UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has a global presence, and it has used the internet effectively to raise awareness about its activities. For example, it uses social media channels such as Instagram to showcase the local and personal impact of its programs by publishing photos and information about the individuals it has assisted, as well as its employees and volunteers. UNICEF also uses digital marketing to tell tales of children, providing insight into the issues and challenges they encounter. These personal stories inspire individuals to contribute by promoting awareness and empathy. Storytelling is an excellent marketing tactic for organizations, and UNICEF has nailed it.
Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish is another non-profit organization that has had great success with narrative initiatives. One that has endured the test of time is where they continue to tell stories about youngsters whose wishes are granted. This campaign continues to pique the curiosity of its target demographic and has generated tremendous support.
Make-a-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, the organization’s largest chapter, broke records by using branded journalism and public relations to promote its storytelling campaign. It created a campaign by recording individual testimonials and stories over more than four years, allowing it to reach people and media sources beyond geographical borders. Just one story about a 9-year-old boy who was to be signed by a professional football team for a day generated 185 media placements across the United States, including in USA Today and The Today Show. Make-A-Wish also often shares children’s tales on its YouTube channel, and every granted wish is mentioned on its website.
If you look at other nonprofit organization marketing examples, you’ll see that they work because contributors desire to know where their money goes. Furthermore, personal tales provide valuable insight into how donations are contributing to a cause. If you can persuade media outlets to cover your campaign, your reach will likely increase significantly.
Breast Cancer Now, CoppaFeel, and Asda
Breast Cancer Now and CoppaFeel!, two UK-based charities that raise awareness about breast cancer, have successfully educated and empowered their audiences through various nonprofit marketing strategies. One campaign that was particularly successful was collaborating with Asda, a famous British supermarket retailer.
People received receipts from Asda encouraging them to check their bodies for bumps and lumps. The supermarket’s products had stickers with information on breast anomalies and breast cancer. Banners in parking lots and in-store displays, as well as social media, film, radio, and print advertisements, drew attention to the campaign. By leveraging Asda’s vast customer base, this campaign was able to reach a big audience and raise awareness about an important topic. The tagline, “Self Checkouts Could Save You More Than Time,” was simple yet effective.
This nonprofit marketing strategy is effective because it is accessible and simple. People were able to raise awareness about a problem without paying any money or exerting too much effort. Furthermore, collaborating with a well-known brand like Asda added legitimacy to the campaign. Last but not least, the campaign easily blended its donation option into people’s daily buying habits, encouraging continued support.
Humane Society International
Humane Society International (HSI) uses numerous social media platforms to share information on its activities, promote petitions, and develop an animal-loving community. This enables the organization to reach a large audience and propagate its message naturally. HSI has done an excellent job of creating appealing video content, as evidenced by its award-winning “Save Ralph” campaign, which used stop-motion animation to depict the horrible reality of animal experimentation in cosmetics. This film went viral, with over 100 million views and widespread media coverage. Targeted web advertisements are another effective charitable marketing method utilized by HSI. It employs these advertising to target specific categories that it believes are receptive to its messaging. These include adverts on popular social media platforms and search engines. Humane Society also emphasizes YouTube’s power, with the Humane Society of the United States channel boasting over 750,000 subscribers.
Charity: Water
Charity: Water’s Birthday campaigns can serve as inspiration for charitable marketing strategies. Scott Harrison, the organization’s CEO, spearheaded this campaign, which began on his 31st birthday (the initial campaign raised approximately $15,000). Since then, many people from all over the world, including celebrities, have used their birthdays to collect donations for this organization.
Sarah Peck, the founder of Startup Pregnant, has devoted her 29th birthday to this charity, with the goal of getting 1,000 people to each donate $29 to it. To make matters more intriguing, she promised to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco (1.5 miles) in nothing but a swimming hat if she raised the $29,000 goal. She ended up earning more than $32,000, and yes, she finished the swim. This long-standing campaign demonstrates that making the fundraising process personal increases the likelihood of potential donors supporting your cause.
Preemptive Love
When it comes to basic yet successful non-profit marketing examples, it’s difficult to dismiss Preemptive Love’s sticker packs, which attempt to promote peace in many war-torn regions. It also sells apparel, accessories, jewelry, and wall art. The sticker packs are particularly popular among millennials, who apply them on laptops, water bottles, skateboards, mobile phones, guitar cases, vehicle bumpers, bike frames, and other items. Stickers are an efficient way to raise donations for your group while also drawing attention to your cause. Furthermore, stickers cost significantly less than more expensive things such as t-shirts, caps, backpacks, and mugs.
