This article discusses the ins and outs of Google Ad Grant remarketing.

Google Ad Grant Remarketing: Your Questions Answered

As a nonprofit professional, you likely already know the importance of tailoring your communications to your audience. After all, your organization is connected to many unique individuals—donors, volunteers, new supporters, nonprofit staff, and beneficiaries—you wouldn’t communicate with them all the same way.

The same principle applies to digital marketing. Your online presence should cater to specific audiences. But how do you make sure the right audiences see the right ads? By remarketing with the Google Ad Grant!

 

In this article, we’ll answer your most pressing remarketing questions and explore how it can transform your digital strategy. Read more

Follow along as we answer 14 common questions about matching gifts.

14 Important Matching Gifts Questions You Need to Ask

When you hear matching gifts, what do you think of?

Maybe it’s a major donor who matches contributions made during a big campaign. As a nonprofit professional, you might’ve even participated in one of those. But have corporate matching gifts ever occurred to you?

Many donors, including those who give to your organization, are eligible for matching gifts through their employers. However, nonprofits often underutilize this fundraising strategy.

As a Google Ad Grants agency, we understand the power of harnessing every tool at your disposal that can help your nonprofit fulfill its mission. That’s why we’ve answered some important questions about matching gifts so you can leverage this major fundraising power. Let’s jump right in!Request a demo of 360MatchPro to simplify the matching gift process for your organization.


1. What are corporate matching gifts?

Corporate matching gifts are a form of corporate philanthropy in which companies match donations their employees make to nonprofits.

That’s the simple version.Check out how matching gifts can multiply donors' impact.

Matching gifts are essentially free money. They let donors maximize the impact of their gifts without reaching back into their own pockets. As a result, nonprofits can double or even triple their donation revenue.


2. How do matching gifts work?

Matching gift programs vary by company, but here is the process in a nutshell:

Check out the steps involved in the matching gifts process.
  1. An individual donates to a nonprofit.
  2. The individual checks to see if their employer will match their donation.
  3. The individual submits a request for a match through their employer.
  4. The employer verifies the donation with the nonprofit.
  5. The employer matches the individual’s donation.

Many companies also have a policy around match ratios, minimum and maximum amounts, and employee/nonprofit eligibility. Let’s dive deeper into each of those categories.

Match Ratios

Most companies match at a 1:1 ratio, which means a dollar-for-a-dollar match. However, match ratios can span anywhere from 0.5:1 to 4:1. For example, a 1:1 match on a $50 donation means $100 total, while a 2:1 match on the same $50 gets you $150 total.

Minimum and Maximum Amounts

Companies also have minimum and maximum donation amounts that they’ll match. The most common minimum amount is $25, but these amounts range from $1 to $100. The maximum amounts have an even wider range. These amounts are often between $1,000 and $15,000, though amounts will still vary below and above that range.

Eligibility

Many companies have restrictions on the types of nonprofits and employees that are eligible to receive or request a matched donation.

For nonprofits, most 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible for matching gift programs, including educational institutions, arts and cultural organizations, environmental organizations, health and human services, and more. The most common restriction is usually religious organizations, but it’s still up to the company.

For employees, their eligibility also depends on the company’s guidelines. This can include full-time, part-time, and retired employees.

Request a demo of 360MatchPro to stay updated on employee matching gift guidelines.


3. Is there a deadline to submit my matching gift request?

The deadline to submit a matching gift request will vary based on your donor’s employer, but here are three main types of deadlines:

  • Within a set number of months. A company will match a gift up to a certain number of months after the donation is made. As an example, this could be three months after the date of the donation.
  • By the end of the calendar year. A company will match a gift within the calendar year of when the donation is made.
  • By the end of the calendar year, plus a grace period. A company will match donations made through the end of the calendar year, and then add on additional months for employees to submit a request. These grace periods usually go through the end of January, February, or March.

The more time that passes after a supporter makes a donation, the less likely they will be to submit a match request. That’s why you have to promote matching gift opportunities to them as soon as possible.


4. Why aren’t more nonprofits using matching gifts?

It turns out, much of the time, both nonprofits and donors don’t know about matching gifts.

For nonprofits, reasons include a lack of staff, resources, and time needed to zero in on matching gift revenue. Many times, organizations don’t know who a donor’s employer is or what their matching gift policy is.

