Marketing for Non Profit Organizations
7 Mantras for Nonprofit Marketing
by Jim Mathis
Over the last 35-odd years, I’ve done more than my fair share of working with non-profits. And as I get older, I’ve begun to feel like I’ve helped sell more than enough used cars, cheeseburgers, and free checking accounts. What gives me the most joy, the most fulfillment, is using my marketing experience to truly help improve the world by helping non-profits. Whether that means serving on a board, volunteering my time, writing a check or guiding the marketing for non-profit organizations, I’ve found I get so much more out of the work than a paycheck.
At the heart of most nonprofit marketing is fundraising. I prefer the term Philanthropy, because it sounds so much more noble, but when it comes down to it, it’s raising money so the charity can do what it does best, whether that is helping families in times of need, feeding the less fortunate or improving the human condition through the arts and humanities. Money makes the world go around.
That said, I’m sharing a few of the things I’ve learned along the way. I call these my seven mantras for nonprofit marketing.
1) Without Money, there is No Mission. Without Mission, there is No Money.
The reality of all non-profits is that they exist to Serve the Mission. Period. Every decision we make needs to be filtered through the lens of “does this serve our mission?” But we can’t serve our mission without money; money for staff, money for services, money to raise more money… “Without money, there is no mission.” That’s what the CEO of one of my favorite charities often says. He’s not wrong.
The other side of that coin is that people don’t write checks to support your staff, or fundraising efforts, they write checks to support the mission. Without the mission, there is no money. This is the tightrope we must walk. No money, no mission. No mission, no money.
Our challenge as marketers (and nonprofit organizations) is to show people how their money helps us serve the mission and move us closer to achieving our vision. If we can tell stories that show potential donors how they fit into that vision, getting them to help is much easier.
2) No Stories without Data. No Data without Stories
Like many good things, this was shamelessly stolen. Randy Cohen is Vice President of Research at Americans for the Arts—the national advocacy organization for the arts. He travels the country talking about the impact of arts on communities, often leading with the financial impact of the arts. But he doesn’t just share charts and graphs and numbers; he’ll tell the story of how he and his wife spent a day at a museum and the trail of money they spent along the way, a restaurant, parking and tickets. Then he connects the story to the data points he’s sharing. He says, “no data without a story, no story without data.” Why? Telling a story will make the data more meaningful and accessible. And don’t waste a good story without sneaking in some good information.
3) We are Giving People the Opportunity to Change the World
If you think about philanthropy in terms of “asking people for money” it’s a daunting challenge. But asking people to help solve a problem is a much easier task. How can they help? By giving their time, their talents and, yes, their money. But if they agree they want to help solve the problem, then we are giving them the opportunity to change the world.
That brings us back to our mission. What is the social issue we are trying to solve? Tell the stories of how your organization is fulfilling your mission, who have you impacted, what was the result. Then explain how the donor can help.
I had the privilege of meeting a family from southern Minnesota, their young daughter Genevieve had some heart and lung problems at birth and spent more than a month in the NICU. While she was there, the family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. Months later, they took her to Michigan for heart surgery, spending another 40 days at a Ronald McDonald House there. By all measures, Genevieve was doing great, until she got RSV, a common childhood disease. Most kids recover, but with Genevieve’s delicate condition, she did not. On what would have been her 5th birthday, the family held a pajama drive in their hometown, and delivered more than 400 pairs of pjs to the Ronald McDonald House in her memory. This little girl made a big difference, nearly 4 years after she passed away. They had seen firsthand how the Ronald McDonald House changed the world for families like theirs, and wanted share that with others. Here's her story.
4) Philanthropy is a Team Sport
People often think their small contribution won’t make a difference. But their $25 (or $250, or $2,500) combined with other people’s donations add up to make a huge impact, enough to drive our mission. And their small contribution may encourage other small contributions. Together they will make a difference. Everything our donors do is amplified when it’s pooled together.
