Charities rely on their supporters for donations and volunteers. Without supporters, a charity may struggle to meet its objectives — or even sustain its existence. If you think there’s room for growth in your nonprofit organization, it may be time to embrace charity marketing.
Charity marketing involves using marketing and advertising methods to improve awareness, secure donations, and attract volunteers to support a cause. Through charity marketing, a nonprofit organization may find it easier to reach or exceed its goals.
Like for-profit organizations, charities can succeed by combining the four marketing Ps — product (in these cases a charity’s offering is the cause they support), price, place, and promotion — in one strategic and well-designed strategy that includes email automation, social media, and other digital marketing techniques.
The importance of charity marketing
Marketing makes a big difference to charities that use it to reach their goals. Here are a few ways charity marketing can help your cause.
Fundraising
Every charity relies on monetary donations from its supporters. Without incoming donations, a charity can’t financially support its cause or operations. Marketing makes it much easier to reach supporters who believe in the charity’s cause and are willing to donate.
Awareness
Marketing can help spread the word about your charity among target supporters. Even if an individual doesn’t take immediate action on your marketing materials, the more they learn about the charity and what it supports, the more likely they are to support or participate in it in the future.
Volunteers
Many charities hold events throughout the year to raise money, spread awareness, or support their cause. Holding an event takes a lot of effort, and many charities turn to volunteers to help out. Volunteers might also help support the day-to-day operations of a charity. You can use marketing to solicit new volunteers for upcoming events or available openings with your organization.
Steps to craft an effective charity marketing plan
What does it take to create a nonprofit marketing strategy that delivers results? Start by taking these steps.
1. Define your audience
The very first thing you should do is define the attributes and characteristics of people who are most likely to support your cause. Think about all the qualities that your average supporter has. Some examples of attributes to consider include:
- Demographics: Age, location, gender identity, marital status, and income level
- Psychographics: Values, interests, and beliefs
- Lifestyle: Spending habits, likes and dislikes, and hobbies
- Intention: Commitment level of the average supporter to your cause
For instance, say you want to start a marketing campaign for a youth sports league nonprofit group. Your target audience might be parents with children interested in playing sports in your local area. Other possible supporters might be local schools and businesses interested in supporting the community.
2. Specify your objectives
Once you know who your audience is, you can list your goals. What do you want to achieve through marketing? Are you hoping to attract more volunteers, raise money for your cause, or build awareness of your charity?
Be as specific as possible when defining your goals. For example, if you want to raise funds, you could determine an amount and a deadline for collecting the money.
3. Clarify your channels
Marketing can occur on various platforms, including social media, email, SMS texts, direct mail, print advertising, pay-per-click (PPC) ads, and commercials. You may use several channels to conduct charity marketing campaigns or stick with just one.
Whatever channels you decide on, make sure your target audience uses them. Your campaign probably won’t get the results you’re looking for if your target audience doesn’t see your communications.
4. Craft key messaging
Your messaging includes the written and visual content you’ll use to communicate with your audience. It’s a good idea to include memorable phrases or pictures that catch the eye and encourage your followers to take the action you want them to.
One very important aspect of messaging is your call to action (CTA). A good CTA tells your audience exactly what you want from them. It’s straightforward and provides a simple way for supporters to take action if they decide to.
5. Crunch the numbers
Once you implement your charity marketing strategy, you can track your results using analytics. The tools you use to evaluate your performance will depend on the marketing platforms you use.
It’s important to define a few metrics and benchmarks to evaluate results. For instance, if you’re running a charity email marketing campaign, tracking open rates, click-throughs, and conversions matters. If social media is your chosen channel, you could track shares, likes, engagement, and clicks.
Charity marketing channels to try
Here’s a look at the common channels used for charity marketing and how they work.
Nonprofit email marketing allows you to connect directly with supporters who agree to receive your marketing messages.
To start an email campaign, you need a subscriber list. Growing a list can take time, but it’s worth the effort. According to Constant Contact research, nonprofit emails are among the best-performing of any industry, with open rates averaging 42.80%. That means nearly half your subscribers will open your email and see your message, increasing your chances of reaching your campaign goals.
To start building an email list, promote your email messaging to supporters at every opportunity. That might mean mentioning to your supporters when you see them at in-person events and promoting it through social media and your charity’s website.
You can create an array of email messages that connect with supporters, including updates about your charity or upcoming events, fund drives, and calls for volunteers.
Social media
You can promote your charity on several social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok. When choosing a platform, consider which one your target audience uses most. Instagram or TikTok might be a good match if you’re aiming for younger Gen Z supporters. However, older audiences may be more likely to see your posts on Facebook. If you want business supporters, LinkedIn is the way to go.
The platform you choose will define what type of content you create. Instagram works well for short videos and images, while a combination of text and pictures performs well on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Keep in mind that you may not see as many click-throughs or conversions on social media as you might with other channels. However, social media can significantly enhance charity awareness among your audience, ultimately helping you to reach your goals.