For donors, most don’t even know that their company offers a matching gift program. Additionally, the process of getting their donation matched may seem way too complicated or unclear to get started with.

This means that approximately $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed every year. That’s money that could be reinvested into nonprofits to help support their operations and spread their missions.


5. Why are matching gifts important?

Beyond boosting your fundraising revenue, matching gifts can also help improve donor retention and engagement.

Did you know that 1 in 3 donors say they would give a larger gift if a match was applied to their donation?

Just knowing that their donation will go twice as far encourages donors to give a larger gift at the outset. Similarly, 84% of donors say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered at all. If you have a potential donor who’s on the fence about giving to your organization, promoting corporate matching gifts can give them the extra push they need to make their decision.

Here are some other eye-opening matching gift statistics to help put things in perspective:

Check out these statistics that illustrate the impact of matching gifts.

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits that come with matching gifts. They encourage donors to give to your organization, while also boosting the initial gift amounts.


6. Which companies offer matching gifts?

Good news: There are more companies that match donations than you may think.

Some of the top matching gift companies include Microsoft, Apple, Google, The Home Depot, and Disney. Many of these companies offer high maximum match limits and match donations to most types of nonprofits. For example:

  • Microsoft matches up to $15,000 in donations to most nonprofits at a 1:1 ratio for full- and part-time employees. 
  • Disney matches up to $25,000 in donations to most nonprofits at a 1:1 ratio for full- and part-time employees.
  • Apple matches up to $10,000 in donations to most nonprofits at a 1:1 ratio for full- and part-time employees.

This is only a snapshot of the many matching gift companies out there, and it’s not just large corporations handing out money. These companies range in size and guidelines, which is why it’s essential that you understand where your donors work to get in on this funding source.


7. How can my organization promote matching gifts?

We’ve made it clear that a lack of awareness is a big issue when it comes to matching gifts. So how can your organization market matching gifts to your donors?

We’ll cover some of the top marketing methods below!Check out the top six ways to promote matching gifts.

Google Ad Grants

Did you know Google offers eligible nonprofits $10,000 in monthly ad credits to promote their websites? The Google Ad Grant is a great marketing tool for promoting matching gifts.

Since the Google Ad Grant program requires you to set up ad campaigns with specific goals, you can create a campaign for promoting matching gifts. Then, you can create ads directing users to your matching gift page to encourage them to participate.

At Getting Attention, we’re committed to helping nonprofits navigate Google Ad Grants, from determining program eligibility to managing ad campaigns. We’d be happy to consult with you to determine how we can best serve your Google Ad Grant needs.

Email Outreach

Email outreach takes a few different forms: confirmation emails, newsletters, thank-you letters, and more. When you send out these types of messages, it’s important to mention matching gifts.

Here’s some text you can include in your thank-you email after a donor has contributed to your cause:

Thank you for supporting our organization! Did you know that many companies match their employees’ donations to our nonprofit? Check your eligibility and access the appropriate forms and instructions to submit a match today!

You can even include a link to learn more about matching gifts within your email. 

Social Media

Social media impacts donors—in fact, 32% of donors who give online say that social media is the channel that most inspires them to give.

Whether you’re using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or other platforms, be sure to include links that direct supporters to the information they’ll need to submit a match request to their employer.

Donation Page

When supporters are already on your donation page, that means they’re serious about donating to your cause. Since donors are most engaged at this step, this is the perfect time to promote matching gifts.

Prompt your donors to figure out their eligibility for a matching donation through their employer. This can be done by including a brief piece of information about matching gifts or even by embedding a matching gift search tool on your form.

At Getting Attention, we’re committed to helping nonprofits navigate the Google Ad Grant program, from determining program eligibility to managing ad campaigns. We’d be happy to consult with you in order to best serve your Google Ad Grant needs.

Dedicated Matching Gift Page

By creating a dedicated matching gift page, you can provide donors with general educational information about matching gifts, as well as company-specific matching gift forms, guidelines, and instructions.

Having a specific page that houses all of the information donors need will make it easier for supporters to submit a match request. You can send donors there through social media posts, emails, and other types of communication.

Matching Gift Search Tool

By investing in matching gift software that offers access to a matching gift database, you’ll hand-deliver donors updated and comprehensive information about their employer’s matching gift guidelines and forms.

