In September 2023, the Charity Commission published updated guidance for the use of social media by charities.
Why does social media matter?
Some charities exist to serve a local population, but many serve a diverse and disparate community, brought together by common interests and experiences, regardless of where they may live. Many of these people might never connect without the power of social media. Building active and visible communities online helps create opportunities for conversation, sharing and learning.
Social media can help get a fundraising campaign off the ground quickly and effectively and can help people who work with charities engage in real-time thought leadership. But with this immediacy comes heightened risk that harmful content may be published, which, once out there is hard to retract and may have far-reaching implications for the charity.
What does the Charity commission guidance cover?
The guidance reiterates the charity’s responsibilities. There is nothing revolutionary here but it bears repeating that charities should make sure that:
- they have proper policies relating to social media use, which are reviewed regularly
- their use of social media is consistent with their purposes and in the best interests of their beneficiaries
- it is clear who can post and manage content on the charity’s behalf
- they comply with the law, such as data protection and intellectual property, and any applicable rules relating, for example, to fundraising, campaigning or political activity or regulations which are specific to the sector within which the charity operates
- they consider the needs of their stakeholders, especially vulnerable people.
Setting the policy – do it collaboratively
When setting a social media policy, it is sensible for charities to work collaboratively with trustees, staff, volunteers and those who will manage, use and engage with social media output. Some charities will make use of their staff forum, for example, to help define and refine what the charity wants from its social media content and will engage those who work for them much more effectively. Outside help may also be needed, from public relations specialists, lawyers and others, as there may be areas which are not immediately obvious. For example, can a trustee engage with and promote a political party when they are also publicly connected with the charity? When does the line between content posted on a personal platform become blurred with a person’s involvement with the charity? Are you allowed to tug heartstrings by publishing emotive content to encourage support for your cause? Work through issues such as conflict of interest between personal beliefs, the right to express them publicly and the charity’s purposes.
A successful social media structure will in this way be driven from within. We often hear about values being embedded in the culture of an organisation and this is one way to get to grips with that and make sure that it happens.
Once in place, policies should be actively and regularly promoted within the organisation. They should be kept under regular review and training and refresher training should be put in place to highlight any changes and developments. Regular review will help keep the policy and the charity’s needs in close alignment.
If something goes wrong, don’t panic!
Sometimes things can go wrong, however well you have planned. It is therefore vital for a crisis plan to be worked out so that you are ready to deal calmly and effectively with any issues and minimise any reputational damage, or worse. The plan should not be overly reliant on any one individual, who may be out of reach at the crucial moment. Crisis management should be regularly tested to make sure it remains fit for purpose.
It is often a good idea to run facilitated workshops to help establish how a charity would deal with these issues.
Summary of the Charity commission guidance
The key takeaway from the guidance is that all charities should at all times be mindful about their use of social media. It can be easy to get carried away, with the best of intentions, in something which can ultimately lead to harm to the charity, its reputation and beneficiaries.
As with any aspect of its activities, social media use should be properly structured and planned and all stakeholders should be thoroughly trained so that they fully understand their role, obligations and what to do if something goes wrong.
If you would like to talk about this in more detail, our team of specialist charities lawyers is here to help.