How to Market Nonprofit Organizations
In most ways, effective marketing is the same in overall approach for nonprofit groups as it is for profit-making businesses. Nonprofits need to know their markets--the people or projects they will serve, as well as potential contributors and supporters--and they also need to carefully assess the competition. Like any other business, nonprofits must come up with workable goals and strategies. Low budgets can cause some marketing limitations for nonprofits. But nonprofits have a few advantages, and making use of them supports marketing success.
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Things You'll Need
- Website
- Facebook homepage
- Facebook fan page
- Twitter account
- YouTube channel
- Media list
Instructions
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Research thoroughly your nonprofit's "market." Understand the competition, too, which for nonprofits includes similar organizations also seeking scarce dollars, supporters and volunteers. The goal of nonprofit marketing is to identify the market (need) for the service you offer and to increase your organization's share of that market (increase your organization's effectiveness at fulfilling that need). Accurate information is key. Ask and answer questions such as: How many people need our service? Is that number likely to increase, decrease or remain steady? (How large is the possible market?) How many of these people are or could be served by other organizations?
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Develop an effective marketing strategy. How will your nonprofit achieve its goals, both in terms of mission and in keeping its doors open? What are the unique challenges you face? Your marketing strategy will answer such questions. State your key goals and discuss overall approaches for achieving those goals for the coming year and longer term.
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Develop marketing tactics to act on this strategy, along with a detailed budget and timeline. Play to your organization's strengths--and the unique advantages that nonprofits possess. Nonprofits can publicize their efforts through public service announcements in mainstream media, an option not available to profit-making concerns. Nonprofits often have more creative latitude in public relations and can effectively join with other nonprofits in common cause.
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Make the most of low-cost or no-cost marketing tactics, from websites and effective email newsletters to Facebook fan pages, Twitter and YouTube. Nonprofits have marketplace disadvantages, tiny marketing budgets being the one people tend to emphasize. But the rise of social networking makes it easier for low-budget businesses of all kinds to level the playing field, at least to a degree.
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Formalize this information into your marketing plan, and revisit and update it each year. Your nonprofit's plan should include a one-page overview or summary (write this last), an analysis of the market situation, an explanation of your marketing strategy, marketing tactics and both marketing budget and timeline.
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