This is a matching gift search tool, which allows your donors to search for their company's program.

Interested in learning more about matching gift databases? Jump to that section now!


8. How can I educate my team about matching gifts?

Many nonprofits don’t spend time educating their staff about matching gift programs. This is especially true for organizations that don’t realize the impact matching gifts can have on their revenue.

That’s why we’ve rounded up some effective steps that you can take to get your team up to speed:

  1. Target the right staff members. This includes staff members who are in charge of campaigns and events, finances, and marketing. For example, campaign and event organizers can advertise matching gifts in their communications with attendees while finance staff can track and report on matching gift revenue. Your marketing team can then promote matching gifts across all communications.
  2. Provide educational resources. Offer resources to educate your team about matching gifts so they’re more receptive to the information. This way, they’ll know what there is to know about matching gifts and can answer questions from donors.
  3. Make matching gifts part of onboarding. Train new team members on the matching gift process so they know about them from the outset. You can also give out one-pagers, set up calls or meetings, and attend webinars to help educate all current staff.

Educating your new staff members and giving those refreshers to your entire team will help make matching gifts more effective across your organization. Be sure to offer helpful resources that they can access and provide training so they’re ready to handle anything matching gift-related that comes across their desk. For example, Double the Donation has a case studies resource that you can download below to help educate your team about the power of matching gifts.


9. How do I get leadership support for matching gifts?

In addition to rallying your team around matching gifts, you’ll also need to focus attention on getting leadership support. Without backing from leadership, it may be more challenging to get your staff on board in the first place.

First and foremost, you need to help leadership see the value in matching gifts. This momentum will then trickle down to the rest of your staff. 

Double the Donation outlines effective ways to get your leadership on board with matching gifts:

  • Using internal data. Rather than talking about the value of matching gifts, show the impact they can have on your organization through data. Highlight information about your number of match-eligible donations versus actual submitted matches, total revenue raised from matching gifts, and the number of donors who work for matching gift companies.
  • Spending time developing a strategy. Take a few hours a month to develop your matching gift strategy, and then encourage your leadership to do the same. This way, you’ll make your strategies even more effective.
  • Holding short meetings with leadership. Schedule short, 15-minute meetings that respect your leadership team’s time but that still allow you to demonstrate the value of matching gifts. Explain the basics of matching gifts, their impact, and their benefits. Then, schedule future meetings to report back on your progress and growth.

When your leadership is on board with your matching gift plan, your entire team will be more willing to work toward your matching gift goals. Get them excited about the prospect of a huge donation revenue increase.


10. What is a matching gift database?

Even after you’ve gotten support for matching gifts across your organization, there’s still more that can be done to build up your matching gift revenue. 

Making the investment in matching gift software can provide just the boost you need to drive those match-eligible donations to completion. More specifically, a matching gift database can give you access to information about thousands of company matching gift programs.

How does a matching gift database work?

A matching gift database is easily accessible via a search pool plugin. This plugin can go anywhere on your website, including donation forms and dedicated matching gift pages, and allows donors to search for their eligibility in seconds.

Here’s how it works:

See exactly how a matching gifts database works.

  1. The donor accesses the search tool on your website.
  2. The donor types their employer’s name into the search tool.
  3. The search tool then populates with information about their employer’s matching gift program.

If you’re looking for effective matching gift software, check out Double the Donation, the leading provider of matching gift tools.

Double the Donation offers a powerful matching gift automation tool called 360MatchPro. Organizations can embed the matching gift search tool anywhere on their website. From there, donors can access Double the Donation’s comprehensive matching gift database, which houses information on more than 20,000 companies and subsidiaries and their matching gift programs.

360MatchPro by Double the Donation also scans information donors provide during the donation process, determines their matching gift eligibility, and triggers automated emails that outline the next steps specific to the donor.

Plus, 360MatchPro integrates with more than 60 of the leading nonprofit CRMs, peer-to-peer fundraising software, and donation software, so it’s an excellent choice if you’re already using one or more of those tools.

360MatchPro by Double the Donation can significantly boost your matching gift revenue.

According to a matching gifts report by Top Nonprofits, only 6.7% of organizations they surveyed got a perfect score on their matching gift scoring criteria.

