Threads for Nonprofits

Having only released last year Threads is the latest social media platform on the scene. It's operated by Meta which is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Threads can be described as Meta's answer to Twitter (or X if you choose to refer to it by it's new name) because it focuses more on viewing and sharing public conversations. Users are able to create and reply to threads using short bodies of text, images, videos, and links.

Nonprofit organizations should be excited by the release of Threads. It's another new platform that can be leveraged for the betterment of charitable goals. Social media is extremely important in the nonprofit industry. It allows organizations to spread awareness of their mission and attract support. This can be particularly useful during the process of fundraising because social media platforms typically have high rates of engagement.

In the remainder of this article we'll continue exploring Threads and its relevance in the nonprofit industry. We'll work through the basics and benefits of the platform before moving on to Threads strategies, case studies, and challenges that arise from its use. Hang tight to learn all there is to know about this exciting new social opportunity.

Understanding the Basics of Threads

Like any social media platform Threads can be daunting for a new user. There are many functionalities that can be difficult to understand at first glance. Here's an overview of some of the basics of Threads and how they might be capitalized on by nonprofit organizations:

1. Text-Based Posts

Threads sets itself apart from Twitter by allowing users to make posts that are up to 500 characters in length. This is a lot more generous than Twitter's 280 character limit. Nonprofits can make use of this extra text real estate by providing more detail/information when making a thread.

2. Multimedia Sharing

Users aren't limited to text they can also share a variety of other media including links, images, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. Multimedia posts have the potential to be very powerful for nonprofits because visual stimuli typically increase engagement.

3. Real-Time Updates

The platform is designed in a way that encourages users to compound upon their initial post - resulting in a thread of connected ideas. This means that Threads is the ideal platform for posting real-time updates. Nonprofits can take advantage of this during fundraisers by using Threads to keep those who were unable to attend in-person informed.

Threads has much more to offer than the three basic features we have looked into here. However this knowledge should be enough to get you started on the platform. Remember that Threads was designed with conversation in mind and there's always room to compound upon a post in order to form a thread.

Benefits of Using Threads for Nonprofits

Similarly to other social media platforms there are many benefits of using Threads for nonprofits that often go unrealized. Let's expose some of the benefits that Threads has to offer and how they can help improve the effectiveness of your nonprofit's online presence:

1. Cross-Platform Capabilities

Due to Threads' inherent connection to Instagram users have an easy time sharing their Threads posts on their Instagram story. This allows your nonprofit to reach two separate audiences at once which increases the number of eyes on your posts. Furthermore the Threads sign-up process is streamlined because Instagram users are able to open a Threads account in a few simple clicks using their existing log-in details.

2. Huge Audience Potential

Threads currently has 150 million active monthly users - that's 150 million people that can potentially see a post made by your nonprofit. This level of free exposure is otherwise unheard of outside of the social media landscape. Nonprofits should strive to unlock as much of this potential as possible particularly during fundraising campaigns.

3. Ability to Share Links

The user's ability to share links on Threads shouldn't be overlooked. Links are vital to fundraising campaigns, drawing attention to specific areas of interest, and calls to action. Make sure to include relevant links in plenty of your Threads posts to take full advantage of this capability. Additionally you can link your nonprofit's website on its Threads profile page to help unify your online presence.

4. Ease of Advertising

If advertising on social media is something that your nonprofit does, or would like to do, then Threads is the perfect platform. Adverts placed on Threads will potentially be visible to Instagram and Facebook users based on their preferences. Meta has compiled a database of information about its users that allows for extremely precise targeting of adverts. Make the most of this by advertising fundraisers, events, and campaigns via threads.

5. Community Moderation

Twitter's dedication to free speech has resulted in some less than savory exchanges on the platform. Threads is more strict when it comes to user communication. While there are benefits to both of these approaches Threads' insistence on shutting down toxic discourse helps to keep conversations, on the platform, on topic. This is beneficial to nonprofits because it prevents their posts from being taken over by users with ulterior motives.

Nonprofits should take care when assessing the benefits of social media platforms. Each of them has their advantages and disadvantages. Be sure to conduct thorough research before signing up for a social media account. It's important to make sure that the values of the platform align with those of your organization.

