How Nonprofit Professionals Can Show Up Authentically—and Actually Connect—on LinkedIn
Why Authenticity Matters Now More Than Ever
If you’re a LinkedIn regular, you know it can be noisy over there. And standing out can be tough—especially now. But it’s a crucial time to focus on being authentic and approachable.
Authenticity leads to trust, which leads to connection, and in turn creates community. All of these are essential ingredients in nonprofit work. And building community both online and offline can help nonprofit leaders create change, both in their organizations and their communities.
Being human is not unprofessional, in fact it can be strategic. When people read something that resonates, they want to learn more or make a connection with the author.
Now, let’s learn the steps to showing up authentically on LinkedIn, including prompts to “do your homework” and personal examples from my own feed.
Start With Your Values
Your LinkedIn presence should reflect what you stand for. By identifying your personal values, you set the tone and create an expectation for what you share.
Some ideas for values are: compassion, courage, adventure, family, relationships, dependability, generosity, determination, honesty, and altruism.
Once your values are established, it’s easier to decide what type of content to share, especially if you’re unsure what to post.
Prompt: What are three values you want people to know before they even meet you?
Personal example:
In this post, I shared feeling humbled at my freshman’s back-to-school night and allowing myself to also be the “new kid.” The personal values I expressed were family and relationships.
Find Your Voice
Now that you have values established, you need a voice to go along with it. Voice is the consistent personality behind everything you share.
When someone reads a post, your voice is what makes them think, “Yes, that sounds like them.” It makes you appear more approachable and human (no AI here!) Some examples of voice are: conversational, witty, warm, educational, informative, celebratory, friendly or supportive.
To make it easier to stick, you can even assign a name to your voice, like The Advocate, The Community Builder, or The Cheerleader (my personal favorite as I love to cheer people on).
Prompt: What do you want your voice to be?
Personal example:
Quite often, people will tell me, “Your posts totally sound like you!” which I take as a compliment that I’m using my voice effectively (and clearly not having AI write my content). Here’s a video post with takeaways from a speaking event using my friendly, approachable voice (I like to do videos in one take, so they are not always perfect!)
Get Personal—But Don’t Overshare
Personal stories and photos create curiosity and connection, but you don’t want to cross the line into uncomfortable or unprofessional territory (both for yourself and for the readers).
You may decide to share a learning moment or professional challenge, without the full details or names. Or perhaps you share behind-the-scenes content while still respecting the privacy of your team.
Think about what feels comfortable to you on LinkedIn. What types of details will you share and what might you obscure or omit? For example, I don’t show my kids’ faces. And I blur or crop out private or identifying features in photos.
And be open to your comfort level changing over time. For example, I have become more open to sharing selfies than I was in the past (I still don’t love them, but analytics show that people love to see faces!)
Being vulnerable and authentic doesn’t mean completely baring your soul—you can find that happy medium.
Prompt: What are you comfortable sharing or not sharing in posts?
Personal example:
I shared my thoughts on my teen’s first day of school, but I kept him anonymous and blurred out background details. (Pro tip: teens think it’s cringe when you mention them in posts, so tread carefully.)
Sell By Serving
Yes, there are times on LinkedIn when you want to promote yourself, an event or affiliation. But you must build trust with your audience before you start “selling.”
The typical rule of thumb is 80/20: 80% non-promotional content to 20% promotional. I also like the 4-1-1 approach. Start with four posts that provide value or education, such as tips, stories or resources. Then add one “soft sell” and one “hard sell.”
Your best indicator of if your mix is working is by observing post engagement. If your “sales” posts are getting little to no engagement, you may need to change your approach or frequency.
And when you do promote an event, product or service, frame it a solution to a problem rather than a sales pitch. Who will benefit from it and how will it help them overcome a challenge? Success stories or case studies can also be very effective for this purpose.
Prompt: How can you sell while serving?
Personal example:
This event promo post aims to serve before selling by calling out who will benefit from attending, as well as the valuable takeaways.
Let Everyday Life Inspire Your Content
In this age of AI-generated everything, what stops the scroll is seeing real life—the imperfect, ordinary world we live in. Whether it’s something specific to your work or sector, or a universal moment we have all experienced, everyday stories bring people into your world.
Think about the small thing you notice daily in your work environment, on walks, or a humorous family moment. Those small moments make for relatable and memorable content—and honestly, they’re often what people respond to the most.
The key is to tie these moments back to your values or your work. When you do that, even the simplest observations become meaningful, authentic touchpoints that deepen connection.
Prompt: What relatable experience did you have this week that you can write about?
Personal example:
After posting about this kerning fail in my neighborhood, I realized I wasn’t the only one who was “visually offended” by it.
Empower and Celebrate Others
Your community can also help you create content. Celebrating the successes, wins or insights of friends, clients and colleagues not only lifts them up, but it also naturally expands your reach.
This approach is especially meaningful in the nonprofit world, where collaboration and community re at the heart of everything we do. When you cheer others on, you build your own credibility, strengthen relationships and express your values. (And honestly, it just feels good.)
Just make sure your celebrations are authentic and aligned with your values. People can tell when something is shared from the heart versus shared just to be seen.
Prompt: Whose post can you amplify this week?
Personal Example:
A friend recently wrote a post about a topic that really hit home for me (email spam is one of my pet peeves!). I reshared it to emphasize her message—and help her get more engagement.
And Yes, Brag a Little (You’ve Earned It!)
Many of us resist sharing our wins because it feels like bragging. But most accomplishments are the result of effort, hard work and persistence. In other words, you earned them. And your community wants to cheer them on.
Think about the recent highlights at your organization that your LinkedIn audience would care about. Press mentions, new programs or services, major milestones, successful events—these are all opportunities to show your impact.
And don’t skip the personal wins either. Career milestones, speaking engagements, client projects, awards, or case studies give your audience a bigger picture of your expertise and the value you bring.
Aim to share highlights monthly—or quarterly if that feels more comfortable. What matters most is consistency and authenticity.
Remember: sharing your wins isn’t self-centered, it’s a way to demonstrate your experience, document progress, and inspire others. So go ahead—brag a little.
Prompt: What recent achievement or milestone can you brag about?
Personal Example:
I hadn’t entered a design competition in over a decade, so when I won awards for two projects and clients that are near and dear, I was more than happy to brag about it and shine a light on both of us.
Easy Ways to Put This Into Action
Now let’s take what we’ve learned and put it into action. Add these strategies to your content calendar.
- Choose three personal values to guide your posts
- Determine your voice for posting
- Identify your personal sharing boundaries
- Decide how to serve while selling
- Capture life’s everyday moments
- Lift up friends and colleagues monthly
- Share one personal milestone quarterly
Showing Up Authentically Is a Consistent Practice
Being authentic on LinkedIn isn’t just a one-time tactic, it’s an ongoing habit. Start small by trying one of the approaches above. Or take this opportunity to dive in and refresh your entire posting strategy.
What matters most is consistency and authenticity. When you show up regularly and authentically, you’ll start to see genuine connections form, conversations deepen, and relationships grow.
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Lidia Varesco Racoma of Lidia Varesco Design in Chicago empowers organizations to make a change through strategic branding and marketing design. She is a blogger, speaker, and coach and leads branding, design and creative marketing workshops, courses and masterminds for mission-focused organizations worldwide.
Lidia is a Certified Brand Strategist and is the creator of the Essential Nonprofit Branding Toolkit. She was featured in GDUSA’s 2024 Responsible Designers issue for using graphic design to create positive change. Lidia Varesco Design is a certified woman-owned business and celebrated 25 years in business in November 2025.