Instagram Reboot: 3 Simple Ways to Grow Your Following

This post was created in partnership with Splendid Consulting, previewing our upcoming Instagram 2.0 Essentials for Nonprofits workshop. Learn more and register here.

If you’re struggling with low engagement or gaining new followers on your nonprofit’s Instagram account, then keep reading! Today, we’re tackling one of the most overlooked spots to increase engagement: your Instagram profile.  

An organization’s bio is the foundation to creating a successful marketing strategy.

I recommend checking in with your bio more often than you might think. As your goals, fundraising, or events change, your bio should too. If you’re launching a new campaign, your bio should give your community the scoop — and most importantly, make it easy for someone to donate, purchase, or get connected with you.

Here are 3 simple steps to crafting the perfect bio:

1. Your Mission: Is your mission easy to understand? Does it succinctly explain who you serve and your location? Keep it simple to ensure a new follower can clearly grasp all of these elements.

2. Contact info: Is your website link up to date? You’ll want to change it to reflect your current call-to-action. You may want it to link to your nonprofit’s website or to your Giving Tuesday page or tickets to purchase for a fundraiser. Consider a free service like Linktree if you need multiple URLs.

3. Branded Hashtag: Adding a branded hashtag is an easy way to increase engagement and show your community how to connect and share content with you. Make sure your hashtag is unique to you, and generic like: “#nonprofit” or “#atlantanonprofits.”

Don’t be afraid to be fun, witty, or creative — just stay within your own brand standards. You can use emojis to help break up the text visually and avoid long paragraphs. Once your bio is sparkling, start mixing in creative calls-to-action into your regular content. Let’s do this!

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Christina Edwards, Founder

About Splendid Consulting

Our mission is to amplify the impact of nonprofit and cause organizations. At the intersection of strategy and solution, Splendid Consulting takes nonprofits to the next level. Splendid works with organizations to create the roadmap, tools, and mindset to thrive. 

Say hello.

Introducing the 2020 Class of Civic Fellows

Hands On Atlanta is thrilled to announce the 11th Class of Civic Fellows! 28 dynamic changemakers were recently accepted into our Civic Leadership Program! Over the next 12 months, this class of Fellows will manage service projects at designated nonprofit partner sites by recruiting, engaging, and teaching volunteers about the critical issue; their service project is addressing. The Fellows will be guided by Hands On Atlanta staff who will provide training in volunteer and project management, leadership, and fundraising. We added a new component this year: mentoring. This exciting initiative pairs a current class member with a graduate of the program to further aid in the Fellow’s development as a community leader.

Not only will Fellows learn the importance of direct service in mitigating inequities in the community, but they will also learn the role fundraising plays in sustaining a nonprofit’s ability to provide those critical services. By the end of their year of service, the Civic Fellows will transition to Civic Leaders, having sharpened their skills in issue education, problem-solving, public speaking, and team building.

“I have a strong passion for serving my community, as well as community development in underprivileged communities. I look forward to learning and growing within this program.” - Kassidy Jackson

The Hands On Atlanta Civic Fellows represent the outstanding volunteers of our organization. These are the leaders that exceed their level of service to reach and inspire communities within Metro Atlanta! Please help us welcome the incoming class!

Meet The 2019/20 Hands On Atlanta Civic Fellows

Lauren Ahart

Surveillance Epidemiologist, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Nonprofit Partner: Action Ministries

Jacob Awad

Consultant, AwareSoftware

Nonprofit Partner: Partners In Action for a Healthy Living

Jessica Bradford

Director of Development, St. Jude’s Recovery Center

Nonprofit Partner: Trees Atlanta

Andrea Branch

Educator, Barack Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Scott Elementary

Kelli Brotman

Graduate Student, Kennesaw State University

Nonprofit Partner: Kate’s Club

Kimberly Chinn

Site Coordinator, Pebblebrook High School

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Clay Elementary

Stephanie Davis

Educator, Cobb County Schools

Nonprofit Partner: Breakthrough Atlanta

Morgan Edge

Structural Engineer, Georgia Department of Transportation

Nonprofit Partner: Open Hand Atlanta

Morgan Gobert

Head of People, Crisp Video Group

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at UsherCollier Elementary School

Alisha Henderson

Research Chemist, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Harper Archer Elementary School

Rachel Issac

Marketing Specialist, Deloitte

Nonprofit Partner: InCommunity

Kassidy Jackson

Program Coordinator, Meals On Wheels Atlanta

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Brookview Elementary

Paul Jackson

Communications Specialist, OneDigital

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Gideons Elementary School

Angela King

South Regional Outreach Manager, Young Survival Coalition

Nonprofit Partner: A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab (Wesley Woods)

Tia Lambert

Graduate Student, Georgia State University

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Panola Way Elementary School

Marisa Lazenby

Marketing & Communications Manager, Boys & Girls Club

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Belmont Hills Elementary

Tanasha Mahone

Instructional Specialist, Atlanta Public Schools

Nonprofit Partner: Meals On Wheels Atlanta

Chirag Mendpara

Security Consulting Analyst, Accenture

Nonprofit Partner: The Wylde Center

Kaiya Murphy

Graduate Student, Georgia Institute of Technology

Nonprofit Partner: Truly Living Well

Sharece O’Neal

Interior Designer, Perkins & Will

Nonprofit Partner: Livable Buckhead

Solomon Seaborn

Underwriter, American International Group Inc.

