Social Media for Nonprofits: Empowering Younger Generations to Take Action

Social Media for Nonprofits: Empowering Younger Generations to Take Action

In the present day’s youth are wanting to be on the forefront of profitable actions to dismantle and rebuild buildings and implement constructive change on the earth. More and more, nonprofits are harnessing this want and turning to youthful generations to drive change and grow to be the world’s future leaders. Their primary catalyst for change?

That is the driving notion at Sustainable Vitality for All (SEforALL), a younger, vibrant, and rising group that’s pushing for bolder actions to make common entry to trendy and clear vitality occur by 2030. They consider that the youthful generations are the driving forces of the present local weather motion actions; they ask probably the most difficult questions, are open-minded, and use their very own community to achieve new audiences of leaders and supporters. Via their platforms, SEforALL really hopes to channel the precise mindset and affect the longer term leaders of the world.

On this interview, you may hear straight from Meriam Otara, Communications Specialist at SEforALL, and you will be taught:

  • Why it is vital for nonprofit organizations to enchantment to youthful audiences these days
  • Methods to join on a deeper stage with youthful audiences via reader-friendly, trendy, dynamic content material
  • The advertising and marketing ways that work greatest to achieve youthful audiences
  • Tips about constructing consciousness and group round vital causes through social media

There are such a lot of nice nonprofits working arduous to make the world a greater place. We wish to assist a tiny bit relating to their social media advertising and marketing efforts.

 

 


Inform us extra about you! What’s Sustainable Vitality for All (SEforALL) all about and what’s your function there?

Hello, my title is Meriam Otara and I’m a Visible & Digital Communications Specialist for worldwide organizations. I presently lead the inventive communications and social media for Sustainable Vitality for All (SEforALL). SEforALL is a younger, vibrant, and rising group that works with the United Nations, worldwide organizations, governments, and the personal sector to make sure we obtain Sustainable Improvement Objective 7 (SDG7) — entry to trendy, clear, dependable, and sustainable vitality for all — by 2030. We’re quickly celebrating a decade of SDG7 progress since SEforALL was initiated by former UN Secretary-Basic Ban Ki-Moon. Since then, there was an rising demand for SEforALL platforms and merchandise, and that’s why as a part of the communications group, I be sure that these digital merchandise are:

  • Reader-friendly, trendy, dynamic;
  • Reaching the precise audiences!

 

Inform us in regards to the “That is Cool” marketing campaign! What has made this marketing campaign so profitable?

From the place I’m from, which is the Philippines, a day by no means passes by with out listening to somebody say, “It’s sizzling.” (Both that or “Oh my god, it has been raining continuous for 7 days!”) And with out pressing actions to the local weather disaster, the agricultural and concrete poor in creating international locations in Africa and Asia are getting increasingly more liable to the implications of warmth, as a result of they’ll’t entry or afford no matter cooling applied sciences can be found on the market.

SEforALL began the #ThisisCool marketing campaign final 12 months after releasing one of many family stories known as Chilling Prospects, which tracks the worldwide improvement of delivering common sustainable cooling. The marketing campaign goals to lift consciousness of the present cooling scenario (final 12 months it was discovered that round *1.02 BILLION* persons are at excessive danger attributable to lack of entry to cooling!), its challenges, and what will be performed the world over to make sustainable cooling for all a actuality.

As a part of the marketing campaign, we created a microsite with Greenhouse PR, with totally different cooling case research—from cool rooftops to farming improvements—and supplied a properly illustrated toolkit that can be utilized by anybody and everybody to begin the dialog on sustainable cooling.

Why do you consider it’s vital for nonprofit organizations to enchantment to youthful audiences these days?

We’ve stated it earlier than at SEforALL (and we’re undoubtedly not the primary ones to say it!), however youth are the driving forces of the present local weather motion. They aren’t afraid to talk out and demand higher insurance policies or a greater response to the pandemic that’s affecting us, youth, each short- and long-term. As social media managers, honest engagement is what we finally aspire to construct, and no less than for what I can say because the frontline of SEforALL social media, youth are those who ask questions, are open-minded, share concepts, and use their very own community to assist SEforALL attain different audiences who might have in any other case not heard about SEforALL earlier than. Via our platforms, we will solely hope to channel the precise mindset and affect the longer term leaders of the world.