However, the two organizations out of 30 total that received a perfect score use 360MatchPro to help them identify and follow up on matching gift opportunities. Using this tool from Double the Donation can help you zero in on more match-eligible donations, see those matches through to completion, and boost your overall revenue.


11. What is the donor side of matching gifts like?

As you collect donations from your supporters, their experience throughout the process can determine whether you retain their support. That’s why it’s important to streamline your entire donation process, including your matching gift efforts.

First, you should make sure you understand the matching gift lifecycle:

  1. A donor makes a gift to a nonprofit.
  2. The nonprofit follows up with the donor about matching gifts, and the donor submits a request to their company.
  3. The nonprofit verifies the donation with the matching gift company.
  4. The nonprofit follows up and cultivates a relationship with the donor.

After you’ve successfully identified each stage of the matching gift lifecycle, you can then focus on improving each of these steps to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible for your donors.

Evaluating Your Current Donation Process

As donors give to your organization, do they see helpful resources about matching gifts? If not, the time of the donation is a prime opportunity to educate them.

This is where that embeddable matching gift search tool comes in handy. Allow donors to use the search tool during the donation stage so they can immediately take action.

Following Up About Matching Gifts

Once donors have submitted their donation, follow up and let them know that their gift can go twice as far! If they haven’t submitted a match request to their employer, now is a perfect time to send a follow-up email to get the ball rolling.

Again, if you choose to use a tool like 360MatchPro by Double the Donation, you can automate this process. This matching gift platform will automatically email donors on your behalf with the information they need to figure out their eligibility.

You can even go beyond email outreach by calling donors. Consider making phone calls to a narrowed-down list of high-value matching gift donors who are more likely to submit a match request. Phone calls take more of your staff’s time, but being selective about who you call can add a meaningful human touch to your matching gift outreach.

Streamlining Your Verification Process

While the verification process might seem straightforward enough, many organizations might run into issues with understanding the process. Verifying the original donation with a matching gift company means familiarizing your team with the corporate giving platforms that companies are using. 

Some of these top corporate giving platforms include Benevity, YourCause, and CyberGrants. Understanding the guidelines for each of these major vendors will help you respond to verification requests quickly and avoid missing out on any matching dollars. Be sure to educate your staff so they understand how the verification process works.

Thanking Your Donors

Thanking your donors should go without saying, but it’s still something we have to emphasize. Use your automation tools to thank your donors not only following their donation but also after you’ve received the match from their employer. This will help you cultivate the relationships you need to continue growing and serving your mission as a nonprofit.

For high-value donors, think about even more personalized approaches to give your thanks. Handwritten letters, eCards, and phone calls from senior leadership staff are just a sampling of the channels you can use.

Reviewing how your nonprofit handles the matching gift lifecycle can help you streamline the matching gift process for donors. Make it as easy as possible for donors to submit their matching gift requests, and then follow up to make sure they understand what the next steps are.


12. My organization has multiple chapters or affiliates. How should I go about the matching gift process?

For many organizations, encouraging matching gifts means keeping track of your donors’ employers and having a set process in place for outreach.

However, larger organizations that have multiple chapters or affiliates may run into issues when setting up their matching gift process.

These types of organizations can consolidate their matching gift process. According to Double the Donation, consolidation means that each chapter or affiliate will follow a central process to secure matching gifts. Here are some top tips on how you can do this:

  • Choose how you’ll consolidate. Whether this is on a national level, a regional level, or independent by chapters, you’ll want to base this decision on how consistent you want your donor experience to be and how you want reporting to take place.
  • Develop an action plan. Your action plan should include understanding your current process, putting together a matching gift team, optimizing the verification process, and determining your revenue goals.
  • Standardize the follow-up process. Set clear guidelines to ensure individual chapters are identifying and following up with match-eligible donors. This way, you can continue the conversation around matching gifts and create a more consistent donor experience.
  • Standardize the overall process. Beyond following up, select someone who can keep your organization on track to help standardize the process across chapters or affiliates. And don’t forget to make it positive! Help each section of your organization see the benefits of consistency.

These strategies can make a huge difference if your organization runs in multiple locations. A consistent process will help your teams avoid missing out on matching gift opportunities and create specific guidelines each unit should follow.


13. Are matching gifts the only type of corporate giving?

In addition to matching gifts, there are many other types of corporate philanthropy. From monetary grants for volunteer hours to programs that take place on the corporate side, here are some of the top corporate giving programs:There are several different types of corporate giving in addition to matching gifts.

