We’ve talked a lot about using social media for fundraising, but that’s not the only use for it. Your nonprofit can also use social media to make an impact and execute your mission.
From informational clips on TikTok to practical advice on Instagram, social media is a wonderful way to spread the work of your organization.
How TikTok Saved a Life
Recently, a TikTok video actually saved a sixteen-year-old girl’s life. After she had been missing for two days, the young girl used hand signal she learned on TikTok to wave at passing cars. Finally, one person in a nearby car recognized the signal and took action.
Millions of people have seen videos featuring the signal on TikTok and YouTube, while organizations including the World Bank and the Women’s Funding Network have promoted it since April 2020. It began as a Covid-era lifeline for women in abusive relationships, intended to be used on video calls as a signal that others should check in on them.
It’s hard not to imagine how the story could have ended, had neither the girl nor the person in the other car never seen the TikTok video. Yet, in this case, social media saved a life.
More Examples of Philanthropy in Pop Culture and Social Media
While not all stories of social media helping to make an impact are life and death, there have been plenty of cases where both social media and pop culture have helped to spread important information.
For example, Project Semicolon has helped spread the word about suicide prevention through the use of a widely known symbol. They mainly use social media to make their impact.
Similarly, in 2018, Logic released a suicide prevention song. While not an example of the use of social media, it is an example of how powerful it can be to have your message spread far and wide. This song not only puts the phone number for the suicide prevention hotline front and center in the minds of millions of people, but it also shows the power of using tools like brand ambassadors and influencers for nonprofits.
Movember is another wonderful example of how nonprofits can use social media to make an impact. Men share their journey of not shaving for the month, while both raising money for the cause and spreading awareness and male-oriented cancers. The goal is for more men to get screened for things like colon cancer.
Their website even includes peer-to-peer fundraising so that men who participate can feel more invested in the cause by raising money for it.
Using Social Media for Your Mission
Your cause can also use social media, or regular media, to make an impact. Your mission may not mean life or death in the moment as the examples above, but social media can still spread your mission.
Environmental causes can share tips and tricks for recycling and clean living. Homeless shelters can provide information for the public on how to help the homeless population. The list goes on.
Get creative with your mission.
Will You Embrace New Technology for Your Mission?
It’s been easier for nonprofits to harness new tools, like social media, for fundraising than it has been to make an impact.
Think about ways your mission and programs can be translated into digestible pieces for social media outlets. Short clips, infographics, and threads with advice, are all great ways to educate and prevent tragedies, as in the case of the girl who was rescued from a kidnapping.
How are you using social media to make an impact? Please let us know in the comments.
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