Volunteer Social Media Toolkit
As a volunteer and champion for the University of Rochester you are essential in spreading the word to our broader community—through your own voice. Social media is an invaluable communication medium.
This toolkit includes important resources to assist you in intensifying outreach and promotion for major events. Thank you for spreading the word and expanding the University network.
General Posting Tips and Ideas
- Tag the University of Rochester Alumni Facebook (@URAlumniRelations), Instagram (@uofralumni) and Twitter (@rochesteralumni) accounts in your posts.
- Tag friends, locations, and venues in your posts with @ + their user name.
- Share posts from the alumni Instagram account to your story. See demo video or read how here.
- Retweet posts from the alumni Twitter page.
- Share the event registration link directly in your posts. Links should only be included with Facebook and Twitter posts, as they are not clickable in Instagram unless placed in your bio. If posting to Instagram, use #linkinbio, or “Link in bio” in copy, and then place the URL in your profile.
- Make your posts unique! Share what you’re personally excited to do at the event, and tag friends that you think might be interested in attending. Highlight the basic information – date, location, key points of the event.
Important Hashtags
- #URalumni
- #RochesterEffect
- #reunions
- #friendship
- #connections
- #celebrations
- #URcelebrates
- #URmakingadifference
- #URgrateful
- #RochesterGives
- #meliora
Making a Post Public
In order to reach as many alumni as possible, we suggest making your posts “Public.” See below on how to make your posts public on different platforms.
Creating a new post
- Write your post in the “What’s on your mind?” section.
- Click on the drop-down menu directly below your name.
- You will see the “Who can see your post?” options.
- Select “Public.”
- Click on the ellipsis icon (…) located to the right of the existing post.
- Select “Edit Post.”
- Click on the drop-down menu directly below your name.
- You will see the “Who can see your post?” options.
- Select “Public.”
On Instagram, you must make your profile public to make your posts public. Unlike Facebook, you cannot edit visibility on individual posts.
- Navigate to your profile and tap the three lines in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings,” and then “Privacy.”
- Beneath “Connections,” you should see “Account Privacy.”
- Make sure the “Private Account” toggle is switched to off.
On Twitter, you must make your profile public to make your posts public. Unlike Facebook, you cannot edit visibility on individual posts.
- In the top menu, tap your profile icon, then select “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap “Privacy and safety.”
- Under Tweets, make sure the “Protect your Tweets” toggle is switched to off.
- Write your post in the “Start a post” section.
- Click on the drop-down menu directly below your icon
- You will see the “Who can see this post?” options
- Select “Anyone”
Show me how
Suggested Sample Posts
General Events
I’m counting down the days until [insert event title]! Who else will be there? [Tag friends using @insert their name] [insert event registration link] #URalumni #connections
I just registered for [insert event title]! Have you? Register today [insert event registration link] #URalumni #connections #meliora
Questions? Contact Sydney Burrows, Assistant Director of Digital Strategy and Engagement, at Sydney.burrows@rochester.edu