How to do it
- No shared passwords Connect accounts once. Volunteers get agent keys scoped to draft on specific networks, which can be revoked when they leave.
- Mission in brand memory Voice rules, program names, and sensitive topics live in brand memory so every volunteer draft starts on the right foot.
- Staff approval Staff approve, edit, or reject from the inbox on desktop or phone.
- Campaign planning For a fundraising drive, an agent drafts the campaign sequence and a staff member approves it in one sitting.
Last month 42 volunteers packed 1,300 meal kits for families in our area. This month we need 20 more people on Saturday mornings. No experience needed, and kids over 12 are welcome with an adult. Sign up at the link.
Built for small teams with changing volunteers
Nonprofit social media is often run by whoever has time, with a staff member holding the passwords. That creates risk: shared credentials, inconsistent voice, and no record of what was posted by whom. SocialHandoff replaces shared passwords with individual keys and puts staff approval between volunteers and the public.
Cost
SocialHandoff is open source under AGPL-3.0 and free to self-host with no channel or agent limits; see open source and self-hosting. A volunteer with basic server skills can run it with Docker Compose. Hosted plans are on the pricing page.
Setup
- Connect your accounts: LinkedIn for funders and partners, Bluesky, Mastodon, and X for supporters.
- Write brand memory: how you describe the people you serve, words to avoid, and topics that need staff review.
- Give volunteers a chat assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude Desktop connected with their own key.
Permissions
Volunteers: draft only, scoped to the networks they help with. Staff: approval. Revoke a key when a volunteer leaves; the audit log keeps a record of what their agent drafted. See agent keys and permissions.
Measuring impact
Tag donation and volunteer sign-up links with the UTM builder and track results in your donation platform. Per-post metrics show reach where networks provide them. Sign-ups and donations are the numbers funders ask about.
Pitfalls
- Photos of people without consent. Make consent a brand memory rule and check it at approval. Always add alt text; the guardrail requires it.
- Crisis moments. If something sensitive happens in your community, use the kill switch to hold scheduled posts.
- Posting only asks. Mix impact stories and thank-you posts with appeals; see the thank-you template.