It’s no secret that Instagram is a social media powerhouse: The platform boasts a hefty 1 billion monthly users, with more than 500 million people on the site daily, according to data from AdEspresso.

What this means for your nonprofit: Leveraging Instagram should be an important component of your social media strategy. If you’re unsure how to boost your organization’s engagement and following on the platform, the Wild Apricot blog offers these first steps:

Determine your objectives, whether it’s raising awareness, membership, engagement, or donations.

Decide on a target audience. “This is crucial because if your audience doesn’t find your content relevant, they won’t take action,” blogger Lilach Bullock says in the post.

Create a social media calendar, which should include when and what you’ll be posting.

“In order to keep growing your nonprofit’s Instagram presence,” Bullock says, “try to measure your results regularly to find out which posts work and which don’t—and, of course, to see if you’ve reached your objectives.”

Food as a Tool for Conversation

https://twitter.com/Thrivemeetings/status/1050471707457150976

Food brings people together. For meeting planners who are constantly tasked with creating new and inventive menus, every food choice has a story—one that can then be used as a tool to connect attendees and drive change.

“Each and every day the food we choose—including what we order as meeting professionals—brings up many questions related not only to our health, but also to the environment, social justice, economics, politics, and many other issues that impact our world,” says Tracy Stuckrath in an article for Meetings Today.

She says food can also stir conversations related to community, diversity, education, and culture. “Whether you host cooking classes, taste workshops, provide signage about the food you’re serving, or support the local community with food donations, educate attendees about the food they are eating, how it impacts the community and their own lives,” she says.

Other Links of Note

Facebook announced a plan to combine Groups and Messenger, which would allow for sub-channels for up to 250 members, from TechCrunch.

Need more volunteers? The VolunteerMatch blog offers six email marketing strategies to get more volunteers involved.

Every member of your team needs to be accountable. Inc. shares three ways to foster a culture of positive accountability.

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