How to Guerrilla Market Your Non-Profit Organization
Guerrilla marketing is a nontraditional way of reaching potential customers. It usually involves going out to find those customers in an aggressive manner, whether online via social media sites or on the streets of major cities. It is common for a for-profit company, but this tactic can also work for a non-profit organization. Your goal is to actively find donors and supporters for your cause.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Professional marketing materials
- Social media accounts (for online marketing)
- Tables, chairs and helpers (for street marketing)
- Credit card acceptance method (merchant account)
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1
Create professional literature that describes the activities of your non-profit organization. Identify your name, cause, founding date, founding members and people you've helped to date.
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2
Select either an online or offline method for your guerrilla marketing effort, or you can choose both. Establish a profile on every major social media website and identities on message boards that relate to your cause if you choose the online method. Select a location in a downtown metropolitan area near you if you choose an offline guerrilla marketing method. Secure any permits you will need to set up a table, and hire a street team to educate passersby about your cause.
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3
Advertise information about your 501(c)(3) status at your marketing table on the street, social media profiles online and in all of your marketing materials. It is important to assure prospective supporters that you're an official state- and federally-recognized non-profit organization.
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4
Hire a strong public speaker to announce details about your non-profit if you're doing street promotions, or you can take on this task yourself if you're a skilled public speaker. If online, produce video shorts demonstrating how you help in the community and post them on your social media profiles.
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5
Select an attention-grabbing theme to use whenever you embark on your guerrilla marketing campaigns. For instance, if your cause is to preserve the environment, use chairs and tables made out of recycled cans when out on the streets promoting your non-profit.
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6
Establish a method of accepting donations on the spot whether you are online or on the street. If online add a "Donate Now" link to your Web profiles. If on the street, secure a cell phone service and handset that allows you to swipe credit cards on your phone. Some smartphones, like the iPhone, provide you with this capability. You can also accept cash donations in person. Provide donors with an official receipt in either case so that they can deduct the donation if you're an official charity.
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