Nonprofit Marketing Guide
NOVEMBER 13, 2019
You know you need great photography. But for whatever reason, you don’t have it in-house. Maybe you don’t have the skills or access to a professional. Or maybe you can’t photograph the real people you work with for whatever reason (privacy and safety being the main ones in the nonprofit world). So, you turn to stock photography. and find nothing that looks authentic.
Ann Green
JUNE 25, 2019
Have you seen the recent posts from the Agitator blog about thanking your donors? It’s worth reading, as are all Agitator posts. They cite a study where thank you calls didn’t result in an increase in donations. Thanks, But No Thanks. This prompted a flurry of responses, all in support of thanking your donors, including this one by Penelope Burk, whose research has shown that thank you calls can increase future donations.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Selfish Giving
FEBRUARY 27, 2019
Everyone wants more hot leads (direct inquiries from potential partners). But what about warm leads (someone who shows interest in your organization)? Would you like more warm leads if I showed you two ways to get them??? Okay, here you go. First, every nonprofit should have an email pop-up on its homepage. Most of you are familiar with the pop-up I use at Selfish Giving.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
MARCH 26, 2019
I’ve been doing a ton of research and thinking about social media strategies for nonprofits, especially those of you without dedicated social media staff, ahead of the two new webinars I am teaching in April: Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits that Won’t Waste Your Time. What is most likely to work regardless of the platform or future algorithm changes?
Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System
Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JUNE 11, 2019
If I were starting from scratch with social media, or revamping a social media strategy, here’s what I would focus on in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Facebook The majority of the content created for Facebook would be uploaded video and live streams. The majority of time spent on the platform would be in Groups. I would build an ad strategy around people who had watched videos or shown interest in events and create look-alike audiences for those people.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JUNE 26, 2019
I don’t know about you, but sitting at my desk all day is really hard right now. Like near impossible. Here are a few ways to stay motivated during the sweet summertime months when all of that work still needs to get done. Give more time to strategic thinking and professional development. Go sit outside with a pen and a notebook and think big thoughts under a shady tree.
Nonprofit Leadership Zone brings together the best content for advertising professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 16, 2019
We really push for you to create a shorter, more visual nonprofit annual report here as opposed to long print reports. Shorter annual reports don’t take as many resources, can be shared more easily, and will be read more often. But whether you have an infographic, a video, a 4-page, or a 40-page annual report, there are five elements essential to a successful nonprofit annual report.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 25, 2019
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Serra Boten. One of my clients recently celebrated a big victory. After months of talking about his desire to get an opinion piece published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, he achieved his goal. He put together a timely and thoughtful piece about a controversial issue — a piece that challenged conventional wisdom about a complex topic and showcased his experience and expertise.
Ann Green
MARCH 12, 2019
A newsletter can be a great way to engage with your donors, but the key word here is can. How often does that actually happen? Unfortunately, not very much because most donor newsletters can be used as a cure for insomnia. They’re too long and filled with boring articles that brag about how wonderful the organization is. It’s possible to create an engaging newsletter your donors will want to read.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JUNE 25, 2019
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Steve Bustin. Now more than ever, journalists need good PR people. That’s the key theme in Cision’s latest Global State of the Media Report , which surveyed nearly 2,000 reporters and editors about their working conditions and how they relate to public relations professionals. I often find this report useful as I review my PR strategies.
Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg
Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.
Ann Green
MAY 28, 2019
If you have a July 1 fiscal year start date, you’re most likely working on your budget for next year (at least you should be). Those of you who use the calendar year as your fiscal year will be working on yours later in the year. Whatever the case may be, putting together a budget can be a pain, especially if you’re a small nonprofit with limited resources.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 29, 2019
A couple of weeks ago, I shared some tips from other nonprofit communicators on how to communicate internally at your organization as well as other resources on getting people to meet deadlines and the best communications apps to use. Today I am sharing the internal newsletter used by Community Partners in LA. Lauren Kay, director of communications, shared this with me about their newsletter: Lauren Kay “We’ve been growing and now have a staff of 42.
Ann Green
JULY 9, 2019
How often do you use stories when you communicate with your donors? Most likely, not enough. That’s a mistake because people respond better to stories. . Imagine your donors opening an appeal letter or newsletter and glossing over a bunch of mind-numbing statistics as opposed to being captivated by a story about how the Mason family moved out of a shelter and into a home of their own.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
MAY 15, 2019
While Instagram is definitely a visual platform and photos are best, you can still manage a successful Instagram strategy without photography. Just take a look at the ACLU’s feed and stories. Most of the work they do is legal in nature, so it’s not like they have tons of great photography options. Instead, much of what they do on Instagram is actually content repurposing from Twitter.
Advertisement
Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 3, 2019
In previous posts, we’ve shared the most common marketing and communications goals , strategies , and objectives for nonprofits. Today, let’s complete the list by talking about tactics. Tactics are the tools you use to pursue the objectives associated with your strategy. Tactics include both communications channels like email, PR and social media, as well as specific types of content like storytelling or infographics.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
MAY 21, 2019
Ever been asked to create a marketing strategy or a communications plan for your nonprofit without any further guidance? You aren’t alone! Let’s sort it all out, so you can figure out what you really need to create. First, let’s address the definitions. Right or wrong, marketing and communications are often used interchangeably in the nonprofit sector.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
OCTOBER 2, 2019
With the advent of social media, it seems like you constantly hear cries of “Email is dead!” That isn’t exactly true based on a recent survey of small to medium business by SharpSpring and Ascend2. In that survey, most participants said email was the best way to get their communications out with 77% saying email was the most effective channel to drive marketing content to prospects.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 8, 2019
Most nonprofit communicators consider themselves to be good writers. But what really sets apart the great writers in the nonprofit world is mastery of seven distinct types of copywriting. 1. Microcontent Microcontent refers to the short but powerful pieces of copy you find in headlines, subject lines, captions, and tweets. 2. Storytelling Nonprofit storytelling refers to narratives about participants and supporters that include characters, descriptive details, emotions, and plot. 3.
Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson
Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JUNE 4, 2019
My favorite definition of a story comes from The Elements of Persuasion : “A story is a fact, wrapped in an emotion , that compels us to take an action that transforms our world.” Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman All of the five words I have in bold are essential to nonprofit storytelling success. Your stories need to be true , or at a minimum, based in fact.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
FEBRUARY 20, 2019
“A story is a fact, wrapped in an emotion that compels us to take an action that transforms our world.” – Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman in The Elements of Persuasion Starting in March, I will share more on how to write stories, but today we get down to the basics in case storytelling isn’t a priority at your nonprofit: Why Stories Work Easier to remember.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 21, 2019
We want to add a new member to the Nonprofit Marketing Guide crew. Please share this with your freelance graphic designer friends! Nonprofit Marketing Guide LLC is seeking a graphic designer for a variety of projects, including Graphics for email promotions, landing pages, and online advertising Iconography for sections of our website and various training frameworks Graphics and themes for PowerPoint decks Design and layout of e-books Our preferences are to work with a designer who is.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
MAY 23, 2019
What’s your hook? This question likely looms over you daily if your job is to pitch stories to the media or create content for your organization’s owned media channels. To get your story picked up and noticed, it’s critical to have something current to latch on to — a hook that adds a sense of urgency by connecting to something that’s happening right now.
Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand
Is your organization ready to build a recurring giving program that not only sustains but also propels your mission forward? 🚀 In this new webinar with industry visionary Tim Sarrantonio, we’ll guide you through the critical steps to establishing and scaling a successful recurring giving program. Whether you’re starting fresh or enhancing an existing program, this session will provide the strategies you need to deepen donor relationships and secure long-term support!
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 23, 2019
The 2019 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report found that the most successful nonprofit communicators were putting significantly more emphasis on content marketing than less effective organizations. For the most effective nonprofits, 24% consider content marketing an essential strategy, with only 5% saying it’s a low priority. That compares to a mere 11% of the less effective nonprofits who call content marketing essential, which is dwarfed by the 16% who say content marketing is a low pr
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 24, 2019
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Jeff Eaton Many nonprofit communicators have a similar complaint about the news media. It goes something like this: “We have great stories, but nobody covers us.” While it’s easy to blame the media for your lack of coverage, it’s more likely that you’re not getting attention because you’re not sharing your stories thoughtfully.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 10, 2019
You want others to get the word out about you and your cause. You want them to be talking about you. It’s the start of going viral – the holy grail of marketers everywhere. Everyone wants to know how to make that happen. There are lots of articles out there about upping your chances of being the next big hit on the Internet. You can follow best practices, but it all starts with the quality of your message.
Ann Green
JULY 16, 2019
In these days of information overload, it can be hard to get your donors’ attention. In my last post, I wrote about the importance of telling stories. Written stories are great, but since donors get so many messages from different sources they may not want to read another word. . This is why you also need to use visual stories. Some people respond better to visual stimuli, anyway.
Speaker: Radhika Samant and Adri Glover
The world of work has fundamentally changed. The series of waves that the pandemic began have rippled through the Great Resignation, quiet quitting, the Great Regret, and other eloquent phrases that boil down to the same thing: people aren’t engaged at work or enabled to perform at their best. The truth is that engagement and enablement is more important than ever, but how we do it is the critical differentiator for many organizations.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
MARCH 19, 2019
As I watch nonprofits embracing content marketing as a strategy, I see a few places where they just aren’t quite getting it right. I think that’s because they are ignoring five truths about successful content marketing. TRUTH 1: Good content marketing is more about the objective than the content itself. Content is just content. What makes something content marketing is your ability to use content to achieve a marketing objective.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 30, 2019
News Writing is one of the seven writing styles that all nonprofit communicators should master. In the world of nonprofit comms superlatives, news writing wins for the “Writing Style Used Most Often When It Shouldn’t Be.” Too often, nonprofits write about their issues, programs, and events in a straight news style when they would be better served by using storytelling , donor-centered copywriting , or lifestyle writing.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
MAY 7, 2019
When you want someone to do something, you have to ask. And how you ask matters. Whether it’s clicking on a button or link to donate, volunteer, register or do anything else, when someone takes that action online, we call it a conversion. Conversion copywriting is one of the seven writing styles that all nonprofit communications pros should master.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
OCTOBER 21, 2019
These writing ideas come from our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts email newsletter. You can use them for social media, blog posts, newsletter articles, and more. If you would like these ideas sent to your inbox a month in advance, sign up for our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts. I send this email newsletter the first week of every month with prompts for the following month.
Speaker: Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader
In today’s competitive market, pricing is more than just a number — it’s the cornerstone of profitability. The right pricing strategy ensures that you capture the true value of your offering, paving the way for sustainable growth and long-term success. Join Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader, in this exclusive session where he will explore how a well-crafted pricing approach balances customer perception with business objectives, creating a powerful tool for securing both competitive advantage a
Expert insights. Personalized for you.
276 
Let's personalize your content