Seven Marketing Strategies for Nonprofit Events

Nonprofit organizations are pressed for a budget when trying to raise money for events. It requires a unified and comprehensive approach to spread the word about the nonprofit fundraising event and engage potential donors. Good nonprofit event marketing requires selecting the right tools and channels to amplify their impact.  

Here are seven clever marketing strategies for nonprofit events.

 1. Create a donation page on an online fundraising platform

Not many nonprofits have a dedicated website. So, the best you can do is to set up a donation page on any trusted online fundraising platform. Such websites come equipped with features to set up a donation page quickly and easily. You can share the link to this donation page on various channels.

 2. Email Marketing for Nonprofit Events

Email marketing is a highly effective and affordable tool for nonprofit fundraising marketing. If done right, it has the potential to earn you $42 on every dollar you spend. What makes e-mail marketing unique is its personalization and customer segmentation features. Here are a few ways to leverage the features of any good email marketing tool to urge people to attend the nonprofit event and donate to the cause.

• Start by sending an email on your organization, the cause, statistics & data to support it, and the volunteer needs.
• Send weekly updates to all regarding the utilization of funds and updates on the cause.
• Set up an automated email sequence for new donors thanking them for giving and educating them on your organization. Place a Subscribe CTA button requesting them to subscribe to your email list.
• Send emails after a month or 6 months to first-time donors telling them about the cause. Place a donor subscription CTA button at the last influencing them to donate periodically.

Automate your email campaign to engage donors from time to time. By integrating the email marketing tool into your website, you can automate the email sequence triggered by visitor behavior such as downloading educational content, subscribing to weekly newsletters, and so on.

Tip: Make sure that your email contains links to the nonprofit event’s social media pages. And do not forget to add a link to the donation page created on the online fundraising platform.

 3. Video marketing for nonprofit events

Viewers process visual content 60,000 times faster than text content. It has a higher recall rate and inspires empathy and emotions than other forms of content. Another benefit of video marketing is that viewers love to share videos with their family and friends. Video marketing is a sure way to garner enough attention for nonprofit fundraising right away from the start. Keep the video small and informative. Place a link to the campaign page created on the online fundraising platform at the end of the video. If you are promoting the video on social media platforms, you can place the link on the description.

 4. Social media marketing for nonprofit events

The highly popular social media platforms are a good bet when you want to garner the right audiences for nonprofit fundraising. Two types of marketing are possible on social media, one is free and the other is paid. Paid marketing campaigns can be done either through PPC (Pay Per Click) or through influencer marketing. Moreover, sponsored ads do not need a high budget. You can set many preferences such as budget, days, location, viewer demographics, interests & preferences to target the campaign to the right audience. Influencer marketing is another great option to reach a wider audience.

• The first step is to set up a page for the nonprofit organization. Facebook allows inserting the Donate button on the profile page.   
• Share news about the event and the cause through interactive visual content such as images and short videos.
• Try paid campaigns to boost awareness and recognition
• Encourage your supporters to share posts or repost them on their profiles.
• Keep posting consistently.
• Make use of user-generated content (UGC) as social proof.  
• Create unique hashtags in your campaign to promote the fundraising event.

Also, don’t forget to post the link to the donation page created on the online fundraising platform.

 5. Content marketing for nonprofit events

Content marketing in various forms helps you raise awareness about the cause. Blogging is a valuable marketing asset for any nonprofit organization.

• Content marketing in the form of blogging gives you an opportunity to educate the audience about the event, its cause, and the work done by your organization.
• Content aimed at SEO brings visitors to the donation page on the online fundraising platform.
• Content can be shared for free across various channels
• You can repurpose or re-promote content in various forms such as videos, blogs, infographics, and images.

Email marketing, social media posting, guest blogging, website blogging, and SMS are all dependent on the quality of content. Get the best in your team for copywriting. Source ideas from your volunteers and implement a calendar to schedule content.  

 6. Local media marketing for nonprofit events

Nonprofit events need the support of your local community and what better than reaching them through local media channels such as newspaper, radio & T.V stations. Research news outlets and get in touch with the best reporters to cover the event extensively. Find publications that agree to put in a word about the fundraising event. You can even get a reporter to interview the sponsors and the director of the nonprofit organization to speak about the event and its cause.  

 7. Traditional marketing for nonprofit events

Traditional marketing and word-of-mouth still retain their charm amidst the digital marketing methods. Recommendations from friends and family have more value as people are inclined to trust their opinions and suggestions. Get ready to expand and invest in your network around you.   

• Print flyers and distribute them at significant points such as offices, schools, libraries, and other local events.
• Print ads in local newspapers to raise awareness of the event
• Spread the word about the nonprofit event wherever you go
• Get your volunteers and supporters to share details on the event

If it is a genuine cause, people will whole-heartedly share it among their friends, peers, and family.

Conclusion

Nonprofit events need clever marketing strategies. Begin by creating a donation page on any trusted online fundraising platform. Plan your marketing strategies by harnessing the skills of your network of supporters.

Nonprofit fundraising is done for a good cause. If you are passionate about it and you plan your marketing strategies efficiently, you will, for sure, get maximum donors to donate.