Instagram for Nonprofits (what actually works in 2026) 

Instagram has fundamentally changed in the past year. Many of the “best practices” that social media managers have relied on are out the window: Hashtags don’t work the way they used to, the algorithm is now powered by AI, search behavior has replaced social discovery, and reels dominate everything else. 

If your team uses Instagram (especially if they use it the same way they have for the past 2-3 years), this episode is essential listening. 

Lee sits down with Counterintuity social media strategist Jaclyn Uloth, who breaks down what actually changed on Instagram, why it matters for nonprofits, and what your team should be doing differently in 2026. 

What you’ll learn: 

The algorithm shift: Why Instagram now works like a search engine instead of a photo-sharing app, and what that means for how people discover your nonprofit 

The death of hashtags: How keyword-based search replaced hashtags, and how to optimize your content for AI-powered discovery 

The 2,000-character opportunity: Instagram now allows much longer captions — here’s how nonprofits can use this for educational content without overwhelming followers 

Why reels matter: The data on why short-form video dominates the algorithm, and how to create reels even if you don’t have a dedicated video team 

Authenticity over polish: Why “messy” behind-the-scenes content actually builds more donor trust than professional, polished posts 

The consistency factor: The surprising stat about how often most nonprofits post (and why showing up regularly matters more than posting perfectly) 

The 3-thing strategy: If you’re working with a small team and stretched thin, here are the only three things you need to focus on 

What’s different about Meta in 2026: How Instagram and Facebook work together, and why understanding the Meta ecosystem matters for your strategy 

This episode is perfect for nonprofit executives, development directors, marketing managers, and anyone responsible for social media strategy who wants to understand what’s actually working now. 

Whether you’re just getting started with Instagram or you’ve been posting for years, you’ll walk away with a clear understanding of what changed, what matters, and what you can implement today with the resources you have. 

Lee Wochner:
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Blue Sky, and a host of others. So many platforms, so little time. We know the value of social media in getting the word out, in building support and growing audience. But how to make best use of all these platforms and maybe some of the others, especially when how they were and how you should work with them keeps changing. Well, here to the rescue is our own social media strategist, Jacqueline Uloth. She joins us today to guide us through how to make your social posts more discoverable, how to build trust and authenticity, what engagement metrics now matter the most, how to do social well when you have a small team and a limited budget, and much, much more on this episode of How to Market Your Nonprofit.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Welcome to How to Market Your Nonprofit, the Counterintuity podcast featuring interviews with experts in marketing, fundraising, strategy, and leadership who offer how-tos and inspiration about how you can help your nonprofit succeed and grow during a time of chaos and change. Bringing his 25 plus years of experience in marketing, strategy, and nonprofit management, here’s our host, Lee Wochner.

Lee Wochner:
Jaclyn, thanks for joining us today.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Thank you for having me.

Lee Wochner:
Of course you waited until I had more to say before you responded. That was good. I know firsthand, because I get to work with you here at Counterintuity, that you have a lot of social media expertise, both here and elsewhere, and that things have been changing dramatically. So thanks for coming on the show today and sharing some of your knowledge with us. I always like to learn more.

Admittedly, I know far less about Instagram and other social media platforms than you do, so I’m pretty excited to have you here. I know people are going to get a lot of value out of this.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Yes, for sure. I’m excited.

Lee Wochner:
Cool. There’s a lot we could cover, so let’s jump right in to make sure we have enough time. I want to get into some of the nitty gritty, because while I understand Instagram and its effectiveness to some degree, it’s less familiar to me than some other platforms. And holy cow, has Instagram changed and really taken off in new ways.

You’ve mentioned before that Instagram is starting to act more like a search engine than just a photo-sharing app. What does that actually mean for nonprofits trying to get found?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Sure. Basically, the way Instagram has shifted is away from hashtags and more toward keyword-based search. If you think back to the early days of SEO, people would just write a million keywords on their website. It was more about volume.