Volunteer Grants

Also known as “Dollars for Doers” programs, volunteer grants are a type of corporate philanthropy in which companies provide monetary grants to organizations where their employees regularly volunteer.

Here’s how volunteer grants work:

  1. An individual volunteers with a nonprofit.
  2. The individual tracks their hours and submits a request for a volunteer grant with their company.
  3. The company verifies the hours with the nonprofit.
  4. The company provides a check to the nonprofit.

If you already have a dedicated group of volunteers, encourage them to check their eligibility for a volunteer grant. You might be able to get some extra corporate dollars this way.

Request a demo of 360MatchPro to learn about volunteer grants.

Fundraising Matches

Fundraising matches are similar to matching gifts in that donations are matched by a company.

The difference?

Fundraising matches apply to fundraising events, like walk-a-thons or 5Ks. The event participant’s employer will then match the money the participant raises through sponsorships or other donations.

Automatic Payroll Deductions

One of the simplest forms of corporate giving is automatic payroll deductions. Through this corporate giving program, employees have a portion of their paychecks donated to a nonprofit on a regular basis.

Specific companies may have guidelines on which organizations they’ll donate to. Typically, the organization has to share similar values with the company, like environmental causes or other issues. Once your organization has been approved, this is a great source of recurring donations.

In-Kind Donations

Many companies donate more than just money to nonprofits. Some also provide in-kind donations, which means goods or services. To give you an example, a company might donate computers, consulting services, or even food to organizations.

In-kind donations not only benefit nonprofits, but they also give companies a sense of pride in helping a worthy cause.


14. Where can I learn more about matching gifts?

Now that we’ve answered the most common matching gift questions, you should have a deeper understanding of what matching gifts are. You can now start encouraging matching gifts from your supporters and watch your donation revenue increase exponentially.

If you need some additional information about matching gifts before you get started with them, we’ve compiled some helpful resources below:

Request a demo to learn more about 360MatchPro, the ultimate matching gift software.

Check out these four nonprofit storytelling best practices to win over your donors’ hearts.

4 Ways to Win Donors’ Hearts with Nonprofit Storytelling

When it comes to marketing your nonprofit’s mission and connecting with donors on a deeper level, nothing is better than an engaging story.

Your nonprofit storytelling needs to capture your audience’s attention, clearly explain the problem you’re facing, and empower supporters to be a part of the solution. Ultimately, it should inspire donations and other forms of support. In this guide, we’ll walk through:

Because nonprofit storytelling is a critical component of your overall marketing strategy, it’s essential to hone your skills. Let’s get started!

Click here to learn more about how to get more eyes on your nonprofit storytelling with the Google Ad Grants program.

Why Is Nonprofit Storytelling Important?

It’s hard to forget a good story. While we might not remember the specific facts or details, storytelling is still one of the best ways to connect with other humans and share an experience.

Additionally, studies show that roughly 70% of companies invest in content marketing to convey stories to their audiences. With so many organizations investing in this method, there are clearly real benefits to using storytelling in marketing strategies.

Storytelling Benefits To Your Nonprofit

Here are the top benefits a dedicated nonprofit storytelling strategy can bring you:

  • Increased fundraising revenue. Your nonprofit’s storytelling efforts can be the exact conduit you need to inspire donors to give. The key to motivating them to give is to land your story in front of the right audiences.
  • Improved click-through rate and online conversions. Because stories tend to be more engaging, you’ll likely see an increase in the number of people who click on your website, social media posts, or Google Ads.
  • Larger membership base. Does your nonprofit organization have a membership program dedicated to your most passionate supporters? Nonprofit storytelling is one of the best ways to attract membership candidates who connect deeply to your cause.
  • Better donor appreciation. Donor appreciation is a critical component of building lasting relationships and increasing retention. Instead of just sending a bland thank you email, incorporate storytelling to share a thought-provoking, real story about how their support made a difference.

Another key benefit of nonprofit storytelling is that your supporters will be more informed about your cause and your organization’s needs. Seeing the impact of your work through testimonials from beneficiaries will remind them of the good that their contributions enable.

What Are The Elements Of Nonprofit Storytelling?

Compelling Characters

Every good story needs a hero. For your nonprofit story, you’ll need a compelling character to act as the main lead and inspire support.

