Nonprofit Campaign: International Women’s Day increases Facebook ‘likes’
Submitted by Cassie Kilgore
Cassie Kilgore is the community engagement coordinator for the International Rescue Committee in Des Moines, a refugee resettlement agency. It provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America.
About me:
I am a people-centered person. I have always been called to help others, and in my experience as a social services professional, our refugee neighbors need the most help.
I once heard a friend and former refugee say that “refugees come with less than nothing.” This is so true. They have the clothes on their back and nothing else.
When IRC was opening the Des Moines field office, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
Most enjoyable app: Instagram
To decompress: I like to spend time with my family playing board games, playing outside, going to the lake, or watching movies. Personally, I like to read fantasy novels (I’m a huge Harry Potter fan!) and spend time at coffee shops with friends.
On the weekends, you’ll find me: At home with my husband and children. I have two boys. Mylo is two years old now and Barrett is 10. My husband, Trevor, is my best friend.
About the social media campaign:
How would you describe your campaign?
To celebrate International Women’s Day, I wanted to lift up the strong, hard-working, passionate women of our office. I also wanted to highlight our diverse team and personalize the office for our community. We are very new, so putting a face to the agency was important.
What goals did you want to achieve with your campaign?
I wanted to build a more personal relationships with social media viewers, helping them to know us as people and not just the IRC logo.
How did you come up with the campaign?
Truly, the idea was born on the morning of International Women’s Day while sipping coffee at my kitchen table.
What personally inspired you about the campaign?
I believe in the power of women. Our resilience and passion drive us to do amazing things despite historic and modern-day oppressions. The International Rescue Committee pays special attention to issues of inequity, as issues of equity can uniquely affect those that identify as women and girls.
How do you get into the flow?
Music is almost always a part of my creative process.
How long did it take to create the campaign?
I reached out to the women on the team and asked for their pictures and a “blurb” about them and what they do, what drives them, etc. After I received those, I started posting one at a time, one to two hours apart, over the course of the day. It was really fun!
What resources did you use?
I used Microsoft Teams to get the pictures from staff. I found it easier to download the pictures from Teams on to my phone rather than downloading them on my computer. I posted directly from my phone each time I made a new post.
What challenges did you run into? How did you overcome them?
The only problems I encountered was with formats for the photos. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing!
What were the results of the campaign?
We increased our “likes” by 52% and had a large increase in our reach that day — more than any other day since our office creating our Facebook page last August.
How can another nonprofit “steal” this idea and make it their own?
There are many ways to celebrate groups of people and personalize your team. I plan to do a Father’s Day and Mother’s Day campaign as well as other celebrations like Smile Day!
What tips do you have for someone launching a similar campaign?
The personal element is important. Even when we post about our activities, I try to highlight a volunteer or client or team member.
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