The influencer marketing industry is currently worth over $13 billion and refers to any collaboration between a brand and an influencer. Through a partnership, influencers promote the brand that they are sponsoring by using their position of authority to encourage their followers to purchase the product.
With 92% of customers trusting recommendations from those they follow on social media, nonprofits and charities are seeing value behind this type of marketing and hopping on the bandwagon, too!
If you have been thinking of implementing a nonprofit influencer strategy but aren’t sure where to start, we break down the benefits and provide you with some tips for working with nonprofit influencers.
Benefits of Working with Nonprofit Influencers
Reach a larger audience
A lot of nonprofits agree that social media marketing is the most effective tool to help them expand their reach. When you set up a post with the proper hashtags and geolocation, more eyes will come across your content.
The benefits of partnering with an influencer who has built a strong following and earned their trust will allow you to reach an even wider audience and get more people invested in your cause.
Expand online engagement
Not only do the best social media influencers have large followings, but they also have engaged audiences. In other words, their followers regularly like, comment, and share their posts. With more social media engagement comes an influx in purchases, as followers will click on the product links and buy what the influencer is recommending.
Online engagement doesn’t necessarily depend on how many purchases a social media post generates. Think of all the increased website traffic and brand recognition your nonprofit can get when working with an influencer!
Increases in donations and volunteers
What happens when your influencer-driven social media posts generate more clicks to your website? An increase in the number of donations and the number of people who reach out to learn about volunteer opportunities.
The use of influencer marketing can accomplish what is often challenging to achieve with a 100% social media approach. Investing in influencers will pay off in the long run and set your nonprofit up for long-term success!
How to Find the Right Nonprofit Influencer
If you want to reap the benefits of increasing donors and volunteers, reaching a wider audience, and boosting your online engagement, you must find the right influencer(s) to partner with.
Here are some tips to help you choose the ideal influencer that aligns with the values of your nonprofit:
Establish goals
Start by getting clear on what you want to accomplish when you invest in influencer marketing. Are you trying to increase donations? Do you want more people to volunteer for your organization?
As you and your team write down goals, make sure they are realistic, easy to measure, and attainable. I.e., “We want to achieve a 50% increase in donations in 4 months with the help of our nonprofit influencers.”
Consider shared values
A shared set of values is an important factor to consider when looking for influencers. You’ll see the best results from your campaign if you work with someone who shares a passion for your cause and has shown in the past that they genuinely care about helping others (specifically, those your nonprofit aims to support).
Check relevant hashtags
One way to find individuals interested in giving back is to search relevant hashtags on social media. For example, you might search for hashtags like #nonprofit #socialgood #socialchange #activism or #adoptdontshop.
These hashtags will help you refine your search and identify influencers who have the character traits you are looking for and could be a suitable match to work with.
Don’t overlook micro and nano-influencers
It might be tempting to look for influencers who have massive followings. However, you shouldn’t overlook micro-influencers (those with 10,000 to 100,000 followers) and nano-influencers (those with 0-9,999 followers).
These types of influencers often have more engagement within their following. A smaller following usually signals a community of like-minded individuals who share similar interests, attitudes, and passions. When micro or nano influencers spread the word to their audiences on social media, this culminates in higher click-through rates to your website and more comments within the post.
Vet all candidates carefully
Before you decide to partner with a specific influencer, vet them carefully. Go through their previous social media posts, read their online bio, and look for any negative information that might be circulating about them on the internet.
Before any initial outreach, make sure you choose an influencer who is well-perceived and won’t damage your nonprofit’s credibility.
Determine a budget
Before you start reaching out to influencers, clarify how much you can afford to spend on influencer marketing. It will help you avoid working with influencers whose prices are out of your reach.
Don’t have a lot of money to spare? Some influencers may be willing to partner with your nonprofit for free if they truly support your cause. Others may be willing to reduce their fee because they’re working with a charitable organization.
Set a timeline
How soon do you want to launch your campaign? For example, if you’re going to coordinate an influencer campaign for Heart Health Awareness Month, implement a work-back schedule. It may take anywhere from a couple of weeks to months to find an influencer who is a good match.
Taking the above into consideration, determine how long it will take to:
- Brief the influencer on your nonprofit’s mission
- Handle any questions they may have
- Negotiate compensation (if applicable)
- Set out the terms of an operating agreement. i.e., how many posts you want them to craft and brand guidelines they should follow
- Also, factor in the time it will take them to craft quality content for your campaign once you have instructed them
Nonprofit Influencer Marketing Example
Do you need more inspiration for your nonprofit’s influencer marketing campaigns? Here is a remarkable collaboration between a nonprofit and a fashion icon doing it right!
Halima Aden, UNICEF, and PopSocket
Fashion model Halima Aden’s partnership with UNICEF is a great example of a nonprofit expanding its reach to support its mission: transforming every child’s future. Halima Aden had already built her social media platform around educating her followers on particular global issues, making her an ideal fit for an influencer partnership with UNICEF.
UNICEF and Halima Aden joined forces with both PopSockets for this specific campaign. She encouraged her followers to purchase PopSocketGrips, with half of the proceeds going to children in need.
Invest In Nonprofit Influencers Today
The task of acquiring and implementing a nonprofit influencer marketing strategy isn’t as daunting as it appears at first. By setting clear goals, establishing a budget, and dividing all your tasks into a realistic timeline, finding an influencer who is passionate about your cause and will share that sentiment with others is no obstacle at all.
Do you need more help promoting your nonprofit online and getting aspiring changemakers invested in your cause? Check out Kambeo’s easy-to-use platform to help you collect donations, run fundraisers, attract volunteers, and much more.