If you look at Instagram now, it’s kind of like the dawn of search. The more keywords you integrate in an authentic way, the better. It’s veering away from hashtags because people just aren’t really using them to search anymore.

If you go to the search function in Instagram, you can type in something like “restaurants in Burbank” and different things will pop up. You don’t have to use #restaurants or #Burbank. Meta is trying to create a place where you can go for everything. They want to be a central hub and pull people away from Google.

So while hashtags are still usable, they’re not as important as they once were, and people aren’t using them nearly as much.

Lee Wochner:
So I would assume—and you can correct me if I’m wrong—that this is partly driven by AI, because AI works from natural human speech. Did I get that right?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Absolutely. Yes, it’s all powered by AI.

Lee Wochner:
And so the hashtag becomes less important. You don’t really need it. AI works in natural language, and this is just another way of using language for search, now on Instagram.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Right. Since Instagram and Facebook are really powered by AI—and for anyone who doesn’t know, Meta is the umbrella company that owns Instagram and Facebook—if you want Meta to push your content forward and help you get found, you have to make it easy for their AI bots to understand you.

The easiest way to do that is by using words rather than hashtags. That’s another reason why it’s better to incorporate your keywords directly into your posts as much as possible.

Lee Wochner:
You mentioned Facebook and Instagram, and of course there’s Threads. I’m trying not to get onto all 19,000 social media platforms. I find that when I’m on Instagram, I’ll see something like, “Here’s something you might be interested in,” and it’s a message from Meta. I keep falling for it, Jaclyn Uloth:. I click on it, and suddenly I’m on Threads, thinking, “I don’t want to be here. I can’t do all of these.”

Jaclyn Uloth:
Yes.

Lee Wochner:
So we’re going to—what?

Jaclyn Uloth:
I said you are not alone.

Lee Wochner:
I am not alone. Well, yeah. We’re going to get to which platforms we should be using and how and why. But first, how can nonprofits use Instagram for search in a way that educates and inspires people without it feeling like too much? We don’t want to pile things on. We’re trying to inform and educate, and maybe involve people if they want to be involved.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Sure. One of the cool things Instagram has done, which I personally really like, is that they’ve increased the word count quite a bit. You can now use up to 2,000 words in an Instagram caption. That’s basically a long blog.

You can really use Instagram as a place where people get all of their information about you. Websites are still extremely important, and that’s a whole other conversation, but you can put a lot of that content onto Instagram and let it drive your SEO. The same goes for Facebook, depending on where your audience is.

Because you can use up to 2,000 words, there’s so much opportunity to provide value, share information, and really educate people. That said, to your point about overwhelming people, you don’t want to do this with every single post, especially if you have a large following. That can start to feel overwhelming or overly crafted.

You want a mix. Have those lighter, more fun posts, and then sprinkle in those longer, blog-style posts that help with SEO, education, and value.

Lee Wochner:
Wow. When you said 2,000 words, I got excited. I don’t know that everybody is going to be excited. I’ll share that I read about 30 to 50 books a year, and one of my kids thinks that’s a million books. We also have someone on our team who reads 150 books a year.

But my experience is that most folks these days don’t want to read or write 2,000 words.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Right. The good thing about Instagram is that you can break it up and make it really readable. You don’t have to write long paragraphs like a traditional blog.

The more you incorporate things like bullet points, emojis, and spacing, the better. Making it skimmable is key. People can take away the main point quickly, but also stop and read more if they want to. It’s about finding that balance.

Lee Wochner:
So you’re talking about separate posts now, right?

Jaclyn Uloth:
No, I’m talking about all in one post. If you’re going to use the full 2,000 words and create a longer post, you still need to make it readable and skimmable.

Lee Wochner:
Yeah, sure. I still don’t think most people are going to read 2,000 words. You and I might—we’re wordy people—but not everybody. I want to keep this sounding doable, because the “oh my God, this is complicated” alarm is already going off.

