Most non-governmental organizations (NGOs) leverage the power of social media, with Facebook being by far the most popular. An exclusive analysis of more than 100 Facebook posts from the top 10 leading nonprofits in the world has revealed their six critical behavioral peculiarities and strategies on this online platform.
Today, social media is seen as the second most effective tool for NGOs when it comes to digital marketing and fundraising. On average, nonprofits have four social media accounts but how do NGOs leverage the largest social media platform with more than 3 billion users?
Finding the answer to this question was possible after a thorough analysis of all the content published on Facebook by the top 10 leading Social Good Organizations during June 2024 and now it could help you to level up your NGO’s Facebook page.
Table 1. Top 10 most influential nonprofits, according to thedotgood – a Geneva-based media outlet that compiles yearly rankings on the top 200 organizations in the Social Good Sphere.
Source: thedotgood
Pattern #1: Lead nonprofits post every 3 days.
These NGOs varied greatly regarding their posting frequency, ranging from one to 20 posts per month but on average, they published content once every three days.
Pattern #2: Own content is dominating.
Creating or curating content is one of the big debates in the world of social media. Creating and publishing your own content takes more time and effort than sharing news from third-party organizations. However, in a world of “publish or perish” algorithms, curating relevant content can help to maintain a consistent posting schedule. So, what to do?
Most NGOs chose to create and share their content. And that choice paid off! On average, own content enjoyed almost double the engagement generated by third-party content.
Table 2. Own content vs third-party content in nonprofit Facebook posts.
Source: Analysis by Sofia Oliveira
Pattern #3: Images dominate the content, but videos get higher engagement.
Facebook allows users to post single images, image albums, videos, hyperlinks, or text-only posts. Despite this variety, most nonprofit content consisted of images and image albums, even though videos receive higher engagement.
Table 3. Number and average engagement of different types of Facebook posts.
Source: Analysis by Sofia Oliveira
Pattern #4: Facebook is mostly used for awareness, advocacy, and social change.
According to a recent survey, NGOs find social media useful for brand awareness, advocacy, fundraising, promoting social change, recruiting event attendees, and attracting volunteers. Despite the multiple opportunities, the top 10 nonprofits focused their content on awareness, advocacy, and social change. This type of content also seems to be the most engaging with an average of 32.6 user interactions per post.
In a previous survey, 35% of NGOs claimed to have raised more funds than they initially expected to by using Facebook tools. Not publishing content to raise donations seems wasted potential.
Table 4. Number and average engagement of Facebook posts with different purposes.
Source: Analysis by Sofia Oliveira
Pattern #5: Testimonial and statement posts are popular.
More than a third of the content published by the NGOs included testimonials or statements. Moreover, testimonials and statements by NGO staff seemed particularly popular among the nonprofit audience, earning more interest than beneficiaries’ testimonials and generating an average of 38.4 user interactions.
Table 5. Number and average engagement of testimonial and statement posts.
Source: Analysis by Sofia Oliveira
Pattern #6: Data-based posts are rare but highly engaging.
Only 11% of the content published by the top 10 NGOs had a clear focus on quantifiable facts and actions, e.g., infographics, but data-based posts drove twice as much engagement.
Table 6. Number and average engagement of data-based posts.
Source: Analysis by Sofia Oliveira
Final thoughts
Facebook gathers billions of users in one place, making it a spectacular tool for marketing and fundraising. To succeed in this algorithm game, a well-crafted and updated social media strategy is key. Your NGO’s reputation, size, and yearly income are secondary. That is why it is so important for marketers to receive continual training and follow industry trends.
DevelopmentAid can help with this pursuit of knowledge and training. As an information service provider for international development, you can find regular articles and reviews with useful tips on social media and register for training events on this platform.
