Social media can be a powerful and affordable tool for charities, community groups, and social enterprises, but knowing where to start (or how to keep up) can feel overwhelming. This full-day course introduces the essential skills you need to grow your audience, plan effective content, and use social media with confidence and purpose.

Designed specifically for small VCSE organisations, the training explores the most widely used platforms, how to choose where to focus your efforts, and how to create posts that resonate with your audience. You’ll learn how to identify what “good practice” looks like, how to avoid common pitfalls, and how to build a simple, sustainable strategy that aligns with your organisation’s goals.

The course also introduces analytics, showing you how to interpret basic platform data to understand what’s working well and where to improve. Practical activities guide you through planning a content calendar, using the “four pillars” approach, and exploring how tools, including AI for idea generation, can save time without losing authenticity.

By the end of the session, you will have created your own social media content plan and will feel more confident in managing your organisation’s online presence in a realistic, manageable way.

Key Learnings

• Recognise the benefits of using social media in a VCSE setting
• Understand major platforms and choose where to focus
• Identify good and bad practice across channels
• Use tactics to grow and engage your audience
• Analyse basic social media data to inform decisions
• Develop a practical and sustainable social media strategy
• Plan content using the “four pillars” method
• Use AI tools to generate ideas and save time

Social media has become one of the most effective ways for charities, community groups, and social enterprises to connect with supporters, raise awareness, and showcase their impact. Yet with limited time and resources, many VCSE organisations struggle to maintain a consistent, strategic online presence. This course provides the essential knowledge and confidence to approach social media in a structured, achievable way.

The session begins by exploring the benefits of social media for voluntary organisations, from community engagement and fundraising to volunteer recruitment and partnership building. Participants will examine the major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and TikTok, gaining clarity on which channels are most suitable for different audiences and organisational goals.

You’ll learn to identify good and bad practice online, understanding how tone, accessibility, branding, and timing influence engagement. The course then explores practical tactics to grow your audience and reach, including how to use hashtags, storytelling, video content, and collaboration with partners or local networks.

A section on analytics teaches you how to interpret key social media metrics, helping you see what works well and how to adapt your content. You’ll also explore the “four pillars” approach to content planning and learn how to build a realistic strategy rooted in your organisation’s mission and capacity.

Practical exercises run throughout the session, including planning a content calendar and exploring how AI tools can help generate ideas, draft posts, and streamline workflows.

By the end of the course, participants will have created a tailored content plan and will feel equipped to manage social media confidently, ethically, and in a way that supports organisational goals without overwhelming capacity.

Open course per person         £117
In-house for up to 6 people    £507
In-house for up to 12 people  £539