Strategies for Using Threads as a Nonprofit

With the basics and benefits of Threads covered it's time to start thinking about strategies for the effective use of the platform. While it may not appear this way social media is a skill. It takes practice and research to understand your audience and what resonates with them. Since the audiences of different nonprofits will vary so much we'll cover some of the more general Threads strategies.

Conciseness is Key

While there is a 500 character limit on Threads it's probably best to keep your posts around the 200-300 character mark unless absolutely necessary. This number of characters provides readers with a balance of information and readability. Anything longer than this and you might notice that your Threads are struggling to maintain the attention of your audience.

Host a Contest

Upon sign-up to Threads your nonprofit account is going to begin at 0 followers. You're going to want to increase this number as much as possible for the best results. A great way to do this is to host a contest that can be entered by following your account. Furthermore you might offer users multiple entries in the contest by sharing, liking, and commenting on the thread for increased engagement.

Be Consistent

Successful Threads accounts with high engagement numbers are posting 3-5 times, or more, per day. Social media is all about providing your followers with a constant stream of new content to engage with.

Visual Stimuli

As mentioned earlier visual stimuli is the perfect way to level up your Threads engagement. Posts that include image and video always outperform text-based posts.

Collaborate for Exposure

Identify Threads influencers with large audiences and values that align with your nonprofit's mission. Reach out to them and offer to collaborate. Treat this collaboration as you would a business partnership - both parties must benefit. This is easily achieved on Threads because your organization can promote the influencer and vice versa. A collaboration like this will help both accounts to share their audiences which will lead to greater exposure and further growth for the two parties involved.

Use the Edit Button

This is a simple but useful tip. If you've posted a thread that you're not particularly pleased with don't undo all of your hard work by deleting it. Use the edit button to make the necessary changes before updating the thread. You'll save a lot of time by utilizing this convenient feature.

By combining these strategies with a more focused approach that appeals to the interests of your nonprofit's audience your organization can establish itself on Threads. Be consistent with your posts and with the implementation of these tips for the best results.

Case Studies: The Success of Nonprofits on Threads

Let's take a look at a couple of nonprofit Threads accounts that are finding success using some of the methods that we have discussed earlier in this article. We'll be taking a look at American Red Cross and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, analyzing the strategies that they have implemented, and how this is affecting their engagement.

Case Study 1: American Red Cross

The American Red Cross Threads account currently has over 40,000 followers which is a sizable audience on the platform. Here are some of the strategies they've used to grow their audience:

• Consistency: American Red Cross has made 4 posts within the past 24 hours which is in line with the 3-5 recommended posts per day. This type of consistency helps to supply their audience with a continuous flow of content.
• Multimedia: They frequently include image and video in their threads and these posts typically outperform their text-based counterparts.
• Cultural Relevance: American Red Cross is capitalizing on the popularity of the recent Met Gala by posting threads about the topic. This helps to attract the attention of an exterior audience by posting content that is relevant to them.
• Humor: Everyone enjoys a giggle while browsing social media and American Red Cross is taking advantage of this. A recent post states: "Sometimes, people donate blood just for the free snacks and apple juice, and that's okay." This thread received over 700 likes due to its humorous nature and relevance to American Red Cross' mission.

American Red Cross' approach to Threads has led to a decent level of success. They combine humor, cultural relevance, and their mission to create engaging and entertaining content which resonates with their audience.

Case Study 2: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has amassed over 76,000 followers on Threads. Below are some of the strategies they've used to achieve this:

• Patient Art: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital frequently shares artwork created by their patients. This adds a multimedia element to their threads while appealing emotionally to their audience.
• Combined Strategies: They recently posted a series of images of moms accompanied by a link to donate to a related cause for Mother's Day. This highlights St Jude's use of Threads for fundraising and is a fantastic example of combining cultural relevance, multimedia, and links.
• Engagement Farming: St. Jude often makes posts that are designed to attract engagement from their audience. An example of this is a recent Thread that reads: "drop your vibe in emojis 👇." This post was able to attract many likes and replies which helps to further the reach of their account.
• Polls: Occasionally St. Jude will use a poll within a thread. One of their recent polls asks: "should you smile today?" All three choices on the poll read "yes." This is an excellent way to boost engagement while spreading a little bit of humor and a positive message.