Advertising
Advertising involves paying to get your message in front of your target audience. For example, you might run paid charity ads on television, the internet, or social media. Advertising can help you meet several goals, including increased awareness and funding. However, it does come at a cost, so it’s vital to carefully consider your budget before starting a paid cause marketing campaign.
Direct mail
Direct mail isn’t as common as it used to be, but it can be an extremely effective marketing channel for charities that rely on local support. A direct mail campaign involves letters or postcards sent to addresses in specific locations and zip codes. The recipients meet the criteria for your target audience, such as being a specific age or earning a certain income.
You can use direct mail to advertise upcoming charity events, solicit donations, or ask for volunteers. Keep in mind that direct mail can be costlier than other marketing methods, and you may need to work with a charity marketing agency if you’re unfamiliar with setting up a direct mail campaign.
Marketing strategies for nonprofit organizations
There are all kinds of ways charities can incorporate nonprofit marketing to reach their goals. Here are a few options.
Inbound marketing
Inbound marketing involves creating tailored messaging designed to resonate with your audience and turn them into a lead. Some examples include blogs, articles, and videos with a CTA to encourage the viewer to take action. For instance, you might write a blog highlighting some of the issues your charity helps to resolve and include a CTA at the end calling for readers to support your organization or join your mailing list.
Content marketing
Content marketing aims to inform your audience and establish credibility through blogs, articles, e-books, videos, or other written or filmed material. It’s a valuable resource among nonprofits since it explains why the charity exists, who it supports, and other details. Content marketing can help your audience learn more about your cause before deciding whether to join or support it.
Digital marketing
Digital marketing entails using the internet to promote your nonprofit. It can include SEO, which aims to increase your rankings on search engines, social media marketing, running sponsored internet ads, and email marketing. There is not a singular digital marketing technique. Instead, any advertising or strategy promoting a nonprofit online qualifies as digital marketing.
Video marketing
Video marketing involves using film or video to promote a charity or nonprofit. You can use video to explain your cause, showcase volunteers in action, or solicit donations. Videos can be short, like in an Instagram post, or long-form, to be shared on YouTube or via your website.
Social media marketing
Social media is ideal for building awareness and connecting with your audience. You can use it to attract new supporters and advertise upcoming events. If you incorporate social media into your marketing strategy, choose a platform your target audience is most likely to be on.
Email marketing
Email marketing is a tried-and-true method to connect with subscribers interested in a nonprofit or charity organization. You can use it to notify subscribers of upcoming events, ask for donations, or solicit volunteers. Keep in mind that the only people who will see your emails are those who subscribe to your list, so it’s important to continue growing that list.
Event marketing
Many charities hold events to raise money and connect with supporters. You might hold an event that directly supports your cause, like a holiday dinner for people without housing, or something that entertains your supporters, like a concert or walkathon.
Charity marketing best practices
A successful charity marketing campaign usually incorporates a few key elements.
Consistent messaging
Supporters aren’t likely to take immediate action when they first learn of a nonprofit. It takes several touchpoints to get a result. For that reason, it’s important to keep your marketing messaging consistent.
You want your audience to recognize your nonprofit immediately when they see its marketing materials. Use the same logo, formatting, color scheme, and phrases so customers start to remember the organization.
A/B testing
Before running an ad or sending a marketing email, test it among a small segment of your audience. Change specific elements, like graphics or CTA placement, to see which test performs best. Use the ad that generates the best response with your larger audience.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools
Artificial intelligence can speed up your marketing processes and provide inspiration. You can use it to generate short email copy, a blog outline, or test different subject lines. You can also use AI-powered tools to segment your marketing lists and send messages automatically.
Measure results
As you launch your marketing strategy, decide how you’ll measure results. Use the analytics available through your marketing channels to benchmark performance. If you don’t get the results you’re hoping for, you may need to adjust your marketing techniques.
Common challenges in charity marketing
It’s not unusual for charities to experience a few marketing challenges.
Donor retention is a common issue among nonprofits. Sometimes, supporters make one-time donations and then vanish. If you’re having trouble retaining supporters, try implementing an automated monthly donation program. You’ll receive regular contributions from people who sign up, helping to maintain ongoing support.
Another issue is budget constraints. Hiring professional charity advertising and marketing partners may not be financially feasible. Instead, try soliciting volunteers with charity digital marketing experience. If your volunteers can spare a few hours each month, you’ll be well on your way to an effective charity marketing campaign.
Boost your impact with a strong charity marketing campaign
Marketing can make a big difference to a charity. With the right marketing strategy, you’ll find it easier to attract supporters, raise money, and spread awareness about your cause. It can also help you bring in volunteers, who can assist in running events and supporting your operations.
To get started, decide what your goals are and the best marketing channels to reach your audience. Then, fine-tune your messaging so it resonates with supporters. Make sure to measure results as your campaign continues.
For inspiration for your next charity marketing campaign, check out our guide to exciting nonprofit marketing ideas.
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