LinkedIn Groups.
When and why to create LinkedIn Groups.
Create an active digital community where people can share and receive information relevant to your nonprofit.
LinkedIn Groups are a great way to engage niche subsets of your audience, but require more moderation and upkeep to maintain.
Use LinkedIn Groups to do things like:
• Give existing and former volunteers a place to connect, post pictures, find information, and get their questions answered.
• Share resources with people working in a specific field relevant to your cause.
• Facilitate connections between people.
Example 1:
If you work at an eco-focused nonprofit, you might have a group that’s only open to climate scientists where you share your latest research reports, engage in discussions, and invite them to exclusive events.
Example 2:
If you run a nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans find meaningful employment, you might have a group for veterans and recruiters interested in hiring them, where the recruiters can post open roles and share information about their companies’ veteran hiring programs.
How to start a LinkedIn Group:
Step 1: Go to LinkedIn.com/groups and click “Create group” in the upper right-hand corner.
Step 2: Choose whether your group is listed or unlisted.
• Listed groups
A listed group appears in search results and is visible on members’ profiles, making it a great option if you want your group to be discoverable by anyone.
• Unlisted groups
An unlisted group is invite-only. You can also choose whether members can invite their connections to join (you’ll be able to approve or deny these invites, but it can be a good way to attract like-minded people or professionals in the same field).
Step 3: Decide whether you want to approve members’ posts before they’re visible to others in the group. You’ll have 14 days to approve or reject a post before it becomes visible.
Tips for getting the most out of LinkedIn Groups:
Add a welcome note that members will receive automatically after joining the group. Use this space to give new members an overview of the group’s objectives and rules and encourage them to join the conversation.
Use the “Group rules” section to outline what kind of behavior is and is not acceptable in your group.
Designate one or more people to act as group moderators. Moderators should plan on spending a little time each week approving membership requests and content, deleting any inappropriate posts or comments, blocking members who violate your community guidelines, and driving engagement through new posts and replies to members.
Depending on your group’s aims, consider setting up automatic member approval for people who meet certain criteria, such as working in specific industries or holding certain job titles. This can help you save time while filtering out irrelevant requests. You can always remove members later if they’re not the right fit.
Explore the Analytics tab to see your group’s growth and engagement metrics. This can help you assess which topics and approaches are resonating most with members.
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