Social Media, Outreach, and Awareness

The Post That Raised $12,000

In the previous lesson, we explored volunteer management and coordination. Now let’s build on that foundation. A tiny animal shelter – three staff members, no marketing budget – posted a photo of a senior dog named Biscuit with this caption: “Biscuit has been at our shelter for 847 days. She’s 11 years old. She sleeps with her head on a stuffed bear. She just wants a couch to call her own.”

The post was shared 3,000 times. Biscuit was adopted within 48 hours. But that’s not the real story. The real story is that donations spiked by $12,000 that week from people who’d never heard of the shelter before.

No ad budget. No marketing consultant. One authentic story, well told.

This is what nonprofit social media can do. And AI can help you create this kind of content consistently, not just when inspiration strikes.

Choosing Your Platforms

Before we create content, let’s be strategic about where to post. Nonprofits with small teams should focus on one or two platforms maximum:

Help me choose the best social media platforms for my nonprofit:

Organization type: [your focus area]
Target audiences:
- Donors: [age range, demographics]
- Volunteers: [age range, demographics]
- Community: [age range, demographics]
Current platforms: [where you're active now]
Staff available for social media: [how many hours per week]

Recommend:
1. Primary platform (where we should invest most effort)
2. Secondary platform (lightweight presence)
3. Platform to skip (and why)

For each recommended platform, suggest:
- Content type that performs best
- Posting frequency that's sustainable
- One quick win we could try this week

Don’t spread yourself thin across five platforms. A well-maintained Instagram account outperforms a neglected presence on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Quick check: How many social media platforms is your nonprofit currently active on? Are you actually posting consistently on all of them, or maintaining a presence in name only?

The Content Calendar

Consistency matters more than frequency. Here’s how to build a sustainable content calendar:

Create a monthly social media content calendar for our [type] nonprofit.

Post 3 times per week on [platform].

Content mix:
- 40% impact stories (beneficiary stories, outcome highlights, program updates)
- 25% behind-the-scenes (staff stories, day-in-the-life, facility tours)
- 20% community engagement (questions, polls, volunteer shoutouts, reposts)
- 15% calls to action (donate, volunteer, attend, share)

This month's key dates:
- [event/campaign on specific date]
- [awareness day relevant to our mission]
- [deadline or milestone]

Organization context: [your context block]

For each post, provide:
- Platform-optimized caption (length appropriate for [platform])
- Content type (photo, carousel, video suggestion, text)
- Hashtag suggestions (3-5 relevant ones)
- Best posting time suggestion

Twelve posts per month. That’s manageable even for a one-person team. And with AI generating the drafts, you’re spending 30 minutes per week on customization instead of hours on creation.

Impact Story Templates

Impact stories are your most powerful social media content. Here are three formats that consistently perform well:

The Transformation Story:

Write a social media post about a program participant's transformation:

Before: [their situation before our program]
The turning point: [how they connected with us]
After: [where they are now]

Platform: [Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn]
Tone: Hopeful, not pitying. Empowering, not patronizing.
Include: One direct quote (or suggest a realistic one we can verify)
Length: [platform-appropriate]
End with: A connection to what the reader can do (donate/volunteer/share)

Important: Write with dignity. This person is the hero of their own story,
not a victim we rescued.

The Behind-the-Scenes Moment:

Write a social media post showing the behind-the-scenes reality of our work:

Moment: [describe a real moment -- staff preparing for an event,
volunteers sorting donations, a planning meeting, a small victory]

Platform: [platform]
Tone: Authentic, human, a little vulnerable
Purpose: Build trust by showing the real people behind the mission
Include: Why this moment matters to us

The Milestone Celebration:

Write a social media post celebrating this milestone:

Milestone: [what we achieved -- e.g., served 1,000th family,
10th anniversary, volunteer reached 500 hours]

Platform: [platform]
Tone: Celebratory, grateful, community-focused
Include: Credit the community (donors, volunteers, supporters)
End with: Forward-looking statement about what's next

