Setting Up a Facebook Page for a Community Organization

Whether it’s for a senior center, community food bank, local service organization, or other nonprofit, creating awareness about programs and services is vital. A useful strategy when you are on a limited budget is to promote your organization on social media. Facebook, in particular, has many features that make it ideal for community agencies. Here’s what you should know about setting up and maintaining a Facebook page, from scheduling events to sharing photos.

Tips for Setting Up a Facebook Page for an Organization

You must have a personal Facebook account before you can set up any type of business page. So, if you don’t already have a profile of your own, you’ll need to take care of that first. Visit How do I create a Facebook account? for a step-by-step tutorial.

Once that’s taken care of, navigate to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create. From there, the next steps in creating a Facebook page for your organization are:

• Name your page: It’s probably best to use the organization name that people are most familiar with.
• Select a category: This one can sometimes be a little tricky. This article on best practices for determining a category will help.
• Enter a description: The information you enter here will appear on your Facebook page’s About tab. Much like the About Us page on a website, this is a section of your page that people will review often. Give careful consideration to the information you share here. It’s good to include your mission and goals, along with how people can contact you.

After you’ve completed these steps, click Create Page. Your page is now ready to be customized further. Here are some additional steps we suggest:

• Add photos: Next up is to add a profile photo and cover photo. The profile picture requires a square photo, your logo might be a good option. The cover photo size can sometimes present a challenge as it must be 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall. An action shot of a program or special event would work well.
• Create events: This is a great feature for community organizations. You can even let people register online. This article will help you learn how to set up your Events section.
• Enable donations: If you are a nonprofit organization, you can accept donations through your Facebook page. There are some restrictions, including that some countries aren’t eligible and U.S. organizations must have 501(c)(3) status. Read more about Facebook’s Fundraising Tools here.

What to Showcase on Your Organization’s Facebook Page

The first tip is to post to your Facebook page every day. Some organizations do so multiple times a day. A rule of thumb for better engagement is known as the 70/20/10 approach. Here’s what that breaks down to:

• 70% of the posts you create should bring value to your followers. These posts should inform, inspire, or entertain.
• 20% of posts should be shared content. They might be from other organizations you partner with or helpful local resources.
• 10% of the posts shared with followers can be promotional. They might be fundraising appeals or requests for volunteers for your organization. You’ll want to limit these so your Facebook page visitors don’t feel as if you are constantly selling to them or asking for money.

The good news is that Facebook has a publishing feature that allows you to schedule posts in batches. But remember, it is still important to engage with your audience. So even if you schedule a week’s worth of posts at a time, your team should still read comments and respond to them.

Happy posting!

Updated on 03-18-2024