Understanding who you want to talk to is crucial to creating an effective social media marketing campaign. So, before you get started, think about your ideal audience. What are their interests? What are their preferred social media channels? (This social media fact sheet from Pew Research maps out what social media platforms various age groups use.) It’s likely you plan to market your fundraiser to more than one group of people. This is where donor segments come in handy as you can then create marketing efforts tailored to speak to each group.

As tempting as it is to tap your nearest social media app and post on the fly, thinking ahead will get you much further. In service of that, create a social media calendar for your fundraiser. This will help you stay organized and ensure that your social media posts are consistent and spaced out. Twitter (through TweetDeck) and Facebook/Instagram allow you to schedule posts in-app for free. Additionally, there are lots of tools you can use to schedule your posts on all platforms, such as Later and Buffer.

There’s a lot of social media content out there. Snazzy images and videos will increase the chance of your post registering to the eye. If you need a little help in the art department, connect with a graphic designer or try your hand at DIY. Canva offers a wide array of customizable social media templates.

Research hashtags relevant to your cause on your platform of choice. You can do this by using the search tool on your app, or by looking at posts similar to yours to see what hashtags were used. Remember that the greater the number of posts under one hashtag, the likelier your entry will get lost. As part of your content marketing strategy, use a mix of higher- and lower-use hashtags. Another tactic is to go local—discover the hashtags popular in your community and deploy them!