Tips for Spreading Awareness About Your Non-Profit
Running a non-profit organization often means wearing many hats, including marketing, but for many, marketing may not be a skill that comes naturally. Between managing programs, community outreach, and fundraising, finding the time (and know-how) to effectively promote your mission can feel overwhelming.
That’s where Midwest Marketing comes in. Since 2005, we’ve provided marketing solutions for non-profit organizations large and small, helping them reach their goals through strategic messaging, branding, paid ad campaigns, and more.
Here are our tips for amplifying your non-profit’s voice:
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Create a Clear Brand Identity
The first step that should be taken before any ads are designed or campaigns launched is to ensure you have a recognizable, cohesive brand. This helps people connect with your mission and gains trust among your followers.
A good foundation to start with is a brand kit. This lays out all the fundamentals for your brand as far as logo, what colors will be used in marketing materials, etc. Learn more about brand kits here.
During this time, you will want to also develop a clear, memorable tagline that sums up what your organization does. Not only do you want a tagline that encapsulates your brand’s mission, but you also want it to be a message that compels those who receive it to join in and lend a hand.
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Establish Your Online Presence
In today’s digital world, your online presence is often the first impression potential supporters will have, and it can make or break their decision to get involved. Here are a few things that will help you:
- Build a user-friendly website. Your website should clearly explain who you are, what you do, and how people can help. Include compelling visuals, an easy way to donate, and stories that highlight your impact.
- Claim and optimize your local listings. Local listings help people find your organization in local searches and include your contact information, website link, and photos. Claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile is the most important, but there are many others that you can also use. Get more details about local listings here.
- Encourage and respond to reviews. Positive feedback from volunteers, donors, and partners boosts credibility and trust. Include links to leave reviews on Google and other platforms on your website, social media posts, and marketing materials. Don’t forget to monitor your reviews regularly and leave thoughtful responses!
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Tell Impactful Stories
The most powerful way to connect with donors and volunteers is to show the human side of your work. Share real stories from those you have helped. Showcase volunteer and donor experiences to reveal the heart behind your cause.
Telling these stories can be compelling through text, but you can really bring them to life by creating video assets that build emotional connections much faster than words alone.
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Leverage Social Media for Good
Social media is the perfect platform for storytelling and building awareness. Choose platforms where your audience already spends their time and create regular, authentic content that includes plenty of photos and videos.
Encouraging user-generated content is a fairly easy way to gather effective social media content. Think of a hashtag that pertains to your organization and ask that people use it when posting on social about your non-profit, which will boost your reach organically.
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Partner with Local Businesses
Collaboration is one of the most powerful tools a non-profit can use to expand its reach. Partnering with local businesses not only increases visibility but also creates opportunities to pool resources and strengthen community ties. Co-host events, create cross-promotions, and mention each other on social media to create a partnership that benefits both sides and showcases your organization’s community involvement.
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Take Advantage of Targeted Ads
With digital ads, you can better stretch your (often limited) marketing dollars by targeting ads to only people that care about your mission. Target by location, age, device, your audience’s interests, what your audience is currently browsing for, or the many other ways you can target, which can vary by platform.
Pro Tip: Google offers Google Ad Grants for non-profits that provides $10,000 worth of free ads per month to registered non-profit organizations for Google Search and Performance Max ads. Registering for the program is a fairly simple process and involves submitting documents confirming your non-profit status.
📢Let Midwest Marketing Help You Spread the Word📢
At Midwest Marketing, we’re passionate about helping non-profit organizations make a difference. Whether you need help with branding, website development, social media, paid ads, graphic design, or just general marketing guidance, our experienced team is here to help.