For a nonprofit that doesn’t have a dedicated SEO person, I really want to communicate that there are things everyone can do. So if you don’t have an SEO specialist, what are some simple ways nonprofits can start weaving this into what they’re already posting?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Sure. First, if you don’t already do this, go into the backend of your social media platforms and Google Analytics and look at your data. See what’s performing well and who’s actually engaging with your content.

Some of it might surprise you. You may think you know who your target audience is, but when you look at the data, it might be different. That can mean two things. One, you might realize you’re reaching a whole audience you didn’t even know you had. Or two, you might realize you’re reaching the wrong people and need to pivot.

If you’re reaching the wrong audience, that’s a signal to start posting different things and doing some audience research. Who are these people? What do they like to read or look at? Do some competitor analysis and see what you can do differently.

So step one is looking at your backend analytics. Step two is doing some basic keyword research. You can do this on Google, and there are plenty of SEO tools online where you can run a quick report to see what keywords are relevant to you.

Then start incorporating those keywords into your posts. That can be in captions, reel descriptions, carousel posts, or even text overlays on visuals. Just start using those keywords as naturally as possible.

Lee Wochner:
I hope everyone really took note of what Jaclyn Uloth: just said. That is excellent advice. We always look at performance statistics for both our clients and ourselves, and I’m often surprised by what comes up.

I’ll share an example. One of our podcast solo episodes that I thought was a little anemic—just not my best work—is actually the one with the most listens. It’s the one that’s been picked up and reused the most. When we looked into why, we realized it had more tactics and the right keywords.

So what Jaclyn Uloth: shared is absolutely right. Look at your performance indicators and move forward from there. Just like your car has a gauge that tells you how much gas you have left, these metrics tell you when it’s time to adjust.

These are communications tools, and I want to take a few minutes to talk about authenticity. We’re living in an era of deepfakes, spoofed emails, AI-generated videos, and all kinds of confusing content. It can be fun, but it can also be disorienting.

There’s this idea now that overly polished, picture-perfect feeds don’t resonate anymore, and that raw and real content is what people want. How do you feel about that?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Absolutely. A few years ago, having a really polished social media page was incredibly important. It signaled professionalism, investment, and care. It functioned almost like a digital business card. High-quality photography and videography were what performed best.

But trends shift. Now people want brands to feel more authentic and genuine. An overly polished feed can sometimes raise questions, like, “Why is this so perfect?” That said, polished content still has a place.

If you’ve hosted an important gala, an award ceremony, or you’re dedicating a post to someone, it makes sense to use beautiful photos and videos. Those moments deserve to be showcased well.

But overall, people are completely fine with less polished content. If you just hosted an event, don’t wait weeks for the photographer’s photos or a perfectly edited reel. Post the iPhone photos. People truly don’t care as much as we think they do.

Lee Wochner:
I’m glad to hear that both people and the algorithm are responding to that. I’ll never be picture-perfect ready, so this is good news for me.

There’s also something more fun about raw and immediate content. If you’re telling stories, helping people feel like they were there, or showing impact as it happens, raw and real just works.

Instagram literally has “instant” in its name, and that feels especially relevant right now. With so much content that makes us wonder, “Is this real?” authenticity matters more than ever.

So when you say “raw and real,” what does that actually mean to you?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Sure. Going back to the example of a fundraising event, let’s say it just ended today and you want to talk about it. You’re going to hop on social media and post the photos you have. Even if you were busy running around and only managed to get two or three photos, just post them. Whether that’s on your main feed or in Stories, just get something up.

You can say something like, “We had so much fun today. More to come.” That way, if you want to post more later, like professional photos or a videographer’s reel, you’ve already laid the groundwork.

And truly, people don’t care as much as we think they do. They’re scrolling. If they see faces, an event, and they already follow you, they’ll stop and look for a moment. They’re not going to analyze whether the photo is perfect or if the colors are right. People are just scrolling.

