The trending dance videos on TikTok or perfectly curated images on Instagram may be all the rage, but there is another social media platform that often gets overlooked by Australian Not-for-Profits – LinkedIn.
With over 15 million Aussies and a global reach of over 1 billion members across 200 countries, this platform is a powerful resource for any NFP. LinkedIn is different than the others. It leans more toward professional networking when you want to connect with business partners, find new staff members, or design a strong flow of volunteers.
However, LinkedIn can also be your key to reaching a broader audience and gaining more financial support. Here are some of the best strategies for unlocking the power of LinkedIn for your NFP.
#1 – Emulate Successful Nonprofits
If you are entirely new to LinkedIn, the best strategy to get started is to find a nonprofit you wish to emulate. Mirroring how they fill out their profile, post articles, or engage with other users is an excellent “paint by numbers” you can use until you develop your own specific voice for this social media platform.
#2 – Connect with Staff
Want to get the word out quickly that your NFP is now on LinkedIn? Ask employees, volunteers, and donors to connect with your account. You’ll want to have boilerplate copy available that they can fill in. That should include:
- Nonprofit description
- Your mission
- Photos of recent activity
- Impact statements
- Personal stories from staff, volunteers, and clients
The goal is to further cement your brand authority and authenticity. Like reaching the top of Google’s search results, the more people linking to your LinkedIn profile from their respective accounts – the better.
#3 – Create Captivating Content
Like it or not, every platform or web presence relies on captivating content. It should fit your brand voice and reflect the mission and short-term goals of your NFP. You can create a simple content calendar to make this easier and schedule posts if you do not have a single person working on your social media presence full-time.
- Good content ideas would include:
- Crowdfunding or capital campaign events
- Announcements about new hires
- Achievements from volunteers
- The impact of your NFP on the local community
- Free resources you offer related to your NFP’s mission
- Community events
- Video and photo stories
- Job postings
- Educational outreach
- Business and peer partnerships
#4 – Rely on LinkedIn Analytics
The more you optimise your LinkedIn business profile, the greater you’ll need to make minor tweaks here and there to reach your target audience. LinkedIn has a built-in analytics dashboard that will give you all the necessary information when making changes. These include:
- Total page views
- Number of followers
- Unique visitors to your page
- Custom button clicks
- Mobile versus desktop traffic sources
- Audience demographics
You can even get a more detailed breakdown of individual posts based on impressions, reactions, CTRs, and comments. The only thing is that these analytics are only for the previous 30 days, so if you’re targeting a longer-term campaign, you may have to keep some info “off-site.”
#5 – Connect with Target Collaborators
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social media platform. It is where you network with more than the average user because there are potential business relationships to cultivate. With that in mind, you want to use your LinkedIn business account to connect with three key audiences:
- Major Donors: You can engage with professionals who may fit a specific demographic and have more resources to donate to capital campaigns and fundraising efforts.
- Businesses & Sponsors: Like many other businesses on LinkedIn, this is your chance to develop partnerships and sponsorships for events and ongoing goals.
- Foundations & Peers: There are many Australian government entities, related foundations, and grant-giving organisations on LinkedIn. Having a strong profile ensures you are top-of-mind when it comes to awarding funding.
- Volunteers: Those looking to expand their experience or boost their resume will seek out volunteering opportunities, especially if they can add your organisation to their LinkedIn profile.
- Employees: Perhaps the best reason to connect on LinkedIn is the steady flow of professional, trained, and educated staff members. You get a strong pool of talent to pick from with filters built into the system so you can create a shortlist.
LinkedIn is a good argument for “learning as you go.” It is a relatively straightforward social media platform that becomes easier to use the more you use it. The best thing would be to have a volunteer or staff member who already knows how to use LinkedIn to teach your staff and marketing teams how to move forward.
#6 – Join LinkedIn Groups
Search for something like “Australian nonprofits” or “helping the environment” and you’ll find thousands of group results. LinkedIn offers a fantastic Group option where like-minded individuals can connect and participate in activities, events, and interactions.
The advantage to your nonprofit is that you have a pre-built collection of people who share in the “idea” of your mission, but are not part of your organisation. That is a fantastic sounding board to bounce new ideas against and read the trends of your industry.
Final Tips
As you build out your LinkedIn business profile, be sure to maintain your brand identity and voice. There are some differences in image sizes compared to other platforms that you’ll need to account for, but otherwise, you want the same universal approach from the rest of your online footprint.
Finally, remember that LinkedIn is your opportunity to establish credibility and trust in your industry. It is a professional network, meaning there is an expectation of higher-level interactions beyond a simple comment on Facebook or a hashtag on X.
No matter what, make sure you have traffic pointing back to your website. No matter how big you get on LinkedIn, your NFP website is still your Australian organisation’s number one point of contact.
At Web 105, we build customised, easy-to-navigate websites for government agencies, healthcare providers, and NFPs just like you. Give us a call today and get the mobile-responsive landing pages you need so all your LinkedIn traffic points at your donation forms, volunteer intake links, and other crucial information.
FAQs
Is LinkedIn good for Nonprofits?
Yes! LinkedIn offers NFPs a direct line of communication with funding resources, donors, volunteers, staff members, and other professional organisations.
Does LinkedIn have nonprofit pricing?
LinkedIn offers a library of Saas products, resources, marketing, and general tech support. Established nonprofits can enjoy up to 50% off some of these products, but you’ll want to review the eligibility requirements beforehand.
How should Nonprofits use LinkedIn?
The two primary goals should be to share captivating content and engage with peers, volunteers, donors, clients, and foundations.