‘Social media can be a powerful communication tool for charities, to raise awareness and funds and to better engage beneficiaries. It can help charities reach a much wider audience, much more quickly than traditional methods of communication.’ From https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charities-and-social-media/charities-and-social-media

The principles and guidance outlined in the context of charities via the very useful link above can be applied to all types of organisations. Recognising the potential benefits and risks involved as well as having a well-thought-out social media strategy is essential.

The strategy can be as long or short as you need but does need to include the who, what, why and how. Who has access to the social media accounts? What kind of content will you be posting? Why are you posting what you are? How does it align with your core purpose and values? What do you want to achieve from your social media presence? It should also include ‘having a plan about how you would deal with a social media crisis, such as whether you would make a corrective public statement.’

It should also include a reference to the following non-exhaustive list

Viral content: Staff need to understand and appreciate the potential for content to go viral, both positive and negative, and how to deal with that.

Piling on: Be prepared for situations where online reactions or criticisms escalate rapidly.

Taking statements out of context: Be cautious about how messages can be misconstrued or manipulated like taking one tweet out of a Twitter/X thread as a stand-alone without the previous or following tweets, or a still from a video.

Reporting accounts: Be aware of the possibility of users reporting accounts, and have mechanisms in place to address false reports.

Being held accountable: Acknowledge the accountability that comes with a social media presence, and respond transparently.

Core purposes: Define and communicate the core purposes of your organisation to maintain consistency in messaging.

Blurring Lines: Recognise the potential for blurred lines between personal and organisational accounts, and establish guidelines accordingly.

For more detailed information and lessons for us all https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charities-and-social-media/charities-and-social-media#managing-potential-risks-in-posting-or-sharing-social-media-content