As a nonprofit worldwide group, how do you join on a deeper stage with youthful audiences?

We’re not scared to dive into conversations with youth. That’s why we created the SEforALL Youth Summit final February, organized by the SEforALL youth representatives ourselves, to indicate that youth voices are wanted to be heard and that SEforALL is right here to pay attention. The outcomes of that Summit are additionally going to feed into the high-level conferences on vitality occurring this September.

 

What advertising and marketing ways have you ever discovered work the very best to achieve youthful audiences?

We discovered exhibiting information and infographics that hit nearer to residence for youthful individuals have had higher engagement and reactions than most different content material. Two good examples that we’ve pushed out throughout the Summit have been exhibiting information via an infographic on the quantity of vitality the entire nation of Senegal makes use of versus the variety of vitality Californians use taking part in video video games; and no vitality entry, no web.

For our #ThisisCool marketing campaign, we additionally reached out to youth influencers within the local weather motion sphere in Africa and Asia by commenting on their posts associated to passive cooling. And solely once they comply with us again will we truly ship them a personalised message on Twitter telling them about our marketing campaign and ask them for his or her emails so we will ship the toolkit on to them. It’s vital for us to know that they consider in our message as we do with them earlier than we bombard them of their inbox. With the help from Greenhouse PR, we chosen them not simply primarily based on their following rely, but additionally the standard of content material that they put out.

Which social media platforms have efficiently pushed SEforAll’s missions ahead and why?

So far as advocacy goes, our Twitter and LinkedIn profiles have had probably the most affect on SEforALL tasks. Twitter is fast-paced and straight to the purpose and simple to attach with our audiences within the worldwide group sector. As we (and our companions) at all times have occasions, data merchandise to launch, it’s normally the primary platform we make the most of for any marketing campaign. And whereas LinkedIn is sort of the opposite, we’ve used LinkedIn to ascertain thought management within the vitality entry scene, in addition to present worth and appreciation to our employees. It’s additionally fairly stunning however numerous our youth audiences are totally on LinkedIn.

What recommendation do you have got for different organizations that wish to construct consciousness and group across the causes they care about through social media?

Two phrases—well timed and timeless. At SEforALL, we don’t wish to be simply fast, we additionally need our content material to be related yesterday, at present, tomorrow. It helps to create content material that places the trigger into correct context, one that’s simple, relatable, brief.

We not too long ago did a 2-minute explainer on why we want common vitality entry or Sustainable Improvement Objective 7. It was additionally created to achieve out to those that will not be but conversant in the Sustainable Improvement Objectives usually. We talked about present occasions, why vitality is required for chilly chains for vaccine deployment, why kids want vitality to entry on-line schooling, and so forth. Artwork and replica must go hand in hand. At SEforALL, I’m fortunate to work with multimedia wordsmiths that make my work simpler.

 

What actions can companies and people take at present to make sustainable cooling a actuality?

After we take into consideration cooling, the very first thing that involves thoughts is air-con. However cooling for all will depend on many alternative options and with the local weather, financial, well being crises that we face, we want to verify we prioritize environment friendly and reasonably priced options that gained’t spike vitality demand and don’t have detrimental environmental impacts.

Companies, firms, people—all stakeholders—can take into consideration cooling options in 4 methods:

  • Passive cooling options: no-energy options like timber that present shade or pure air flow in buildings
  • Coverage options: governments prioritizing passive cooling in constructing codes or cities making certain sufficient inexperienced area to maintain the town cool
  • Monetary options: making energy-efficient fridges and air conditioners simpler to buy by the mass public
  • Service options: coaching individuals and firms learn how to be extra sustainable and learn how to create sustainable merchandise

 

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