Grants and social media go together like peanut butter & jelly which equals CONTENT. Most organizations use social media to promote their brand and to reach their target market within minutes. And, why not?? It is so effective and efficient; the response and feedback is immediate. You will have the likes and the hearts within seconds–where else would you get this kind of feedback??
Did you know???
As of July 2021, Twitter is ranked as the 16th most popular social networking worldwide. In 2021 Twitter grew by 396.5M in users. Adults spend an average of 6 minutes on Twitter per day. Approximately 350,000 Tweets are posted every minute.
Did you know worldwide there are over 2.89 billion monthly active Facebook users as of 2021 and the highest traffic occurs between 1 to 3pm.
Your challenge today? Depending on where you are starting from….either research one funder on social media to add to your knowledge of their work OR promote the work of a current grantmaker via social media.
Research your current potential new funders via their social media channels.
You don’t *have* to interact with them or even follow their accounts, you can “just” passively watch. What else can you learn about their priorities/voice/activities beyond what is the formal information on their website or in their publications?
So, here’s what you will learn using social media to research your current potential new funders:
- Upcoming grant opportunities
- Upcoming grant deadlines
- Upgrades/Maintenance dates to their system
- Upcoming trainings/webinars on topics that matter to you
- Communication between Grantor & Grantees
- Networking Opportunities
- Information on who received the awards
- Recent Blog Posts
- Collaboration with grantees
- Sense of Community
Enhance a relationship with a current funder via their social media channels. If your organization is comfortable and has policies in place for interaction, you can promote not only your funded work by a grantmaker, but you can also promote their other work to your community.
Here are three ideas for promoting a funder via social media:
1 – Share announcements about their *other* grant awards
2 – Retweet/share a research study or needs assessment that applies to both of your organizations
3 – Promote their work to your constituents and tag the funder in your post/tweet
Why is this important?? Well, if you will get all this for free; it will take some thoughtful & critical planning. The intersection of grants and social media can be an excellent goldmine and a great resource for new grants. But, remember they all strategically align with your organization’s mission and goals. Think, breathe, and speak your strategy.
Don’t forget to share your journey on the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge by using the hashtag #grantreadiness on your posts and updates on social media.
Did you miss the launch of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge? It isn’t too late for you to start! You can sign up at any point and it will start you back on Day 1!