Marketing Techniques for Nonprofits
If you’re wondering how to market a nonprofit organization, understand that the process entails raising knowledge about its objective, gaining supporters, and creating a beneficial impact. Unlike for-profit enterprises, your purpose is not to sell a product, but to inspire action and establish a community around your mission. Following these nonprofit marketing methods will allow you to make the best use of your time, money, and resources.
Define your goals
Before you begin working on any marketing strategy, be sure your goals are well defined. Common marketing objectives for NGOs include:
- Increasing brand recognition by making your name as visible as possible.
- Run fundraising campaigns to raise money.
- Increasing advocacy by persuading individuals to speak up for your cause.
- Recruiting volunteers to increase your workforce and develop expertise
Understand your audience
An important aspect of nonprofit marketing is gaining knowledge into the demographic you want to reach. Then, customize your message to resonate with specific demographics and interests. Nonprofit audiences may take the following forms:
- Potential Donors
- Volunteers
- Brand ambassadors / advocates
- Policymakers
Craft your message
Getting your messaging right is critical when it comes to effectively marketing a nonprofit. This entails conveying a compelling tale about what distinguishes your cause and the influence you have. Use clear and straightforward language to outline the issue you’re addressing, and explain how your organization makes a difference by highlighting the good outcomes you achieve. Focus on creating an emotional connection, as this will motivate people to care about your cause.
Select Suitable Marketing Channels
Given the various mediums available, marketing for charities entails determining which ones work best for you. Often, a multi-pronged digital marketing strategy is the best way ahead.
- Content marketing. This entails sharing educational and entertaining material that your target audience finds relevant and useful. It can take several forms, including blog articles, infographics, films, podcasts, and more.
- If you have a website, you must guarantee that it provides a positive user experience and all of the information that visitors require. If you don’t already have one, consider working with a professional web design agency for best results, as having a modern website is the rule of the day.
- Social media marketing. With individuals spending more time on social media, it is critical that you reach out to your target audience by connecting with them on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
- Email marketing. Email marketing allows you to build relationships with potential funders and volunteers through personalized messages. To accomplish this, create an email list and send out regular updates on your work.
- Fundraising tools. Many online fundraising tools make it easier to raise donations for your cause. These include internet fundraising initiatives, donation forms, text-to-donate campaigns, crowdsourcing campaigns, and auctions.
- Not-for-profit marketing frequently entails event planning and fundraising through ticket sales, auctions, donations, or food and retail sales. They are a great way to promote awareness about an organization’s mission and the cause it supports. You could also consider organizing workshops and awareness campaigns.
Leverage the Power of Content
Content is an important part of almost every marketing plan, and organizations are no exception. Compelling material educates potential supporters about your cause and objective while also increasing your organization’s visibility. This, in turn, fosters trust and establishes your organization as a legitimate authority.
If your material resonates with your target audience, you may establish a deeper connection with them. For example, sharing stories about the impact of your work and the individuals you assist builds a feeling of community and encourages participation, whether in the form of donations or volunteering. In addition, content marketing is often less expensive than traditional types of advertising, allowing NGOs to stretch their budgets farther.
Measure and adapt
A marketing strategy is incomplete without tracking results. This includes monitoring and analyzing website traffic, social media participation, and donation statistics. Once you have enough data, you should fine-tune your plan depending on what works well for you and what needs to be improved. A Digital Marketing Agency can help you navigate these steps efficiently. Given the constant evolution of this field, it’s essential to stay up to date on the latest digital marketing techniques, trends, and technology.
Other marketing ideas for non-profit organizations
Here are some additional suggestions from the best nonprofit marketing tactics.
- Create a blog to share tales of your beneficiaries, the impact of your efforts, and industry trends.
- Partnering with other groups with similar goals will help you expand your reach and resources.
- Build trust with your audience by being entirely upfront about how you spend your money.
- Simplify the way supporters may make recurring gifts.
- Reach out to community organizations and volunteer to talk about your cause.
- Use surveys to gather feedback from your audience.
- Ensure that your marketing initiatives follow all applicable rules and regulations.
Conclusion
Marketing for nonprofit organizations entails establishing clear goals, analyzing your audience, designing the message you want to express, utilizing various mediums, and tracking the results of your efforts. While industry leaders demonstrate how to do things correctly, achieving success is not as simple as “copy and paste”. As a result, if you’re unclear how to present yourself effectively, collaborating with a charitable digital marketing agency may be beneficial.
