7 Ways to Share Your Gratitude on Social Media This Holiday Season
Saying 'thanks' on social media can be simple and impactful
You don't have to be a social media pro to put these practices into play. The holidays are ripe with opportunities to thank your supporters, partners, volunteers and customers online.
Post Date: Oct 25 2021
Even though gratitude doesn’t need a season, it sure does feel like the time of year to give appreciation, doesn’t it?
The holidays are ripe with opportunities to thank your supporters, partners, volunteers and customers. It’s also a great time to share end-of-year recaps, and recognize those within your organization or community who made an extra impact during 2021. It’s a time to honor the flexibility, generosity and dedication of others who helped your organization through another year of modifications and change.
With all that said...saying thanks can be simple and impactful!
There are so many easy ways to share gratitude over the holidays (for a fun bonus read, you can revisit our article with 10 Ways to Thank Your Supporters and Volunteers), and below we’ve honed in on ways to give thanks on social media specifically.
Why? Daily usage of social media across the US continues on an uptick this year with people spending an average of 2 hours and 7 minutes each day using a platform like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest(source: backlinko.com). This kind of social media traffic means your audience of supporters will have plenty of opportunities to see your grateful gestures when browsing photos and videos from their family, friends and favorite pages this season, too.
So whether you’re a social media pro or just dipping your toes in the pool, there are lots of simple and effective ways you can share your gratitude virtually.
7 Ways to Share Gratitude on Social Media
1. Like and engage with other people’s posts
Social media is about so much more than posting - it’s supposed to be social! So when you scroll through your social media feed, be sure to engage with other people via your fundraising group’s profile. You can like, love, or even leave a simple comment like “Congrats!” or “This is great to see!”
Spreading social media love is an excellent way to show gratitude, with added benefits, too. Interacting with other people’s posts will position your cause on their radar, and encourage them to engage with other posts from your organization’s page also.
Hint: to engage with a post as your fundraiser or organization page on Facebook, click the dropdown arrow by your profile photo on a post. Then select your page from the dropdown and start commenting!
2. Reply to comments and DMs
When someone comments on one of your organization’s social media posts, it’s a great opportunity to continue the conversation and say “thank you” for following your page. Likewise, do your best to respond to reviews, direct messages and any activity involving your social media page. Some questions and comments will require custom answers, but you can also save yourself time by coming up with templated responses for common topics. Store these in a document that you can easily copy and paste from. This way, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time, and your fan or commenter will know that their message was seen.
Here are some examples of template responses:
“Thanks so much for taking the time to share your review!”
“We love hearing how people are enjoying their Terri Lynn snacks!”
“Thanks so much for reaching out. If you send us a direct message with your contact info, we’ll be in touch right away.”
“Your purchase is already helping make a difference for our program - thank you!”
3. Post a supporter appreciation message
Wear your gratitude on your sleeve with a post all about your supporters! Social media is a great place to rave about their donations, their purchases, their volunteer work, and all the amazing things your organization is able to accomplish with help from the community.
If you’re handy with Photoshop (or even easy-to-use image editing tools like PicMonkey or Canva), you can create custom graphics with your own colors, photos and other holiday flare. Or, you can keep it simple with a heartfelt written message that expresses your thankfulness to the people who make your programs possible.
Hint: If you’re thanking other businesses with social media profiles (like venues or business sponsors) be sure to tag them so they see your post! You can tag a page on Facebook by typing the “@” symbol, and then begin to type the name of the page. A dropdown list will appear, and then you can click on the page you want to include in your post.
4. Post a video of yourself thanking your supporters
Even if you’re camera-shy, know that a simple video expressing your thanks goes a long way. Especially if your supporters haven’t seen you in-person in a long time because of the need for virtual events, they’ll appreciate seeing your face and hearing your voice. It doesn’t have to be a professional-quality video -- simply recording yourself from your phone wearing your favorite festive sweater will be a delight to your followers. You can even get personal and share how your own family enjoys Terri Lynn snacks and treats over the holidays!
5. Host a giveaway or raffle
Giving away a special gift basket or treat is a great way to show thanks to your community of followers. On social media, you can share photos of your giveaway and invite people to “like” your page and add a comment to enter your drawing. You can even ask them to comment with their favorite Terri Lynn treat, or a link to their favorite recipe using a Terri Lynn ingredient - the creativity is up to you! This can also be a good opportunity to bring in your organization’s partners or sponsors in the community, to co-create a bigger giveaway gift that features their products or missions, too.
6. Share content your customers will love
You can give away more than just gifts! You can also show your thanks by giving your followers special information, tips or even fun photos they can share with their own friends. During the holidays, there’s no shortage of freebies you can share with fun, seasonal themes.
Here are some ideas from our Terri Lynn fundraising team:
Directions to a local event or celebration
Photos of a beloved community icon or mascot
Tips for gift-wrapping, shopping or charity-giving
7. Ask what others are thankful for, too
Start the conversation with a question...what are your followers thankful for this holiday season? Posting questions on social media is a great way to boost your engagement rate, and also inspire conversations between your fundraising page and your followers. You can also ask about the most memorable moments from the last year, or something they’re looking forward to over the holidays.
And don’t forget to respond with your own answers, too! When a conversation bounces back and forth on social media, your fans can see that your organization is engaged, interested and responsive - all positive sentiments for them to feel when it comes time for your next fundraiser.
Fundraise over the holidays with Terri Lynn
If a holiday fundraiser is on your list, don’t forget to share that on social media, too! Our Terri Lynn programs can be tailored to involve as much or as little time as you have in this season of giving.
If you haven’t already, hop over to our Terri Lynn Webstore page to learn about our FREE online tools for fundraising fast and virtually. You can also take orders for Terri Lynn products at special holiday events, or even bring cases of products to have on-hand with our Quick Start program. Or you can combine all three!
We want to make your holidays happy, easy and profitable (and tasty!). Contact us to learn about the many fundraising options you have available at your fingertips to end your year on a high note.