How to Create a Successful Hashtag for Your Fundraiser
You’re raising money for a purpose. But getting people to actually see your fundraiser? That’s what social media is for. The secret? Creating your fundraiser hashtag to be memorable, to make a statement, and to do it in a different way that makes people stop and think. Such tags, or user-driven labels, are how content on social media platforms is often organized, which allows an audience to find the latest on a hot topic or post by simply looking up a hashtag. Which is why it’s essential that your hashtag is distinct if you want your fundraiser to do well, especially if you’re a nonprofit or other initiative that is seeking to use social media marketing, a lot like a megaphone, to increase awareness.
A great hashtag is really important to any successful crowdfunding. It would enable other people on social media to react to your story and make a donation if it moves them. Following these four simple steps can help you to create a hashtag that raises awareness for your cause, boosts donations, and helps you to #crush your fundraising goals. Hashtags are powerful tools for nonprofit organizations to grow support, build a sense of community, and attract potential donors.
Why use a hashtag for your fundraiser?
It feels hard to ask for help with money, even if it’s for something worthy or charitable. Share your mission. Social media has made it possible to share your mission with friends, family, and an audience from around the world at the click of a button, without in-person asks. A great hashtag can also attach to a trend and possibly even make your fundraiser go viral, in effect ensuring your cause receives as much attention as possible.
Still not feeling the power of the fundraising hashtag? Well, aside from the anecdotal evidence and list of examples we’ve given above, the theory is also backed up by the data. Research has proven that X posts with hashtags get double the engagement of those without and are 55% more likely to be reposted. On Instagram at least, posts with at least one hashtag get 12.6% more engagement than those without. Nonprofit hashtags and branded hashtags are the cornerstone of any marketing strategy for digital era fundraising efforts.
How to create a fundraising hashtag that inspires donations: 4 simple steps
Hashtags and social media go hand in hand—it’s nearly impossible to have one without the other. And when thinking of some hashtag ideas you can use to tell your crowdfunding story, you’ll want to give it some extra thought. Creating the right hashtag for your fundraiser can take it to the next level in terms of how much visibility it will get, so your fundraiser has an identity and can be better shared and recognized by fellow users.
As online crowdfunding specialists, we’re here to help you design a fundraiser hashtag that’s not only catchy and unique but also relevant to your cause. So, if you’re not quite sure where to get started, then try to follow these four steps to creating an effective hashtag for your social media fundraising. You should use hashtags that support your general fundraising objectives, and pay attention to relevant hashtags used in other successful fundraising events.
1. Choose the right platform
It turns out, creating the perfect fundraising hashtag begins with picking the right social media platform. You’ll want to post about your hashtag on the platform where you have the most followers and engagement already. It’s possible to use them on most of the big social media platforms, but they come to life on X (formerly Twitter). Curious about the day’s trending topics? Use X to look up specific hashtags.
Other platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, also nudge you toward looking up individual hashtags, and TikTok is known for hashtag challenges. Additionally, a fundraiser can gain visibility through the trending algorithm on the platform. Most social media platforms have their version of hashtag functionality today, so just do your homework and start on the one you think you’ll find your greatest success on. Ask friends, family, and your broader community which platform they spend most of their time on, or do a couple of searches about the same topic to find out where other fundraisers have found the most success. The right hashtag strategy for your community and your cause will allow you to get more hands on deck and keep them engaged, while also connecting you to major support and local initiatives.
2. Start brainstorming
Once you choose the best social media platform, it’s time to plant some seeds with creative fundraising ideas for your hashtag. First things first: you’ll want to give your fundraiser a snappy, easy-to-type name that will make your event irresistible to potential backers. Begin by considering the words you need to make sure are in there. You do want your hashtag to be original, but you also want it to be clear. If we go by the official rules of X, it’s preferable to have two unique tags (with each word in caps in order for them to be easily read).
It’s also important to consider the characters that are supported in hashtags. Numbers and capital letters are permitted, but symbols and punctuation are not. Maximize your hashtag’s impact by keeping it short, sweet, and straightforward, so your followers have the best chance to relate to it and want to support your cause. Combine your hashtag with a popular one in your category, and don’t forget the user-generated content to repost to your audience. And some nonprofits have discovered that telling stories in the form of branded hashtags and reposting friendly templates are effective tactics.
3. Research your hashtag
You’ll want to make sure that your fundraising hashtag is original through and through and hasn’t been used by any other crowdfunding fundraiser in the past. After you’ve had some time brainstorming ideas and have some winners picked out, begin researching across various sites to determine if your hashtag has been used before. If so, consider making tweaks or using an online tool like All-Hashtag to find new ideas by plugging in words that may be related to your cause.
Along with your special fundraiser hashtag, a few generic hashtags are useful: they increase your odds of organically reaching a wider audience. Hashtags like #Homelessness or #CancerFundraising are also broad enough to attract attention from searches your ideal readers are already making. But make sure to include one or two original hashtags that will let your fundraiser stand out, too. As you think about your social media marketing strategy, include both a balance of nonprofit hashtags, trending hashtags, and niche-related tags to boost your hashtag strategy.
4. Use your hashtag to promote your cause
Once you’ve selected the perfect hashtag and launched your fundraising page, the only remaining step is to start promoting your cause. Dedicate yourself to using your new hashtag, and let it appear widely in all your social media posts. Boost your posts further with fundraising photos and video to give your followers something additional to look at.
When more and more people use your hashtag, your fundraiser gets more attention and engagement. No connection should remain untapped. Put your personal hashtag on every post, but don’t overlook asking as many friends, family members, and followers as possible to use it when they repost your content.
Try not to let too much time pass without searching your hashtag to see how people are using it. If you see that others are, great. Interact with those posts. Leave a comment or emoji, or react to it. You’ll add numbers to your fundraising community with a bit of thoughtful interaction. Link up with influencers or community advocates to up your reach, especially around big fundraising events like Giving Tuesday.
Boost your crowdfunding efforts with a unique fundraiser hashtag
There you have it, some super creative and engaging hashtag options that will help get your fundraiser in the best position to succeed – sign up now and give them a try! If you still need more help with GoFundMe or want additional crowdfunding advice, then see our expert guides for deep dives on crowdfunding topics that cover every set of fundraising questions you can think of. Two of the most important factors in successfully running a crowdfunding initiative are fundraising tips and marketing strategies, particularly as you share your project with the world, inspire support for it, and organize it through the use of connected, live social content and advocacy.
Coming up with a hashtag for your fundraiser may help tell your story succinctly and make some inroads with supporters on social media. Not only do you share the personal connection to the cause with hundreds, if not thousands, of potential donors, but a clever hashtag can mean your cause is remembered, long after the dollars have been counted. Give your nonprofit or cause the right hashtag, add some good friends on social media, and success is right around the corner.