Timing matters, too. If you post about an event a week later, people might wonder why it took so long. If they attended or donated, they might think, “Why are they just now posting about this?” But if you post immediately, it feels more important. It shows that you care.

The people who were there want to see their faces. They want to share it and say, “I was here.” So again, just get the post up and don’t worry about it.

Lee Wochner:
Yep.

Lee Wochner:
I think that’s excellent advice. That’s really well said. There’s another kind of authenticity, too, which is being genuinely open with people.

Our most recent podcast episode was a solo cast where I talked about how my upbringing influenced my life and career, my commitment to nonprofits, and being a corny do-gooder. I talked about my father, Star Trek, and other influences. Does that qualify as raw and real too? Opening the door and saying, “Here’s who I’ve been my whole life, and here’s why I care.”

Jaclyn Uloth:
Yeah, absolutely. Anytime you can peel back the curtain, that’s always a great idea.

Lee Wochner:
Let’s talk about engagement. You know me pretty well, Jaclyn Uloth:. I’m always rooting for people. I believe the world can be better, and we can all work toward that.

I meet a lot of nonprofits who say, “We have someone doing our posting,” but when I look at their content, I don’t see any engagement. Sometimes I don’t even know if they’ve checked. They’ll have no likes, comments, or shares.

You’ve said before that likes and comments aren’t really the gold standard anymore. But when I see zero engagement, it feels like a tumbleweed blowing through town. So are likes and comments still important?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Sure. Likes and comments are kind of the grandpa of engagement metrics. They’re the first thing everyone looks at, and for a long time, that’s how we defined engagement.

One of the best things social media has done recently is start using post watch time and view time as engagement metrics. Platforms have realized that not everyone is going to like or comment on every post they enjoy or follow.

For example, if you follow a nonprofit, you might stop and watch a video and then keep scrolling without liking or commenting. Platforms now recognize that stopping and watching is just as important, if not more important, than leaving a like or comment.

That’s why view counts and watch time are becoming more visible. It’s one of my favorite changes in recent years. There are so many accounts people enjoy and watch regularly but don’t actively engage with, especially guilty-pleasure content. This helps capture that engagement and reward creators appropriately.

Lee Wochner:
Okay. Is there a way to optimize for those kinds of engagement metrics, the ones you don’t immediately see like likes or comments?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Yes. With post views, the goal is really to keep eyes on your content. That starts with having an engaging photo or reel. Reels tend to get the most views, especially when you have a strong cover image that looks interesting.

Then there’s the caption. Longer captions actually help here. The longer people spend reading or skimming your caption, the more time they’re spending on your post, which is a positive signal.

Lee Wochner:
So we used to talk about content being “sticky.” Now I hear a lot about “linger time.” It sounds like the same idea—getting people to stay with your content longer. Are there new or different ways nonprofits can do that?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Yes. Having interesting reels helps, especially if you’re using trending audio or participating in a light, fun trend. Duets and content that appears in the Explore feed can also be very effective.

Again, the longer you can keep someone on your post, the better. One tactic is using a strong call to action in the first line of your caption, like “Tap to read more” or “If you relate, tap to open.” That encourages people to open and skim the longer caption.

Another big metric is replays. If someone watches your video and then it loops and they watch it again, that’s a very strong engagement signal. Finding the right length for your video is important, and pairing it with a longer caption can really help boost that linger time.

Lee Wochner:
Really good advice. Really actionable, tactical advice. We’re going to take a short break here, but when we come back, Jaclyn Uloth: and I will share more tips on using social media effectively to advance your mission. Stick around.

Jaclyn Uloth:
According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the shelf life of a website is two years and seven months. So if your website is three years old or older, it probably needs a tune-up or a complete overhaul so that you can stay current and engaging. A website refresh provides design and content improvements to drive donations and new technology to save you on time.