Ronald McDonald House Charities ask people to collect pop-tabs—the little thing on the top of your beer or pop can. I was asked recently how much money did that raise? The answer, not a lot. A million pop-tabs will bring in around $350. But it gives people—and especially kids—a chance to feel like they’re helping the cause, one tiny piece of aluminum at a time.
Philanthropy is a team sport; we all need to play together for a common cause. A hundred people whispering can make more noise than one person shouting.
5) They Didn’t Give Because You Didn’t Ask
A couple of years ago, I called Tom, an acquaintance and fellow small business owner asking him to sponsor a local arts organization. His response “I’d love to. Why hasn’t anyone asked before?” Ouch. Why hadn’t I asked? I didn’t know Tom that well, it didn’t think he’d say yes, or I just hadn’t done it; I had a lot of excuses. I should have asked. Tom now serves on that board and is a passionate and dedicated supporter. He’d just never been asked before.
How many Toms are out there for your organization? One thing is certain, he’s not alone.
6) Good Technology Only Makes Bad Fundraising Suck Faster
If you think “we could reach our goals if we only had a better website, one more social post or a bigger database” you are using technology as a crutch or excuse. True, a great database is worth its hypothetical weight in gold, but building that database takes constant effort and considerable work. And a hundred social media posts won’t replace the power of personal, one-on-one relationships. Your website won’t replace the need for personal connections, those are just tools to make it easier for those connections to stay connected.
If those tools aren’t used well, they could hurt you more than they help. Email your donors too often and they will unsubscribe. That’s a connection lost. Send a poorly written letter, not acknowledging that the donor has supported you in the past, you may turn them away.
And the worst offense; using technology to replace a personal connection. Several years ago, I had a long-term donor on my list of people to call for a small, cash-strapped non-profit. This couple was protective of their information and only gave the organization their home/land line phone number. After several unanswered calls I asked around and found they had gone south for the winter; the home phone wasn’t going to be answered until at least April. So, as is common for my generation, I sent an email. The response was swift and clear; one does NOT ask for a donation via email! I was informed when they would be returning and that at that time, they would expect an in-person meeting and an apology. Months later, hat in hand, I bought this couple coffee, begged forgiveness and made the ask in person. They gave, but not before receiving their pound of flesh. Would a good contact management system have helped? Maybe. But probably not until one of us had learned the lesson the hard way. Good technology used poorly almost cost us a great relationship.
7) Giving Feels Good
The concept of altruism is fantastic; people doing good simply to do good. But the truth is, no matter how altruistic we think we are, we give because it makes us feel good. We like to help people, we like to feel like we are part of something bigger, we want to make a difference.
On an old episode of Friends, Phoebe and Joey discuss this concept. Joey says “Look, there’s not unselfish good deeds, sorry.” Always the optimist, Phoebe replied “of course there are unselfish good deeds.” “May I have one example?” Phoebe mumbles, before admitting “No, you may not!” But she still believes she can do something for someone else, without helping herself. After a couple of failed attempts, she makes a call to the phone-a-thon where Joey is working. She thinks she helped the cause without helping herself. Then Joey is recognized for pushing past the goal with Phoebe’s donation. “Yea!” She proclaimed, thus feeling great for helping Joey get recognition. No matter how hard we try, giving makes us feel better.
We do these things because they make us feel good. Embrace that.
Marketing with the goal of philanthropy is really not all that different than marketing any other service. We just need to use our tools with our mind on the mission of the charity. Advertising for cheeseburgers doesn’t focus on the burger, it’s about satisfying the consumer’s hunger. Marketing for cars isn’t about parking a hunk of metal in the driveway, it’s fulfilling a need for transportation. The same is true with charitable work, we’re giving people a chance to solve a problem, fulfill a mission, be a part of something bigger, do their part to make the world a better place. And make themselves feel good while doing it.
Want to talk about how we could help grow your non-profit? Drop us a line.
