Guide to Nonprofit Marketing

In the pursuit of grants in today’s world, having a sound marketing strategy can prove to be the difference-maker for nonprofits, something that must also happen for for-profit corporations. With a poor foundation in the world of marketing, nonprofits can lose opportunities for grants, partnerships, and support that are necessary for propelling forward your cause.

However, when it comes to nonprofits, the concept of marketing has a different definition because it’s not only concerned with selling, but also creating opportunities for people to believe in their cause. Whether it’s trying to raise donations, convince people to volunteer, or procure grants, I will lead you through the basics of how to market your cause through an action plan.

What Is Nonprofit Marketing?

Non-profit marketing is the use of communication, branding, and outreach efforts to support a cause, communicate with supporters, and encourage action that supports a mission. This could range from public awareness campaigns to social media efforts.

The end goal is to reach the right audience, whether that’s donors, volunteers, grantseekers, or local citizens, and motivate them to take action, whether that’s making a donation, attending an event, submitting a grant application, or spreading the word.

Why It’s Important

Non-profit marketing is the way to get noticed and grow. No matter how effective your programs are, people will not support something that they are not aware of. Marketing helps establish your reputation, sustain funding, and demonstrate relevance to grantors.

But well-done, it also:

• Establishes credibility with both new and existing audiences
• Provides measurable results for funders, donors, and stakeholders
• Increases donor retention and repeat donations
• Gives your company a unique identity that distinguishes it from competitors
• Engages in shared communication for cross-functional teams

Marketing is not any “nice-to-have” activity. Let’s face it, it’s “have-to-have” reporting that has become.

Where You Should Start

The first step is building a solid marketing foundation that aligns with your mission and resources. Start by answering the following:

• Who is your target audience? (i.e., individual donors, grantors, volunteers)
• What does your audience need or care about?
• How does your nonprofit organization stand out or excel?
• What are your main goals? Raising funds, increasing awareness, or driving attendance?
• Which marketing methods are currently used, and could there be room for improvement?

Then, perform a market audit. Check your website, email, social media, and printed materials. Do your visuals and communication align? Does it clearly state what your company does and its significance? Does it provide an opportunity for action?

Then, having identified your present situation, it will become possible for you to create a targeted and measurable plan for marketing.

An Example Marketing Plan

Before embarking on campaigns, images, or social media communication, it is crucial to establish an organized way of creating a marketing plan that suits your goals, budget, and audience. This will not only provide direction for your communication, it will also ensure that any form of communication made aligns with your mission and funding objectives.

Here’s a simple 6-month sample marketing plan for a mid-sized nonprofit focused on food insecurity:

Goal: To raise donations by 30 percent through individuals in six months.

Target Audience: Individual donors aged 30 to 60, from local communities, driven by making an impact.

Key Messages:

• Each $10 donates 20 meals for a local family
• Your support remains in your community
• Here’s how your last gift helped

Channels:

• Monthly email newsletter
• Facebook and Instagram campaigns
• Quarterly print mailer
• Reaching local media
• Event promotion

Tactics:

• Initiate a series for telling client success stories
• Incorporate a Peer-to-Peer Fundraiser in Month Three
• Coordinate donor thank-you calls and personalized emails
• Share blogs related to trends in food insecurity

Direct Marketing:

• Monitor email openings, clicks, and conversion rates for donations
• Determine social engagement and campaign ROI
• Utilize the CRM system to monitor new donors and repeat donors

Tools Needed To Execute Your Plan

Once your strategy is in place, the right set of tools makes execution scalable, accurate, and effective. From email automation to performance analytics, nonprofit marketing tools free your team to focus on creativity and storytelling instead of manual work.

Below are the frequently used types:

• EMAIL Marketing Tools: Used for sending newsletters, Automated Follow-ups, and appeals (like Mailchimp, Constant Contact)
• Social Media Scheduling Tools: To handle postings and interactions on various social networks (such as Buffer, Hootsuite)
• Design Software: Used for designing flyers, social media, and reporting (such as Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud)
• CRM Systems: To monitor interactions and deliver targeted communication
• Analytics Dashboard: To Track KPIs and Campaign Performances

If chosen and implemented properly, such platforms can enable smaller teams to perform like larger teams.

How Grant Management Software Is Related

Initially, it does not appear that grant management software has any connection to your use of marketing, yet it is essential to your communication efforts.

When pursuing grant programs, it’s essentially an advocacy effort, ensuring that your selected nonprofit is chosen for funding. This involves demonstrating past success, ensuring alignment with a foundation’s mission, and having the ability to measure past outcomes. This can all be made easier by using a grant management system, such as Fluxx.

This is how it helps your marketing plan:

• Offers Data for Storytelling: Pull real-time data to demonstrate your outcomes to funders and stakeholders
• Promotes Clear Communication Channels: Disseminate comprehensive and factual reporting to establish credibility for institutional grantors
• Aligns Internal Teams: Integrate fundraising, programs, and financial teams via shared dashboards
• Automates Workflows: This helps in increasing productivity by automating reporting and related compliance functions for communication staff

The grant management system will enable better communication with grantors and stakeholders, enhancing your reputation and chances for future grant acquisition.

Bringing Strategy and Story Together

Non-profit marketing is more than words, it’s a way to drive your mission forward, making it heard, seen, and felt by your audience. With the right strategy, resources, and planning, your non-profit can inspire action, nurture donor relationships, and spread its reach.

Whether it’s the first or the tenth iteration, keep in mind that effective strategy and effective marketing always start and finish the same way: knowing your audience, and knowing whether it worked. But when Fluxx helps keep grant operations smooth behind the scenes, your communication efforts can reach for new heights of accuracy, timing, and effectiveness.