Does your charity have a future on X?

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022, there have been questions over the platform’s stability. A slow chipping away of functionality and safety features, changes to the algorithm making engagement drop through the floor and a general culture of unpleasantness meant that being on X became hard work, particularly for charities.

But in the last few months the experience for many has become untenable. As a result, the number of users has been dropping. Politicians, news sites and journalists started signing up to Bluesky in September, and a few charities joined then too. A significant spike (referred to by many as an X-odus) occurred in November 2024 around the US election and changes to the ‘block’ function. Since then, a constant stream of ‘Musk-moments’ has pushed more to leave. A further shift is likely to be seen in even greater numbers around the upcoming US presidential inauguration on 20 January.

Some charities have made a very clear decision to stop being on X (for example, The Race Equality Foundation, and Children First). They have stopped tweeting and made strong statements on their accounts giving their reasons. Others are dual publishing to X and Bluesky. Others still are carrying on with business as usual on X.

As a digital specialist in charity comms, I have been following the growth of charity Bluesky closely since September. Hundreds of charities, both large and small have become active users. Their CEOs, trustees, staff and volunteers have joined too. Sector infrastructure organisations including the trade press, CVS and membership organisations are also present. Some have already built strong communities and are generating good engagement, for others it is still early days.

Review your presence on X

Whatever the profile of your X use, it is worth reviewing your presence on the platform. Is it sustainable for you to still have a profile there? How might this change? Where is your red line?

You might bring the following issues into the decision making:

• the ethics and safety of the platform for your brand, staff and users
• analysis of recent effectiveness of your engagement
• size and profile of your audience and how this is changing
• whether your peers and those you want to influence are still active themselves.

For some this will be a simple decision. For others, especially those with significant followings and where the channel has been a source of real impact, it will be harder.

Set your charity up on Bluesky

Even if you are deciding to stay put on X for now, it is worth setting up an account on Bluesky so that your charity has a footprint and a safety net. First steps include:

• Creating an account
• Claiming your name
• Adding your logo, bio and profile image

The time for waiting to see if Bluesky is the place has likely passed. Now’s the time to include Bluesky in your social media strategy for 2025, even if it is only development time in the first few months.

So, if you have the resources, spend some time on the platform. Follow people and organisations. Use starter packs (which are curated lists of accounts) to find people. Get a feel for the culture and tone. It is very much like old-Twitter but there’s a freshness to it, so fun, topical posts do well.

Set the tone with your first post. It might explain who you are and how you’ll use your account. Or it might share a familiar image or statement. Or celebrate a recent achievement. Your old followers who have also made the move will be glad to see you. New followers will find you too. It’s a chance to start afresh and to build a real-time comms channel which works for you.

In time you might set goals and targets, you may develop a channel strategy and consider how it fits into your wider social media strategy.

For now, tell your community on your other channels that you have joined Bluesky. Respond to comments. Be social. Be topical. Create content to build interaction. Have fun in a space which is not perfect but is significantly more positive than X.

Further reading:

• The growth of charity Bluesky with examples of successful accounts and tips for making the most out of the platform.
• Follow Madeleine on Bluesky for links to my starter packs of UK charities and infrastructure organisations.
• Social media for charities 101: Bluesky – Charity Digital
• Follow Media Trust on Bluesky for updates and opportunities on enhancing your comms across 2025!

About the author:

Madeleine Sugden is a digital specialist with over 20 years’ experience in charity communications. She supports small and large charities to maximise their digital comms. She delivers training and digital health checks, leads strategic planning and manages website projects. Find her on Bluesky as madlinsudn.