The value of adding images to your nonprofit blog part two

Today is part two of our look at best practices when it comes to selecting and using images for your nonprofit blog. As I explained in part one the very act of adding images to every post can make a significant difference in the views that a post might receive in addition to having some quite significant built-in SEO value attached to every image.

The other large concern is how do content creators go about creating or selecting images to add to their posts (or for that matter any social media update). First and foremost it’s worth expressing that while original content in the written form is far more valuable than repurposed content the same can certainly be said for images. Whenever it’s feasible and especially in circumstances when your content is specifically about your nonprofit try and take your own photographs for your updates. The simple fact that the image is an ‘exclusive’ makes it that much more interesting to your audience than any other type of photo. By the same measure if you have the time and skills to create a simple custom graphic with text overlay or even a chart or graph those too are always valuable and merit consideration.

Invariably though you’ll find yourself searching for images online to use to complement your blog posts and that can get tricky for copyright reasons. Take some time to properly understand creative commons rules and licensing via this link to creativecommons.org and anytime you have a doubt take the time to contact the owner of the image in addition to providing a credit ideally with a link. A determining factor will often be image size, so if for example you are sourcing images from Flickr provide a full html link back to the owner. Flickr image owners almost always explain their licensing and credit rights for all image sizes and if the photo is authorized for download when you click on the download button.

sites such as flickr.com have millions of images, just be sure to give appropriate credit

Although you’ll often find fantastic images at sites such as Getty Images or Reuters do not use to avoid unnecessary legal ramifications. Moreover don’t be shy about telling the image owner that you are a nonprofit and the images are for a blog and not for commercial gain, more often than not people will be very considerate. Giving credit for an image only takes a few moments, so don’t overlook doing so.

When you create your own graphics there are essentially no issues with using screen captures of websites – providing you make it patently clear that you are showing examples of a website, or of elements within it.

Ultimately though my message is that images should never be an afterthought, spend some time researching the images you plan to use or creating your own and your blog or other website/social media updates will not only look better but can help drive engagement. If you have any questions or ideas don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including PCI compliant inbound telephone fundraising, outbound telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery fundraising services, donation processing and receipting and direct mail fundraising services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all our business decisions  and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.