Nonprofits often struggle with marketing. Discover how you can use digital marketing strategies to achieve powerful results for your nonprofit.
Nonprofit organizations face unique challenges in reaching and engaging their viewers. Unlike for-profit companies focused on sales, nonprofits aim to raise awareness, funds, and support for their cause.
Nonprofit marketing allows nonprofits to connect with possible supporters, organize fundraising efforts, and maintain engagement. Understanding available resources and how to use them effectively can make a huge difference in achieving the organization’s goals.
With the right nonprofit marketing approach, these organizations can expand their reach, entice more supporters, and drive meaningful, real-world change.
Use the information here as your to help you understand its challenges, benefits, and plans and achieve your goals.
Why Nonprofit Marketing can Be Difficult
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Even if you’ve been on top of your online marketing from day one, this aspect of running a nonprofit can be difficult. Successful digital marketing as a nonprofit begins with understanding what you’re up against, so nonprofit marketers can overcome challenges such a
Small marketing budgets
Nonprofit marketing can require a significant investment. However, because nonprofits tend to allocate as much of their budget as possible to the cause they support, it can be difficult to dedicate a portion of that money to marketing.
Inexperienced marketing staff
Much of the work of nonprofit group is done on a voluntary basis or by a small team of people performing multiple roles. This means that knowledge of marketing strategies will be limited or nonexistent for many nonprofit organizations.
Difficulty with disclosure
Due in large part to the two challenges above, it can be difficult to reach your audience as a nonprofit. And it doesn’t help that a nonprofit’s audience often isn’t a specific market segment. This makes the task of generating leads with interested people even more difficult.
Incongruent collaborators and strategy
Because much of a nonprofit’s workforce may exist as volunteers or employees working for comparatively low wages, there may be high turnover, inconsistent workflow and production, and a lack of experience. It can also mean that nonprofit marketing campaigns are inconsistent due to a lack of necessary connection and unpredictable results.
Low audience engagement and retention hard to work for a nonprofit, but it’s also hard to support one. With everything else going on in their lives, nonprofit interaction often isn’t a priority for the average person, even if they feel forcefully about the cause. This creates a constant battle for customer retention .
By being aware of these common problems, nonprofits can create a plan that will succeed despite them.
Benefits of digital marketing for non-profit organizations
As a nonprofit, there are several potential gains of digital marketing. From your landing page to your email marketing efforts, every little detail counts.
Nonprofit marketing gives you the opportunity to spread the word about your cause, and raising awareness is an important part of creating change. Digital marketing for nonprofits helps you expand your overall reach so you can build valuable relationships with people who care about your cause and want to help.
For newer nonprofits, nonprofit marketing can also help you establish yourself as a credible organization. This can even lead to building relationships with potential donors, which is one of the keys to nonprofit success.
How to Create a Marketing Plan for a Nonprofit Organization
Before you dive in, you should create a digital marketing plan for your nonprofit, just like any other for-profit business. It’s an important part of a business plan that helps you use all your resources—including your time, energy, staff, and budget—appropriately.
First, it’s important to understand how digital marketing works as a process. In its simplest form, your nonprofit’s marketing strategy will involve five key steps, each of which should be covered in your plan.
Define your marketing objectives
The first step in any marketing plan is to define your objectives. What specifically do you hope to achieve with your digital marketing efforts? Set your goals carefully: they should be SMART goals —specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely—rather than abstract or obtain.
Continually measuring your results against your goals will help provide consistency and direction to your efforts. As needed, you can adjust your goals to more realistically reflect what can be achieved and what methods work best for your organization.
While it’s important to have initial goals, it’s difficult to know for sure which strategies and expectations will be most effective until you’ve begun actively employing them.
Understand your audience
The purpose of marketing is to connect and interact with your target audience .
The best way to do this is to know who your audience is and understand important things about them, such as their concerns, desires, and pain points. It’s crucial to research your audience and learn as much as possible about them. Use that information to determine the best way to reach them.
There are several tactics you can employ to find your audience, such as:
Review what you know about your current audience.
