Free Tools Every Nonprofit & Small Business Should Use for Social Media
Your Toolkit: Free Tools Every Nonprofit & Small Business Should Use for Social Media
Running a nonprofit or small business on a tight budget? You’re not alone! Social media marketing is a powerful tool for building brand awareness, engaging with your audience, and growing your community. But you don’t need to break the bank to make it work. There are plenty of free tools out there to help you streamline your social media efforts and get the results you want.
In this post, we’ll share the best free tools that every nonprofit and small business should have in their social media toolkit. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your game, these tools will help you create, schedule, track, and analyze your social media content with ease.
1. Canva: Design Like a Pro (Without the Price Tag)
What it is: Canva is a free, user-friendly design tool that makes creating eye-catching social media graphics a breeze.
Why you need it: Social media is visual, and well-designed posts are key to catching your audience’s eye. With Canva, you don’t need a background in graphic design to create stunning posts, banners, and infographics. They have a ton of templates tailored for each social platform (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even Pinterest), so all you need to do is customize.
Top Features:
Pre-made templates designed for different platforms
Drag-and-drop interface
Free access to fonts, icons, and images
Ability to resize designs for different platforms with one click
Pro Tip: Don’t just use stock photos—add a personal touch! Use your nonprofit’s or business’s colors, fonts, and logos to make your posts unique.
2. Buffer: Simplify Social Media Scheduling
What it is: Buffer is a social media scheduling tool that helps you plan and schedule posts for multiple platforms all in one place.
Why you need it: Consistency is key when it comes to social media, but it can be a pain to post regularly, especially when you’re juggling other tasks. Buffer lets you schedule posts in advance, so you can plan your content for the week or month and forget about it until it’s time to engage with your audience.
Top Features:
Schedule posts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn
Analyze post performance to see what works
Free plan allows up to 3 social profiles and 10 scheduled posts per profile
Pro Tip: Take advantage of Buffer’s best time to post feature, which helps you schedule posts when your audience is most active!
3. Google Analytics: Track Your Traffic & Measure Success
What it is: Google Analytics is a free tool that lets you track website traffic, monitor the effectiveness of your social media campaigns, and measure conversions.
Why you need it: You’re putting time and effort into your social media posts, but how do you know if they’re driving real results? Google Analytics helps you see exactly how your social media traffic is performing, so you can focus your efforts on what’s working.
Top Features:
Track website visitors from social media
See which social channels are driving the most traffic
Set up conversion goals to track donations (nonprofits) or purchases (small businesses)
Pro Tip: Set up UTM codes for your social media links. This will help you track which specific posts and campaigns are driving the most traffic.
4. Hootsuite: Manage Multiple Accounts with Ease
What it is: Hootsuite is a social media management tool that allows you to monitor and schedule posts across multiple platforms from a single dashboard.
Why you need it: If you’re running multiple social accounts (for example, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), Hootsuite helps you stay organized and save time. You can schedule posts, engage with followers, and analyze performance all from one place.
Top Features:
Monitor up to 3 social profiles for free
Schedule posts for future dates and times
Engage with followers and track mentions
Pro Tip: Use the social listening feature to monitor relevant hashtags and brand mentions—perfect for building relationships and engaging with your community.
5. Google Trends: Stay Ahead of the Curve
What it is: Google Trends is a free tool that shows the popularity of search terms and topics over time.
Why you need it: Keeping up with trends can be tricky, especially when you're managing a nonprofit or small business with limited resources. Google Trends helps you spot what’s trending in real-time, so you can create timely, relevant content that speaks to what people care about.
Top Features:
Discover trending search terms in real-time
Track interest by region, so you can tailor your messaging to your local community
Compare search terms to see which topics are gaining traction
Pro Tip: Use Google Trends to jump on trending topics and incorporate them into your content calendar. A timely post can go a long way in driving engagement.
6. Later: Perfect for Instagram Scheduling
What it is: Later is a social media scheduler designed specifically for Instagram, but it also works for other platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Why you need it: Instagram is one of the most important platforms for both nonprofits and small businesses, but it can be time-consuming to post regularly. Later lets you schedule your posts in advance, saving you time and ensuring consistency.
Top Features:
Visual content calendar for easy scheduling
Free plan supports up to 30 posts per month on Instagram
Drag-and-drop interface for Instagram’s grid view
Pro Tip: Use Later’s “best time to post” feature to optimize your posts for maximum reach and engagement.
7. Facebook Insights: Get the Data You Need
What it is: Facebook Insights is a built-in analytics tool for your Facebook page that provides detailed metrics on how your posts are performing.
Why you need it: If you’re using Facebook to engage with your audience (and you should be!), Facebook Insights gives you all the data you need to understand your audience better and improve your content strategy.
Top Features:
See post engagement, reach, and follower demographics
Track how your page is growing
Monitor which posts get the most likes, shares, and comments
Pro Tip: Use Insights to analyze which types of posts are resonating the most with your followers. Then, make more of that content!
8. Mailchimp: Email Marketing Made Easy
What it is: Mailchimp is a free email marketing tool that helps you design and send newsletters, updates, and promotions to your email list.
Why you need it: Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to build relationships with your audience. Whether you’re a small business promoting a sale or a nonprofit sending updates on your latest campaign, Mailchimp lets you manage your email list and create beautiful, personalized emails—without spending a dime.
Top Features:
Free plan for up to 500 subscribers
Easy-to-use email builder
Automation features to send follow-up emails or reminders
Pro Tip: Use Mailchimp’s automation to send welcome emails to new subscribers or thank-you notes to donors (nonprofits). It’s a great way to build trust from the start.
Wrap-Up: Build Your Marketing Brew with These Tools
There you have it—your free social media toolkit! From creating eye-catching graphics with Canva to analyzing your traffic with Google Analytics, these tools will help you save time, track performance, and create content that resonates with your audience.
Running a nonprofit or small business is challenging, but with the right tools, you can make social media marketing work for you. The best part? You don’t need a big budget to get started—just a little creativity and consistency!
So, grab your favorite coffee (we’re partial to a bold espresso here at LCM), fire up these tools, and start brewing up some marketing magic for your nonprofit or small business.
Got any favorite free tools of your own? Share them in the comments below!