This “character” should be a real person who has been impacted by your nonprofit in some way. For example, you might choose to center one of these supporters in your story:

  • dedicated volunteer
  • A long-term, major donor
  • A beneficiary who is willing to share their personal story
  • A staff member

To translate details about these supporters or beneficiaries to your audience, you’ll need to use more traditional storytelling methods. Here are some ways to capture their personalities and emotions on screen or paper:

  • Establish a face and name. Put a face to this individual by attaching a photo and name to the story. This instantly makes the story feel more personal to viewers.
  • Give them a distinct voice. Make your character feel three-dimensional to your audience by highlighting personal details. Show off their unique way of speaking about their experiences or their background that led them to engage with your nonprofit.
  • Show how they were impacted by your organization. The resolution for this story should be shaped by your nonprofit’s involvement in the character’s life. Clearly show how your organization led them to this key moment.

For example, Feeding America includes these stories from Native American women working towards food security on their website. The nonprofit includes their names, a photo of them, and an explanation of how they are supporting the cause:

This example from Feeding America shows how prominent organizations use “characters” in their nonprofit storytelling.

When you involve real people in your stories, remember to consider the ethics of the story you’re telling. As the nonprofit, you are in a position of power—especially if the subject is a beneficiary. Lead with their best interests first, and never indicate that your services are contingent upon their participation in the storytelling campaign. Everything presented in the campaign must be honest and transparent.

Dramatic Arc

The dramatic arc is what hooks your audience, gets them invested in your narrative, and empowers them to play their own role in the story.

Here are the five main elements of a dramatic arc:

This graphic depicts the five main parts of the nonprofit storytelling dramatic arc.

  1. Exposition. Introduce your character and establish goals related to your mission. If your mission is to provide clean water, for example, one of your character’s goals could be ensuring that his family stays healthy after getting sick from dirty water.
  2. Conflict. Here, you’ll present the challenge that your character is facing. The conflict should be related to the problem your nonprofit is trying to solve. In our water example, this could be that the family’s water source was polluted with chemicals. Consider all the obstacles your character might face, like a lack of resources or policy knowledge.
  3. Rising action. Next, lay out the stakes and explain why the problem is a problem. You might also highlight previous attempts to solve the issue. For instance, you might say that the local town has needed clean water for a while, but an increase in spills from nearby factories has made it difficult to keep the infrastructure in place.
  4. Climax. This is where you’ll explain how the problem got fixed and the exact role that your nonprofit plays. What did your nonprofit do? What was the specific action that made the difference? For example, with help from your annual fundraising campaign, your nonprofit was able to build a clean water infrastructure system that is easy to fix and regulated yearly.
  5. Resolution. Show the newly improved life of the character in your story. Urge the audience to play a part by calling them to donate, share a message, or volunteer.

As you’re crafting your story, remember to be as clear as possible about the goals of the character, the challenges they face, and how exactly your nonprofit and audience can help. These are the most important aspects of the story, and they need to shine through for your nonprofit to make an impact.

Solution

The solution to your story provides proof that your organization truly makes a difference. When explaining your solution, you should:

  • Empower the donors to be a part of the story by making the next action they should take clear.
  • Use language that creates a sense of urgency by mentioning a specific deadline and explaining what would happen if your nonprofit is unable to act.
  • Make it convenient for the audience to take action by including a donation button, link to signup forms, or social sharing buttons with your request.

For example, Step Up For Students created a blog post highlighting the story of a scholarship recipient attending Notre Dame who achieved salutatorian status in his class (note the prominent donation button in the sidebar!):

This is a nonprofit storytelling example of an organization demonstrating how they were a solution to a beneficiary’s problem.

4 Best Practices To Take Your Nonprofit’s Storytelling To The Next Level

These four best practices will elevate your nonprofit storytelling to help you achieve ambitious goals.

1. Support a Specific Goal

Make sure you have a specific goal or action at the center of your narrative. The goal you pick will depend on your unique needs and audience, but here are some examples to get the ball rolling:

  • Raise $10,000 in revenue as a direct result of the storytelling campaign.
  • Grow your membership program by 100 members.
  • Send personalized thank-you messages to each donor within one week of their gift.
  • Boost donor engagement on your social media accounts by 25%.

