3 Ways to Shape Your Nonprofit’s Message
Knowing what to say is a top concern, according to questions the Network for Good support team regularly fields from fundraisers. The most valuable nonprofit messaging guidance we can share with you is to communicate back to your donors first and foremost with what connects them with your organization; what they care about most.
Power Up Your Nonprofit’s Messages—Easy As 1-2-3
1) Personalize your marketing to get close quickly
Consider the personalized outreach of Alpha Chi Rho Educational Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Alpha Chi Rho national fraternity. The fraternity tracks birthdays along with other information in their fundraising software. COO/Director of Development Jay Anhorn sends a “happy birthday” email on the first of each month to all members who are celebrating a birthday during that particular month. The Foundation has seen a boost in engagement through this simple birthday campaign.
2) Boost credibility with third-party accolades
Feature reviews and testimonials across your marketing outreach to boost credibility. Let someone else convey the impact of your work. The massively influential, annual Edelman Trust Barometer Study confirms the power of recommendations from friends, families, colleagues, and individual experts year after year. Check out this brief video showcasing testimonials from Wide Angle Youth Media’s youth participants.
3) Make outreach instantly recognizable
Brand consistency makes it easy for people to recognize your nonprofit and kick-starts action. Use your messages and images consistently throughout your communications, campaigns, and channels to make it easier for people to instantly recognize that a message is from your organization.
- Use the pre-designed templates provided in your email software, rather than creating your email from scratch every time. You’ll save time, reduce errors, and make it easy for recipients to recognize your emails in an instant.
- Stay consistent across all steps of a process. For example, feature your primary campaign message in the donation checkout process.
Download our white paper, “How Marketing Drives Donor Engagement,” for more ways to use marketing to achieve your fundraising goals.
