Make The Most of Digital Marketing: 4 Tips For Nonprofits To Excel
Check out these digital marketing tools for nonprofit fundraising.
Nonprofit organizations have traditionally used fundraising events to help achieve their goals. However, it’s not enough to only have a handful of people supporting their cause.
That’s where digital marketing comes to play. Digital marketing is usually attributed to for-profit organizations. While this is the case, nonprofits also reap the same benefits it has for businesses.
“#Nonprofit organizations have traditionally used #fundraising events to help achieve their goals. However, it’s not enough to only have a handful of people supporting their cause. That’s where #digital #marketing comes to play.”
A good marketing plan for nonprofit organizations helps them reach their target audience. It encompasses social media advertising, as well as other digital marketing strategies. Here are steps to improve fundraising with digital marketing.
Nonprofit organizations historically relied on offline marketing to build awareness about their causes. However, interactions are only limited to those within the vicinity. For several years, nonprofits have benefitted from digital marketing since it allows them to reach more people across the globe.
To reach out to more people, you need to figure out first the appropriate digital channels for your marketing activities. The easiest way to achieve this is to have a better understanding of your target audience. Identify which platforms they use the most so that you can be on the same platform as they are. Today, social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and more are where your target audiences will be.
“To reach out to more people, you need to figure out first the appropriate digital channels for your marketing activities. The easiest way to achieve this is to have a better understanding of your target audience. #digitalmarketing #growyouraudience”
1. Boost Your Digital Presence
Digital presence is an important factor in any nonprofit organization. Whether you’re fighting for pay equity or extensive healthcare, you need to be visible on the internet. Social media is your friend when it comes to online presence.
“Digital presence is an important factor in any #nonprofit organization. Whether you’re fighting for pay equity or extensive healthcare, you need to be visible on the internet. #Socialmedia is your friend when it comes to online presence. #marketingplan ”
· As of 2020, there were about 3.6 billion people on social media. And it is expected to increase to 4.41 billion after 5 years.
Facebook is the most used social media, with more than 2.89 billion active users every month.
People across the globe spend almost 2.5 hours of their day on social media.
Last 2019, 57% of users reported that social media helped in accessing important information.
Social media also helps you spread information about your organization easily. It allows you to transform complex information into more engaging content that appeals to your target audience. This, in turn, increases trust between you and your audience, which you can then convert to donations.
Your next fundraising campaign can benefit from posting engaging videos about your organization. You can also go live to respond to questions about your organization. More importantly, your content can be shared by your audience on their own pages.
“Your next #fundraising #campaign can benefit from posting engaging videos about your organization. You can also go live to respond to questions about your organization. More importantly, your content can be shared by your audience on their own pages. #socialmedia #tips”
2. Engage Donors
Nonprofit marketing also helps your organization through email marketing. This is another digital marketing technique that strengthens the trust you have with your current donors. Not only that but your email updates help you build a positive relationship with new donors.
“Email marketing is another #digital #marketing technique that strengthens the trust you have with your current donors. Not only that but your email updates help you build a positive relationship with new donors. #fundraising #advice”
The vast majority of your supporters and potential funders use email on a daily basis. Users sent over 306.4 billion emails in 2020. And by 2025, this is expected to grow to over 376.4 billion.
Nonprofits use email marketing to inform people about upcoming events. It’s also the best way to provide donors with updates on your fundraising goals. You just need to send them all of the information about your fundraising event in one email. This way, they can immediately decide whether or not they will support your cause.
Your organization needs an email newsletter. You need to know some of the best practices to successfully send a newsletter. It’s helpful to use a lot of images, videos, content, and call-to-action buttons.
3. Organize an Easily-Accessible Fundraising Event
One disadvantage of hosting offline fundraising events is the geographical restrictions. Sometimes, it’s physically impossible for international donors to attend your event. And sometimes, even local donors can’t come to your event.
Particularly since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, most fundraising events today are done online. The digital world provides you with so many possibilities to host your online fundraising event. Still, the success of your virtual event is influenced by how well you advertise it.
“Particularly since the onset of the #COVID pandemic in 2020, most #fundraising events today are done online. The #digitalworld provides you with so many possibilities to host your online fundraising event. #onlineevent #nonprofit #marketing”
You can also get the help of digital marketing agencies for nonprofits. They work with marketing experts who know how to market your nonprofit more effectively. This way, you can just focus on your mission.
If you don’t know how to host an online fundraising event, there are resources available on the internet. Make sure to read them before planning on hosting one. But to give you an overview, here are the steps to start a virtual fundraising event:
Choose the most appropriate online fundraising technique for your fundraiser. It can be anything like a text-to-donate service or a crowdfunding portal.
Make the contribution procedure as easy as possible.
Determine your target demographic. Also, make sure you're focusing all of your efforts on connecting with these people.
Market your event as much as possible. Make sure you're using the same language on all of your digital channels. This way, you can create an emotional connection with your audience and convert them into donors.
Engage your target audience in meaningful ways through high-quality content. You can use engaging pictures, videos, and blog posts. You also need to inform them how their money is being used. Remember that trust is what makes them stay. Build it through transparency.
4. Provide Donors Other Ways to Support You
The digital world is flexible about getting the support your organization needs. It offers you different ways on how you can use it to increase supporters. Believe it or not, money isn’t the only way people can help nonprofit organizations. And you’ll find many people who are eager to support you but can’t afford to do so.
But that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. You need to remember that your main goal isn’t just to raise money. Your organization is created to spread awareness about how each person can help women through your causes. They may not be able to donate money for your fundraiser, but someone they know might.
“Provide donors other ways to support you. You need to remember that your main goal isn’t just to raise money. Your organization is created to spread awareness about how each person can help women through your causes. #nonprofit #fundraising”
And one of the many benefits of marketing for nonprofits is providing people content that they can share. This is the first step to getting more donors for your causes.
You need to make sure you're developing content that can be shared on every social media platform. Also, your mission should be memorable enough to generate word-of-mouth marketing.
“You need to make sure you’re developing content that can be shared on every #socialmedia platform. Also, your mission should be memorable enough to generate word-of-mouth marketing. #nonprofit #growth”
After that, you can invite your supporters to share and republish your content regularly. This way, more people across the globe will know about your organization’s missions.
To make the most out of nonprofit marketing, you can outsource it to other agencies. There are plenty of digital marketing agencies for nonprofits that offer the marketing services you need. This way, you won’t be burdened with additional work aside from running your organization.
Once you understand the benefits of marketing for nonprofits, you can use it for your next fundraising event. The best nonprofit marketing strategy will surely help your organization reach its goals.
Dan Martin has been working in digital marketing since 2007. He has been building teams and coaching others to foster innovation and solve real-time problems.