A website refresh provides design and content improvements to drive donations and new technology to save you time on tedious tasks while keeping your website safe from hackers. a free assessment of your website, contact us through our own website at counterintuity.com or email lee at lee@counterintuity.com. We’re ready to help. And now back to our show.

Lee Wochner:
And we’re back with Counterintuity’s social media ace, Jaclyn Uloth: Yulof. I’m speaking from experience here. I know that’s not your official title, but it’s well deserved.

You’ve brought up this concept of quiet advertising, which feels especially well-suited for nonprofits. They don’t want to come across as pushy, but they do want to accomplish things. So tell me, what exactly is quiet advertising, and why is it working so well right now?

Jaclyn Uloth:
This is one of those things where once you hear it, you’ll realize you’ve already seen it everywhere. It’s not just a trend, it’s something that’s being rewarded across social media right now.

As you scroll, especially on Instagram, you’ll notice sponsored posts and ads because they have that banner that changes color. Your eye catches it immediately. You see the call to action, then you notice the account name, and then you usually keep scrolling.

Quiet advertising means that what’s actually in the ad isn’t as important as we think. The call to action, that banner, that moment where the color changes, that’s what people notice. They might watch the ad, but often, if they’re being served that ad, they’ve already researched you or something related to your cause.

Think about it. Every time you get an ad, you usually know why it’s there. Maybe you Googled watches or looked something up recently. So when people see your name in their feed, your cause is already on their radar.

That’s why quiet advertising works. Just having your account name and call to action, like “Donate now,” “Visit us,” or “Sign up today,” show up in someone’s feed is incredibly valuable. If you’re stressing about how to craft the perfect ad or make it look amazing, I’ll go back to what I’ve been saying all along. People don’t care as much as we think they do. Just get something up.

Lee Wochner:
So this sounds like brand awareness.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Yes.

Lee Wochner:
I want to hear this explained one more way, just to help cement it. Can you walk us through what a quiet ad or boosted post might actually look like for a nonprofit campaign? Pick a cause you care about.

Jaclyn Uloth:
That’s hard. I care about a lot. I’d say children’s hospitals or animal rescue.

Lee Wochner:
Perfect. I like trees, environmental causes, and services for women. So let’s use one of those. What might a quiet ad actually look like?

Jaclyn Uloth:
It could be as simple as a photo from an event you’ve had. For animal rescue, it might just be a cute picture of a dog. Or maybe a photo or short video of your staff volunteering or doing the work.

Showing yourself doing the work is powerful because that’s what people are donating to. They’re not going to study the ad. They’re just going to notice the call to action that catches their eye.

Lee Wochner:
So doing something is better than doing nothing on social.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Exactly.

Lee Wochner:
Let’s talk about audience behavior and platform strategy. Facebook engagement has dropped significantly overall. We might even say it’s plummeted.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Correct.

Lee Wochner:
And yet we still see certain nonprofit posts really take off, especially community stories or throwback content. What’s happening when something suddenly catches fire?

Jaclyn Uloth:
There are a few reasons, but one big shift Facebook has made is the Reels tab, which is similar to Instagram’s Explore page. It makes it easier to discover content from brands and people you don’t already follow.

It’s basically a scroll of reels, and if you’re creating reels, you’re more likely to show up there. That’s often why content takes off.

Lee Wochner:
We’ve also talked about platforms like Threads or Bluesky. These aren’t for everyone, and I can’t be on all 19,000 platforms. How should a nonprofit decide whether it’s worth jumping onto a new platform versus going deeper where they already have followers?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Your instinct is exactly right. You don’t want to be on every platform. That just spreads you too thin. Instead, you want to go deeper where things are already working.

This goes back to target audience research, which we do a lot of at Counterintuity and which I genuinely love. Things like empathy mapping, audience personas, really understanding who you’re talking to.

You want to look at your analytics across platforms like Meta, Facebook, Instagram, and Google. Compare demographics. Look at who’s actually engaging with your content and who you want to be engaging.

