How to Leverage Influencers During Awareness Campaigns

December 28, 2023

An awareness campaign can help your nonprofit expand its reach, increase visibility for the issue you’re tackling, and bring in new supporters and donors for your cause. However, getting the word out about your nonprofit’s mission to hundreds or thousands of people might feel difficult, especially if you’re a smaller nonprofit or combatting a more niche issue. This is where an influencer partnership can help.

From bringing attention to animal overpopulation in your local shelters to spotlighting global human rights issues, influencers can elevate your mission and turn their followers into advocates for your cause.

Influencers can act as ambassadors for your cause, helping to introduce your nonprofit to their vast personal networks and maximize your marketing efforts. By asking influencers to spotlight your awareness campaigns, you can reach and exceed your audience engagement goals with ease. 

Maximize influencer support for  your next awareness campaign by:

1. Recruiting well-connected supporters
2. Leading social media contests
3. Inviting influencers to peer-to-peer fundraise 

1. Recruit well-connected supporters

You don’t have to get in contact with high-end celebrities to get the word out about your cause! In fact, there are likely plenty of influencers right in your nonprofit’s community who would be eager to broadcast your cause and help increase your reach. Look for active influencers among your:

Board Members

Your board members likely hold influential positions outside of your organization. On top of their influence, they are already deeply familiar with your mission and vision for the future, making them the perfect candidates to be ambassadors for your cause. Turning your board into ambassadors also gives you the opportunity to boost their engagement and keep them tapped into your nonprofit at all times. 

Donors

Your VIP donors, like your major donors, give significant funds to your nonprofit because they care about your mission. Turn this passion into increased awareness for your mission by asking your well-connected donors to amplify your cause online. 

Volunteers

Volunteers are used to donating their time to market your cause, support your fundraising efforts, and more, so it’s an easy ask to direct your most loyal and influential volunteers to shine a light on your upcoming awareness campaign. 

Sponsor Connections

If you have a corporate sponsor or partnership, leverage this relationship by asking them if they know anyone who has a large following and would be a good ambassador for your nonprofit. Chances are they’ll be able to introduce you to a few influential employees who would be ecstatic to champion your cause. 

Campaign Committee Members

No one knows your cause or your awareness campaign’s central goal better than the people leading it! Look among your campaign volunteers and staff to identify people with large networks or social media followings who would be interested in getting more involved. 

Once you’ve identified your candidates, reach out to them with a personalized request to become an ambassador. Describe what being an ambassador for your campaign will entail, such as posting content about your nonprofit 2-3 times per week for a month. To make their response an easy “yes,” you’ll also want to emphasize how their involvement will push you closer to reaching your goals. 

2. Lead social media contests

Your influencers likely have vast social followings, so why not tap into their networks to help achieve your awareness campaign goals? 

A great way to get the ball rolling on your campaign and leverage your influencers’ reach is by hosting a social media contest. Creating some healthy competition between your ambassadors can help motivate them to do everything possible to get more attention for your nonprofit and its cause. 

To launch a well-designed social media contest, use these tips:  

Set the parameters for your contest. 

Establish the basic guidelines, including what your influencers should post, the timeline for the competition, and the target goal (competing to get the most likes, comments, etc.). For example, you might host a week-long competition where the influencer who gets the most likes on a post about the purpose of your awareness campaign wins.

Use catchy hashtags. 

Generate a memorable hashtag that you and your influencers can include in their captions. For instance, an animal welfare organization might use the hashtag #PawsUpForAnimalRights in all of their posts related to their campaign. This can help catch your audience’s eye and increase engagement. 

You might also leverage existing popular hashtags to reach an even wider audience that might not be familiar with your nonprofit but is passionate about the area you work in. For example, using the hashtag #AdoptDontShop could get an animal welfare nonprofit’s content in front of many animal rescue enthusiasts. Let your influencers know what hashtags to use to boost your visibility. 

Reward the winner and express appreciation.

At the conclusion of your social media contest, reward the winner with a prize such as a spotlight on your account, free merchandise, or discounted tickets for your next fundraising event. It’s also important to recognize all of the influencers who participated in your social media contest. eCardWidget’s guide to volunteer appreciation recommends sending a custom thank-you note that greets supporters by their first name, recognizes the specific role they played in your campaign, and explains how their involvement has made a difference. 

To bring even more visibility to your influencers’ content, you can link their real-time social feeds on your website so new site visitors can view their posts and learn more about your awareness campaign. Make sure to also repost your influencers’ content on your own social media account (and vice versa) to create a cohesive marketing plan and pull in views from multiple audiences. 

3. Ask influencers to peer-to-peer fundraise 

While the primary goal of your awareness campaign is to increase visibility for your nonprofit, you can turn the growing attention around your cause into a fundraising opportunity led by your influencers. Ask these ambassadors to peer-to-peer fundraise alongside your awareness campaign so you can boost awareness and raise funds all at once.

To get started, the OneCause guide to peer-to-peer fundraising best practices recommends the following: 

• Walk your supporters through how to create their own personal fundraising pages and share them online to gain traction. You might host an in-person or virtual training session to orient your ambassadors to best practices or offer online resources that go over fundraising logistics.
  
• Set expectations for how much you would like your influencers to raise individually and collectively. This will help motivate them and increase accountability.
  
• Share links to your ambassadors’ fundraising pages on your own social media accounts, campaign landing page on your website, and email newsletter to help spotlight this donation opportunity to your supporter base.
  
• Recognize and celebrate ambassadors as they hit milestones in their fundraising progress, such as meeting the halfway point or passing their initial goal. 

Just like your social media contest, you can also infuse friendly competition into the fundraising process. Challenge your peer-to-peer fundraisers to raise the most revenue for your nonprofit’s cause, and honor the winner with something special like an exclusive tour of your nonprofit’s facilities. 

Wrapping Up 

Influencers can be a great asset to your organization for your upcoming awareness campaign and beyond. By leveraging their large networks and social followings, you can bring more exposure to your cause and grow your support base. Remember to thank your ambassadors for their time and efforts so you can retain their support year-round.