9 Steps to Set Up Your Non Profit Marketing Strategies for Fundraising Campaigns

When we talk about the journey of supporters through your online fundraising campaign, we are referring to a marketing funnel. We have come up with steps to improve your non profit marketing strategies to improve your system of deepening the level of knowing, liking and trust between your organization and your supporters.

As many of you know, we are very passionate about helping others – especially those who extend their help to others. Through conversing with people, we have found that the same issues and concerns regularly come up. For this reason, it is important for us to discuss with you how your organization can set up its non profit marketing strategies for its fundraising campaign.

Working with non-profit organizations means that we are given the opportunity to work with incredible individuals who have big and open hearts, and who are selfless and caring. Something we have learned throughout the years is that people who give what they can have a lot to teach, because they know the value of sharing and kindness. If there is one thing this world needs, it is more kindness. But society roughens and toughens us up. It is easy to become jaded and easier to fall into traps where we are no longer able to see the light; let alone, the love. One of the biggest game-changers we have learned came from a kind-hearted person who taught us how to focus on getting to know others and seeking out the best in people – everybody has something to share that makes them shine. So, when we are faced with sour situations, seek the good in others and focus closer on the silver linings. Fred Rogers often shared his story about when he was a young boy and would see tragic news on the television: “my mother would say to me, ‘look for the helpers. There, you will always find people who are helping’. Up until this day, especially during times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by the thought that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world”.

It is easy to find yourself in a comfort zone – not just as a person, but also as an organization. Your comfort zone may make you feel supported, but it doesn’t leave room for growth. Everyday, there are donors who grow tired of “the same old thing”. Despite this, the show must go on. It is easy to just reuse the methods and strategies of what you did in the previous years. Truth be told, there are people who may have the same mindset and say: “it worked in the past, so why reinvent the wheel?”. We advise against having the same mindset and should rather think outside the box and ask yourselves: what if the car changed? What if the methods and strategies you implemented in the prior year no longer resonate today? What if the style looks old and is out of fashion? Take chances! If you are trying to save time, then you also have time to try something new. Go beyond your walls and find out how you can adapt to the everyday changes in our world. For tomorrow or in the next days, you may only realize that what you have been using is already obsolete and you would no longer know the chances and the opportunities you missed. Trying new things is exciting – it keeps us on our toes. But then again, that’s the way we dance.

Your organization may be struggling to keep up, and you may be thinking that the struggling must end right away, but what can you do? You may even feel defeated before you begin addressing and resolving the organization’s issues – it is easy to get distracted, side-tracked or intimidated by what lies ahead of you and your organization. You may feel that there isn’t much you can do about it. However, may we remind you that struggles often come as opportunities in disguise – within the struggle is the potential to make a change. Take a moment to pause, reflect and get real. Why is there a struggle? Are others facing this kind of struggle, too? What led me to this struggle? Even the smallest details matter, so pay attention.

It can be easy to fall in and drown in that feeling of overwhelm – it is common in non-profit organizations. But we believe that that is not the way it needs to be – we believe in better time management and better campaign management. We believe that you can change the way you work. What if you had a donor management system that worked seamlessly with your website and email management systems. What if you had streamlined workflows, task management, scheduling and reminder systems, and ways to use your time more efficiently? Our goal is to help you strategize and clean up your systems so you can be more productive and concentrate on your higher priorities instead of being bogged down by minor work. It is easier to inspire others when you yourself is feeling your best.

One of the initial steps we take when we start working with an organization is to get a clear grasp of their vision – this refers to the impact they want to make. We should be able to answer questions such as: “what inspires people to join and work for the cause?”, “where is that passion and drive coming from?”. Once we are able to determine the answers to the aforementioned questions, we can then move on to the next step to setting up your non profit marketing strategies.

There are so many people working together to make this world a better place for us and the future generations. Our organization is committed to helping other non-profit organizations achieve their visions. Listed below are the steps in setting up non profit marketing strategies for your online fundraising campaign:

1. Review Goals: Consider the organization’s goals for both the online fundraising campaign and the specific goals for the supporters and donors during their journey.
2. Gather Research: Review all relevant user research – which includes qualitative and quantitative findings to provide insights into the donor experience.
3. Set Touchpoints: Generate a list of touchpoints for the donors and determine which channels will be used for the touchpoints.
4. Emphasize Empathy: Get a well-rounded sense of how it feels to be the person in the experience. Focus specifically on what they are thinking, feeling, seeing, hearing, saying and doing.
5. Brainstorm: Generate as many ideas as possible in a short period of time.
6. Affinity Diagram: After you have considered the broad scope of ideas and explored the outcome possibilities, focus on the right solutions for this experience.
7. Sketch the Journey: Put together all the pieces: timeline, touchpoints, channels, emotional highs and lows, and the new ideas generated to improve the donor’s journey.
8. Refine and Build: Work with a graphic designer and a web developer to refine and develop your marketing pieces and website pages.
9. Share and Use: Use the journey map as the backbone for strategic recommendations and tactical initiatives.