What Not-For-Profits Can (and Must) Do for Digital Engagement

Greenpeace was born when a small team of dedicated environmental activists sets sail in an old fishing boat. The iconic photo of the founding members and other activists is a familiar image for many. Since then, the global non-profit has made headlines with its loud and attention-grabbing campaigns. The is true for NPOs like PETA, Amnesty International, and many more. These are some of the most successful non-profits in the world. What drives their popularity? One word: visibility.

Charities and non-profits need to be noticed. It’s when people see their projects; they’ll want to extend their support. Otherwise, how will they know if their values align with the NPO’s? How will they get the confidence that their contributions are being used to make a real impact? It’s through promotions and campaigns that charities attract similar-minded people. These are the people most likely to be converted into donors. But how can NPOs and charities reach out to these people for maximum impact?

The answer lies in the digital world. There are many advantages of fundraising using digital media initiatives. Here’s how non-profits and charities can leverage them. 

Use Data Analytics

Data analytics has a wide range of uses. They provide marketers valuable information about customer behavior, interests, habits, and location. These can be used in myriad ways for fundraising efforts. Using data analytics help you to:

  1. Optimize Fundraising

Non-profits and charities have an immense amount of data that can be used to create statistical models. They must use this to optimize their fundraising efforts by identifying and targeting the right groups to develop a refined communications strategy. Such data sets classify and segregate donors based on many attributes. The communications must speak distinctly to each of them by showcasing what is most likely to matter. Charities must use data analysis to create specific value propositions to present to their donors. 

  1. Timing Campaigns

Data analytics can help marketers choose times to launch campaigns for maximum impact. At the aggregate level, analytics offers insights into what kind of campaigns are likely to resonate at what time. For instance, the holiday season may be a great time to launch a fundraising appeal for programs that provide gifts to children. At the individual level, analytics can help marketers reach out to donors when they are most likely to want to participate, for instance, around the time of a significant family event.

  1. Personalize Campaigns

Data analytics help marketers create targeted campaigns. The algorithms used by predictive analytics allow non-profits to identify who is most likely to donate to that particular cause. After identification, they can create personalized outreach efforts. That will resonate with the prospect on a deeper level. They will be more likely to donate to that campaign. Using analytics, non-profits can streamline their fundraising efforts, use their donations efficiently, and increase the number of donors.

  1. Create Accurate Performance Reviews

Data analytics help non-profits understand which of their campaigns have been effective and which are not working. They can accurately measure the performance of their activities. Then they can create processes that reap better outcomes. It will also enable them to understand what formats and messages aren’t working for them. That leads to higher accuracy with each passing campaign.

  1. Use Real-Time Tracking in Crisis 

Certain events, such as the wildfires in California last year and last winter’s storms in Texas, need a fast response time. Charities working towards these relief funds need donations quickly since those help rescue workers travel to the affected areas and provide food, medicine, clothing, and other emergency rations. Data analytics and visualization can play a significant role in tracking ongoing activities during a crisis in real-time. That can encourage people to donate quickly. It can also power many other crucial decision-making processes.

Utilize Various Social Media Platforms 

Non-profits can benefit from using the various social media platforms and digital marketing tools to connect with more people and power their fundraising efforts. That will enable them to:

  1. Access a Variety of Precious Data

There are many different social media platforms that people use differently. LinkedIn is for professional networking, Instagram is better for photographs, and YouTube is for videos. These platforms generate different kinds of data according to the way they are used. This data is beneficial for charities to create powerful strategies to reach their target audiences. It’s also helpful to grow the traffic to the charity’s website. Each platform should be used to generate awareness and boost engagement between potential donors and the organization. Non-profits should be present on every appropriate platform.

  1. Try Innovative Ways to Collect Donations

Crowdfunding has become a popular mode to raise funds for causes. These crowdfunding platforms share links on various social media platforms to gain more reach and traction.

Digital marketing tools can boost their reach further with targeted visibility and customized messaging. If crowdfunding interests you, digital marketing is vital in reaching out to the right crowd. This can be done repeatedly for various campaigns. 

  1. Facilitate Trust

Most importantly, social media and digital marketing help create trust in donors and potential donors. Videos, testimonials, photographs, and more, provide proof of legitimacy. Potential donors can see reviews and comments from other supporters, too. An active presence on social media will enhance that trust factor, as these platforms tend to be highly visible. On the flipside, non-profits and charities that aren’t authentic will face a backlash online. 

Focus on Good Content

At the end of the day, the photos, videos, and captions that go out online represent your campaigns. What must you keep in mind when creating these?

  1. Greater Clarity of Messaging

A few charities have several simultaneous ongoing campaigns. Digital tools help them create separate messaging for each with greater clarity. That way, the details are precise, and that encourages people to donate. Marketers can also create several Call-To-Action messages to encourage supporters to act beyond making donations. They can urge them to share a statement showing their support, refer the campaign to family and friends, and more. 

  1. Focus on Comprehensive Coverage

Many NPOs have their projects spread out over different cities and even countries. It’s close to impossible to take potential donors to these sites. But advertising space in conventional media can be expensive for NPOs, especially if they seek support from multiple cities. Digital marketing using programmatic advertising, various digital tools, social media platforms, email marketing, and more help broadcast from multiple places at a time to millions of cell phones and laptops around the world. It’s a more cost-effective and efficient way to promote campaigns for a broad reach.

  1. Encourage Repeat Donations

Digital marketing increases the reach and views of campaigns. That encourages donors to lend their support more than once. Mainly since they can track updates about the progress of the campaigns, they’ve supported. If they trust the authenticity of a campaign, they will want to support its progress repeatedly. After all, who doesn’t want to lend a hand to good work? In specific campaigns, mention that repeat donations will keep the work going.

If non-profits and charities can effectively use digital marketing and analytics, they will create better engagement. Such strategies will also lead to heightened transparency, efficiency, and innovation in marketing campaigns. These will all lead to higher donations from more donors. If you’re ready to explore digital tools, reach out to us, and let’s talk.