The Do’s & Don’ts of Social Media Event Promotion for Corporate Fundraisers

Take the mystery out of social media event promotion and make your next fundraiser a memorable experience for everyone

If you don’t have a lot of experience with planning and hosting fundraisers, it can be intimidating to know where to begin. You want to know what to do, and most importantly, how to promote your event, so people come out and enjoy themselves. Like many new experiences, though, a little organization and a few deep breaths will take you far.

One thing that most successful fundraisers have in common today is the savvy employment of social media. Event promotion is so much easier and effective when you approach your social media with a strong strategy.

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How your fundraiser can win at social media event promotion

Don’t: Let agenda items get lost
Do: Stay organized

Even small fundraisers have a lot of moving parts. You and your team need to solicit and track donations, hire vendors, rent a facility, keep up with contracts and billing, recruit speakers, manage invitations, and send thank you notes. Larger events might require security, ushers, waitstaff, entertainment, valets, a janitorial crew, and more. It’s easy to get lost in the maze of administrative tasks – especially if you’re sharing the workload with other people.

What to use: Use a tool like Trello to keep a running list of tasks, to-do’s, assignments, and dates.

Don’t: Wait to promote your event
Do: Start early and promote regularly

You don’t have to inundate your audience, but the more excitement you can build for your fundraiser, the better off you will be. You can begin your social media event promotion as soon as you have an event planned – even if you don’t yet have a specific date or location. Start low key. Announce that you have a special announcement coming up. Gradually add information like the location, date, guest speakers, silent auction items, ticket links, and other sponsors.

What to use: Stick to an old-fashioned calendar for this – or your favorite phone calendar. Set reminders, so you don’t neglect anything.

Don’t: Ignore your partners
Do: Tag them and give them credit

On any social media or promotional material, be sure to shout out all of your partners in this fundraiser. Tag your food vendors, sponsors, advisors, co-hosts, donors, the venue, any staffing agency you contract with, and anyone else involved with the event. Thank them for their contribution, excellent service, or just for being there. Why? It shows gratitude on your part, but it also helps you tap into their audience, too.

Spend an hour or so writing your posts and tagging all your partners, then schedule them to go live. If you can time it right, scheduling one or two of these posts each day will give you a regular presence on social media.

What to use: Buffer is an excellent app for scheduling social media posts.

Don’t: Make it hard for people to RSVP
Do: Make it as easy as possible

As much as possible, each one of your social posts should have a link to your event ticketing page. The more clicks your audience has to make to buy their ticket, the more time they have to get distracted or lose interest.

What to use: Eventbrite is one of many online ticketing solutions. It’s user-friendly, and they have a robust help center.

Don’t: Hide your event promotions
Do: Use a hashtag

Hashtags help organize posts on Twitter and Instagram. If your organization already has a popular hashtag, you could start there and add a hashtag for your cause. For instance, use #redcross if you’re hosting a fundraiser for the American Red Cross.

What to use: Hashtagify.me can help you find hashtags that might get some traction.

Don’t: Assume people will find your social media event promotion
Do: Whatever you can to get the word out

Keep your hashtagged updates visible around the office, on your website, and at any other corporate events you have. Getting the word out about your event is half the battle.

What to use: Humblebrag here, but we think Everwall is the ideal tool for this task. You can embed our code right into your website and have all your posts appear online, and you can have your event posts scrolling on your digital screens wherever they may be.

Don’t: Hide your work
Do: Share behind-the-scenes stories

Share some of the exciting work that goes into your fundraiser. This is part of what gives your event a personality and makes it easier for your audience to identify with. Share the excitement before a call with your favorite speaker, take your audience on a virtual tour of the facility, or get short “interviews” with people working on the project.

What to use: Your smartphone already has everything you need: a camera with a video option.

Don’t: Forget about your event when it’s over
Do: Continue to promote it

The event may be over, but eventually, you’ll host another fundraiser. Keep the energy going by posting pictures, stories, or quotes from your event. Retweet posts from attendees. Once again, tag all of your partners who helped make the event successful.

What to use: This is another case where both Trello and Buffer can help you organize and streamline your work. 

There’s no downside to using social media to promote your event. Just remember that it’s social. Reply to people who comment on your posts, thank everyone and anyone, share your personality, and remember to have fun.