← Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell
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I have an exciting announcement. Social Media for Social Good Academy is open for 2026 enrollment. It only opens once per year, so don't wait. Go to socialgoodacademy.com to get all the details. You can enroll in this program and class starts February 23rd, so do not delay. Inside the Academy, you will learn how to use the highest performing social media platforms to grow your audience, get more visibility and drive donations. The latest trends nonprofits need to know in social media how to build and grow a community with compelling content. How to use AI tools like ChatGPT to create posts. How to use social media to fit into your overall digital fundraising plan, including your website and email newsletter. Go to social good academy.com or go to jcsocialmarketing.com and click on the banner at the top. I hope to see you on the inside this year. Now let's get into the top social media trends that non profits should embrace in 2026. If 2025 was about experimentation, 2026 is about refinement. The non profits that will thrive this year are not the ones chasing every trend. They're the ones focusing on what actually works. Storytelling, more dedicated, meaningful engagement, community building and smart use of AI. So let's get to the biggest shifts shaping 2026 and what you should do to adapt them. Number one, we can't get away from it. Short form video still rules the attention economy. This is not going away. Reels, TikTok, YouTube shorts, Facebook videos Vertical storytelling continues to dominate the landscape. But here's what nonprofits often get wrong. They think they need expensive production. They think they need, you know, someone that is very well versed in video and you don't. 15 to 32nd donor or staff stories really do outperform polished corporate videos. Many successful creators just use their phones and a ring. Light and authentic conversations really beat the dancing. The trends, all the theatrics. When one of my favorite nonprofits, Candid, experimented with short form video, they found 92% increase in Instagram engagement, 72% increase on TikTok compared to static posts and 12% follower growth on Instagram. The takeaway movement, emotion, authenticity, outperforms, polish. And if you're not using short form video In 2026, you are leaving attention and possibly donations on the table. Number two, engagement signals matter more than perfection. What does this mean? The algorithm does not reward perfection. It rewards interaction. What counts most, shares, especially to stories or direct messages saves, which is really the new like meaningful comments, conversation threads. So a heartfelt iPhone video from your executive director on the future of your organization or what you're planning on doing this year will outperform a sterile promotional reel every time. Think about the language that you're using. Also, instead of saying, we're so proud to launch our campaign because that just really sounds like it's about you, right? It's about your agenda. Try saying, hi everyone, we're so excited to launch this new project. But we want to know, what does generosity look like to you? Stop optimizing for aesthetics and start optimizing for conversation. Number three, Storytelling is still the best connector. I'm telling you, in 2026, AI's everywhere. Automation's everywhere. AI sledges everywhere. Stories are non profits. Last best competitive advantage. Human stories stand out more than ever. This is where we differentiate ourselves. Stories, stories, stories. Faces, not logos. Behind the scenes moments. The why we do what we do. You want to think noteworthy, not newsworthy. And my three step social media storytelling formula. Number one, Feel. Make people feel something. Lead with emotion. Number two, Know. Clarify the impact. What do you want people to know? And then do make the ask simple. If your posts skip straight to the do, you are losing people. Emotion, clarity, action. That sequence is what drives results. Okay, number four in the trends, AI is your assistant, not your voice. AI tools absolutely help you keep up and save time, but they do not replace your voice. Use them to draft captions, repurpose content, turn long stories into short scripts, generate platform specific versions of things. But remember, AI handles first drafts, humans handle edits, and humans are always in charge of the truth. The Nonprofits winning in 2026 are using AI to save time and then reinvesting that time into deeper community building. Number five, trend. Platform specific strategy matters more than ever. It is not enough to have a digital strategy. It is not enough to have a social media strategy. One of the biggest mistakes nonprofits make is posting the same thing everywhere. You have to have a platform specific strategy. With every platform that you're utilizing, you need to ask why are we using this platform specifically? What does it offer that others don't? How much time and budget can we commit? And really, in 2026, strategic focus beats platform sprawl. Oh, platform sprawl. All right. I'm going to give you some quick platform power moves that are working this year. So for Facebook, reels and stories outperform promotional posts always. 4 by 5 images perform best on Facebook. 10 text posts with colorful backgrounds and strong hooks tend to work. Use real photos over AI generated visuals. The algorithm knows on Instagram, start reels with a very strong hook or a question. Use interactive stories, polls, quizzes, Q and A. Use carousels for storytelling and for educational related tips. Consistency is so much better than daily posting on Instagram. LinkedIn 12 to 14% of nonprofits no 12 to 4 sorry, 12 to 14% engagement rates for nonprofit Content so if you're thinking about a platform where you want to get a lot of engagement, LinkedIn is the place for you. LinkedIn for Nonprofits reports that most nonprofits get 12 to 14% engagement, and I'm sure you're not getting that high level of engagement on other platforms just based on the algorithm. 60% of LinkedIn users engage with nonprofit causes and LinkedIn members are significantly more likely to donate. So if you're ignoring LinkedIn in 2026, you are missing a serious opportunity. All right, let's go back to the trends or what I think are The TransLast Number 6 Inspire and Build Community, Not Just Campaigns how do we show up when we aren't asking for money in 2026? This question matters more than ever. Supporters don't want to feel like ATMs, they want to feel inspired, included, proud to be a part of your mission. Social media is where you stay top of mind. Reinforce impact and build belonging. Campaigns convert, but community sustains. Plan for the long term. Number seven Use social media ambassadors. Peer to peer storytelling matters so much more than branded messaging. So my recommendation Equip staff, volunteers, board members, monthly donors, program participants. Give them a template, a personal connection prompt, a specific fundraising goal. The more you can give them, the more likely they will succeed and the more likely they will initiate a campaign. People trust people. Your community is your most powerful distribution channel. Now I get asked all the time how do we ask for money on social media? Well, the ideal social media ask includes a hook like why do I care? Why this? Why now? Emotion, a specific dollar amount and urgency and relevancy. Vague appeals tend to underperform and specificity specificity tends to convert. So what's the big shift for 2026? Here's what's going to separate high performing non profits from overwhelmed ones. You know they don't try to do everything. They follow trends that serve their audience. They lead with emotion. They focus on what performs. They show up consistently when not fundraising. They use AI to support, not replace strategy. And this year is not about more content. It's about smarter content. So if you're ready to build your sustainable 2026 social media plan, if you want clear platform focus, a repeatable storytelling system, strategic use of AI community building beyond campaigns and a sustainable content cadence. You need to join me in Social Media for Social Good academy. Go to socialgoodacademy.com we're going to learn so much together. It's a busy, noisy, crowded online space. Sometimes people can be not so nice. Sometimes the work feels thankless. Sometimes it feels like you're doing it all alone. But you're not alone. Join my community of nonprofit social media managers, fundraisers, and storytellers all going through similar things. I really hope you can join me in the 2026 class of social Media for Social Good Academy. Just go to social good academy.com you can always email me at julia jc socialmarketing.com with any questions that you have. So let's do this. Here's to a great year. Thanks for listening.