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Jul 2, 2024
Promoting Your Cause: Marketing Strategies for Your Nonprofit’s Fundraiser
If you have a fundraising event on the horizon, or you're about to launch a new campaign, you need to get the word out. An effective marketing plan for nonprofit fundraising can help boost attendance and donations without breaking the bank. Marketing tactics can vary widely depending on the size and type of organization, but digital tools are a must-have in today's connected world. We've compiled some strategies for nonprofit marketing to help you make the most of your next fundraising event.
The Benefits of a Nonprofit Marketing Plan
Nonprofit marketing plans can ramp up the potential impact and reach of a fundraiser. They're crucial for spreading the word and, when done well, can contribute to other long-term goals. With a good marketing plan, you can:
- Create more awareness and reach: Naturally, advertising an event helps you reach more people. You can promote your event and discuss the importance of your cause.
- Draw in new volunteers: Even if people can't donate large sums, a marketing plan can help attract new volunteers.
- Access more fundraising opportunities: Some marketing methods open up new ways of gaining support. For instance, you might use a donate button on your website and social media, allowing out-of-state donors to support your efforts.
- Expand your reach to new audiences: Marketing plans can help you reach different audiences by covering several channels. For example, you could use certain social media platforms to engage a younger crowd or encourage sharing to leverage large peer networks.
Components of a Marketing Plan for Nonprofits
Whether your marketing department has one person or a dozen, a thorough nonprofit marketing plan guides you through the process. It compiles your reasoning for different decisions into one place and shows your roadmap at a glance. Nonprofit marketing plans typically have the following elements:
1. Prioritize self-care and positive well-being
Start by outlining how you will position your organization. What is your elevator pitch? Decide how you want to talk about your work to other people and quickly convey your mission. Since you'll make content across different mediums, your communication should stay consistent from message to message. Whether someone receives an email or text or reads your website, they should understand your organization's overall tone and your fundraising goals.
Maintaining consistency helps avoid any confusion and builds trust with your audience. However, as we'll discuss, some aspects of your messaging, like the topic or length, will need slight tweaks for different audiences and channels. Consistency also involves your brand's imagery, which is especially important for improving recognition. Make sure visuals, like colors, fonts, and your logo, match across platforms.
2. Audience research
Many nonprofits have multiple audiences — from big spenders and monthly donors to volunteers and stakeholders. Understanding what makes these audiences tick is key to communicating effectively with each one.
Identify different groups and collect information on factors like:
- Demographics, including age and geographic location.
- Preferred communication channels.
- Primary motivations for donating.
- Preferred ways to give.
- Interests and habits.
With this data, you can create an audience persona for a few of your ideal supporters. Personas use these real-world details to represent your audience with a profile of a fictional person. When a team member makes content, they can market to a specific persona. They might use the social media platform the personas like the best or address the problems that resonate with them strongly.
For example, if you want to reach younger audiences, you might make a persona of a Gen Z donor. Since this age group often makes donations online, prompting them to sign up or donate online rather than calling a phone number could help cater to their preferences.
3. Strategies for different channels
What you say is just as important as how you say it. Consider how you'll promote your event on different channels, which refer to marketing mediums like social media and email. These channels each have their own nuances, so you'll need to know how you'll tailor your messages for them. Here's a quick look into the different options to consider:
- Social media: Social media has become a massive marketing tool for nonprofits, and much of it is free. Use each platform wisely, as they have unique characteristics and features. For instance, Facebook's huge reach is ideal for peer-to-peer fundraising, while TikTok works well for engaging young audiences through video. You can use social media for many parts of a fundraiser, like providing updates, connecting with donors, and encouraging donations.
- Email: Email is a tried-and-true approach where you can tailor your messages for specific audiences. Send emails after certain activities, like signing up for your fundraiser or making a donation. You can also personalize emails with relevant content and the reader's name. Regular newsletters are another effective way to use email.
- Texts: With an open rate of 99%, SMS text messaging is one of the most effective channels for important communications such as event announcements or last-minute donation reminders. You can also use text-to-give tools to make donating easier.
- Print and broadcast: Traditional media is still a useful marketing tool. Many donors appreciate direct mail or flyers, which stand out against the onslaught of digital media advertising. Handwritten letters often seem especially personal. Radio spots can also be effective.
- Online ads: Even if you have a smaller budget, you can likely use the Google Ad Grant program to create some online advertisements. Eligible nonprofits can use this program to receive up to $10,000 in credits to spend on ads shown on Google's website. You can target relevant audiences to promote events, share information, request volunteers, and look for other types of support and engagement.
For each channel, decide what kind of content you might share on them and which staff member or volunteer will take responsibility for them.
It's also important to note that most marketing campaigns perform best when you combine different channels as part of a comprehensive strategy. For instance, you could use social media to hook new leads, then get them to subscribe to your text or email list for event updates.
4. A content calendar and evaluation plan
Two other valuable components of a marketing plan involve timing. A thorough content calendar can help your team track when you plan to share content on each channel. It should also reflect which team members will create and submit the content.
While building your calendar, keep key dates and seasonal trends in mind. Some events draw in significant donations, particularly near the end-of-year holidays.
