If I stood outside at 3 am with a stack of hundred-dollar bills to give to any charity that showed up, what would happen?
If I told no one, I would undoubtedly be there, standing on the grass in front of my house, with only nocturnal animals there to keep me company.
Why??? I did not tell anyone I would be there.
In the old days, you could get a PSA on a radio or television station and get crowds. Today, audiences are so segmented you have to really dig down to reach a large group of people. This includes both the individuals you serve through your mission and the donors you want to reach to share the story of the individuals you serve!
What are your goals (purpose) of your outreach?
The first step in creating a marketing strategy for your nonprofit is deciding what you want to achieve. Some organizations set broad goals such as “raising awareness”—but that’s pretty hard to track. Instead, make your goal more focused and think about how you’d be able to report on it.
Does “raising awareness” mean increasing the number of people who share each post, or the number of people who click through to your website? Registering for an event? Getting individuals or groups to volunteer?
And remember your SMART goal format:
Specific: Lay out precisely what you’re trying to accomplish. Measurable: Instead of a vague target like, “be better at social media,” try “post X times a week” or “increase our number of followers by X%.”
Attainable: If you’re a one-person marketing/fundraising department, you shouldn’t have the same goals as someone with a staff of ten. Your time and budget will influence what you can get done, so set your goals accordingly.
Relevant: Is your goal in line with what your organization needs and your social media purpose? If your primary purpose is to educate your followers, your goal shouldn’t be about fundraising numbers.
Timely: When will you know you’ve reached your goal? How long will you try a strategy before evaluating it? Your goal should have a calendar date on it.
Now let’s talk about what choices (platforms) you have to share your messaging and what to watch out for:
Email - Make sure your list is up to date - how many fundraisers have sent notes to folks who have passed away!!
Website - Update, keep it clean Blog - Gives you the word count to drill down and it helps your SEO!
Direct mail - Great for targeting - Expensive, be selective of the programs you push out to make sure you can be in the black +++ when it is all over.
Newsletter - Be sure you have something to say - folks will not continually open your newsletters if it does not include information of interest.
Social Media - Don’t over-post and burn people out - and make sure you know which is best for you to use to hit the audience you want (watch for Ben’s blog next week)
Traditional Media (radio & television) - If you can get these folks involved - DO it! Make these channels work together to tell a cohesive story and engage your supporters.
Do you want to tell the story of why your event is important?
Can the story of those you help propel your campaign forward? Use all these platforms to work together to tell your story.
There are so many stories to tell!
Need help crafting your story and then finding the words to share it on all platforms?? We are nonprofit consultants ready with the training, tactics, and tools you need. Reach out today!
Read Our Other Blog: Ride the thoroughbred, but don’t be surprised when they burn out