9 Easy Nonprofit Marketing Ideas

Nonprofit marketing ideas often prioritize fundraiser promotion and drawing new supporters. But how do you grow awareness year-round? And how do you sustain long-term connections with members, volunteers, donors, and partners?

We have nine nonprofit marketing tips to address these questions and more. We’ll cover how to create engaging content for your website, build excitement on social media, and maximize marketing tools like email campaigns. These pointers will help nonprofit marketing managers fire up interest and put the organization’s mission front and center in messaging. 

Here’s the list of nine nonprofit marketing best practices, with recommendations detailed for each further down. 

1. Share A Story 
2. Lean Into Video 
3. Revamp Your Website
4. Inspire Advocates 
5. Think Festive 
6. Tune Up Email Use
7. Host Events 
8. TXT Like A GOAT 
9. Flex Expertise 

1. Share A Story

Need to motivate volunteers or recruit more people? Interview your organization’s top volunteers for a blog post, newsletter snippet, or a moment in the spotlight on your social media. Every nonprofit has a contributor with a unique background or talent! 

Need to increase monthly donations? Showcase a crucial project that relies on small but steady giving. Illustrate how predictable giving supports the mission.

Helpful tips:

• Tell stories of action, deeper meaning, or connected history. 
• Show projects visually. 
• Write in exciting and specific terms.
• Identify the story’s emotion and your call to action. 
• Take people behind the scenes. 

2. Lean Into Video 

While video production can take longer and cost more than other content, it’s highly effective for capturing attention. For signature videos or mini-documentaries, hire a professional. But shoot your own for routine social media posts.

Here’s some DIY tips:

• Keep it short (1 to 2 minutes edited) unless you’re hosting a live conversation.
• Hold your phone horizontally while recording. 
• Buy a small tripod or bring your elbows to your ribs for a less shaky video on the fly.
• Keep the content simple (like periodic videos highlighting volunteer superheroes or quick plugs showing staff working behind the scenes).

3. Revamp Your Website

People invariably check out websites and social media before making any decisions. The full experience of your site – written content, photos, color schemes, navigation, and speed – is your organization’s first impression on many potential supporters. 

Pay close attention to your site’s metadata and digital content to make sure the organization will rank high on search engines (SEO). The algorithms – and the average human – react positively when your content is refreshed, carries a clear and consistent message, and answers questions quickly.

Map out your navigation menu and site pages before settling on visual and written content. Assemble your best imagery – photos or videos showing your staff, volunteers, and members in action. Strategically select data points to display as graphics. Give prominence to stories and takeaways that explain your organization’s mission in descriptive and compelling ways. 

Interlink your web content and pages logically to move users closer to action steps. 

Above all, keep headers (titles or headlines) succinct and inclusive of strong verbs. Make sure the most important information is easily accessible (i.e. calendar of events, ways to donate, year-end reports, FAQs, and so forth).

Revamping your website may feel like a heavy lift, but it’s your most important asset when considering how to market your nonprofit.

4. Inspire Advocates

You might not have 100,000 followers. But your contributors and volunteers collectively have a digital friends list full of thousands of people who don’t know you yet! 

Members you feature in blogs, newsletter stories, and videos will share your content online for organic growth. Proactively make periodic reminders that supporters can easily set up birthday fundraisers on social media. Include the basic instructions on how to do this in a newsletter prompt for your supporters. You can also make custom profile picture frames for your followers to adopt and share. 

This is among the easiest and most effective digital marketing tips for nonprofits because it’s hands off for staff and a source of pride for stakeholders. Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth marketing!

5. Think Festive

Interactive social media earns new followers and gets people interested in your mission. Create a calendar for at least one festive, fun, or quirky post per month. This is designed to get people commenting or reacting. You can peg contests, polls, photo submission galleries, trivia, and more to major holidays or the rhythms of your organization.

Three quick examples:

• Throwback photos of your past events or projects
• Share/comment/tag calls to action for giveaways
• Have followers post a picture doing something that reminds them of your organization (T-shirt/hat selfies on vacation are always popular!) 

6. Tune Up Email Use 

Make use of email marketing automation options. For example, ensure newcomers receive welcome messages and resend unopened emails. 

Setting up and managing segments on your mailing list can ensure you’re targeting the right audience with your content. Look for opportunities to organize drip campaigns around your fundraisers, events, and relevant holidays such as Giving Tuesday. 

Pay attention to open and click-through and make sure to give recipients clear and varied ways to reduce the frequency of mail.

7. Host Events 

Small-scale events keep your supporters smiling (and giving) beyond annual fundraisers. 

Events can be ticketed or suggested donation. You might include raffles, silent auctions, or door prizes. A little competition can sweeten the pot: A chili cook-off, cornhole tournament, or battle of the bands, for example. 

Connecting event activities to your mission builds awareness amid the fun. For instance, an animal adoption organization could host pet photos with Santa. 

8. TXT Like A GOAT

Texting is a great way to avoid your message being lost in a busy inbox or cluttered social media feed. 

When users opt in, this marketing channel can help nonprofits speak directly to supporters. Text reminders can prompt quick action. Thank you messages create memorable contact.

Like email marketing, many tools exist to automate text-based marketing and manage profiles or contacts. 

Texting lingo and tone can be informal. Short-hand might be acceptable, depending on your context, i.e. TXT (text) Like A GOAT (Greatest of all time). 

Ensure your first text gives a clear “Yes” or “No” option to unsubscribe.

Keep messages short (100 to 150 characters is a best practice). Use a service like bit.ly to condense long URLs. 

Examples: 

• From Name-of-Nonprofit: Hi Jill, Thank you for RSVP’ing to our winter gala! We’re excited to see you! Access your tickets here: LINK. 
• Invite a friend for an extra raffle entry. Share this link: LINK
• To stop future messages from us, text “STOP” anytime.

Best practices for text message marketing: 

• Include your organization’s name
• Minimize or avoid using emojis
• Be judicious in how often you text
• Enable automation for replies when applicable
• Avoid sending texts outside business hours
• Have several colleagues proofread your message before sending it

9. Flex Expertise 

Our final tip represents one of the best nonprofit marketing campaigns: content marketing. It packs a punch for awareness and engagement. 

By posting search-engine optimized (SEO) blog posts or original content on your website, you improve discovery on Google. Your website can host content you share via social media, email newsletters, and text campaigns. 

Some nonprofits can use digital content to drive outside media or partner interest. Development teams might reference or copy the content for annual reports. 

Blogs or articles function to: Educate supporters. Attract new members. And widen awareness for your mission. 

Each piece should focus on one main idea – keep it narrow. For most topics, 500 to 700 words will suffice. 

Ideas to brainstorm: 

• Choose topics that connect your mission to current events. A children’s organization, for example, could offer “5 Back-To-School Tips For Parents.” 
• Write evergreen articles specific to your expertise. For instance, a workforce development nonprofit might write about generational wealth in the areas served.

Need support putting some of these ideas into action? Leverage the expertise of Beyond Marketing – we stand ready to serve as your marketing team. Contact us today to start a conversation.