1 Define your goals

Before you start collecting and sharing UGC, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. Do you want to raise awareness, inspire action, solicit feedback, or generate donations? Your goals will determine what kind of UGC you need, how you will collect it, and where you will distribute it. For example, if you want to raise awareness, you might ask your supporters to share photos or videos of themselves wearing your branded merchandise or participating in your events. If you want to inspire action, you might ask your beneficiaries to share their stories of how your nonprofit helped them overcome a challenge or achieve a goal.

3 Curate and optimize

Not all UGC is created equal. You need to curate and optimize your UGC to ensure that it aligns with your brand identity, values, and message. You can do this by selecting the most relevant, engaging, and diverse content that showcases your impact, mission, or values. You can also edit, crop, filter, or caption your content to make it more appealing and consistent. And don't forget to add your logo, watermark, or tagline to your content to increase your brand recognition and visibility.

4 Distribute and measure

Once you have curated and optimized your UGC, you need to distribute and measure it across your channels. You can do this by choosing the most appropriate platforms, formats, and times to share your content with your audience. You can also repurpose, remix, or recycle your content to extend its lifespan and reach. And don't forget to track and analyze your content's performance to see how it affects your brand awareness, engagement, loyalty, and conversions.

5 Learn and improve

The last step in using UGC to build your nonprofit's brand is to learn and improve from your experience. You can do this by soliciting feedback from your audience, reviewing your data and insights, and identifying your strengths and weaknesses. You can also experiment with different types of UGC, strategies, and tools to see what works best for your nonprofit. And don't forget to keep up with the latest trends, best practices, and examples of UGC in the nonprofit sector to get inspired and motivated.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?