Soles4Souls, another registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides clothing and shoes to those in crisis.

Interested in BHTFUSA and want to learn more about how you can help Kaihura Village? Listen in on this week’s podcast and visit the BHTFUSA’s website for more information.

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