Take a survey or ask for feedback.
Research the audiences of similar organizations.
Identify demographic information.
Consider who will benefit from your efforts.
Refine your message
With your goals and audience in mind, you can begin crafting the message you want to send through your marketing materials. Take the time to refine that message so it’s right for your audience but still supports your goals. Whatever your message, it should be clear, compelling, and momentous for your audience.
Like your goals, your message must be open to revision to remain relevant to your efforts as they evolve. It’s vital that your organization’s messages align with your actions and are consistently promoted at all levels of the organization.
You can have one or more messages, depending on your goals and the scope of your projects. It can be helpful to keep your initial message simple. This will give both your organization and your audience a clear idea of what you intend and where you want to go. You can always enlarge your message as your organization gains more skill and develops its identity.
Create and distribute your content
Next, it’s time to create content focused on your message and share it with your audience.
In some cases, this can be relatively simple. You might create a marketing email or a new blog post series. In other cases, creating your content can be much more involved, such as creating a podcast or promotional video .
Once you know what content you plan to create, you can think about the best ways to share it. Tools like a content management system can be helpful in keeping your brand optimized. Based on what you know about your audience, consider what you’ll distribute during which channel. And by using an all-in-one marketing platform , you can do much of this work from one place.
Again, it’s best to start simple. You’ll learn what works best from each channel and campaign, so you can change as you grow. Be lifelike about the amount of throughput you have to create and share content, and direct on what works.
5. Track, measure, and refine your efforts
Finally, create a plan to track everything you do and measure the results against your goals and budget. You’ll need a clear picture of how your efforts are performing to know whether your strategy is working or not. If your results don’t match your goal, you may need to adjust your strategy.
Whether it’s a subscription form , marketing emails, or social media content, there are several analytics tools that can help you gather data to measure performance.
Measuring results is a vital part of the process that helps you ensure your goals are achievable and that your strategies are aligned with your core objectives.
Both qualitative and quantitative data are extremely valuable in terms of building the best possible marketing strategy. Keep a close eye on your data, but also be sure to follow up on the feedback you receive from your audience in their responses to emails, social media posts, and surveys.
Digital marketing strategies for nonprofit organizations
A digital marketing strategy offers many different ways to reach your audience, all of which can be enormously beneficial for nonprofits. To decide what’s best for your organization, it’s helpful to learn more about the benefits of each nonprofit marketing tactic and how to use them for your needs.
With so many options available to you, it can be tempting to take on more than you can handle. It’s important to choose the best strategy for your organization, your goals, and your capabilities. You’ll be far more useful doing an excellent job of engaging with your audience on a few platforms than achieving scattered content and inconsistent engagement across many different platforms.
Content marketing
Marketing involves creating content and digital resources, such as blog posts and white papers, and sharing that content with your audience. Your content should be unique and interesting, but there are some basic qualities that good content has in common .
High-quality content should be:
- Clear: Your message should be obvious. Your audience shouldn’t feel they need to decipher or search for important information.
- Clean: Your content should be well-presented and thoroughly proofread. It shouldn’t contain errors or appear sloppy.
- Consistent: You don’t want to present contradictory information or messages to your audience, and your tone should be consistent across all channels. You should also post regularly.
- Relevant: Your content shouldn’t stray too far from your core goals, and it shouldn’t seem outdated.
- Easy to use: Trying to find the information or resources they want shouldn’t be a wild goose chase for your audience. Make sure the resources and tools are easy to use and intuitive.
Infographics are a powerful marketing asset you can use to illustrate why your cause is important to your target audience . Providing information in the quickest and most digestible format possible is practical and effective. This is especially true for important but complex data.
There are some good general rules to follow when it comes to using infographics in your online marketing strategy:
- An infographic should be created based on a need, rather than for the sake of creating it. If you find yourself looking for something to make an infographic about, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.
- Think of an infographic as a friendly face for data. An infographic should weave numbers into an engaging and accessible story, rather than regurgitating data in image format.
- Cite your sources and avoid sensationalist graphics. You should make it clear that the information presented is reliable and accessible.
