Social media tips to drive community engagement from local charity, Re4orm Torbay

Every week we bring you the top social media tactics and tips to help you drive your strategy forwards. We introduce you to real life businesses and organisations in multiple sectors which are growing using social media, so you can learn from their success and do more of the same.

Katie Cavanna is the founder and managing director of the community interest company Re4orm Torbay, The business helps to alleviate poverty for families in the Torbay community. Here founder Katie shares her social media tips.

Social media tips from Re4orm, Torbay

Q. When did the business get started on social media?

Katie, founder of RE4orm has worked in families and education for 17 years. She launched RE4orm as a one stop mobile community centre on wheels (which is actually UB40’s old tour bus!).

The bus had to be put on hold due to the pandemic. But Katie realised that she could use social media, along with her business connections and the community spirit to help those in need.

Katie set up ‘Food For Torbay’ by putting a call out on Instagram asking people to help her feed as many vulnerable local families as possible. You can find out more about Re4orm Torbay with Local Rewards.

 

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A post shared by RE4orm (@re4orm_torbay)

Q. What is the biggest benefit you see from your social media presence?

Over the last year RE4orm has worked with 45 local businesses, 70 volunteers and delivered 30,000 cooked meals and food parcels. Reform now gives families recipe boxes every week with a new recipe card by a local chef for families to enjoy cooking together. All food is donated by local businesses which have continued to pay their suppliers for fresh produce and then handed it over to RE4orm.

“I am so proud of Torbay. We have had restaurants which are closed open their kitchens to create recipe cards or cooked meals and we are promoting the business in return to ensure that people support them upon restrictions easing,” Katie says.

Q. What has been your social media highlight?

Katie used social media to recruit volunteers to Team Re4orm. The volunteers are all furloughed and this has helped them stay busy, stay connected with a sense of purpose, give back and do something positive for the community.

Key takeaway

Whenever Katie posts video content featuring herself or her team, the recognition they have within the community increases engagement and visibility of Re4orm Torbay. Katie's top social media tips are to connect to your community personally. Whether that's done by volunteering your time and energy physically, or simply by re-sharing or creating content. Championing place on social media makes a real difference.