Being a non-profit in 2024 can be challenging to say the least. Attention spans are low, everyone feels divided, there’s economic uncertainty, and it seems people are less motivated for causes than before. Though non-profits have grown steadily over the years, there’s been an 18% drop in donor engagement and 30% of leaders in the industry say that they have difficulty recruiting and retaining their staff1.
Despite all of this, non-profits still play a major role in our society today: they provide goods and services, drive economic growth, promote civic engagement and most importantly they strengthen the fabric of our communities with compassion and care! That’s why here at Beacon Design, we enjoy collaborating with non-profits because we love crafting keepsakes that help donors and volunteers cherish the special work that they do.
As stout supporters of charity organizations, in this blog we’ll be going over some general tips to help non-profits reach their potential by increasing their presence online and in their communities.
Define Yourself & Your Audience
There are more than 1.8 million non-profit organizations currently in the USA1 which means having a unique message is crucial for standing out in today’s fast-paced environment. While advocating for your cause is a top priority, non-profits should also take a hard look at their branding. Low donation rates can be caused by a lack of differentiating the non-profit from other organizations that focus on the same cause. When it comes to branding, being memorable should be more of an objective. Gather your team together and craft a detailed vision and mission statement so that everyone stays on the same page and resonates with the purpose of your organization.
After settling on a cohesive message and brand voice, the next step is identifying your target audience. This is fundamental because understanding the values of your donors or volunteers can help mold your organization into a community and not just a business. The old marketing adage of “If you’re targeting everyone, you’re targeting no one” couldn’t be any truer. With your newly constructed audience in mind, it’s time to figure out how to communicate what your organization is trying to accomplish. The three big motives to convey are your non-profit’s values, goals, and desired impact on the community. Being transparent can help build a sense of trust with your audience because they can clearly identify the “why” behind what you’re doing.
Another tip is to create a persona of your target audience. This involves developing an ideal representation of your desired audience. You can use your current list of donors to create a persona as well. This persona should include:
- Demographics and background (Age, race, marital status, education level, etc.)
- Digital Footprint (Social media diet, preferred method of communication)
- What goals and challenges they may face
- How your organization can help achieve their goals and overcome their challenges
By compiling this information, you can find trends within your own audience. Audience personas can filter large groups and define them into one or two personality types. This will help your marketing team refocus their approach when making content or brainstorming campaigns to reach more people.
Make Content That Tells a Story
While some businesses may be driven by their profit margin or stock prices, non-profits are driven by people and emotions. Non-profits are truly personable businesses that are squarely focused on improving the lives of their donors, volunteers, and patients alike. As a people-oriented business, you need to evoke emotion and the best way to do that is through storytelling. There’s an art to crafting a narrative that inspires people to take action. There are lots of methods used for storytelling, such as canvassing or charity drives, but in this day and age where everyone is online, creating digital content is the way to go. By maintaining consistent, sincere communication with online donors, you can increase your revenue by nearly 40%.1
Powerful stories come in all types of forms, but people will argue that visual storytelling is the most compelling. Videos are a powerful medium that can evoke lots of emotions by bringing stories to life. Some video content ideas could be:
- Showing the impact of a donation: Walk viewers down the process of how donations positively affect the community
- Share testimonials: Interview donors or patients about how great the non-profit is and drive home the central mission of the organization
- Uplift your volunteers: Dive into the day-to-day tasks of your volunteers to show their personalities and their impact on the community
These are only a few ideas but a great thing about video content is that the possibilities are endless, all you need is a phone and a big imagination. Written content can be effective as well. Videos might be more appealing, but articles and blogs are informative to people who may be starting to learn about your non-profit. You can write about how your charity is curbing a certain issue or answer frequently asked questions about a cause you support. When storytelling, it’s most important to use authentic narratives that showcase the positive change your non-profit is making in people’s lives. Nowadays, people get turned off by promotional ads and are more interested in hearing a real, genuine story.
Build a Community
Like we said previously, non-profits and charities are built on people. It’s crucial for non-profits to build a loyal and reliable community around their cause. Yes, doing so will require a ton of effort and convincing, but you are going to need strong supporters that can advocate for your organization and attract new donors and volunteers. 85% of U.S donors help volunteer and 81% attend non-profit fundraising events2. This means you can hit two targets with one arrow when recruiting someone to your organization. Plus, with an involved community, you can collaborate to get constructive feedback and gather more resources.
Before you start building your community, you need to strategize. It’s crucial to coordinate with all team members to effectively engage people on all fronts, both online and in-person. After identifying your audience and brainstorming some cool content, it’s time to develop a social media strategy to increase your brand awareness. Social media is an effective tool for cultivating an online group of supporters that care about your cause. Everyone knows about Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formerly known as Twitter) but not everyone knows about leveraging these platforms to their strengths. Posting the same content across all platforms isn’t adequate. Instead, curate specific content that aligns with your non-profits values and resonates with viewers on each platform; A Facebook post might energize your older donors, but the same post might not do as well on X, which is tailored towards younger generations.
As much as targeting your online audience is important, you also must meet your supporters where they are. The best way to do this is by inviting them to your own event. Hosting events can be really engaging and create excitement around your non-profit. There are huge benefits like attracting corporate sponsors, bringing in new donors, and strengthening relationships with your supporters! It provides an opportunity for people to discuss a certain cause, learn more about your mission, and spread the word. Fundraising should be a big focus for your organization as well. Not only does it help finance your movement, but you can do it without hosting an event. Some ideas to raise money could include:
- Promotional Products: Create custom keepsakes to sell to your donors that commemorate your non-profit’s mission and values, it can turn into an annual keepsake program that keeps your patrons eager for the next installment
- Auctions: Host silent, online, or memorabilia auctions to sell to the highest bidder
- Raffles: Organize low-cost events that can generate excitement around a particular prize
- Tournaments/Fun Events: Arrange activities such as golfing, marathons, or runs/walks to encourage people to get up and be active
- Galas: Host formal events that can attract large donations and corporate funding
There are tons of fun events that you can play around with but your main objectives for hosting these should be recruiting volunteers, courting donors, and raising money for your cause.
All non-profit organizations want to have a dedicated group of supporters and energized volunteers, but achieving that requires time, effort, and good planning. By identifying your target audience, creating appealing content, and growing your base, you can increase the presence of your non-profit in your area. If you implement these tips and strategies, your organization can achieve success and build a devoted and engaged community to support your mission.
Sources:
- https://www.networkdepot.com/significant-positive-and-negative-nonprofit-statistics-in-2024/
- https://doublethedonation.com/nonprofit-fundraising-statistics/
