This weekend was a whirlwind for social media!

Instagram has rolled out some exciting new features this weekend while TikTok sent us all on a rollercoaster ride. All of these changes point to Instagram being exactly where your nonprofit should be — but be ready to change up your nonprofit social media strategy.

The profile grid has changed.

On Friday, many started to notice a difference in their profile feed. By Saturday, Instagram had changed for everyone.

This new, leaner profile grid gives priority to portrait (1080 x 1350 px) size imagery. Regardless of the size of your post, Instagram will stretch/crop/make your content fit in this space for your profile feed. This does not change how it looks on your update feed, where users will scroll.

Don’t love how it’s making your content look? You can actually change that. Check out our social post here for a tutorial on updating how your content shows up in the new portrait grid.

What should you start doing? Be sure to post images that are 1080 x 1350 moving forward. This might mean updating templates and reimagining how you share content.

You can now collaborate with up to 5 accounts.

In the past, you could collaborate with up to 3 accounts when making a post. This has now been extended to 5, excluding your own account.

What is a collab post? A collaboration post is a perfect opportunity to leverage multiple audiences with one post. When you invite another page to collab (and they say yes), the post will show up on both of your profiles and display to both of your audiences. Double the engagement!

What should you start doing? Consider identifying at least 2-3 posts a month to invite others to collaborate on. This is a great way to increase your reach and expand your network.

Reels can now be 3 minutes.

You can now post longer Reels. We’re talking 3 minutes — but that doesn’t mean you need to. Shorter, engaging Reels will still be king in this digital age.

Instagram is also beginning to promote a video editing app called Edits, which could be direct competition for ByteDance-owned (and currently inoperable) CapCut.

And while Instagram was making changes, TikTok was banned in the U.S. It went offline Saturday, and then returned Sunday. The platform is facing criticism for low-quality experiences and political propaganda ties, causing many to reconsider its use.

Our suggestion for nonprofits? Focus on Instagram Reels! With TikTok’s uncertainty, Reels are a reliable alternative.

Is your head exploding yet? Don’t let it! Our services can help you amplify your mission — without overwhelming your team. Stay ahead of the changes with a Catalyst Collective partnership. Learn more here!