Does your NFP have clear goals in mind when it comes to your messaging, or are you still in the stage of throwing as many “darts” as possible when it comes to your blogging and social media posts? Just because you create a lot of content, and post it widely, doesn’t mean that you will receive good results. You need to set specific, measurable goals and aim for a target if you want to reach it!

The following four marketing strategies can help you increase the size and frequency of the donations that you receive, as well as lower your overall marketing costs.

Is Your Website a Driver for Donations?

Do you know why your visitors come to your website? Do you have a target audience and, are they taking the actions that you want them to make when they come to your site? The ultimate goal of every website should be to convert visitors into supporters and to encourage them to become regular donors.

Most visitors first come to a nonprofit’s website to learn more about the organisation and the cause that it is fighting for. While you do want to inform visitors about your mission, you want to also use your site to make a connection with them and encourage them to get involved.

Unless they stumbled upon your site by accident, it is likely that they are already interested in your cause. To convert them into supporters, your website needs engaging, interesting content, that’s meaningful to them, and that encourages them to take further action to support your work.

Show your supporters how their donations support your work, and how your work is making things better in the community. Strengthen your bond with them by encouraging them to sign-up for your newsletters and email list. Offer RSS feeds so that your content will still reach supporters that are interested in your work, but that may be too busy to visit your site regularly.

Use Facebook for Nonprofits to Your Best Advantage

Facebook has made it easier than ever for individuals to connect with their favourite causes and support their work. Use their tools to include a donate now button on your NFP’s page. Use the platform to encourage your supporters to create their own customised fundraising campaigns to support your cause for their birthday or other special events!

Create your own special online fundraising events in the form of a challenge and invite your supporters to join in and share pictures of their results to increase the reach of your messaging and encourage more donations during these types events.

YouTube Nonprofits

YouTube is another social media channel that’s making it easier for nonprofits to raise awareness. Create a free profile and customise it with your tagline or motto as well as your logo to strengthen your brand identity.

Shoot some great videos of your next nonprofit event and upload them to profile. When editing your video, be sure to customise it with an overlay that includes a donate now button or other call to action to increase support for your work.

Google Apps and Ad Grants

Regardless of the size of your organisation, advertising is expensive, as are the productivity tools that make it easier to run your campaigns and manage your performance. If you meet Google’s criteria, your NFP can qualify for free Google storage, and the use of integrated apps, such as Gmail and its calendar, free of charge.

Nonprofits can also apply for Google Ad Grants. This is funding that gives qualifying NFPs up to $10,000 (USD) a month in Adwords advertising, reducing the cost to market your NFP! Organisations that qualify for Google’s Grantspro can see that spend increased up to $40,000 each month! If you haven’t applied already, it’s well worth the time and effort to do so!