LinkedIn has a special place in the world of social media.

While other platforms have their sweet spots—

• X (previously Twitter) for quick chats
• Instagram for photos and reels
• YouTube for videos
• Facebook for sharing all sorts of content

LinkedIn shines when it comes to building professional relationships and sharing meaningful content. 

You’ll find it’s particularly powerful for nonprofits, even though many organizations overlook it. 

What makes LinkedIn truly unique? 

It’s all about who you’ll find there—professionals, decision-makers, and organizations eager to make a difference.

It’s all about who you’ll find there: professionals, decision-makers, and organizations eager to make a difference. 

If you’re running a nonprofit and haven’t tapped into LinkedIn’s potential yet, you’re in for a treat. 

Let’s explore how you can make the most of this platform to advance your mission.

Why is LinkedIn a Critical Tool for Nonprofit Organizations?

LinkedIn’s unique value for nonprofits comes down to its highly engaged, professional audience. 

Here’s what makes it special:

• High-Value Network: Over 53% of LinkedIn users are college-educated, and most users have a high monthly household income. These professionals are 56% more likely than average internet users to donate to charities.
• Decision-Maker Access: An impressive 90 million LinkedIn users are senior-level influencers, and 63 million hold decision-making positions. This makes it ideal for connecting with corporate sponsors and major donors.
• Targeted Reach: With 2.2 million nonprofit organizations and 22 million nonprofit professionals already on LinkedIn, the platform has become a hub for cause-focused networking and partnership building.

Recent data shows that 67% of surveyed global nonprofit professionals agree that LinkedIn is a valuable fundraising tool.

More importantly, 63% have successfully connected with potential donors through the platform.

However, standing out in this crowded space requires expertise and strategy. 

At Crackerjack Marketing, we help nonprofits make the most of LinkedIn’s professional network and turn connections into real results for your cause.

Want to make the most of LinkedIn’s powerful network? 

Let’s chat about your nonprofit’s goals and create a strategy that works for you.

How to Create a LinkedIn Page for a Nonprofit Organization

Ready to set up your nonprofit’s LinkedIn Page?

Let’s walk through everything you need to get started. But first, there are a few important requirements you should know about.

Before You Begin

You’ll need:

• A personal LinkedIn profile that’s at least 7 days old
• Your real full name on that profile
• Your current position at the nonprofit listed
• A work email address with your organization’s domain (like you@yournonprofit.org, not a Gmail or Yahoo address) 
• A few connections with other professionals on LinkedIn

These requirements might seem strict, but they’re actually there to protect your nonprofit—they help prevent anyone from impersonating your organization online.

Step-by-Step Creation Guide

Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Start Your Page
   • Head to linkedin.com/company/setup/new, or
   • Click the “Work/For Business” icon (top right corner)
   • Select “Create a Company Page” from the dropdown
2. Choose Your Page Type
   • Select “Company” (this is the best choice for most nonprofits)
   • Don’t worry about Showcase pages or Educational institution options for now.
3. Fill in Your Details
   • Enter your nonprofit’s name
   • Add your organization’s size
   • Include other basic info they ask for
4. Verify Your Authority
   • Check the verification box confirming you can act on behalf of your nonprofit.
   • This helps LinkedIn ensure you’re really authorized to create the page
5. Finish Up
   • Click “Create page”
   • Follow the prompts to complete your page
   • You’ll automatically become the page’s “super admin” (don’t worry—you can add other admins later)

Complete Your Page

Start setting up your Page by filling out the “About” tab—this is a crucial first step you should not skip.

A complete “About” section not only builds trust with visitors but also helps more people find your nonprofit when they search on LinkedIn and Google.

And don’t worry about getting everything perfect right away—you can always update your Page details later from your computer or phone:

• Tell Your Story: Think about:
  • How did your nonprofit start? (Your origin story)
  • What problem are you solving? (Your vision)
  • What principles guide your work? (Your values)
  • Who supports your cause? (Your community)
• Add Visual Appeal:
  • Upload your logo (300×300 pixels)
  • Add a cover image (1536×768 pixels)
  • No designer? No problem! You can create free images using Canva.
• Fill in the Details:
  • Add your website
  • List your location
  • Select your industry
  • Choose a call-to-action button (LinkedIn has special “Give” and “Volunteer” buttons just for nonprofits!)

Fact: LinkedIn Pages with complete information get 30% more weekly views. So once you’ve created your page, take time to fill out every section—it really pays off!

How to Grow Your Network on LinkedIn

Here’s how you can effectively expand your LinkedIn presence with proven strategies:

One-Time Setup Actions

• Add the LinkedIn “Follow” Button: While you might need your web developer’s help to implement this plugin, it’s a worthwhile investment that creates a direct path for website visitors to connect with you on LinkedIn. 
• Integrate Your LinkedIn Page: Make your LinkedIn presence known everywhere by adding your page link to your email signature, business cards, newsletters, and blog posts. This creates multiple touchpoints for potential connections to find and follow you.

