This document provides guidance for charities on effectively utilizing Facebook as a communication tool. It highlights the platform's extensive user base and various features, such as the news feed, pages, and ads, to enhance engagement with supporters. Recommendations include sharing quality content, fostering interaction, and utilizing Facebook's tools to connect with both current and potential supporters.

1. Facebook for charities
Last updated: July 2011

2. Hello.
These slides are intended to help charities make
the best use of the ever-changing opportunities
offered by Facebook.
If you spot something that’s out of date, wrong or
missing, please let us know, and do share any
examples of charities making good use of the
world’s largest social network!
We hope this proves useful, please share far and
wide.

3. Getting the message out
Every charity is different but we’d broadly prioritise
your communication channels like so:
Twitter
Mobile
Website Email Facebook
More important Less important

4. Facebook

5. Why focus on Facebook?
• It has almost 700,000,000 users worldwide and
58% of UK population have an account (June 2011)
• The ever growing scope of the site means many
users are using Facebook to explore the web
• It allows you to interact directly with your
supporters - answering questions, sharing content -
making your organisation more accessible
• Your best content is easily shareable

6. Facebook
There’s a lot going on...
News Feed Registration
Like button Applications
Send button Ads
Pages Places
Groups

7. The News Feed

8. News Feed
The stream of updates that you see after you login to Facebook
is called the News Feed. It’s the core of the Facebook
experience.
If you want supporters to read your updates, to interact with
your content, to respond to your calls to action - then this is
where they need to appear.
We’ll explain how to make this happen a little later on.

9. The Like button

10. Like button
You’ll have seen this
displayed in many
different ways

11. Like button
The Like button can be placed anywhere on the web. It has two main purposes:
To connect a user with your Facebook page (become a fan):
• Clicking Like will make the user a fan of a specified Facebook Page, and it
will share this activity for their friends to see
• If you want to engage your users through Facebook, you’ll need them to
click this button, so if possible add it to a prominent place on your website
• The Like Box also performs this same function
To share the web page that the button is on:
• This is useful for sharing individual pieces of content e.g. blog posts

12. Like button
This is slightly more tricky to implement, but you can also allow
users to add a comment when they click the Like Button. This will
increase the exposure it has with a user’s friends.
When you add a Like button to
your website, it gives you two
choices - iFrame and XFBML. The
code for the latter will allow
comments, but it requires some
extra code to be added to your
website header.

13. Send button

14. Send button
• Send replaces the Facebook Share button but
performs a slightly different function
• Clicking ‘Send’ gives users the option to email
your content to a friend or post it on their wall

15. Pages

16. Pages
• A Page is the FB equivalent of your website homepage
• If a user Likes your Page your updates will appear in their
news feed. Besides individuals interactions, this is the only
way to communicate with those that Like your Page, and it
can easily be hidden
• As a page you can use Facebook in much the same way as
a person - commenting on wall posts, liking pages, being
tagged in photos etc - to do so simply select ‘Use Facebook
as Page’ from the Account menu

17. Anatomy of a page
Profile picture
has a maximum Photos shows
height of 600px five most recent
so can be used to photos. You can
promote key remove photos
messages but the order is
random
Tabs are essentially
sub pages. They are
several standard
Most recent
options which can
shows posts that
be hidden.
have been written
Applications can be
on your wall or
added as tabs. Any
you’ve been
one can be default.
tagged in. Can
be switched off or
set to default
Featured Likes
shows pages that
you like that have
been marked as The Greenpeace International page
featured

18. Posting updates
• As a page owner you can post updates in five formats: Status, Photo, Link,
Video and Question
• Questions are a fun way to interact with your audience. They can be set to
allow users to add their own options
• There is no magic formula to make your update appear - but it is more likely
if the user has interacted with a previous update or if the update has lots of
Likes and Comments
• Keep it interesting as a user can hide all of your future updates with just two
clicks

19. Tabs
• Tabs can be used for additional content on Pages
• Appear as menu below profile picture, with
customisable icons. Defaults include Wall, Info,
Photos, Discussion
• Few users click on tabs so it is better to direct to
these pages from within main content area
• Any tab can be set as the landing page
• Tabs can be used for iFrames, exclusive content,
applications and more

20. Exclusive content
It is possible to
make certain
content only
visible to users
who ‘Like’ your
page, a great
way to increase
fans.

