5 content ideas for nonprofits that think they have nothing to write/post/tweet about

As a marketing-savvy nonprofit professional, you know you need to create compelling content each and every day for your various online profiles – Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blog, email newsletter, etc.

You don’t want to simply rehash the same information on every platform, because what fun would that be for your followers and fans?

But how do you consistently find interesting and compelling content to post and write about?

It’s a lot simpler than you think.

Here are 5 content ideas for nonprofits that think they have nothing to write/post/tweet about:

1.   Share breaking news related to your cause, even if it features another (horror!) nonprofit organization. Sending out a “congratulations” or a “good luck” post to another organization doing complimentary work is a great way to build community, earn trust and create great karma!

2.   Take 10 minutes each morning and scan the headlines and the blogosphere. What are the trending topics  The Harlem Shake? Grumpy Cat? The State of the Union address? The Oscars? Find a creative way to relate the day’s hot topic to your organization or your cause.

3.   Post at least one success story per week (but call it something more original than “success story”). Share a photo or a short video (the Vine app is perfect for this) to make it stand out and to get more engagement.

4.   Do you get Google Alerts and New York Times Alerts? You should. Don’t just get set them up for your organization’s name. Set up daily alerts for your competitors, your industry and your cause.

5.   Ask questions that encourage your fans to share personal stories related to your organization. (“My favorite volunteer experience was when_______”. “The most important challenge facing this community is _________.”) Do not get discouraged if the first few do not get any response – try and try again.

Remember, your online community, your fans and followers are telling you every day what content they like and what content they will ignore. No response to a post or a tweet is a response in itself.

Every day, listen and learn from your online community. What types of content get the most engagement? Make a plan to do more of that. Test and measure, and test and measure again.

Other great posts on content creation:

Content Creation for Busy Nonprofits

Are You Content Creation Impaired? Here’s Some Tips and Resources

How do you get inspired to create content? Leave a comment in the section below! 

photo credit: Marc Amos via photopin cc