Your website probably has more great content than you realize: articles, guides, and stories that explain what you do. Meanwhile, your social content calendar is looking a little empty. Sound familiar?
Social media strategist Julia Campbell has seen this challenge again and again. “People can feel like their website is great if their SEO is good,” she says. But people rarely discover your organization through your website alone. “That’s what social media is great for: the discovery aspect.”
Start With the Right Content
Not everything on your website belongs on social media. Julia warns against a common trap: “Many nonprofits just simply post things from their About page, their bylaws, or their values and mission statement.” That’s all important for your website, but it’s not what keeps people coming back on social.
“A social media post needs to be helping your organization stay top of mind. It needs to pique interest and curiosity. It needs to be timely and relevant, and it needs to connect with an audience.”
Julia recommends two main categories to focus on:
- Real-world Stories. Whether they’re volunteer spotlights, staff testimonials, or client impact stories, authentic narratives are a great tool. “Those stories are really effective,” Julia says. Add a practical bonus: if someone already agreed to share their story on your website, getting permission to repurpose it for social media is usually straightforward.
- Educational and how-to content. This is where your organization’s deep expertise can really shine. For example, if you work at a food bank, Julia suggests content like, “Five ways to help stop food insecurity in your community.” Or, ”Quick, cheap and easy things to make for Thanksgiving dinner on a budget”. For legal aid organizations, nature preserves, health organizations, or any nonprofit with specialized knowledge, this educational content is particularly valuable.
And if you’re worried about all your different audiences? Don’t let this paralyze you. If you’re clear about your mission, you don’t need to worry who each post is for. “Donors want to know what their money funds. Clients want to know what resources exist. The public wants to understand the issue,” Julia says. “When you explain your mission and show your impact, everyone finds value.”
The Power of Series
One of Julia’s favorite strategies for tackling heavy or complex topics is creating a series. Let’s say you work in housing advocacy and have extensive content about eviction—a topic that’s both timely and complex.
“I love a series,” Julia says. “Once a month, pick a week and say, this week we are busting myths around eviction: what’s really going on, what you need to know, and how you can get help.”
The beauty of a series approach? “No one is going to see every single thing you post, except maybe your mom. Your followers are going to see one, or a couple of posts.” And a key insight: “If your content is interesting and helpful and relevant, people won’t get sick of it. They’ll want more.”
Tie Content to What’s Happening Now
Julia strongly urges nonprofits to connect your evergreen content to current events and awareness days. “We really do need to be talking about how just the headlines affect our communities,” she explains. “Because there is so much misinformation out there, nonprofits can be trusted sources for real information.”
This doesn’t mean turning into a newsroom. It means taking your local expertise and adding context to what people are already talking about. For example, when national stories broke about food stamps, some food banks posted local explainers: “Here’s what this means for families in our state.” That kind of local framing builds trust.
Where to Focus Your Energy
For organizations wondering which platforms to prioritize, Julia has clear guidance:
- Facebook has become challenging due to plummeting organic reach, though it may work if you have an advertising budget.
- Instagram remains strong for discovery, with reels (90-second videos), stories (temporary 24-hour posts), and carousel posts (multi-image or multi-slide posts people can swipe through) all performing well.
But there’s one platform Julia believes nonprofits are underusing: YouTube. “It is the number two search engine owned by the number one search engine. If you have any video content, including short video, you should be on YouTube. That’s where people are searching. That’s where people are going to discover new things.”
Format Matters (But Polish Doesn’t)
Every post needs something visual—a photo or video, a pull quote turned into an image, or a carousel. But don’t stress about perfect production. “Authenticity is so much more powerful than polish.” Julia describes seeing executive directors “doing quick walk-and-talk videos on their phones (no ring light, no mic) and those posts perform really well.”
For text-heavy content, carousel posts are your friend. Keep designs simple—text on a colored background, maybe with a relevant icon. “Even a single block quote on a square image can work really, really well,” Julia notes.
As for length, don’t overthink it and don’t overdo it. Three sentences is plenty for social media. (Though an Instagram carousel is well suited to multiple quotes that build on each other.)
Practical Tips for Getting Started
Julia recommends starting with an audit of your website content. Pull out stories, testimonials, educational articles, and how-to content that could translate well to social platforms.
For those with limited bandwidth, she suggests using AI as a brainstorming tool: “Ask it something like, ‘Based on what’s working for nonprofits on Instagram right now, how can I repurpose this long piece of content into 10 Instagram posts?’ Use the suggestions as a starting point, then edit the ideas to match your voice.”
If you don’t have your own photos, Julia recommends Unsplash and Canva. (Refer to the Nonprofit Website Insider for more great free photo sources.) She cautions against AI-generated images: “Algorithms are actually deprioritizing that type of content.” A simple, real photo—something taken by your staff or volunteers—will usually perform better.
Your Unique Advantage
Julia ends on an encouraging note: you have something AI can’t replicate.
“The way nonprofits stand out is through their real stories. AI cannot generate lived experience,” she says. “And the expertise that we have from being in the trenches working on these issues every single day is so unique and so precious. We really need to be shouting more from the rooftops.”
Your website already holds a lot of that knowledge and those stories. They just need a little translation to meet people where they are—scrolling through their social feeds, looking for something real.
Want More Great Information About Social Media?
Join Julia, Beth Kanter, and a bunch of other cool people who get nonprofit communications at the free 2025 Social Media Summit for Nonprofits on November 18-19th. It’s two-day virtual event packed with real-world tips, case studies, and strategy sessions for nonprofits that want to reach more people online. Did we mention free?