Online Fundraising with Instagram

How to boost online sales using Instagram.

Whether you're a parent raising money to support your child's school or the president of a club, having a digital-first approach to engage supporters is crucial to the longevity and success of your program. One critical aspect? Using social media for your online fundraising.

Today, let's look at how to use Instagram to raise funds for your group.

Are you raising funds as a group or an individual? The answer is yes!

In July 2020, Instagram announced it would test a personal fundraiser feature on the social media channel. So, now there are two types of fundraisers on Instagram that you or your nonprofit group can start:

• Personal fundraisers: As the name implies, these fundraisers let you raise money for a personal cause. You could raise money for yourself, a friend, or a cause that's important to you.
• Nonprofit fundraisers: These fundraisers are for nonprofit groups such as a 501c3 or other charitable organizations.

Instagram explains the difference between the two like this: If you want to volunteer with a nonprofit, you can start a personal fundraiser for travel expenses to volunteer. Start a nonprofit fundraiser if you want to raise funds for that nonprofit.

The caveat is that there are plenty of rules about what is and isn't allowed for both fundraisers. So, it pays to read up about it. If you're interested in a personal fundraiser, check out the details. However, if your group has a 501c3 or 501c4 designation, you'll want to look at these Nonprofit Fundraiser details.

Now, what about content and strategy?

Instagram is a powerful marketing tool to help you build your brand and engage with your audience. As with any tool, you can use it to accomplish a task, but it doesn't do the work for you. If Instagram will be part of your social media strategy, it's a good idea to plan with a few best practices in mind.

Learn as much as you can about the platform and how it works. Stories are a great way to showcase your cause and share progress. After all, people want to see their donations at work. It also pays to stay on top of trends (hello hashtags!) and learn what your audience wants.

That means understanding what content resonates with your audience, then creating it. That can sound overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Your iPhone (or Samsung device) can be your best friend. With some thought and practice, you can make unique Instagram content that will resonate.

One last note: Safety during a school fundraiser is critical—especially if kids are involved. Check out our blog that talks about having a safe fundraiser.

Happy Instagramming!

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.