Social media best practices for nonprofits

Social media is a relatively recent phenomenon that has transformed the way humans interact and communicate. Since face‐to‐face interaction is not always possible or conveniently available, humans have had to come with up with creative solutions to make communication possible, even from across long distances. Social media is the latest innovation that has changed the way human beings communicate because now they can do it seamlessly over the internet. Social media has had a tremendous impact on society because social media is one of the most widely used methods of communication that allow people to connect and interact with one another. The evolution of Web 2.0 brought a new set of tools that has led to a social revolution in the digital age. The potential of social media is especially important in the nonprofit sector, where the spread of “Web 2.0” applications, such as Interactive blogs, discussion lists, bulletin boards, real‐time consultations, and social networking software play a valuable role in strengthening bonds, building trust, and communicating strategically with their constituents. Nonprofit organizations have a variety of social media platforms and tools to choose from and can participate in one or as many as they need. The arrival of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube has been beneficial to nonprofit organizations because they are free to use and have built‐in interactivity. Nonprofit organizations can use social media not only to spread activism, but also to attract donors and volunteers. Today, social media is ingrained into every facet of modern society and today we simply cannot fathom a world without it. The purpose of this study is to discover what key elements are needed for nonprofit organizations to achieve success using social media.