When the coronavirus pandemic began, organizations were forced to make the transition to digital as fast as possible. Nonprofit organizations have struggled the most in this shift; if your organization didn’t already have a digital-focused strategy, it has been challenging to keep up with increasing service demands. Many nonprofit organizations were and still are having trouble adapting to our new technology-based reality. If your nonprofit is still behind the times technologically, the time to incorporate digital into your operations strategy is now. Below are a couple of crucial factors to optimizing donations and carrying out your organization’s mission effectively in the digital age.
DIGITAL DONOR FUNDING
Although it may seem obvious that fundraising from multiple platforms results in a wider donor outreach and increased donations, many organizations may not have expanded or updated their existing donation channels in years. Less than half of nonprofit managers report having an organized digital market strategy. Nonprofit organizations traditionally relied on in-person fundraising events to account for a large portion of their revenue; however, it is now more important than ever to focus on other giving channels to compensate for the lack of large fundraising events. Social media is a key communication tool that encourages donations, Facebook being of the most popular platforms for nonprofits. Facebook offers a variety of fundraising tools to make the donation process easier for the organization and donors. Taking advantage of Facebook’s tools, like the “donate” button, page fundraisers, fundraiser stickers, and live video donation options is a great and free way to increase your digital donor funding.
UTILIZING DIGITAL ADVERTISING
A surprising majority of nonprofits are not investing in digital advertising despite platforms such as Google Ads proving to be an effective advertising platform to “raise awareness, attract donors and recruit new volunteers.” Even with nonprofits struggling to raise revenue due to the pandemic, there is no excuse for some organizations not to be utilizing this platform with the Google Ad Grants program. The program allows organizations with a valid charity status from Google to become eligible for grants up to $10,000 a month to spend on digital advertising. Transitioning your marketing strategy to a digital platform is now essential to optimizing donor outreach and maximizing your organization’s social impact, so get started!
EMAIL AND CONTENT MARKETING
Engaging in email marketing and taking advantage of automation tools are effective methods of creating strong and long-lasting relationships with your donors. A clear email marketing strategy is critical to achieving maximum donor loyalty and continuous engagement and interest in your organization’s mission. Content marketing is another necessary tool for spreading awareness and optimizing your audience. Unfortunately, a large portion of nonprofits are not blogging, which could be detrimental to their outreach. Consistent blogging provides organizations with an opportunity to continuously improve their search engine optimization resulting in more website traffic and reaching a larger audience of potential donors.
IN CONCLUSION…
Every nonprofit organization is different in regards to revenue, capacity, and digital maturity, but they all have one thing in common; they all need to make or continue their digital transformation to be successful in our technology-reliant world. Embracing the digital world will allow your organization to sustain donor loyalty, reach new audiences, and optimize donations, ultimately resulting in the greatest amount of social impact possible.
Here at New Target, we can help you create a clear defined digital strategy to maximize your nonprofit’s impact. Contact us to get started or help continue your digital transition!