Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer recently published a post titled, “Three Keys to Nonprofit Success in Social Media,” and outlined what he believes are the three keys to realizing success for nonprofits in social media.

1. Have a compelling story to tell.
2. Make a specific ask or establish a specific goal to reach.
3. Make it astonishingly easy to give.

We’ve included our take on these three keys to nonprofit success below. We also included a fourth tip in order to keep the campaign front and center with your target audience.

Have a compelling story to tell:

In order for a nonprofit organization to connect with its audience and drive a call to action, it must tell a compelling story which creates an emotional bond with its potential followers. For example, when I see someone talk about their mom or dad suffering from cancer it makes me think about my parents as potential victims of the disease. This creates an emotional bond between me and the organization and encourages me to support the cause.

Make a specific ask or establish a specific goal to reach:

In May, Communiqué PR partnered with the Seattle Children’s PlayGarden to launch its first fundraising campaign. The PlayGarden is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a place for both mentally and/or physically disabled children and their normally developing peers to share a safe, stimulating and fun playground environment. While the goal of the campaign was to raise $230,000 through Facebook and Twitter for the construction of the PlayGarden, the team asked social network users to donate a specific amount, just $10 or $20 each, to reach this goal. The campaign clearly outlined what the donations would be used for and how the PlayGarden would benefit the community.

Make it astonishingly easy to give:

It’s important to have a clear call to action. However, it’s equally important to make it easy for the person to donate. If you’re asking people to donate money, specify how they can do this – whether it’s by clicking a link and putting in a credit card number or dropping off their donations at a specific location – the less steps there are, the easier it will be for people to donate.

Keep your audience up-to-date:

Social mediums like Twitter and Facebook are also great for keeping your donors, potential donors and target audience up-to-date on the progress of the campaign or fundraiser. This is a great way to continually engage with your target audience and continue to generate awareness of your cause. Additionally, post regular updates to share how the donations are impacting the organization or those served by the organization.

Social mediums such as Twitter and Facebook are great for building awareness around global issues such as healthcare and education, but they can also be an effective tool for publicizing philanthropic events and social causes. However, as with any PR campaign, it’s important to establish clear strategies in order to gain advocates and supporters for your cause.