The hashtag (#), once known simply as the pound symbol, has become a vital communication tool that has transformed how people engage with one another online. Hashtags are efficient because they essentially help to optimize conversations and content – for brands, organizations, and individuals.
Take #GivingTuesday for example. New York’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation joined forces and created Giving Tuesday – a movement to kick off the giving season, and a campaign that encourages an array of charitable activities that support nonprofits. What started as an idea for a new national day on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday became bigger than anyone had imagined….It went viral! The second annual GivingTuesday took place on December 3, 2013, resulting in a 90% increase in online giving compared to 2012, a reach of over 2 billion individuals on Twitter and 300 million people on Facebook, and over 7,000 #UNselfies to match. Check out the infographic below for more statistics:
In your efforts to catalyze a movement, it is also important to note that SEARCH HAPPENS EVERYWHERE; optimization ultimately improves visibility on social media platforms and search engines, thereby helping audiences find you and become part of your conversation more easily. Do not underestimate the power and potential of the hashtag! Below are 50 of them to help get you and your nonprofit started ☺
#2030NOW – A Theme that follows the idea of building a brighter, shared future that we want to live in, in the year 2030.
#[Event or campaign name] – Create a discussion around an event or campaign that is taking place.
#activism – To promote activism.
#advocacy – To promote advocacy.
#aid – To bring awareness to aid efforts.
#campaign – To promote a campaign.
#cause – To promote a cause.
#change – Create discussion about how to make changes in the world.
#changemakers – Point out who the changemakers are.
#charity – Highlight a charity.
#CharityTuesday – Encourage people to donate to a charity of their choice on Tuesdays.
#climate – Create discussion around climate in different regions as well as climate changes.
#crowdfunding – Indicate that you are raising funds and awareness through crowdfunding.
#CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility.
#disasterandrelief – Bring attention to relief efforts taking place before, during and after catastrophic events.
#dogood – A call to action for people to do good.
#donate – A call to action for people to donate.
#donors – Point out who the donors are.
#DoSomething – A call to action that DoSomething.org uses to mobilize people — particularly during campaigns and to raise money and awareness.
#education – To promote education or news about this topic.
#fairtrade – To promote fair trade or news about this topic.
#FollowFriday or #FF – Point out who you think other people should be following; this is also a friendly way to give kudos where you think it’s due.
#foundation – To promote a foundation.
#fundraising – To promote fundraising or news about this topic.
#giveback – A call to action for people to give back to the community.
#GivingTuesday – An established UN holiday; a call to action for people to give back to the community.
#grants – To promote grants or news about this topic.
#green – To promote eco-friendly living or news about this topic.
#health – To promote health or news about this topic.
#humanity – To promote humanity or news about this topic.
#humanrights – To promote human rights or news about this topic.
#humantrafficking – Create a discussion on the topic of human trafficking or highlight news about this topic.
#hunger – Create discussion on the topic of hunger or highlight news about this topic.
#impact – To promote how an effort is creating impact.
#MDG – United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
#mobiletech – To promote mobile tech or news on this topic.
#NGO – Non-governmental organization; promote NGO efforts or news on this topic.
#nonprofit – Nonprofit; promote or create a discussion around a specific organization or the nonprofit sector as a whole.
#notforprofit – Not-for-profit; promote or create a discussion around a specific not-for-profit or the nonprofit sector as a whole.
#nptech – To promote nonprofit tech or news about this topic.
#ONG – Non-governmental organization (acronym used in Romance languages); promote NGO efforts or news on this topic.
#peace – A call to action for people to promote peace.
#philanthropy – To promote philanthropy or news around this topic.
#poverty – Create a discussion on the topic of poverty or highlight news about this topic.
#SM4NP – Social media for nonprofits; offer tips to others or engage in discussion about this topic.
#socent – To promote social entrepreneurship or news about this topic.
#socialgood – To promote social good or news about this topic.
#SocialGoodSummit – An event held by the UN and Mashable to talk about #2030NOW and what people can do to have a positive impact on the world.
#sustainability – A major goal for most nonprofits and NGOs that aren’t already sustainable; promote sustainability or news about this topic.
#women – Promote women or news about this topic.
Have other hashtags in mind that you have used? We’d love to hear what has or hasn’t worked well for you! Share your stories with us at [email protected]!