You have got a tough job. It’s always been tough, but now it must feel like it’s almost impossible to achieve your goals. With the world getting a tighter grip on its purse strings like never before, good causes, like yours are in danger of being bottom of most people’s list when it comes to their budget.
Not-for-profit marketing.
It may be the case that your old strategies and processes for gaining valuable donations are not working anymore. There is probably nothing wrong with them, but in the current climate and with current social trends, perhaps a new approach is needed.
Maybe new revenue streams can be generated through a more innovative route, ideas that are more akin to marketing a brand or service rather than a charity. Perhaps you need a smarter way to use your vital marketing budget or more efficient use of your staff and volunteers.
Strategic thinking
Delivering the right messages to the right people at the right time requires strategic thinking and the right support.
Charities like all operations will undergo change. Businesses gain new customers and new markets, so charities can find support from new people. Just because your current supporters have a certain profile doesn’t mean that you can’t attract new people to your cause. It just requires some fresh thinking, some new ideas, a new approach.
Maybe the first thing is to approach a new marketing agency.
Effective branding and communications.
In the not-for-profit sector, branding is incredibly important, as it embodies the set of ideals, values and the drive, passions and ethos of an organisation. As a supporter’s first point of contact, your brand is pivotal to forming the trust needed to donate and continually engage with your cause. Your brand identity also forms the backbone for the way you communicate.
Effective not-for-profit communications revolve around knowing when to deliver harder-hitting messages and when to communicate in a positive, inspiring way, and in both cases, maintaining a focus on clarity. Clarity is all about how clear you are in communicating your values, your ethos, you drive and your why. It’s about how clearly you explain to people what you do, the difference you make and how you spend the money you receive.