A Charity Guide to Getting Started on BlueSky

15 September 2025

A Digital Dispatch by Sian Jamieson, Partnership Lead

Digital Strategy

Introducing the blog: Charity Guide to using BlueSky. "Bluesky isn't about being everywhere. It's about being effective where you choose to show up." 5 minute read.

So, your team has decided it’s time to move on from Twitter and explore a new microblogging home. Enter BlueSky, a platform that feels familiar, but with a few fresh twists that make it an interesting space for charities, nonprofits, and third-sector organisations.

We’ve been testing the waters for the last three months, and here’s what we’ve learned (the easy way, so you don’t have to).

TL;DR BlueSky in a Nutshell (Carrot-Sized Edition)

Culture is more human-first and conversational — think coffee-break chats, not press releases.
Accessibility wins: alt text requirements, visible alt-text badges.
Downsides: no built-in analytics (yet) and smaller audience than LinkedIn/Facebook.
Upside: you’ll find aligned followers and genuine conversations, not just noise.
Best tip: start small, post weekly, and focus on quality interactions over vanity metrics.

1. What BlueSky Feels Like

BlueSky isn’t wildly different from Twitter/X in terms of mechanics — you post, comment, like, and repost. But the culture is shifting. The energy is more conversational than broadcast-driven, and the platform rewards you for being human-first: insight, opinions, reflections, advice.

Think less “press release,” more “coffee-break chat.”

👉 Tip for comms teams: Start threads that invite people in, instead of just pushing updates. “Here’s what we learned from running our last fundraiser — has anyone else tried this?” works better than “Donate here.”

2. BlueSky Accessibility & Moderation Are Core

BlueSky has baked accessibility and moderation into its DNA. You can:

Require alt-text before posting images (a gift for inclusive comms).
Add visible alt-text badges.
Control what you see and who can interact with you through robust moderation tools.

👉 Practical step: Make alt-text writing part of your comms workflow from day one. It’s a small step that signals care, professionalism, and inclusivity.

3. BlueSky Age Verification (and Why It Matters)

In the UK, BlueSky now requires age verification if you want to send/receive DMs. That means you’ll need to weigh up whether private messaging is essential to your comms strategy.

Our privacy specialist Mads reviewed the process:

It uses third-party US-based companies.
They delete your data once verification is done, but a record of where you verified may remain.
It’s not “unsafe,” but it’s not GDPR-level protection either.

👉 Advice: If DMs aren’t core to your charity’s engagement, consider skipping verification for now. If they are, brief your team/board on the risks and document why you’ve enabled it.

4. Building Your BlueSky Community

BlueSky is still small and developing, but that’s also its strength. You’re not shouting into the void — you’re in a room with people who actually care.

Follow lists: These are in their infancy, but keep an eye on them. We’ve set up some starter packs for charities and nonprofits.
Starter move: Follow sector orgs, collaborators, and peers. It creates visibility and strengthens community bonds.
Engagement tip: Comment on posts from peers with value-add insights. Thoughtful replies are currency here.

5. The BlueSky Analytics Problem

Here’s the biggest frustration: BlueSky has no in-built analytics. That means no reach, impressions, or engagement data. Just follower counts.

How do you report to boards or funders, then? Options:

Use UTM tracking on links + Google Analytics (not perfect, but useful).
Focus on the quality of your followers — are they aligned with your cause, sector, or geography?
Trial third-party tools like bsky-analytics.com — still early days.

Impact here looks less like graphs, more like genuine relationships. This doesn’t need to be a negative: Think about the types of relationships you’d ideally build with volunteers or major donors. You’re cultivating support over the long term, not charting numbers for the short term.

👉 Mindset shift: BlueSky impact isn’t about vanity metrics. It’s about attracting the right people and having meaningful interactions.

6. Other BlueSky Downsides

It’s not all roses:

Small audience compared to LinkedIn or Facebook.
Still a work-in-progress: expect features to evolve.

But the upsides? For us, the followers we’ve attracted are aligned. They get who we are and what we stand for — something we rarely felt on Twitter.

7. Final Thoughts

BlueSky isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being effective where you choose to show up. For charities and nonprofits, this can mean:

A safer, more thoughtful space for your voice.
An opportunity to shape early community culture.
A place to experiment with conversational, human-first comms.

If you’ve been on the fence, now’s a good time to try. Start small, post weekly, engage with others — and see if the community feels right for your cause.

✨ Over to you: Have you tried BlueSky yet? What’s working (or not) for your comms team?

FAQs: The Questions We’d Answer Over Coffee

1. Do We Really Need BlueSky, or Is This Just Another Platform?

Not every charity needs to be on BlueSky, but if you’re leaving Twitter/X or looking for a community that feels less combative, it’s worth exploring. Think of it as a pilot: start small, post once or twice a week, and see if your audience is there.

2. How Do We Measure Impact Without BlueSky Analytics?

It’s tricky – follower counts are the only native metric right now. But you can:

Track link clicks with UTM codes + Google Analytics.
Focus on quality over quantity of followers.
Pay attention to engagement in the form of replies and conversations.

Impact here looks less like graphs, more like genuine relationships. This doesn’t need to be a negative: Think about the types of relationships you’d ideally build with volunteers or major donors. You’re cultivating support over the long term, not charting numbers for the short term.

3. What’s the Biggest Win for Charities on BlueSky?

Accessibility and moderation. You can require alt text before posting images (making inclusivity the norm, not the afterthought) and use robust moderation tools to create a safe space for your community. Plus, it’s early days, you have the chance to shape the culture by showing up in authentic, human-first ways.