How Nonprofits Can Use TikTok to Reach New Donors, Supporters, and Volunteers

Did you know there are more than 1 billion active users on TikTok?

If your nonprofit needs to step up its fundraising and outreach, chances are a good percentage of your nonprofit’s donors, supporters, and volunteers are using TikTok. If you’re new to TikTok and want some great ideas for how to reach a wider audience for your nonprofit, sign up for your free account in NonprofitReady and search for our newest free video — “How Nonprofits Can Leverage TikTok.” Joanne Toller from The Cause Specialists takes the mystery out of using TikTok for your nonprofit and shows some easy ways you can use TikTok to reach a wider audience.

We have had a lot of fun creating videos on our NonprofitReady TIkTok channel. We have made some mistakes along the way, but we are starting to see some great engagement in a short amount of time. Hopefully these best practices will give you and your nonprofit the inspiration to launch your own channel and get the most out of using TikTok for your cause:

1. Create Engaging Content

TikTok’s strength lies in its ability to create engaging content that compels people to watch your videos until the end. This means that you should be creating content that is both informative and entertaining; for example, you could do an informational video about your cause with some tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in so that viewers are engaged throughout the entire video. You could also get creative with audio choices or make use of popular trends on the platform by incorporating them into your videos in a way that is relevant to your mission or cause. Additionally, don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of videos—you never know what type of content will resonate well with viewers. Once you find a niche that fits your style and generates strong engagement, stick with it!

2. Utilize Hashtags

Hashtags are essential on TikTok as they help drive engagement by connecting users with similar interests. When creating a post for your nonprofit organization on TikTok, make sure you include relevant hashtags so that other users can find your content more easily. You should also research which hashtags are currently trending in order to maximize exposure for your posts. Adding relevant hashtags will help you target potential donors or volunteers who may not even be aware of your cause yet but have expressed interest in similar topics recently through their hashtag searches.

3. Engage with your audience and influencers

Engaging with your audience on TikTok is a great way to build relationships and foster loyalty among potential donors, volunteers and supporters. Make sure you are regularly responding to comments on your posts and engaging in conversations with other users who have shown interest in what you have posted or commented on those posts themselves. This will show followers that there is an actual person behind the profile who cares about their feedback and encourages further engagement from them in the future. Reach out to influencers and “micro-celebrities” on TikTok and see if they will share your message.

One important rule of marketing is “go where your audience is.” If you have potential supporters using TikTok, it could be an effective (and fun) to reach them. By creating engaging content with relevant hashtags and sharing stories connected back to why supporting their cause matters most, nonprofits can leverage this powerful platform in order to boost engagement with potential audiences and generate more support for their mission overall. So if you're looking for ways to reach your donors, supporters, and volunteers without relying on traditional advertising methods, create your nonprofit’s first TikTok video and see what happens. Who knows? one of your employees, or even your dog, could become the next viral sensation and raise some awareness for your cause.