To improve your fundraising strategy beyond this single campaign, look at your database and make note of engagements or key performance indicators (KPIs) that are falling short. Then, craft a story to support that area, and make sure to note it as a priority for future marketing efforts.

 

Want marketing tips and tricks to help you reach your goals? Sign up for our newsletter!

 

2. Activate Supporters’ Empathy

Making supporters feel something is the main conduit to whether or not they will feel passionate about your mission and decide to give.

This example from the ASPCA’s homepage makes an emotional appeal by using images of the animals that they work to aid, asking supporters to help them:

This example from the ASPCA depicts two sad puppies that are looking to the viewer for help.

Before you can activate your own supporters’ empathy, it’s key to understand your audience so you know why donors choose to support your cause. Analyze data about your supporters like their past philanthropic involvement, political contributions, and demographic information to get a feel for their personal values. Then, pinpoint those values in your story.

To make an emotional appeal, make sure to closely follow and highlight your character’s emotions. Aim to center their perspective so your audience feels like they are walking in the supporter or beneficiary’s shoes. To immerse them in the story, remember to describe sensory details like sounds, smells, and feelings.

3. Use Visuals

Visuals help evoke emotion from your audience, leave a lasting impression in your supporters’ minds, and build your organization’s brand.

The best part is that visuals can take so many forms nowadays and can supplement your storytelling in different ways:

  • Photos. Images bring a real face to the story you’re telling, helping supporters understand that their help is impacting real people. At your next fundraising event or volunteer opportunity, make sure to take photos (and get permission to use them).
  • Infographics. These graphics convey a wide breadth of information in an easily digestible format. Ideas include using charts, maps, reports, and other fun graphics to help your audience visualize data and understand your impact.

Look through your own arsenal of marketing materials and determine if any of your visuals are viable for use in your nonprofit story.

4. Leverage Video Content

In a 2023 study, 91% of people surveyed said that they want to see more online videos from organizations—satisfy this demand with your storytelling strategies.

To create an effective video, follow these best practices:

  • Keep on-screen text to a minimum. Narrate the video as much as you can so participants don’t have to read long paragraphs. If you need to use on-screen text, stick to about 60 words per minute of the video and allow for one second of read time for every two to three words.
  • Make the video cohesive. Make sure the music and supporting media (like images or copy) match the overall theme of the story. These added elements can go the extra mile in making your supporters feel a certain way.
  • Consider accessibility. Be sure to add closed captions to the video for any spoken dialogue or other sounds (hint: platforms like YouTube can do this automatically!). Not only does this make the video content accessible to more of your supporters, but people can view the video without audio and still understand your message.

For inspiration, check out this video from the World Wildlife Fund. It shows the importance of each tiny piece of an ecosystem and encourages people to “love it” by supporting WWF (or risk losing it):

Apply for the Google Grant with Getting Attention

Spreading awareness of your nonprofit and reaching new people with your carefully crafted stories will be the final, often most difficult, step in nonprofit storytelling. Traditional marketing channels like television can be costly, and you might feel overwhelmed by the vastness of digital marketing.

To receive professional help and get $10,000 in Google Ads for free, consider working with a Google Ad Grants agency.

If you aren’t familiar, the Google Grant is a program hosted by Google that gives $10,000 in Google Ad credits to nonprofit organizations each month. The purpose of this grant is to help nonprofits promote valuable digital content (like your stories!) to their supporters.

To gain access to the program, your nonprofit will need to apply, maintain compliance, target relevant keywords, and manage multiple ad campaigns. Getting Attention is a Google Ad Grant agency that’s ready to help you apply and manage your Google Ad campaigns.

Additional Resources

People are inspired by, learn from, and remember stories. Your nonprofit already has a compelling story: a built-in goal (mission) and antagonist (issue) to drive the narrative forward and captivate your audience members. Take advantage of this story waiting to be told in your next campaign.

To learn more about how you can level up your nonprofit marketing, explore these additional resources:

Book a consultation with Getting Attention and start dominating Google’s search results page.

Make your cause stand out to donors with the help of the following five tips.

Making Your Case to Donors: Top 5 Tips to Increase Donations

If you’re a nonprofit professional, you know just how important donations are to your organization. You may receive funds in other ways, such as grants or sponsorships, but consistent donations will launch you toward your fundraising goals.

