INSTAGRAM*: BEST PRACTICES FOR NONPROFITS

*Social media platform used to share stories and experiences with

others through photos and short captions

Quick facts about Instagram users:

26%
64%
73%
70%

of online adults use Instagram

are women, 36% are men
of users are between 15 and 35 years old
are have already taken part in contest (i.e. posting photo to enter

to win prize)
o 33% of users think the easiest way to enter a contest is to post
using an official hashtag (#)
70% have looked for a brand (company, organization, product, etc.) on

Instagram
o 41% would follow a brand to benefit from special offers
76% believe receiving likes encourages them to post more frequently
o 65% of users feel flattered if a brand likes one of their posts
46% have higher education degrees
62% follow a brand they already love/like
54% follow a brand to discover new things
48% follow a brand that has interesting and funny content (posts and
photos)

*Information from:
http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/
http://blog.iconosquare.com/11-instagram-facts-every-marketer-mustknow/

How to post a photo on Instagram:

Tap the blue camera icon at the bottom center of the app screen
Take a picture or choose a photo from your phones album
o Tap the blue button to take a picture

o Tape the gallery button on the lower left to choose a previously

taken photo
Edit your image
o Why do this? Visually appealing photos are everything on
Instagram, so feel free to lighten up a dark photo or make
something black and white for a dramatic look! Play around with
filters and settings until you get an image you are happy with
Hit next in the top right corner
Add caption. This is where you will also include your relevant hashtags!
Tag people in picture by tapping on the Tag People button. Select the
person in the picture you want to tag and searching for their username
Tag your location by selecting Name This Location. Its a good idea to
tag your location wherever you are, especially when you are attending
fundraisers and events at other locations.
Select other social networks to share this post on if desired
o Share photos to Facebook! This will let your Facebook followers
know your Instagram exists and encourage them to follow you if
they arent already

How to post a video on Instagram:

WHY? Videos bring a new visual way to share stories with your target
audience! Videos add a new dimension to the idea of visual
storytelling
Tap the blue camera icon at the bottom center of the app screen
Tap the camera button in the bottom right corner.
o Tap the gallery button on the lower right to choose a previously
taken photo

o Press the red button to record a 15 second video

Edit your video
o Edit the length of your video here. Because it can only be 15
seconds, youll want to choose the best 15 minute segment to
post!
Hit next in the top right corner
Add caption. This is where you will also include your relevant hashtags!
Tag people in picture by tapping on the Tag People button. Select the
person in the picture you want to tag and searching for their username
Tag your location by selecting Name This Location. Its a good idea to
tag your location wherever you are, especially when you are attending
fundraisers and events at other locations.
Select other social networks to share this post on if desired
o Share photos to Facebook! This will let your Facebook followers
know your Instagram exists and encourage them to follow you if
they arent already

How to tag others on Instagram:

Using the @ symbol followed by a users handle (name) will allow you
to tag that user directly. They will be notified that you have tagged
them.

What is a hashtag (#)? Why use it?

A hashtag is a word or phrase used on social media sites (such as
Instagram and Twitter) to identify messages on a specific topic
Using a hashtag turns that particular word or phrase into a searchable
linkthis helps connect your organization to a particular topic or
discussion.
Clicking on a hashtag allows you to see all the posts with that
particular hashtag.

 Hashtags help others discover your account and photos when they
search for a particular hashtag (i.e. #ShelterPets)

How to make/use hashtags (#)?

DO:
Use popular hashtags to help make it easier for others to find your
account. While its great to be creative occasionally (i.e. when youre
posting about a specific Homeward Bound Pets fundraiser and decide
to use the hashtag #HelpHomewardBoundPets), using common
hashtags will increase the chance of others finding and following
Homeward Bound Pets
Be specific! This will help connect Homeward Bound Pets to users with
similar interests and values
Be relevant. Try to use hashtags that relate to what your posting
commonly used on Instagram. (i.e. #Caturday when posting a photo of
a cat on Saturday)

DONT:
Do NOT use spaces. Even if you are using multiple words, group them
together and differentiate between words with capitalized letters (i.e.
#HomewardBoundPets)
Do NOT use punctuation marks (no commas, periods, exclamation
points, question marks, apostrophes, etc.)
Do NOT hashtag everything. Try to stick to 5-10 relevant hashtags per
photo

Instagram best practices for nonprofits:

1. Have a short, clear description: The bio of your account should be
short and simple for users to quickly understand what Homeward
Bound Pets is all about. Be sure to include a link to your website!
2. Use Instagram to report live: capture moments and events in realtime through photos and videos (i.e. during fundraisers, events,
adoptions, when animals enter the shelter, etc.).

