Utilizing Social Media for Nonprofit Networking

Nonprofits, if I had to build a modern board in 2025, here’s what I’d do (and how LinkedIn would play a central role): 1. Don’t just recruit board members. Recruit digital connectors. If your board isn’t helping you expand your reach on LinkedIn, you’re leaving money (and momentum) on the table. Stop saying: “We need help with fundraising.” Start saying: “We’re building a digital-first board to open doors to new partners, funders, and allies.” Your next major donor might already be in your board member’s LinkedIn network. They just haven’t made the intro yet. 2. Give your board a LinkedIn playbook. Most board members want to help. They just don’t know how. So make it easy: • Provide a monthly post they can share • Ask them to tag 2–3 dream partners • Use Sales Navigator to identify warm intros through their connections Your board’s network is your fastest-growing asset. Start mining it. 3. Design board roles like a growth team, not a rubber stamp committee. Want your board to unlock real value? Treat them like co-founders: • Build 90-day sprints with specific KPIs (i.e. “Get 10 warm intros to CSR leaders”) • Match roles to strategic needs: capital, partnerships, policy, or tech • Replace “give/get” with “grow/guide/generate” Boards don’t scale nonprofits. Builders do. 4. Make LinkedIn your board’s secret weapon. Every board meeting should ask: “How many strategic intros have we generated this quarter?” “What corporate or philanthropic partner should we be nurturing next?” “Who in our networks needs to see our latest win?” Let your board activate their networks, not just attend meetings. 5. A good board gives. A great board multiplies. In 2025, board members shouldn’t just donate. They should: • Connect you to CSR teams • Vouch for your mission in private conversations • Share your content to audiences that matter Your board can 10x your visibility if you show them how. 6. Culture over comfort. The best boards don’t just agree, they build. They challenge your thinking. They bring fresh ideas. They push you to go bigger. In other words, they act like founding teams. This year, don’t just recruit board members. Empower digital champions. LinkedIn isn’t just a platform, it’s your nonprofit’s growth engine. Join us at our webinar this week and I’ll teach you how to do this effectively: https://lu.ma/apmlnmz4 With purpose and impact, Mario

The most underrated fundraising channel? LinkedIn DMs. How do you become a Social Fundraiser? (Did I just make up a new term? 😆) This week on Missions to Movements, I sat down with Carson V. Heady, Managing Director at Microsoft Tech for Social Impact, and we unpacked this concept. My definition of a Social Fundraiser: A nonprofit professional who leverages their voice, presence, and network online to cultivate donors, build community, and raise funds. Example: Carson has helped raise over $80,000 for a nonprofit through LinkedIn alone - no ad budget, no complicated funnel. Just consistent, authentic relationship-building with the right people at the right time in DMs. Here’s what we dive into in the episode: ➡️ How to use Linkedin to secure partners + major gifts ➡️ Smart ways nonprofits are using Sales Navigator ➡️ Why you don’t need perfect messaging, you just need to show up ➡️ How to turn one story into 30 days of visibility-boosting content ➡️ And the magic of being seen, consistently 🎧 Tune into "Becoming a Social Fundraiser: How to Build Donor Relationships on LinkedIn": https://lnkd.in/eRsRYRtT 👇 And tell me in the comments - have YOU ever turned a post or DM into funding, a partner, or a speaking invite...like this nonprofit mentioned in the video!? This episode is presented by LinkedIn for Nonprofits 🥳

How to find donor prospects on LinkedIn using "Belief" and "Connection" 1) Belief (or, "What to do with your posts.") Do post... ...about the issue your organization addresses. Write about the "Should" or the "Shouldn't" of your organization. "No child should go to bed hungry" "Parents shouldn't struggle to pass on their faith" "No human should be trafficked in the USA." Don't post... ...about internal metrics and fundraising goals. People who don't know you don't care yet. "We are only 85% of the way to our [urgent and arbitrary] fundraising goal" "We only have 30 more monthly donors to go for our march campaign." It's not about money, it's about what you accomplish together. As you post consistently here's what to do: - watch who likes, comments and shares - watch who "views your profile" - engage with every comment - DMs to profile viewer - Build relationships. I know you're good at building relationships, you're a fundraiser! Bonus, sprinkle in some personality (i.e. who you are) to your posting. People give to people, and authenticity is in short supply online. 2) Connection (Or, what to do with others' posts) Stop only engaging with people who have your job! Other nonprofit fundraisers are not about to give you your next major gift. But Linkedin is a career platform, so they put you in a "fundraiser/nonprofit bubble." (Shout out Michelle for articulating this bubble in your Donor Participation Project webinar!) But you can use this bubble effect to your advantage. - Start engaging with people who have the jobs of your best donors. - Watch the comment section of your best donors. You'll find yourself interacting with the people who have giving capacity AND interest for your cause. Family Foundations see Family Foundation posts. Corporate Givers see Corporate Giver posts. Investors see Investor posts. Lawyers see Lawyer posts. CPAs see CPA posts. Your prospects are in the comment section of your best donors posts. Get in the game. To wrap up: - Skip internal metrics, and post your POV on problems you solve. Engage daily. - Break the Fundraiser Bubble, and watch commenters of your donors' posts