Daily Activities

• Post Content During Peak Hours: Share updates once per day during business hours (9 AM—5 PM, Monday through Friday) when professionals are most active. Remember, your audience primarily checks LinkedIn during their workday.
• Engage With Hashtag Discussions: After setting up relevant hashtags in your Communities panel, actively participate in those conversations. Join discussions and share insights from your organization’s perspective. This increases your visibility naturally within your target communities.

Weekly Tasks

• Cross-Promote Your LinkedIn Page: Share your LinkedIn presence across other social media platforms to reach different audience segments.
• Use the “Notify Employees” Feature: Your employees’ networks are typically 10 times larger than your page followers. When you have significant updates, notify your team so they can engage with and share the content, dramatically expanding your reach.

Monthly Activities

• Refresh Your Hashtag Strategy: Regularly update the hashtags in your Communities panel based on your current initiatives. Consider a mix of broad industry hashtags, niche topics, and talent branding hashtags. Don’t forget to include hashtags for relevant current events that align with your organization’s mission.
• Influential Connections: Tag influencers or other Pages you admire in your posts, explaining why you value their work. Keep it authentic – when done genuinely, they’re more likely to share your content with their larger network.
• Activate Your Community: Reach out to your top advocates and ask them to create posts mentioning your Page. When they do, reshare their posts with a thank-you message, creating a positive feedback loop of engagement.

Quarterly Tasks

• Research Competitor Content: Use the “Similar Pages” section to benchmark your Page against peer organizations. Study their content strategy to identify both successful tactics and potential gaps your organization can fill.
• Invite Personal Connections: Use the “Invite to Follow” feature to connect with your first-degree profile connections. Also, thoroughly analyze your Page Analytics to understand visitor demographics and engagement patterns.

Start with these foundational steps, maintain consistent activity, and your professional network will expand naturally over time.

Strategies for Fundraising on LinkedIn for Nonprofits

Here’s how to maximize your fundraising efforts on LinkedIn:

Understanding Your Audience

LinkedIn is a powerhouse for nonprofit fundraising. Its members are exceptionally generous compared to other platforms.

With over 774 million professionals worldwide, you’ll find a receptive audience—53% of members already donate to nonprofits, and 60% are interested in volunteering opportunities.

What makes LinkedIn particularly valuable is the trust factor.

Members trust content and connections on LinkedIn more than any other social media platform, making it the perfect place for your fundraising initiatives.

Building Your Foundation

Your nonprofit needs two key elements on LinkedIn:

• A LinkedIn Page: Your organization’s official presence (we talked about this above)
• LinkedIn Profiles: Professional profiles for your staff and leadership

Think of your Page as your nonprofit’s digital headquarters, while profiles are your team members’ professional identities.

Here’s what you need to focus on to create a strong LinkedIn presence:

• Ensure your LinkedIn Page is complete and professional
• Add compelling visuals that reflect your mission
• Write clear, purposeful descriptions of your work
• Keep all contact information and website links current (You’d be surprised how many organizations forget this simple but crucial detail!)
• Encourage staff to maintain updated professional profiles

Content Strategy

Creating engaging content for LinkedIn requires a balanced approach:

• Follow the 2-2-1 Model: For every 5 posts:
  • 2 industry-related content pieces
  • 2 impact-focused stories (“proud” content)
  • 1 direct fundraising appeal
• Post During Peak Hours: Share content Monday through Friday, 9 AM—5 PM, when professionals are most active.
• Use Rich Media: Video content gets more engagement than other media types. You can also use “carousels” with rich graphics.
• Track Performance: Use LinkedIn’s Analytics tab to monitor which content resonates best with your audience.

Building Relationships

LinkedIn fundraising takes time and nurturing before you can get results.

Before asking for support, establish meaningful connections with potential donors. You can do this by:

• Engaging with their content through thoughtful comments 
• Sharing relevant insights that align with their interests 
• Participating in the same professional groups 
• Contributing to industry discussions they’re part of

The key is to be genuine in these interactions. 

People can tell when you’re just going through the motions versus when you’re truly interested in building a relationship.

Advanced Tools and Techniques

LinkedIn Sales Navigator helps you spot and connect with potential donors. 

The tool provides at least 20 InMail credits monthly, letting you reach out directly to prospects even if you’re not connected.

Focus on individuals who show affinity for your cause through their:

• Profile interests
• Content engagement
• Professional background
• Volunteer experience

When sending InMails (LinkedIn’s direct messaging system):

• Write customized subject lines
• Address recipients by name
• Keep messages concise
• Highlight personal connections to your cause
• Offer multiple ways to support beyond financial contributions

Through its advanced features, you can turn cold outreach into warm introductions, significantly improving your success rate.

