Welcome to Day 16 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge!
We often think of grant prospect research as a deep dive into tax forms and IRS 990s. But in today’s digital world, a funder’s social media presence can be just as valuable as their financial filings.
Today’s challenge is to use social media for one of two purposes:
Research a potential funder or promote a current one.
Why Research Funders on Social Media?
Although a 990 tells you what they did, social media tells you what they are doing right now. By following or passively watching a funder’s LinkedIn or Facebook, you can discover:
- Real-Time Deadlines: Watch for posts about urgent updates or deadline extensions.
- Current Priorities: What specific projects are they highlighting this month?
- Communication Style: Do they prefer formal updates or “behind-the-scenes” stories?
- Community Engagement: Who else are they collaborating with in your sector?
Stewardship: Promoting Your Current Funders
If your organization has an active social media presence, use it to strengthen your current relationships. Promoting a funder isn’t just about saying thank you; it’s also about validating their investment to the community.
Three Ways to Promote a Funder Today, coinciding with their own style and topics, where applicable:
- Share Their News: Repost an announcement about one of their other awardees or a study they’ve funded.
- Highlight Alignment: Share a post that connects your shared mission and tag the funder.
- Give a Digital Shout-out: Create a post featuring your program in action and explicitly mention the foundation’s support.
Expand Your Digital Strategy
Explore these resources to learn how digital tools can improve your grant success:
- Read: Five Ways Social Media Has Helped Me Grow – Discover how Fundraising HayDay uses these platforms for professional growth and relationship building.
- Download: Visit our Grant Research Hub for a list of tools that complement your social media research.
- Assess: How ready is your organization to manage external relations? Find out with the GRASP Tool.
Join the Discussion
We want to hear from you! Have you ever found a new grant opportunity or a critical update through social media? Which platform do you find most useful for funder research—LinkedIn, Facebook, or X? Or another niche online community?
Leave a note in the comments below and let us know your digital research secrets!