- Make sure it’s legible. Information should be presented as clearly and simply as possible.
Marketing CRM
CRM (customer relationship management) is the management of interactions between an organization and its audiences.
Marketing CRM software streamlines these interactions by automating many customer relationship management activities, such as generating leads and collecting customer data. This is especially useful for nonprofits facing inconsistent staffing.
Automating customer relationship tasks takes some of the workload off actual staff members and enables long-term consistency with little training.
Email marketing is a great way to generate leads and keep your audience up-to-date with what’s happening within your organization. Email marketing is especially useful for nonprofits because it’s very easy to automate , often managed through CRM software.
However, while email marketing can be a great tool, it should be used with care.
Send emails with information and initiatives that are likely to capture your audience’s interest; don’t spam them with every minor effort or company update. And as with other facets of digital marketing, it’s important to constantly measure the success of your email marketing campaign against your goals.
Digital ads
It may sound out of place for an organization not looking to profit from its marketing efforts, but digital advertising and nonprofits go hand in hand. This channel is effective for raising awareness and funds.
Ads can be added to your content in a wide variety of ways. You can create an ad for social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram , or even on a search engine . However, it’s important to research which platforms or search engines do and don’t offer advertising, and what their rules are for doing so.
For example, many platforms won’t monetize content that’s considered “explicit.” In addition to funding, online ads are also useful for raising awareness of your brand and message.
Social media marketing is an absolute necessity for any organization. Because it’s so widely used, having social media profiles is just as important for your nonprofit as having a fully functional website .
The following strategies can help make your social media presence as effective as possible:
- Choose your platform wisely. Focus on the platforms that best suit your message, content, and audience. To share a blog post, for example, Twitter is a better option than Instagram because Instagram doesn’t allow links.
- Know your audience. It’s important to build a relationship with your audience and experiment with the type of content that appeals to them.
- Post regularly. Posting consistently is vital to a successful social media marketing campaign. This can be difficult without a dedicated social media manager, but platforms that allow you to schedule posts in advance and repurpose content can help you get the job done.
- Post at strategic times. Find out when your target audience is most likely to be online and post when you expect the most traffic.
- Measure your productivity Consistently measure your progress against your goals and use this information to improve your strategy over time.
Video Marketing
Videos are a simple and effective way to communicate with your audience. They offer a compelling way to engage your audience and set your tone in a way that other media often can’t match. While creating videos can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be.
It’s important to put as much effort into video production as you can , but ultimately, telling your story is even more important. Speak sincerely and passionately about your goals, and find a narrative way to reinforce the cause you support. This is the essence of a video marketing campaign for a nonprofit.
Web workshops
Like marketing, webinars are a useful way to connect with your audience and inform them about the work you do and why you do it. Webinar software like Google Hangouts allows your audience to interact with your organization in real time on conference calls.
Webinars are extremely useful for engaging with your audience and organizing volunteer efforts, without the enormous cost of publishing materials or renting space for a physical conference. If you have an upcoming bake sale to raise money, for example, you could host a webinar in advance to teach volunteers how to run the event.
Web page
It’s important to make sure your website is aligned with your marketing message, easy for your customers to navigate and use, and optimized for search engines .
Websites are incredibly valuable (possibly even indispensable) resources for nonprofit organizations.
Having an obvious hub that acts as a resource for information about your organization and a point of contact is essential. Your audience needs to know what you do and where they can find you.
Want to boost your channels? Find a partnership
Partnerships can be a great way to compensate for resource shortages.
A partnership is a transaction in which two or more companies share resources to boost their online marketing presence. In some cases, a partnership may even involve cross-promoting each other’s products or services.
There are some simple ways you can ensure your partnership works for the benefit of everyone involved:
- Choose a company whose products or services complement yours. Ideally, your marketing content should go hand in hand for full effectiveness (although this depends on the type of partnership).
- Make sure your organization receives its fair share of promotion. This partnership should be symbiotic, not parasitic. For this reason, it’s also important to track the partnership’s impact on your key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Create clear terms from the beginning and communicate frequently to ensure they are followed. Partnerships are successful when both parties feel properly heard and involved.
