10 Marketing Resources for Busy Nonprofits

Springtime, for most nonprofits, marks a new season of fundraising.

We know that you have a lot on your plate this month, getting ready for what’s next.


To help you save time and get the most from the upcoming season, we compiled a list of our favorite nonprofit resources that will help you gain the awareness you want for your organization.

Keep these in mind as you start planning out your fundraising campaigns!

1. How to Make a Big Ask Even if You’re a Small Nonprofit
For Boston-based, Strong Women, Strong Girls, adding images to their email newsletters and announcements isn’t just for show. They use pictures of staff members, donors, and volunteers to showcase the work they’re involved in. In doing so, they not only tell their organization’s story, but let others know how they can get involved.

“We try to tell a story through pictures in our emails. Our emails are short, sweet, and structured so readers can get to the point quickly.” – FAO Schwarz Fellow, Kayla Peck

Find out how you can use a similar approach to generate donations this spring.


2. How a Nonprofit Raises $1,000 per Email
Pajama Program is an organization that provides new pajamas and books to children in need. Since 2008, this nonprofit has been using Constant Contact to send short and focused email announcements letting donors, supporters, and volunteers know about all the work that they’re involved in. This has not only helped drive action from their audience but has allowed them to easily adopt a more mobile-friendly marketing strategy.

“It doesn’t have to take a lot of effort to have a big effect. Some successful campaigns are just a few sentences, a regular email with no decorations. We just want to keep people updated on what’s going on with the organization.” –Candice Cross, IT Manager

Read Pajama Program’s full story here.


3. Five Questions Nonprofits Should Ask Before Sending Their Email Newsletter
Whenever you’re sending an email newsletter, you’re fighting for attention in the inbox of your audience. They’re looking at a steady stream of messages, so you need yours to stand out!

How can you stand out in the inbox? Learn five questions you need to ask before hitting send on your next newsletter or announcement.


4. Five Ways to Make Sure Your Email Marketing Moves the Reader to Action
You want the people who receive your newsletters and announcements to take action. This won’t always be to donate now! In fact, for a lot of the emails you send out, you’re goal may simply be to get people to click-through to learn more, or to share with others who might be interested in your content.

Here’s what you need to know to create emails that drive action.


5. Five Steps to Combining the Power of Email and Facebook for Your Nonprofit
Email marketing and social media are each powerful tools for nonprofits. But they are most effective when used together.

Take Gorilla Doctors for example. This organization, which provides emergency medical care to endangered gorillas in regions of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, ran a fundraiser using only an email newsletter and their Facebook Page.

By the end of one month, they raised over $100,000!

Find out how they did it, and see what you can learn for your own fundraising efforts.


6. Four Nonprofit Emails that Look Awesome on Mobile
With nearly half of all emails now being opened on a mobile device, nonprofits need to start thinking differently about the way they approach their email newsletter each month. The inbox has changed, along with the way potential donors, supporters, and volunteers read and interact with your emails.

As complicated as it might sound, making the switch to a mobile-friendly email is actually pretty simple. In fact, we’ve talked to a number of nonprofits who have already started using mobile-friendly emails and have seen some impressive results.

Here are four examples from other nonprofits.


7. Engage, Inform, Recruit: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Recruit Volunteers
Engaging your audience on social media means sharing content that encourages them to act. You can see how successful that content is when people comment, share, like, retweet, and repin.

This type of content will not only engage your audience, but will also inform them about your mission, and help you recruit them once you’ve built a relationship.

What kind of content is engaging? Here are some great examples you can try out.


8. Seven Pinterest Tips for Nonprofits
If you’re like most nonprofits, you may still have questions about whether or not Pinterest is right for your organization. You have even signed up, but really haven’t made the commitment to growing your presence on the site.

Pinterest is a great way to tell your organization’s story in a much more visual way than on other social networks.

Here are a few simple tips to help you get started.


9. How to Use Instagram for Nonprofits
Instagram is a fantastic place to show your audience who you are, and what you do.

It’s also easy to use, and doesn’t require a ton of time for you to start generating attention from people who share the same passion.

This is great news for nonprofits that are starved for time, but still want to keep their audience engaged and informed about the great work that they’re doing.

Find out how to use Instagram for your nonprofit.


10. Four Tips for Nonprofit Event Success
Today, nonprofits have more tools than ever to run memorable events. From online registration forms that help you collect the right information and stay organized, to social media which allows you to promote your events to your most engaged supporters — there are a number of ways you can make this season’s events a success.


Do you have other online marketing questions? Tell us what has worked for your nonprofit in the comments below.