Then look at where those people already spend their time. For example, I’m an older millennial. I’m on Instagram and Facebook. I’m not on TikTok. So if you’re trying to reach someone like me, Instagram and Facebook make sense.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Some of us might be on Threads. I feel like a lot of millennials joined Threads as soon as it came out. So if you’re trying to target someone like me, those are going to be the main platforms.

If you’re targeting someone younger, you’re probably going to forget about Facebook and focus on Instagram and TikTok. If you’re trying to reach someone much older, you’ll focus more on Facebook, maybe less on Instagram, and you’ll likely look at platforms like Twitter or Threads.

It really depends on who you’re trying to speak to, where they consume content, and how. That’s why understanding your target audience is so important. And if you don’t know who that is, it’s worth taking the time to do that research.

Lee Wochner:
Some of our clients would really benefit from more support from businesses. That doesn’t have to mean Fortune 500 companies, or even Fortune 100. And as you know, we often work with them on LinkedIn because it’s valuable for things like finding new board members, sponsors, and higher-level donors.

We haven’t talked much about LinkedIn today, but while Facebook and Instagram are great for individual donors, LinkedIn feels like a strong platform for sponsorships, board members, and major supporters. What do you think?

Jaclyn Uloth:
LinkedIn sometimes gets a bad rap for being overly polished or feeling fake, like people are just showing a corporate version of themselves. For a long time, it felt like noise. People were mostly there to job hunt or post a polished resume with a headshot.

I think LinkedIn recognized that and has pivoted in recent years. They’ve changed how the feed works, how groups function, and how discussions happen. It’s become easier to engage in real conversations and find specific people.

Because of that shift, LinkedIn feels more authentic than it used to. If you’re trying to reach a very specific audience in a business or professional context, it’s absolutely a great place to start.

Lee Wochner:
I’m on LinkedIn all the time, so I think it’s where the cool kids are. I’ll just leave it at that.

One last question about platform strategy. If you’re posting across multiple platforms, do you need to adjust your tone and format for each one? For example, LinkedIn has really leaned into carousel posts, and Instagram is obviously very different. Do nonprofits need to change how they show up on each platform?

Jaclyn Uloth:
In the past, it was really important to change your tone and follow the specific trends of each platform. You had to talk differently on each app and match whatever was popular there.

Now, that’s much less important, and honestly, that’s great news for small nonprofits that don’t have a dedicated marketing or social media team. At the end of the day, it’s the same person seeing your content across platforms.

For example, I’m on both Instagram and Facebook. You don’t need to talk to me in two completely different ways. I’m still going to understand your message. Reposting content across platforms is totally fine now. It doesn’t look bad the way it used to.

If you post the same thing on Instagram and Facebook, do you think I’m even going to notice? Probably not. I’m just going to see your message, read it, and if it resonates, it resonates.

So I’ll say what I’ve said throughout this whole conversation. Don’t overthink it. If reposting makes it easier for you to stay consistent, do it. The fact that you’re showing up and posting at all is a win.

Start there. And if you notice opportunities to tweak or optimize later, you can do that as you go. But don’t let perfection slow you down. You’re still reaching the same person.

Lee Wochner:
If you post once a week on LinkedIn, you’re already in the top four percent of users. Just one post a week puts you ahead of 96 percent of people. There’s a real opportunity there.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Yeah. Yeah.

Lee Wochner:
So if you’re a nonprofit working with a small team, paid or volunteer, and you’re stretched thin—which is often why we get called in to help—if you had to give nonprofits with small teams just three things to focus on based on everything you know and what we’ve talked about, what would they be?

Jaclyn Uloth:
Sure. Number one, do your audience research. Look at your analytics and see who you’re actually reaching versus who you want to be reaching. Look at where there’s a difference and decide whether that represents an opportunity or something you need to change in your content strategy.

Number two, just post. Get the content up there.

And number three, use reels. Turn your content into reels as much as you can. Take the extra five minutes to add music, add text, and write a slightly longer caption.