Nonprofit Partner: West Atlanta Watershed Alliance

Jordan Searcy

Healthcare Professional, Emory

Nonprofit Partner: Discovery at Thomasville Heights Elementary School

Michelle Signorelli

Merchandising Department, RaceTrac

Nonprofit Partner: A.G Rhodes Health & Rehab –(Cobb)

Sharde Smith

Outreach Coordinator, Mosaic Church

Nonprofit Partner: Southwest Ecumenical Emergency Assistance Center

Tayyeba Steele-Hassan

IT Business Analyst Project Manager, YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta

Nonprofit Partner: Clarkston Community Center

Tayo Togba

Founder, Selfish Joy

Nonprofit Partner: Atlanta BeltLine Partnership

Kisha Williams

Lead Network Operations Representative, Cigna Healthcare

Nonprofit Partner: Action Ministries

Wrap Up Report | Hands On Atlanta Week 2019

For our 30th anniversary (yes, it’s been 30 years of Hands On Atlanta!) we really wanted to do something big. We wanted to celebrate our organizations roots in community service, while also looking into the future to see what our role in making Atlanta the most equitable and civically engaged city in the world! We turned our annual day of service into Hands On Atlanta Week - marking Oct. 5-12 as the city’s largest week of service!

Powered by the support of our sponsors, including our presenting sponsor, Delta Air Lines, and in partnership with more than 50 of our nonprofit partners, we hosted or promoted over 250 volunteer projects or social good events during Hands On Atlanta Week!

Volunteer projects ranged from the massive, like 5,000 Atlanta Hawks fans packing 1,000,000 meals inside of State Farm Arena, to the small, but mighty projects like 25 volunteers from Accenture working hard to beautify Lindsey Street Park over in English Ave. Projects covered the innovative with 48in48’s skills based hack-a-thon for good and the spontaneous with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) kit build pop-up project at the Atlanta Beltline Center on the east-side trail. Impact events like The Race Half Marathon and 5k, The Human Rights Film Festival at Morehouse and the 2nd Annual Atlanta Senior Day saw thousands of attendees and hundreds of volunteers! There was a ton of good happening during Hands On Atlanta Week, click here for a full list of all of our partners and projects.

In total, more than 10,000 ATLiens did something good, serving over 30,000 hours! The impact went viral online as well, as almost 25,000 visitors came to our website surpassing 1,000,000 social media impressions. Take a look at what some community leaders had to say (and do) during Hands On Atlanta Week…

“I had the BEST time this morning with the Pajama Program. My heart is so FULL!
I’m really glad I was able to participate…so much so that I signed up to be a Reading Buddy Plus!! It’s an extension of the Pajama Program where volunteers are paired with a child, and they read together on the 4th Monday of each month. I’m super excited about this.
”

— Employee at OneDigital

“It was a fantastic day and you all did a fantastic job! We are so grateful for your leadership, hard work, and super positive energy! Everyone here is talking about how good everything looks — thanks to you! Mr. Charles Robinson joins me in saying “Thank You!” for everything.
”

— Shirley Coleman, Director of Development and Marketing, Sadie G. Mayes

Check out Delta’s 30th Kaboom! Build at KIPP Soul Primary School with 250 Delta employees and community members!

Go behind the scenes of a day at the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta with the team from iVision.

Thank You!

There are quite literally thousands of people we’d like to thank for helping pull off the city’s largest week of service! If you volunteered, attended an event, hosted an event or project, shared with your network, even if you just thought about doing something good… thank you!

Volunteering isn’t free and we couldn’t do this work without the generous support of our corporate sponsors. Thank you

• Presenting Sponsor - Delta Air Lines

• Visionaries - Fiserv, Norfolk Southern, State Farm

• Changemakers - Coca-Cola, Global Payments

• Leaders - Atlanta Hawks, Change Healthcare, Lexis Nexis, Mercedes Benz, UPS

• Advocates - Accenture, Alston and Bird, BakerHostetler, BDO, Cognizant, Center for Community Progress, D-Mack Agency, Dell, Deloitte, iVision, Manhattan Associates, Northside Hospital, OneDigital

Feeling Inspired?

Good! Now, get out there and do something good! Click the button below to view our entire calendar of opportunities, with projects everyday, that you can sign up for right now.