There are many marketing tools you can use, free of charge, for your organization.
Mailchimp offers a wide range of free marketing tools and channels, including email, marketing CRM, 1-click automation, websites, and more. (And when you’re ready for paid features, Mailchimp also offers a discount for nonprofits .)
Other useful content marketing tools include:
- Google Drive: Google Drive is a great option for document storage. It allows different levels of access to documents across the organization.
- Asana: Asana allows users to manage content production, transfer content between different users, and ensure deadlines are met.
- Grammarly: Grammarly is an editing plugin that can help your organization produce clean, error-free content.
- Canvas: Canvas is one of the many options that make creating graphics simple for less experienced users.
Marketing tools for search engine optimization (SEO)
- Google Analytics: Google Analytics provides information about your website traffic and engagement that can help you measure success and plan improvements.
- SEMrush: SEMrush has a variety of features related to keyword optimization, including reports on keyword rankings for a website or web page, and information on overall keyword search volume.
- Buzz Sumo: Buzz Sumo can help users plan content by reporting on how frequently different content is shared and keeping track of your competitors.
- SERP Preview Tool: This tool allows you to preview how your page will appear on a search engine results page.
- Google Alerts: This tool updates you when you or a competitor are trending.
- VSCO App – This is a popular photo editing app.
- Clips app: Allows you to cut clips from a video file, as well as add effects and titles.
Marketing Grants for Nonprofits
For marketing efforts that are not free, you can apply for funding.
There are a number of different grants available exclusively for nonprofits looking to better market their work. Google Grants and the YouTube Nonprofit Program are two examples of advertising grants awarded to nonprofits by private organizations.
Meanwhile, there are many government grants for nonprofit operations awarded at the federal, state, and local levels.
Additional Resources and Further Reading
As you continue to grow your nonprofit through your marketing efforts ,these resources will help you keep a pulse on your sector. 
- The National Council of Nonprofits: An Informational and Advocacy Resource
- Nonprofit Storytelling Conference: An Annual Informational Conference
- Nonprofit Mar Community: An Informational and Community Resource
- Global Giving: A platform for nonprofits and donors to connect
- Nonprofit Finance Fund: A lender and financial resource
- The Nonprofit Times: a newspaper that provides informational support to nonprofit organizations
With each new strategy and effort, you’ll learn what works for your audience and improve. Keeping people engaged with your cause makes all the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing for Nonprofits
Why do nonprofits struggle with marketing?
Creating a nonprofit marketing plan can be difficult because many nonprofits simply don’t have access to the resources for robust marketing. Small marketing budgets can make it difficult to spend enough on digital marketing, and many nonprofits lack a strong internal marketing team. These two obstacles can make it difficult to reach your audience, which makes lead generation difficult.
Nonprofit marketing is also difficult because it’s inherently harder to market a cause than a product. Nonprofits are often staffed, at least partially, by volunteers, so they often lack the experience and knowledge needed to run effective digital marketing campaigns. Additionally, people have a lot on their plate, which means they don’t always have time to keep up with your nonprofit and its cause.
What is the best marketing strategy for nonprofits?
As with any digital marketing campaign, the best strategy depends on several factors. What may be an effective marketing strategy for one nonprofit may be ineffective for another. You should consider your organization, what you want from your marketing campaign, and who your audience is.
If you’re trying to develop the best nonprofit digital marketing strategy, you should start by incorporating various types of marketing into your strategy. Keep what works and leave behind what doesn’t: over time, you’ll have an effective marketing strategy tailored to your nonprofit.
Many nonprofit organizations are using social media to reach a wide audience and spread the word about their cause. Social media can be a great way to raise awareness and build a community that cares about a cause.
When it comes to social media marketing, the key is to be upfront about your nonprofit status. You should register your social media accounts as a nonprofit and add a donation button on platforms that allow it. Also, take the time to create a content calendar; that way, you’ll have optimized content to post regularly.