Email Newsletters

Your email newsletter is still your most reliable communication channel. AI makes it faster to produce:

Write our monthly newsletter from these raw updates:

[Paste your staff notes, meeting minutes, or bullet-point updates]

Newsletter structure:
1. Opening hook (one compelling sentence, not "Happy [month]!")
2. Main story (one program highlight, 150 words)
3. By the numbers (3 key metrics in a visual-friendly format)
4. Upcoming (2-3 events or opportunities)
5. Thank you (specific appreciation for recent supporters/volunteers)
6. One ask (the single action you want readers to take)

Tone: Conversational, grateful, mission-focused.
Subject line: Provide 3 options (curiosity-driven, not clickbait).
Total newsletter length: Under 500 words. Readers skim.

The “not Happy [month]” instruction is important. “Happy November from [Organization]!” is the most skippable opening in nonprofit email. Start with your most interesting fact, story, or question instead.

Quick check: Look at your last three newsletter subject lines. Would you open them if they weren’t from your organization?

Press Releases and Media Outreach

When you have news, AI helps you package it for media attention:

Write a press release for our nonprofit:

News: [what happened -- new program launch, milestone, partnership,
report release, award]
Why it matters: [significance for the community]
Key quote: [from your executive director or board chair -- draft a quote
we can approve and attribute]
Background: [brief organizational context]
Contact information: [who media should call]

Format: Standard press release format (dateline, headline, subheadline,
body, boilerplate)
Length: One page maximum
Tone: Newsworthy, not promotional. Write it like a journalist would.

Then follow up with targeted pitches:

Write 3 media pitch emails for this press release:

1. Local newspaper reporter covering [beat]
2. Local TV news assignment editor
3. Relevant blog or online publication

Each pitch should:
- Be personalized to that outlet's audience
- Lead with the most newsworthy angle for THEIR readers/viewers
- Offer a specific interview or photo opportunity
- Be under 150 words (journalists are busy)

Community Awareness Campaigns

For awareness campaigns around your mission area (Hunger Awareness Month, Mental Health Week, etc.), AI can plan an entire campaign:

Plan a social media awareness campaign for [awareness day/week/month]:

Our organization: [context block]
Awareness focus: [the issue]
Campaign duration: [dates]
Platform: [primary platform]

Create:
1. Campaign theme and hashtag
2. Content calendar (daily posts for the campaign period)
3. One shareable infographic concept (describe content and layout)
4. Three conversation-starter questions to boost engagement
5. Partnership pitch: a template to invite local businesses to participate
6. Wrap-up post summarizing the campaign's reach

Repurposing Content Across Channels

One piece of content should live everywhere. Here’s the repurposing chain:

I have this program update: [paste your content]

Please repurpose it into:
1. A 200-word email segment for our donor newsletter
2. An Instagram caption with 3 hashtag suggestions
3. A LinkedIn post (professional tone, 150 words)
4. A Facebook post (community tone, 100 words)
5. Three Twitter/X posts (different angles, each under 280 characters)
6. A 50-word blurb for our website homepage

Six pieces of content from one update. That’s sustainable social media management for a team of one.

Exercise: Create Your Content Calendar

Build your next month’s social media content calendar:

Choose your primary platform
Identify 3 impact stories you can tell this month
List 2 behind-the-scenes moments worth sharing
Plan 1 community engagement post per week
Schedule your monthly ask

Use the content calendar prompt to generate all 12 posts, then spend 30 minutes customizing them with real details.

Key Takeaways

Focus on 1-2 social media platforms rather than spreading thin across many
Impact stories featuring real people are your most powerful and shareable content
Use the 40/25/20/15 content mix to keep followers engaged without over-asking
Repurpose every piece of content across all your channels – write once, adapt many
Start newsletters with a hook, not “Happy [month]!” – earn the reader’s attention

Next up: your capstone project – building a complete nonprofit AI toolkit customized for your organization.

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Build Your Nonprofit AI Toolkit.