Lee Wochner:
I think that was really well said. I want to frame it just a bit differently, but I think you’re exactly right.

When you talk about audience research and content strategy, what you’re really saying is: make a plan. Have a strategy. Know what you’re trying to achieve and how social media supports your nonprofit’s mission.

Then there’s just starting to post, which I love. And then using reels. I get completely sucked into reels. I’m busy, I’m a reader, and I have to be careful because I’ll fall down a rabbit hole.

A friend of mine, Sarah, posted a reel of herself just turning her head left and right. I like my friend a lot, and before I knew it, I had watched it over and over again. Then suddenly I’m thinking, “What am I doing?” And the next thing I know, I’m watching something about what David Bowie was doing in 1972.

That’s how addictive reels are. So having a strategy matters. We can’t do everything, but we can do something. We can plan, post consistently, and use reels because they’re sticky and make people linger.

Jaclyn Uloth:
And then it’s 3 a.m. and your eyes are dry.

Lee Wochner:
Exactly. But we’re going to do something. We’ll have a strategy, we’ll post, and because we know how effective short-form video is, we’ll use reels.

Jaclyn Uloth:
I would also encourage people to think about their own social media habits. Think about how quickly you scroll, what makes you stop, and how fast you move on.

Aside from Sarah’s reel, you probably don’t remember most of what you watched today. We all watch so many reels every day. So don’t overthink it. Just get the posts up.

Keep things quick. Don’t stretch content out into long, drawn-out stories in video form. If you want to explain something in a video, sum it up with text overlay or in the caption so people can get the point quickly. If they want more, they can watch or read more.

Think about doom scrolling and how you can get someone to stop their thumb for just a second.

Lee Wochner:
That’s really great, Jaclyn Uloth:. There’s so much helpful information here. Is there any final advice you want people to walk away with?

Jaclyn Uloth:
I think especially for nonprofits and organizations that are asking people for money or support, there’s this pressure to be perfectly polished. You want people to feel confident that their money is going somewhere legitimate and well run.

But I’d say don’t worry so much about that. Post yourselves doing the work. That’s what people want to see. Don’t be afraid to start. Just get the content up. Try it for a few days and see how it goes.

Lee Wochner:
One of the things I love about social media is that when it’s done authentically, it creates genuine human interaction. It feels personal.

Before social media really took off, I always tried to connect people in person. When we worked with performing arts organizations, I’d ask, “How do we make people feel special?” Often the answer was backstage tours or meeting the artists.

One of our very early clients was an art gallery. We canceled all of their advertising and instead put that money into hosting receptions where the artists talked about their work. The art started selling, and the ads never had.

Now, with an iPhone or any smartphone, you can do the same thing through video. Entire movies are shot on iPhones. You can introduce people to who you are, what you’re doing, and why your work matters. You can make the case for your cause, have fun, and create real human connection. Social media is perfect for that—and it reaches far more people than one-on-one interactions.

Jaclyn Uloth:
That’s such a great example. If you think about your favorite artists or creators, you don’t just want to see them performing on stage all the time. You want to see behind-the-scenes moments, backstage access, or even just them at home talking about things they care about.

That kind of content is often more interesting. It goes back to pulling back the curtain and being authentic. You don’t want to show just one side of yourself. You want to show all sides, especially when people want to see their money supporting something real and genuine.

Lee Wochner:
Jaclyn, I have to say, it’s been an absolute joy to know you and work with you over the years. You’re always a mood lifter and someone I learn from, which I really appreciate. Thank you for spending time with us and joining the podcast.

If anyone listening has questions or wants to learn more, they can reach out to us at Counterintuity, and we’ll be happy to connect them with Jaclyn

Thank you again. It’s been delightful to spend time with you and check in.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Thank you, Lee.

Jaclyn Uloth:
Thanks for listening. How to Market Your Nonprofit is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Please like and follow the show. Visit counterintuity.com to learn more.

Scroll to Top