Scoring Support for Your Non-Profit Goals

All businesses know that in order to be successful, they must implement a marketing strategy. Most people don’t think of a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) as a business, however, nonprofits and businesses have one important thing in common: they need customers. NPO’s biggest customers are donors and volunteers who invest money into NPOs or help run the day-to-day operations of the organization.

Nowadays, social media plays a big role in the promotion of any business. People who are more connected to NPOs through social media become more familiar with the organization and therefore are more trusting of its missions. When it comes to NPOs, donors won’t invest in a cause they don’t trust. About 92% of nonprofits are using social media, blogging, email and online videos for their marketing content efforts. Most NPOs use social media to share their story, to highlight the importance of their cause and why people should support it.

Having a good social media marketing strategy is important in attracting donors and volunteers to your NPO’s mission. More importantly, donors need to understand why they should support your organization over another non-profit. It’s all about connecting on a personal level. People want to know what your organization is about and what values you hold.

How do you help people if they don’t know who you are? If your NPO provides help for abused women and children but they don’t know your NPO exists, how can you help them? Raise awareness for your cause and show you can help. Share stories of people you’ve assisted. Your goal is to make people immediately think of your NPO when they need help.

To begin, NPOs should select their target market. Ask yourself who you want to attract and what types of donors. If you try to market to everyone, you probably won’t have an effect on anyone. Focus on specific groups that can benefit from your cause. Next, build your brand. Make your brand or logo easily recognizable. Show your target market how you can add value. Share stories, statistics, pictures, videos, or anything that helps you connect with your audience. People need to know who you are and what your organization stands for.

For a non-profit, it is hard to know where to begin and what to post. Social media allows you to post a range of different things at any time. You can post press coverages, news about your NPO, stories of people you’ve helped, volunteer spotlights, upcoming events, and statistics. Social media is all about visuals: include a picture or video to accompany your posts to make it more relevant and shareable. You can also show how easy it is to donate or why people should donate.

It is important that people understand what your NPO is and how you can help. Tell them your story. Make them aware of the services/programs you offer. Most importantly, show them how passionate you are. In return, they will become equally invested in your mission.

There’s no time like the present to start marketing your organization. Most NPOs claim they don’t have enough time or money to do marketing. Truth is, you have to spend money to make money. Investing in social media provides numerous benefits for NPOs. It allows you to personally connect with your followers by appealing to their emotions. Social media makes it easy and convenient for you to share stories anytime.

Whether it is to inform, persuade, or remind people about your cause, social media is one of the keys to success. Think of powerful NPO social media campaigns you’ve encountered or even participated in. Most recently, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a great example. The ALS Association raised $88.5 million in donations as a result of the online campaign [1].

Remember: Every promotional campaign you conduct will have at least one of the following goals: to inform, to persuade, or to remind. Inform your audience of your mission. Persuade them to support your organization. Remind them of the value you provide.

[1] According to ALS Association