5 Simple Ways Your Nonprofit Can Use LinkedIn to Find More Donors

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With all the social networking sites available today, you may wonder which is best for your nonprofit organization. More importantly, you may be wondering which site is best for your organization in terms of finding more donors. The answer may surprise you: It's LinkedIn.

Why LinkedIn? Well, according to the site's own statistics, LinkedIn boasts more than 120 million affluent, influential professionals from over 200 countries and territories. In 2010, HubSpot and LinkedIn teamed up to create an infographic that showed members are highly educated (more than 70% have a bachelor or graduate degree), affluent (close to 50% of users have an income of more than $100,000 per year), and they hold influential positions -- more than 30% are senior level executives and managers, while 50% are decision makers in the companies/organizations.

LinkedIn’s power comes from getting connected with the right people. How do you get your nonprofit connected with these potential donors? Here are 5 simple tips to build these connections fast:

1. Get your team connected. Make sure every employee, board member, and volunteer has a profile that links to your website and references that they work for your organization. These profiles will then get linked to your organization’s LinkedIn page, helping you build your LinkedIn presence.

2. Search for similar organizations. Find out who is affiliated with what organizations and who those people are connected to. When you find relevant people, see if you’re connected somehow through existing relationships. Then you can ask for a LinkedIn introduction to get connected yourself.

3. Find and join relevant groups. Once you’re a member of a group you’ll be able to connect with the other members with the click of a button.

4. Join relevant discussions. Add to discussions whenever possible. Share your organization’s story where appropriate and let people know about the work your organization is doing. This will help you build interest for your organization and its cause.

5. Promote your LinkedIn page. Extend your network by making sure people know about your LinkedIn presence. Send an email to your email subscribers and post links to your organization’s page on your website.

How does your organization use LinkedIn to connect with potential donors? Share your tips with us here or by posting to our Facebook Page.