Understanding this tool requires a completely separate article, so we won’t go into the nitty gritty details here.

Measuring and Optimizing

Your fundraising strategy should evolve based on what works for your specific audience. Use LinkedIn’s Analytics tab to understand which posts generate the most engagement. 

Pay attention to:

• The winning content formula that resonates most with your audience 
• Best times for posting based on your followers’ activity 
• Which calls-to-action generate the strongest response

This strategic approach to LinkedIn fundraising combines professional credibility with authentic relationship-building, helping you create lasting connections that support your mission.

Tips and Best Practices for LinkedIn Nonprofits

Want to make your nonprofit stand out on LinkedIn? Here are the proven activities from successful organizations that you can use today. 

We’ll explain each with relevant real examples:

• Share Giving Opportunities: Like the United Nations Foundation, tie your fundraising asks to current events. This makes your appeals more relevant and timely.
• Go Live: As mentioned earlier, the video gets 5x more engagement than other content types. Take a page from The Jackson Laboratory’s book and host live expert discussions to keep your community engaged.
• Highlight Partnerships: Follow Ronald McDonald House Charities’ example by spotlighting your corporate partners. This not only recognizes their support but also encourages others to get involved.

• Address Current Events: UNICEF effectively does this by connecting world events to its mission, showing how its work remains crucial.
• Share Leadership Updates: When The Nature Conservancy welcomed their new CEO, they highlighted both achievements and vision for the future. This builds trust and excitement.
• Report Your Impact: Regular updates about your work, like annual reports and impact stories, help supporters understand the difference they’re making.

• Promote Events: Take a tip from Be The Match—use LinkedIn to promote upcoming webinars and events to your professional network.
• Showcase Volunteers: The American Red Cross effectively ties volunteer stories to their greater mission, inspiring others to get involved.
• Celebrate Achievements: Don’t be shy about sharing your wins! The Truth Initiative built credibility by announcing its inclusion in Fast Company’s list of innovative companies.

• Share Expert Insights: Follow the Environmental Defense Fund’s approach by having your subject matter experts share insights or articles about your field.
• Engage With Partners: Like the International Rescue Committee, actively engage with posts where your organization is mentioned. This helps expand your reach and strengthens partnerships.

Why Hire a LinkedIn Specialist for Your Nonprofit? 

Managing a successful LinkedIn presence requires expertise and time. That’s where Crackerjack Marketing comes in. 

We specialize in:

• Strategic LinkedIn management for nonprofits
• Content creation and optimization
• Donor engagement strategies
• Network growth and community building

Our team brings years of experience helping nonprofits like yours maximize their LinkedIn impact.

Ready to transform your LinkedIn presence?

Contact us today to learn about our nonprofit-specific LinkedIn services.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let’s address some common questions about LinkedIn for nonprofits.

What is the Best Time to Post on LinkedIn for Nonprofits?

Optimal engagement occurs:

• Tuesday through Thursday
• Between 9 AM and noon local time
• During standard business hours
• Avoiding weekends and after-hours

Should Nonprofits Use LinkedIn Premium?

LinkedIn Premium isn’t essential, but it can provide valuable benefits (especially if you want to use LinkedIn to get new clients and supporters effectively):

• Extended network visibility
• Advanced search capabilities
• InMail messaging options
• Better analytics

When deciding on premium features, consider your organization’s needs and budget. It’s not cheap by any means!

What is a Good Engagement Rate on LinkedIn?

There are no official published benchmarks, and you should track your own metrics since everyone has a unique audience.

Eric Siew did a detailed calculation and analysis using the formula: 

Engagement (Likes + ½ Comments) / Views x 100% = Rate (%).

For regular posts, you can use these benchmarks:

• Below 2% suggests room for improvement
• Around 2% indicates you’re on the right track
• Above 3% signals exceptional performance worth analyzing and replicating

Eric also found that engagement rates vary by follower count and content type:

• Written posts typically get around 2% engagement
• Image posts perform slightly better at around 2.9%
• Video posts can achieve around 10.7%
• LinkedIn LIVE generates the highest engagement at around 29.6% (about 15 times more than written posts)

Conclusion

LinkedIn has become an invaluable tool for nonprofits seeking to expand their reach, connect with donors, and build meaningful partnerships.

Your organization can create a powerful presence that drives real results by following these strategies and best practices.

Success on LinkedIn doesn’t happen overnight, though. It requires consistent effort, quality content, and strategic engagement. The key is to stay active and authentic in your approach.

Partner with us at Crackerjack Marketing to do all these for you (so you don’t have to!).

If you’re ready to take your nonprofit’s LinkedIn presence to the next level, don’t hesitate to reach out for our help!