How do you gain attention for your Non-Profit?
This is clearly a question every non-profit Executive Director thinks about every day as funds for non-profits have been steadily declining for the last 2 years given the harsh economic realities we’re all still going through.
So these are a few tips I thought I would share with you all.
Whether you are an NPO or not, an integral part of any good marketing plan is defining your goals. When you know what it is you want to achieve, creating distinct marketing campaigns and tactics become much more clear.
The goals of non-profit organizations can be as diverse as the myriad of organizations themselves. There are, however, a few major goals across the board.
5 major goals of a NPO include increasing:
· Cause awareness
· Brand awareness
· Donations
· Volunteers
· Membership
Social media platforms are maybe the best way to go about achieving those goals.
1. Begin with those who are truly involved and affected by the work you do. Create a community that can grow. Do not expect ‘public’ attention, the public is way distracted by so many things, you must begin with those who are involved and develop a network from there.
2. Craft a unique story to entice others to pile on. There’s a for-cause for just about everything already, so consider how to differentiate your cause from others just like for-profits analyze and position against competitors.
3. Get a designer to design a classy and effective logo for your organization. I am sure there would be people willing to do this for free given the nature of your venture. You can also post this requirement on design and freelance forums inviting designers for the job.
4. Set up a Facebook page for your organization. Make good posts. Alternate between text/picture and video posts. Make sure that they are light and connected to the work you do. Also use your Twitter profile to talk about this organization. You can edit your profile such that it talks about your role in the organization and your mission. This will help get the word out within your circles.
5. Make a few stickers/T shirts/badges/flyers etc with your logo and mission printed on it. You can drop the flyers at places where there are chances of many people seeing them. With the T shirts, badges and stickers distribute them to people who you know will use them. If you find it worth, you can also pay them a small amount to use them effectively such that it gets good exposure.
6. Start doing things like a “Signature campaign” for your cause. Get people to sign their support (don’t ask for money yet) for the cause and if possible, take pictures with them.
7. Document all the work you do for your organization. Document them in text, photos and video. Make sure that you and your team are wearing the T shirts/badges of your organizations when you’re out doing work. Try and request bloggers to write a blog about your organization and put your logo up on their charities list. This will help your organization gain real exposure.
Share your thoughts…