St Jude Children's Research Hospital is doing a wonderful job of engaging with their audience on Threads. Their focus on humor, positive messages, and engagement has led to great success on the platform.

Challenges and Solutions of Using Threads as a Nonprofit

Social media platforms are powerful tools that are accompanied by various issues. Fortunately these issues can be overcome through careful consideration while using Threads.

One of the primary issues that nonprofits will face on Threads is trolls. Trolls are users that interact with posts in a deliberately negative way. Threads takes the safety of its community very seriously which makes it easy to deal with this issue. Simply report any replies that are using negative language and Threads will deal with the rest. Replies made by trolls will be removed and the perpetrator prevented from interacting with your account any further.

Another issue faced by nonprofits on Threads is understanding their audience. It can be difficult to know what resonates with your followers and what doesn't. To overcome this you should experiment with your threads and take note of posts that perform well and those that don't. Aim to reuse elements and themes from posts that receive more engagement.

It's crucial to be mindful that social media success, including on Threads, is not something that will come overnight. As mentioned earlier consistency is key in the social media game. By following the strategies outlined earlier in the article and posting 3-5 times, or more, per day you can expect to slowly but surely grow a successful following on your nonprofit's Threads account.

The Future of Threads for Nonprofits

Threads will continue to evolve and grow overtime similarly to any other social media platform. Due to its user-driven nature it's constantly adapting to the world around it. Here are some things to keep an eye on to ensure that your nonprofit remains ahead of the Threads curve:

1. Memes

A meme is an image, video, or piece of text that spreads rapidly across the internet due to its humorous nature or cultural relevance. By analyzing Threads, and other social media platforms, you can identify popular memes and find ways to incorporate them into your nonprofit Threads account. Adopting memes early in their life cycle is a great way to relate to a broader audience and amplify your engagement.

2. Viral Trends

Similarly to memes viral trends spread quickly across social media due to the engagement that related posts receive. Once again these trends can be identified by monitoring Threads and other popular social media platforms. Participating in viral trends on your nonprofit Threads account can lead to greater levels of exposure.

3. Changes to Threads

Threads is an extremely young social media platform and therefore will be subject to many changes and feature implementations. Staying up to date with any changes to the Threads platform will help your nonprofit to make use of new features and avoid potential pitfalls.

FAQs

Q: What challenges might nonprofits face when using Threads, and how can they overcome them?

A: Common challenges faced by nonprofits on Threads are trolls, the inability to understand their audience, and high expectations of success. Trolls can be combated using Threads' report feature which will inform Meta of the problem. Nonprofits can better understand their audience by experimenting with different types of posts and documenting the specific strategies that led to success. Finally its important to remember that consistency is the key to success and it won't come overnight - social media requires a large time investment.

Q: Are there any successful case studies of nonprofits using Threads?

A: Yes! Two great examples of successful nonprofit Threads accounts are American Red Cross and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. You can find case studies on them earlier in this article.

Q: How does Threads compare to other social media tools for nonprofits?

A: With 150 million active users per month Threads can be just as powerful as the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. When it comes to social media it's important not to compare them but to use them all. Each has a unique audience that can only be accessed by having a presence on the platform.

Get Involved on Threads

This article will conclude with a simple message: get involved on Threads! The time for thinking about taking action is over and the time for actually taking action has arrived. If your nonprofit organization already has an Instagram account then accessing Threads is easier than you can imagine. If not then it'll only take a couple more minutes and it will certainly be worthwhile.

When interacting with your Threads audience be sure to follow the strategies outlined earlier in the article such as consistency (3-5 posts, or more, per day), conciseness (aim for 200-300 characters), and multimedia posts (use image and video as well as text). By adopting this approach to Threads you'll be increasing the rate at which you find success on the platform.

To accompany your journey on Threads, and all other social media platforms, Paybee offers an all-in-one nonprofit solution that helps to integrate social media into your fundraising process. Paybee has tons of other useful features such as the ability to host virtual fundraising events, secure payment processing, and analytics tools. Contact Paybee here and try the demo to learn how the platform can benefit your organization.

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