Throughout your marketing plan, you'll want to collect data on your efforts, such as key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs include values that quantify the success of different strategies, like the number of page views or conversions you get from a website. Create a schedule for regularly reviewing your KPIs and deciding if you need to pivot your strategy.
Key Strategies for Successful Nonprofit Marketing
A thorough marketing plan is a map for promoting your event, but you'll need to fill it with effective tactics. The right approach may vary depending on the type of event. Explore these strategies to market your next fundraiser successfully:
1. Modernize your website
A nonprofit's website is the linchpin of digital marketing strategies. Many of your efforts will point back to pages on your website, like event landing pages or online donation tools. Make sure your users have a great experience when they get there. They should see a website that communicates your mission and values, complete with the consistent messaging and branding you outlined in your marketing plan.
Event landing pages are particularly useful for fundraisers. These pages are dedicated to the fundraiser and can contain event details and fundraising tools, like a live funding thermometer or donation buttons. Your donation pages should also clearly communicate the value of these contributions.
A crucial element of your website is its usability. Today's websites must offer flexibility in a few ways:
- Devices: Users will visit your site from many different devices, including desktop computers, phones, and tablets, and they might switch between them. Wherever they come from, users should get a website that performs well and matches your branding.
- Accessibility: Many of your visitors benefit from accessible design, which helps as many people as possible use the website. For example, you can add alternative text to your images, allowing screen readers to describe the image to people with visual impairments.
- Search engine optimization (SEO): When someone searches online for your event or organization, you want to make sure your website is front and center on the results page. Learning the basics of SEO can help you make some tweaks that get your site seen, like inserting relevant keywords or using specific elements in the website's code.
2. Ramp up your social media game
Many people now check social media every day, if not multiple times a day, and they expect organizations to be present on these platforms. Decide which platforms you want to use, and create business pages on them. Keep these tips in mind to optimize your social media marketing:
- Use images and videos: Visual elements can make a big difference on social media. Include a video from last year's event or share photos of your merchandise to help people envision their involvement.
- Get trendy: Social media is all about engagement, and jumping on trends can help expand your reach. Consider joining a viral trend or using trending audio with a fresh take on your cause.
- Encourage connections: Lean into the social element by encouraging shares and other interactions, which can help build awareness and strengthen relationships. Ask people to share a post or answer a question in the comments. You can also consider working with influencers or tagging respected supporters in your posts.
- Create an event hashtag: Making a hashtag for your event can help drum up excitement and organize event-related posts in one place.
- Leverage built-in tools: Many social media platforms — including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok — have fundraiser and donation tools. Allow users to donate directly from their accounts or add “stickers” to their stories to encourage others to donate.
- Engage with people: As people join the conversation, engage with them through comments, likes, and other interactions. These connections can help people feel valued and encourage further sharing.
- Plan ahead: Use photos and hashtags to post on social media during your fundraiser event. Consider scheduling these posts beforehand so your team can focus on creating the best event possible and chatting with guests.
When using social media accounts, try to focus on one to three platforms so you don't overwhelm yourself with too many.
3. Plan new virtual events
In-person events help build connections, but virtual events can also be valuable. Virtual events allow you to reach people from anywhere while reducing overhead costs. Plus, you can easily measure and track your success with digital tools. You can also host hybrid events for the best of both worlds.
When holding virtual or hybrid events, remember to prioritize the online experience. Plan and promote activities that remote users can engage with, like a cooking class or virtual trivia. You can also send texts or live chats throughout the event to celebrate milestones and share updates about activities and auctions.
Even if your in-person event doesn't have a virtual component, you can engage your supporters digitally to encourage more involvement. Try offering real-time updates like a donation thermometer and shoutouts for your highest auction bidders.
4. Stay in touch with donors
Keep donors engaged long after your fundraiser. Directly after the event, a simple thank-you email will help build relationships with some donors, but others might deserve a handwritten letter. Either way, try to quantify their impact with information about how much their donation or the overall amount raised will do for your cause. You may also want to request feedback shortly after your event. Surveys and similar requests help you improve and show guests you value their opinions.
Save any information collected during the fundraiser in a donor-specific customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Donor CRM solutions can help you track your relationships and communication with donors, potential donors, volunteers, and other supporters. Store the data from your event, and use it to keep in touch.
With permission from attendees, you might share information about other ways to contribute, like donations or corporate philanthropy, or send regular newsletters. Periodically check your CRM for lapsed donors, and check in with them to encourage re-engagement.
Master Nonprofit Marketing Strategies with GiveSmart
Effective marketing is key to making the most of a fundraiser. Whether you plan to host the fundraiser online, in person, or with a hybrid approach, digital tools can open up new marketing opportunities and help you manage them efficiently. GiveSmart offers a comprehensive suite of resources for nonprofit marketing at every stage of your fundraiser, along with tools for other tasks, like donor management and accounting.
GiveSmart's wide range of modern features can help facilitate online fundraisers, campaigns, and events with everything from text-to-donate systems and flexible websites to auction platforms, data analytics, and a donor CRM. We even offer in-depth services to help you set up or run your events. Request a demo online or by calling 800-667-8075 to see all the ways GiveSmart can help you market your next fundraiser!
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