Facebook may be the king of social media, but it’s not the one people under 30 years of age turn to when using social media sites. The social media platform for audiences under 30 is Snapchat. In fact, Facebook continues to lose market share to Snapchat with younger generations.

The following are some of the statistics and data on Snapchat.

  • Snapchat has 188 million users worldwide.
  • Users spend at least 30 minutes on the platform per day.
  • 60 percent of users use the camera on Snapchat every day.
  • In the US, Snapchat is used by 41 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34.

Why Your Nonprofit Should Care About Snapchat

  • Fundraising channeling.The number one reason your organization should care about Snapchat is that your nonprofit is probably losing roughly 25 to 35 percent of its donors to attrition each year. That means you are always looking for new donors and Millennials and Gen Z are the most activist and socially conscious generations. It makes all the sense in the world to appeal to young donors and have them partner with your nonprofit, even if they are not yet ready to contribute at the levels that older generations can give.
  • Behind the scenes action.One of the best things that is a crucial aspect of Snapchat is that it is not the place for any nifty content. Snapchat is all about keeping it real, and it’s a great opportunity for you to get used to presenting your nonprofit in a genuine way to your audience. If you can look authentic on Snapchat, you can easily translate this skill to other social media platforms, including Facebook. Snapshots are all about video, fun, and a behind-the-scenes look, and this is a great platform to practice the art of keeping it real and light, which is vital to grabbing the attention of young users.

What are some of the best tips for being successful on Snapchat?

  • Daily snapshots. In today’s world, where there is so much information that reaches people’s eyes, you have to be on Snapchat every day. This practice will not only make you comfortable using the platform, but it will also help you keep your brand in the minds of Snapchat users.
  • Appreciate disappearing content. One of the best innovations, which has been copied by Facebook, is content that disappears because it creates a sense of urgency. When posting snapshots to Snapchat, create a series that can be used for your fundraiser with content that will help drive the need for action.
  • Get creative with Snapchat stories. The stories feature allows you to compile snapshots as they were taken and provide the audience with a “story” progression or linear arc. This is a useful tool that you can use to count something like “a day in the life” or some other programmatic sequence, which will help you gain attention.
  • Snapchat allows brands to sponsor ads, lenses, or geofilters. This will allow you to create ten-second clips, augmented reality through the lens, or filters that can only be used in specific geographic locations. All of these creative and fun tools and opportunities allow you to promote your brand and the work your nonprofit does in your community.

For brands that aren’t used to using Snapchat, it can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many articles on the internet on how to get acquainted with this particular social media platform, including Snapchat itself, or this interesting article from
The New York Times.