If you’re a non-profit, you know the juggle … small budget, big mission, and a lot to share. Social media is your fastest way to connect with your community, raise awareness, and inspire action.
The problem? Great stories can get lost behind cluttered, hard-to-read graphics.
The good news: you can make your DIY designs look professional… even without a design degree. Here’s our 6 tips with examples on how to create good design for your non-profit.
1. Don’t Cram Everything on One Slide
Got a lot to say? Spread it over a carousel. One clear point per slide will keep your audience swiping, and actually reading.
- TIP: Let your design breathe
2. Use Hierarchy to Guide the Eye
Your viewer’s eyes should go to the most important info first. Make headlines bigger and bolder, and keep supporting text smaller.
- TIP: If everything is the same size, nothing stands out.
3. Keep Fonts Consistent
Stick to 1–2 fonts. Too many makes your design look messy and unprofessional.
- TIP: If everything is the same size, nothing stands out.
4. Stick to Your Brand Colours
Consistent colour builds instant recognition and trust.
- TIP: Avoid adding random colours, they dilute your brand.
5. Use Space as a Design Element
White space isn’t wasted space. It makes your content easier to read and more impactful.
- TIP: More space = more clarity.
See what we did there? 😉
6. Don’t Overcomplicate It
You don’t need every icon, font style, and background pattern all at once. Simple, clean designs are often the most effective.
TIP: When in doubt, take something away.
Which Tip Style Did You Prefer? Which Is Easier On The Eye?
Case Study:
How We Helped ABLE2
We recently worked with ABLE2, a Blue Mountains non-profit providing disability support services.
They were posting regularly, but designs were packed with text, competing colours, and inconsistent layouts. In our training session, we showed them how to:
- Break long content into carousels
- Create clear visual hierarchy
- Keep fonts, colours, and layouts consistent
- Embrace simplicity for a stronger message
We redesigned one “You Do You” program post. The before version crammed everything onto one slide. The after spread it across multiple slides, with clean headings, consistent fonts, and more space.
Why Good Design Matters for Non-Profits
Every post is a chance to connect, build trust, and inspire action. Good design isn’t just “pretty” — it’s what makes your message stick.
Your Next Step
If you’re ready to improve your designs right now, start applying these tips to your next post.
Here are your options:
Option 1: Keep DIY-ing, but use these tips for a big improvement.
Option 2: Join The Good Design Club — our 12-week course for non-profits and small business owners who want to design scroll-stopping graphics, create on-brand content, and learn the strategies we use at Cocoon Creative.
Option 3: No time to DIY? Let Cocoon Creative do it for you. Book a call to see if we’re the right fit.
How can I make my non-profit design better?
Start with clarity, one line that explains your mission, who you help, and how someone can act now. Use a calm colour palette with strong contrast, generous white space, and one clean typeface. Lead with people, not logos, show real faces, short captions, and measurable impact. Make the primary action obvious on every page, donate, volunteer, or learn, with short forms only. Optimise for mobiles first, fast loading, legible text, tap friendly buttons. Add trust signals, ACNC badge, testimonials, report highlights. Keep navigation simple, three to five items. Test with supporters, watch where they hesitate, then fix that first.
