Building a Following for Your Nonprofit: Facebook Pages
Nonprofits that develop a consistent following and support system from the public are often more effective in their mission (and in receiving donations) than those that do not. Facebook pages are a great medium for engaging with the public and providing a forum to draw this following and support system. Although fan pages are relatively easy to set up, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to get the most out of your nonprofit’s Facebook efforts, including targeting the proper audience, planning ongoing content and implementing community management.

By Sara Weiner, RTCRM

Key Information

Facebook fan pages - profile pages designed for brands, groups and business - have increased in prevalence over the past year. Companies wanting to initiate a social media presence for their products and offerings often look to Facebook first as the easiest way to get involved. Specifically, Facebook is a great place for nonprofits to gather followers and maintain an open dialogue about the nonprofit’s mission and related issues. However, while it is easy to create a fan page, maintaining and managing one requires an ongoing content strategy. It also requires time, dedication and discipline. The most successful Facebook fan pages are those of organizations, nonprofit or otherwise, that provide frequent valuable updates, engage with followers and are able to dedicate internal resources to managing their Facebook community.

Setting up a fan page is fairly easily, but there are a few things to know to ensure smooth sailing:

• Profile: In order to set up a fan page, you need to have an associated individual profile. Whoever the person is that will be the fan page caretaker will first need to create a personal profile. Anyone with an email address can do this, and they don’t necessarily need to complete the profile. However, linking to a profile of a person who has many contacts and friends will make spreading the word about the fan page easier.
• Getting started: Once you decide to set up the fan page, there are instructions on how to complete each section of the page. This part is easy. You can copy, paste and import pictures in just a few minutes.
• Getting fans: A fan page cannot approach people directly, people need to come to the fan page. Start by having your admin(s) suggest the fan page to their friends. Also seek support internally and by mentioning the page in all your marketing (website, e-mail, newsletters, etc.).
• Maintaining: A good rule of thumb is to use the fan page the same way you would use your own profile, just with a more business-appropriate tone and message. Say please and thank you, respond to questions and keep status updates interesting and photos frequent. Determine a content calendar that can feed your community over time.
• Management: Sometimes fans bring unwelcome content and comments to your fan page. Be careful how you engage with these people—just like with product reviews, people want to see varying commentary, so it’s best not to delete negative feedback altogether (unless it’s really obscene), but you also want to be sensitive to your community’s position and your organization’s mission.

Implications and Action Items

While fan pages are easy to manage, there are guidelines to consider in order to get the most out of your effort:

• Evaluate your audience’s interest in Facebook. Determine whether your audience is on Facebook already, and if they are, are they active participants or just spectators? Nonprofits with active Facebook audiences will see more success than those whose audience is there just to look at pictures of their grandchildren.
• Promote others by posting thank-you’s and “kudos” for people who attend your events, donate to your cause and interact with your pages. Consider promoting other nonprofits for their efforts as well—they may return the favor.
• Discuss topics! “Topics” means content that drives discussion, opinions and “talk value.” Creating a publishing calendar and finding topics that tell a story over time (including any of your own content/events/news) will ensure that the fan page stays active and interesting.
• Stay true to your nonprofit’s mission. If your nonprofit focuses on animal rights, don’t talk about the financial crisis or politics—while posts don’t need to be only about animals, stay close to your central objective and distribute content that the public will recognize as related to your cause.
• Create a plan to address unwelcome comments and negative feedback. Determine proper responses and etiquette ahead of time, so that when someone tries to belittle your fan community, you are prepared.