3. Add hashtags to captions: Including hashtags in captions will

increase your chance of gaining followers and building a community on
Instagram (see Social Media Hashtags document for more information).
Hashtags help your organization connect with others with similar
interests and values while raising awareness about Homeward Bound
Pets.
4. Monitor hashtags on Instagram using the search option:
Keeping an eye on common hashtags on Instagram (such as
#ForeverHome #Adopt and #ShelterPets) and engaging with those
posts will help keep you in the loop and engaged in Instagrams online
community.
Be sure to like other users posts, comment if appropriate and
follow other users. Again, the point is to keep you engaged
and on your target audiences radar!
5. Like other users photos: Flattery goes a long way on Instagram.
Liking other users photos will help make them notice Homeward
Bound Pets, increasing the chances of users following Homeward
Bound Pets.
Every other day take a few minutes to like 10-15 images
posted by users you follow and/or users using a specific
hashtag.
6. Share at least 3-4 times a week: To gain followers, Homeward
Bound Pets must be active on Instagram. If possible, feel free to post
more often!
7. Get personal: show the behind-the-scenes experiences of Homeward
Bound Pets with followers. This will help your target audience feel more
connected to the organization and part of the HBP community online
and offline
8. Connect your Instagram with your Facebook page: This will help
Facebook followers find and follow the new Instagram account. Steps
on how to do this are explained in the How to post a photo on
Instagram section of this guide.

9. Follow other accounts: Follow other nonprofits, shelters, local

businesses and even personal accounts to grow your online
community.
10.
Show the impact Homeward Bound Pets has: Show through
photos and descriptive captions WHY people should care about
Homeward Bound Pets (i.e. photos of animals finding their Forever
Homes)
11.
Highlight the volunteer aspect of HBP: Volunteers play a
large role in running and maintaining Homeward Bound Pets. Post
photos of volunteers working at the shelter, during a fundraiser or
playing with animals using hashtags such as #ThankfulThursday and
#Volunteers to thank your volunteers while showing how valued they
are
12.

Have fun! Instagram is a creative social media platform with a

ton of potential for Homeward Bound Pets. If you ever feel

overwhelmed, just remember: its just a photo!

Instagram best practices for raising donations:

1. Use hashtags to promote fundraising campaigns: Create a
hashtag (such as #HelpHomewardBoundPets) and use it to encourage
others to donate. Have a set monetary goal and deadline and
encourage followers to donate by your deadline
2. Promote fundraising events: When Homeward Bound Pets is
involved in a fundraiser, promote it on Instagram! Encourage followers
to either attend the event or give them other options of ways to give
back (i.e. donating online)
3. Thank your donors: Be sure to ALWAYS ask for permission before
doing so. This is a great way to show Homeward Bound Pets gratitude
while also showing the need for donations to keep the organization
running

Nonprofits to follow on Instagram for inspiration:

1. @charitywater breathtaking photos used to demonstrate the

organizations efforts to improve lives through clean water
2. @ASPCA inspiring pet rescue nonprofit with 82k+ followers
3. @MercyCorps humanitarian relief nonprofit that uses photos to tell
stories
4. @oregonhumanesociety great resource for hashtags (every post
has a great combination of common and creative hashtags)
5. @Robinhoodnyc this foundations fights poverty in New York and
uses Instagram to document these efforts
6. @sandiegozoo cute photos and videos of animals with funny and
captivating captions
7. @oregonzoo a more local version of the San Diego Zoo. Cute
photos and videos with interesting and hilarious captions
8. @unfoundation this organization features announcements,
campaigns and volunteers through photos
9. @oceana beautiful, inspirational photos that help tell the story of
the ocean
10. @dallaspetsalive this no-kill dog rescue posts a variety of eyecatching photos and campaigns to help raise awareness about its
organization
11. @humansofny photos are used along with detailed captions to
tell the hidden stories of New Yorkers
12. @susiesseniordogs this nonprofit organization focuses on
adopting out senior dogs