21. iFrames
• An iFrame is simply a window onto another
website
• With iFrames users could interact with your entire
site through Facebook
• But to avoid scrolling side to side, you need to set
up a version that is less than 520px width
• A better but more expensive option is to design a
FB specific version of your site with 3 or 4 pages

22. iFrames
An iFrame
onto the
Hands Up
website -
set up in
less than 5
minutes

23. iFrames
An
example of
an iFrame
‘mini-site’
built to
exist within
Facebook

24. Groups

25. Groups
• Can be public or private
• Key features:
• Document sharing
• Group notifications
• Group chat
• Useful for self-organising groups of users, but
Page should always be used as main presence

26. Groups
An example
of a
Facebook
Group

27. Login

28. Login
• Previously known as Facebook Connect
• Allows users to login to your website with their Facebook
credentials, and can give various permission to your website
e.g. posting to a user’s wall
• Eliminates separate registration process
• User gives permission to level of access set by you
• Easy for users to invite FB friends / see which friends are
using your website
• Interactions can be shared back to Facebook

29. Login
A Facebook
Login dialog
box that
asks for
additional
permissions

30. Registration
• A simplified version of a Login
• The Registration plugin allows users
to login into your site with their
Facebook details, but can also work
with users not on Facebook
• Login can be used to fulfil an entire
registration process
• Extra fields can be added
• Doesn’t give any additional
permissions
• Facebook doesn’t get your data

31. Registration
Example of simple
registration being
used on
FriendFeed
website

32. Applications

33. Existing apps
• Can be added as tabs, increasing the
functionality of your Page
• There is an app for just about everything - audio
players, photo galleries, ecommerce engines
and more.
• For a full list of apps see http://
www.facebook.com/apps/directory.php

34. Existing apps
Three to start with:
• YouTube for Pages: add your latest videos to
your page
• Networked Blogs: import the feed from your blog
• Slideshare: show visitors your latest
presentations

35. Bespoke apps
• Allow your content to be completely integrated into
the Facebook experience
• Users can find them within Facebook
• Allow you to send notifications to users
• Can access and use profile data (if user allows)
• Content from apps is more likely to be shared
within Facebook

36. Bespoke apps
SuperBadger is a good
example of a bespoke
app - allowing users to
send messages to
campaign targets

37. Ads

38. Ads
Users can be targeted according to specific
data: location, language, demographic,
likes and interests, connections, birthday
and
If an Ad is pointing within Facebook (to a
Page, Event or Application), it can show
Likes from any friends of the user. This can
have a huge impact on click throughs

39. Sponsored stories
• Sponsored stories take an
activity that a user’s friends
has done, relating to your
Page and highlights it in a
Sponsored story box on the
right hand side
• Can include Likes, Check ins,
page posts and actions within
applications
• Makes clicks far more likely

40. Places

41. Places
• Allows mobile users to ‘check-in’ at a specific
place using location-based data, sharing this
information to their wall
• Allows discussions and reviews to be associated
with geographical places
• With Facebook Deals users can be targeted with
incredibly specific location-based adverts and
promotions

42. Some good principles

43. Share good content
Whether it is from your users or other organisations, if it is good and
relevant – share it

44. Chat, don’t broadcast
Ask questions & share responses, share what users / supporters are
doing for you. Aim for a tone that is friendly and light-hearted.

45. Be relevant
Make connections between your cause and events that are in the public
consciousness e.g news stories, holidays, TV programmes, sport

46. Keep it simple
Don’t talk about too many things at once, and be specific about what
you want people to do

47. Plan a supporter journey
Think about how to convert casual visitors into more engaged users –
e.g. through an iFrame or by promoting a link that will capture more data

48. Tell stories
Encourage your users with stories of how others have progressed

49. Feedback and thank
Keep users updated, make a big deal of successes and always thank
them for their involvement

50. Repeat yourself
If there is a key message you want to get across don’t just say it once.
Say it again, but say it differently

51. Have a moderation policy
Generally try to moderate as little as possible, but have a clear process
for dealing with inappropriate content when it does appear. We
recommend deleting spam and totally off topic responses, answering
difficult questions and ignoring crazy people!

52. Keep learning
Try new things. Look at other charity pages. Check your stats.
Prompt, inspire and amuse!

53. And a quick little bit
about us...

54. What we do
We work with charities, helping them to get supporters
more involved.
Web design Strategy Communication Fundraising
Campaigning Social media Training

55. Who we work with

56. Thanks!
ben@handsupdigital.com
www.handsupdigital.com