Creating a social media account is easy. Being successful with it is a completely different matter.
Many nonprofit organisations are active on social media – they post regularly, report on their work and share content. Nevertheless, the desired effect often fails to materialise: too little reach, too little interaction, too few donations.
In this blog you will learn why this is the case – and what you can do specifically to use social media as an effective fundraising and communication tool. You will receive clear recommendations for action with which your NPO can also achieve measurable success in social media marketing.
Social Media for NPOs is more important than ever
With the recent changes at Meta, which since October 2025 have massively restricted paid advertising for nonprofits, the organic and strategic use of social networks is more important than ever. Reason enough to provide NPOs with concrete recommendations for action.
A scientific article by Sonja Harken, Professor Vanessa Mertins and Professor Michael Urselmann examines social media as a digital fundraising tool and answers a very important question: Which factors positively influence the social media marketing success of NPOs? Various aspects are considered – including community and dialogue orientation, content implementation and organisational framework conditions.
But don’t worry: you don’t have to dive into detailed and sometimes complicated research processes now. We have prepared the results of the study together with Sonja and translated them into content that can be applied directly by NPOs. So: scroll through the blog and find answers to questions that you may have been asking yourself about social media and fundraising for a long time.
How do NPOs use Social Media?
The following results illustrate that online fundraising is not only a supplement, but an essential pillar of modern fundraising:
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High usage: 75% of organisations active in online fundraising use social media marketing. This underlines the central role of social media in today’s fundraising strategies.
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Significant contribution: On average, social media activities contribute 5% to the organisations’ online donation volume. The actual share is probably significantly higher, but many NPOs that generate donations via social media do not track them fully and correctly and therefore cannot attribute them accordingly.
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Phase of establishment: Many organisations have intensified their social media marketing activities only after 2010 – a sign of the progressive integration of these channels.
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Lack of resources: 77% of organisations (that do not yet operate social media marketing) see a lack of personnel or time resources as a barrier to effective social media marketing.
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Available resources: On average, only about half a full-time working day per week is available for social media marketing. 20% of organisations rely exclusively on volunteer support.
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Dominant platforms: Facebook and Instagram are the leading platforms and are used by 52% and 38% of organisations respectively.
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Engagement: Most organisations post several times per week – a clear sign of the importance of regular communication.
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Integration: 93% of organisations integrate social media on their website, 73% in e-newsletters and 58% in print media
What research says about Social Media success
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The study shows that social media is an important component of digital fundraising. But the results also suggest that many nonprofits have not (yet) fully exploited the potential for success.
How were the success factors determined?
To better understand the success factors and measures in social media marketing for nonprofit organisations, the scientific study “Online Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations via Social Media Marketing: A Critical Success Factors Analysis in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland” surveyed a total of 116 social media marketing professionals from NPOs in the DACH region.
The participating organisations assessed how well they themselves perform in different areas of social media marketing – for example in strategic planning, content implementation or interaction with their community. The results of this self-assessment provide valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of individual measures. The results show in which areas nonprofits are well positioned and where there is potential for improvement.
The result: The organisations rate their technical and content implementation best – although even here there is still potential for improvement. The areas community and dialogue orientation as well as the organisational framework conditions, on the other hand, are rated only as average.
Particularly relevant: The results show that there is great potential for improvement in social media marketing – especially in the areas of strategy, conversion orientation and data-centredness.
Now we know which success factors exist – and how organisations assess their own competences. But the decisive question is: Which factor is actually the most effective when it comes to the successful use of social media in fundraising?
The recommendation for action: Strengthen the community
The scientific analysis provides a clear answer here. Among all the factors examined, one success factor stands out as particularly effective: community and dialogue orientation. This means: Not reach alone, not technical perfection and not posting frequency determine success – but the ability of NPOs to build real relationships, promote dialogue and actively involve their community.
But how can nonprofit organisations concretely and sustainably improve their community and dialogue orientation? The study by Sonja Harken also provides a clear, practical answer: “Nonprofits should focus on interaction on social media and use various opportunities to enter into dialogue with their community.”
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Three central measures for successful social media marketing
1. Design dialogue- and community-oriented posts: Posts should not only inform, but specifically invite interaction. Asking questions, gathering opinions or encouraging participation promotes exchange and strengthens the relationship with the community. Social media thus becomes a space for dialogue rather than a broadcasting channel.
2. Address different target groups specifically: Not all supporters are the same. Successful organisations adapt content, tone and formats to different target groups – such as volunteers, donors or interested parties. A differentiated approach increases relevance and engagement.
3. Publicly recognise donors and supporters: Gratitude is a central lever in building a community. Making engagement visible, tagging people, thanking them publicly and appreciating support strengthens trust and connection – and motivates others to become active as well.
From research to practice
What scientific research shows is also clearly confirmed in everyday practice. When you ask Yasmeen, Social Media Manager at RaiseNow, who interacts daily with nonprofit organisations on social media, one thing becomes clear: The recommendations identified in the study are not theoretical ideals but realistically implementable success factors.
Her experiences from practice are encouraging – because they show that community building, dialogue and real interaction can also work with limited resources. This is exactly where the opportunity lies for many NPOs: The recommendations from the research can be integrated step by step into everyday work and offer concrete guidance for sustainable social media success.
Use resources = build community
More than half of the surveyed NPOs post several times per week, 14% weekly and only 10% less than monthly. Nonprofits therefore appear surprisingly active – even though the effort is high. Because:
- The available personnel and time resources are assessed as insufficient.
- Only 17% have a fixed budget for social media marketing.
- On average, 12 hours of paid work and 2.2 hours of volunteer work per week are available.
- The majority (76%) operates social media marketing in-house. Only every fifth organisation occasionally involves an agency.
Precisely for this reason, it is worthwhile not to focus on perfection but on genuine interaction and relationship building. Because social media thrives on exchange – not on glossy campaigns.
It is great when NPOs share their stories and tag the people who contributed. That is exactly when social media shows its potential.
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Networking, building community and entering into conversation with one another above all requires time, attention and authenticity. Social media does not have to be perfect in order to have an effect. What matters is being present, listening and building real relationships. Yasmeen adds: “You immediately notice when an organisation understands social media not only as a channel but as a meeting space. Posts in which people appear are particularly strong – volunteers, employees or supporters who helped with activities. When these people are tagged, real interaction and reach arise almost automatically.” There is great potential here especially for NPOs: Community is not created through large budgets, but through appreciation, dialogue and closeness – even with small teams and limited time.
Social Media is changing fundraising sustainably
Social media is not a short-term trend but a central component of modern donation communication. Successful social media fundraising does not arise by chance, but through strategic planning, high-quality content and genuine dialogue with the community. Especially in times of declining organic reach and restricted advertising opportunities, it is important to think about social media holistically – as part of a connected digital ecosystem in which every interaction counts. Because in the end it applies: People do not donate to algorithms, but to stories, relationships and trust.
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