I've had the privilege to provide marketing support for several non-profits - both local and national organizations. Often times, these non-profits have a small team who handles their communications and social media. They have their regular communications that keep the wheels on the bus (so to speak), but may not lead to as much year-over-year growth as they'd like.
Here are 4 proven marketing techniques that you can share with the non-profits you support. This message may reinforce that they're doing the right things, or it could help open up some new ideas.
Look for co-branding opportunities
Yes, event sponsor and logo placement are good, but that's not the only way non-profits to leverage another brand to expand their reach.
Let's say that a local law firm has a partner on the board of the non-profit. They could work together to create a co-branded guide for unhoused families looking to rent - what rights do they have, what to look out for, etc. Not only does this guide help people in need, but it builds goodwill for both brands.
Make donations more tangible
Yes, it's nice to say "Thank you for supporting our mission", but that isn't very memorable - especially for new donors. Instead, give them examples of what their donation amount can actually translate into. For example, $500 provides three families with a night of safe housing. By adding this to the "thank you" message, the donor can visualize three families they've helped.
This technique is often used in annual reports to summarize the entire year's work, but when these stats are boiled down to individual donor amounts it can help build a long-term connection.
Let the people you serve tell their own stories
Often times non-profit organizations share someone's story from the perspective of the organization and all of the great things they provided the person.
When you let them tell their own story, not only can it be empowering for that person, but these stories pull harder at the heart strings of many donors and volunteers.
Expand the donor communication journey
Thank you notes and the annual report mailing are nice touch points, but if you can add a few more communications to that existing process non-profits can see greater long-term connections.
For example, after an event, the non-profit sends their normal "thank you" card. Take it one step further and send a follow-up message with photos from the event and a story of how that donation will impact the community. A third communication could be sent out asking about more co-branding opportunities (like above).
These additional communications don't have to cost anything if sent via email, but they can really build long-term connections.