How to Get the Word Out for Your Nonprofit Organization

Getting the word out for your nonprofit is THE most important thing you will do for your organization. The more people who know who you are and what you do, the easier it will be for them to be involved - financially or as a volunteer.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Public relations professional

1. Hire a public relations professional, either full-time or as a consultatnt. Make sure you share all information possible with this person so he or she can present your nonprofit thoughtfully to the media, the community and donors.

2. Implement a year-long community awareness campaign that includes radio, print and television. This should include public-service announcements that give the public a better idea of who you are and what your organization does.

3. Look into avenues of "free" advertising - this is where "cause marketing" can come into play (see Tips).

4. Try to get the most bang for your buck if you do have to pay money to promote your agency in any way. Remember that radio, TV and print media are required by the Federal Communications Commission to run your public service announcements, so have one ready to go for them all.

5. Use direct mail but make sure your database is current. Update it, purge it and clean it up before you waste time mailing something to the wrong person. The mail campaign should correspond to the rest of the campaign message.

6. Explore nontraditional advertising, including billboards, sides of buses, bus stop seats, church bulletins, company newsletters. Get to know your community so that you can know all of the possibilities of getting the word out.

Tips & Warnings

• In a cause-marketing or cause-related marketing partnership, a for-profit company teams with a nonprofit organization to promote the company's product or service and to raise money for the nonprofit. An example is Kellogg's involvement with Race for the Cure.
• It all comes full circle if you run an effective campaign, plan thoughtfully and organize your thoughts in a way that the entire community and your organization will benefit.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• How To Make Big Money With Low-Budget Postcard Projects. PostcardProfits.com
• Earn your degree from industry experts at University of Phoenix. Take the next step in your career.