# Nonprofit social media graphics: campaigns on a small budget [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/nonprofit-social-media) Charities rarely have a designer, and never have a spare afternoon. Four kinds of post carry almost every campaign, and one consistent look makes a small team seem bigger than it is. ## The short version - Most nonprofit campaigns run on four kinds of graphic: the appeal, the impact post, the volunteer call and the event post. - An impact number is only persuasive when it is true, specific, dated and explained in plain words. - A fundraising appeal works best with one ask, one person or outcome, and one clear next step. - Using the same background, fonts and layouts on every post helps supporters recognise a small charity in a crowded feed. - Readable text, alt text on every image and captions on every video make nonprofit graphics reach more of the community they serve. Strong **nonprofit social media graphics** come down to four kinds of post, used again and again: the appeal that asks for money, the impact post that shows what the money did, the volunteer call, and the event post. Give all four the same look and plan them as one campaign rather than one post at a time, and a team of two can run something that feels organised and trustworthy. That matters more than polish. Supporters give to organisations they recognise and believe. ## What a nonprofit should post: the four essential graphics Each post has one job. Mixing them, an appeal that is also an event invitation and a volunteer call, is the most common reason charity posts get scrolled past. | Post | Its one job | What to show | Ask | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Appeal | Raise money for something specific | One outcome, one person or one place | Donate, with a clear link | | Impact | Show that giving works | A true number and what it means | Share, or give again | | Volunteer call | Fill a real role | The task, the time and who it suits | Sign up by a date | | Event | Get people in the room | What, when, where, cost | Register or turn up | Four posts, four asks. If you can't name the ask in two words, the post isn't ready. ## How to design fundraising social media posts An appeal is strongest when it is concrete. "Help us support families" is a mission statement. "Your gift keeps a family's heating on for a week" is something a reader can picture, as long as it is true for your charity. Use your own real costs, say what a gift does, and put the ask in the words, not just in the caption. A portrait fundraising post reading Keep a family warm this winter, labelled Winter appeal, with a line asking people to give today One outcome, one ask, one next step. Specific amounts belong in the caption, where you can explain them. - Lead with the outcome, not the organisation's name. - Show one person or place, with permission, rather than a crowd. - Keep photographs dignified: people as active, not as objects of pity. - Repeat the appeal in different formats over two weeks; one post is never enough. For posters and printed appeals, [fundraiser poster ideas](https://gradiently.design/guide/charity-fundraiser-poster) covers layout and print sizes. ## How to show impact numbers honestly Impact posts are where charities most often slip, usually by accident. A rounded number becomes a bigger number, a yearly figure loses its year, "people reached" quietly becomes "people helped". Supporters notice, and so do journalists. A smaller true number, explained well, is worth more than a big vague one. ### Avoid - "Thousands helped" with no source - Mixing reach, visits and people helped - A number with no date or place - Charts with a cut off axis that exaggerates change - Percentages of a tiny base, with no base given ### Do - The exact figure from your own records - One measure per post, named precisely - "In 2025, in Leeds" alongside the number - Bars that start at zero - "18 of 24 families" rather than "75%" A portrait impact post showing 412 hot meals served last month by a community kitchen, cooked by 38 volunteers An impact post for an imaginary community kitchen. The number, the period, the place and who made it happen. When the story needs several numbers, a carousel with one per page reads better than a crowded chart. [Infographic design](https://gradiently.design/guide/infographic-design) has patterns that stay honest. ## Volunteer recruitment posts and event posts Volunteer posts fail when they ask for "help" in general. Name the role, the time it takes and who it suits: "Saturday mornings, two hours, no experience needed" fills rotas. Event posts need the four facts up front, and a story version for the week of the event, with the words kept out of the areas the app covers ([social media safe zones](https://gradiently.design/guide/social-media-safe-zones) shows where). A portrait volunteer recruitment post reading Drivers wanted, Saturdays, two hours, your own car A volunteer call that names the task, the time and the one requirement. A vertical story for a charity quiz night with the date, time, hall and ticket details The event as a story: day, time, place and how to get in, all kept clear of the top and bottom of the frame. After the event, a short recap with a photo and the amount raised closes the loop. [Event recap posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/event-recap-post) and [thank you posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/thank-you-post) both turn one night into goodwill for the next appeal. ## How to plan a nonprofit social media campaign | When | Post | Format | | --- | --- | --- | | Two weeks before | Why this matters: the need, in one line | Feed portrait 1080×1350 | | Launch day | The appeal | Feed, story 1080×1920 and Facebook post 1200×1200 | | Week one | A story from someone you serve, with consent | Carousel of three to five pages | | Midpoint | Progress so far, honestly | Stat post and story | | Final days | Last call | Story with a countdown sticker added in the app | | After | Thank you and what the money will do | Feed and email header 1200×600 | Six moments, designed in one sitting on one look. Supporters see a campaign; your team sees one afternoon of work. Making them together is what saves the budget. Gradiently's Designer can take a short brief, write the set in your brand kit's voice and lay every size out in your Mark. Thanking sponsors or volunteers by name is quicker with bulk create on Pro: one template, a spreadsheet of names, one design per row. The app works in 12 languages, so volunteers can use it in French, Spanish, German, Portuguese and more. ## How to make charity graphics accessible Nonprofits often serve the people most likely to be shut out by poor design: older supporters, people with low vision, people reading in a second language. Keep words large and short, check contrast wherever text sits, and write alt text for every image you post. [Colour contrast and accessibility](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-contrast-accessibility) covers the numbers to aim for, and [text on a gradient](https://gradiently.design/guide/text-on-gradient) shows how to keep words readable on a coloured background without boxes. > **Consent first** Never post a photo or story of someone you support without clear, written consent, and let them withdraw it later. Trust is the asset every other graphic depends on. ## FAQ ### What should a nonprofit post on social media? Mainly four kinds of post: fundraising appeals, impact updates, volunteer calls and event posts, each with one clear ask, plus thank you posts after every campaign. ### How do you show impact without exaggerating? Use exact figures from your own records, name what was measured, add the period and place, and prefer "18 of 24 families" to an unexplained percentage. ### What size should nonprofit Instagram posts be? 1080×1350 for feed posts and 1080×1920 for stories. The portrait feed size also works on Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads. ### How can a small charity make graphics without a designer? Choose one look, make a template for each of the four post types, and design each campaign in a single session instead of post by post.