Confused about how to use Facebook for your nonprofit? We empathize! Here are some links to articles we’ve found useful in understanding the social media platform and its benefits for nonprofits.
Social Source Commons Blog has a great post that clears up a common misconception about Facebook Profiles (which are only for individuals) and Pages (which are for organizations), as well as guidance in setting up Pages and tips for converting an organization Profile into a Page:
Many times, organizations will set up a Profile on Facebook to represent themselves. Most of us have our own Facebook Profile, so we feel comfortable setting up a Profile for our organization when we are presented with the task. However, Facebook wants only individuals to maintain Profiles. They search for organizations representing themselves in Profiles and aggressively delete them because they want all Profiles to represent individuals. In any case, the features for a Facebook Profile don’t match how most organizations would want to use Facebook anyway. The Profile has a limit of 5,000 friends (which you must approve), no metrics and low search engine optimization. As an organization, therefore, do not set up a Facebook Profile. The features are not designed for organizations and if Facebook finds you, they will delete you.
We also recommend checking out Wild Apricot’s Membership Knowledge Hub’s “How to Set Up an Nonprofit Facebook Page,” and Firstgiving’s “Back to Basics – How to set up your Nonprofit Facebook page,” both of which are clear and give step-by-step instructions.