Making your case to donors through presentations and one-on-one meetings is extremely effective because it allows you to start an in-person dialogue with donors and gather audience feedback. While other outreach methods such as emails and phone calls permit you to reach donors where they are, presentations and meetings allow for a more personalized, hands-on approach to increasing donations.

When you’re making your case to donors in a presentation or meeting, you want to make your cause stand out and prove why it’s important for them to contribute. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help encourage donations, including:

  1. Get to know your donors.
  2. Incorporate storytelling.
  3. Create a sense of urgency.
  4. Make it clear where donations are going.
  5. Add credibility to your case.

With these five tips in mind, you can strengthen your relationships with donors and motivate them to give back to your cause.

1. Get to know your donors.

When you understand your donors on a deeper level, you can offer more personalized messages and calls to action. Communicate with donors frequently through a variety of methods to learn more about them and gather feedback. These outreach methods may include email check-ins, annual surveys, phone calls, and social media direct messages.

The more you know about your donors, the better you can reach them. Ask them what interests them most about your nonprofit. Your organization may offer many different services, but matching each donor to the service they’re most passionate about will allow you to personalize your communications when it’s time to ask for donations.

You can store this information along with any other relevant demographic data in a donor data platform. NPOInfo explains that when you store all donor information in one place, it streamlines your communication with donors. You can reference this information to pick up donor communications where they left off and make sure each outreach point builds on previous conversations.

2. Incorporate storytelling.

When you speak to donors, you want to make your message as engaging as possible. That’s where storytelling comes in.

As Be Brilliant explains it, using storytelling in a presentation gives some individuality to your case. For example, you might not be the only animal shelter out there, but what makes yours unique? Perhaps your pet adoption program is so successful because of your organization’s unique pet-matching program that matches people with pets using a personality quiz. You might tell a story about an individual who came in looking for a pet with specific traits and found the perfect new furry family member for their needs.

Instead of drawing on generalities about your organization, use a story to show off exactly what your organization does. Plus, stories are better at eliciting emotions, which can motivate your donors to take action.

3. Create a sense of urgency.

Your supporters may feel connected to your organization, but if they don’t feel inclined to donate immediately, they’ll likely put it off and eventually forget to show their support. The two most popular times to donate tend to be the end of the year giving season and during major crises. However, this tendency can leave your nonprofit feeling strapped for cash in between popular donation times.

To solve this problem, create a sense of urgency surrounding donations. You do important work all year long, and you need regular donations in order to support it. Setting deadlines for donations pushes people to take action quickly.

Another way to create urgency is to connect your case to a relevant campaign or seasonal event. When donors see the larger initiative attached to your request, they may be more inclined to donate. For example, designated giving days like GivingTuesday that have hard deadlines can inspire quick responses.

Lastly, be extremely specific about what action you want your donors to take. When you write a clear and easy call to action, you’re more likely to inspire a quick response. Include all details potential donors will need to contribute to your cause, including a donation link.

4. Make it clear where donations are going.

When people give to an organization, they want to know exactly what their donation is going toward. That way, they can see the impact they’ve made and feel proud of their contribution.

The more specific you can get about the impact someone’s donation will have, the better. For example, instead of stating that donations will help animals in the shelter live a better life, share that the funds raised in the next month will go toward building a new outdoor space where dogs can get a break from the cramped conditions inside.

If you’re planning a live presentation for donors, this should be the bulk of your presentation. Make your current initiatives more tangible for donors with thorough explanations, infographics, pictures, and videos.

5. Add credibility to your case.

One of the biggest challenges of marketing your cause is establishing trustworthiness. It can be difficult for donors to trust an organization they may have never heard of or contributed to before.

However, there are ways to show that your organization is credible. For example, one of the best ways to gain trust when promoting your cause is to display donor testimonials. Ask some of your top supporters to share their experiences with your organization. Adding quotes from real people associated with your nonprofit will help verify your organization’s credibility.

Other strategies to demonstrate credibility include mentioning any seals of approval your organization has received and creating graphics that show exactly where your money comes from and where it goes.


Since nonprofits heavily depend on donations, it’s important to show donors your cause is worthy of their unwavering support. Consider implementing these tips to bolster your case to donors in presentations and meetings and encourage more donations.

In this article, we'll review the top nonprofit blogs and tip for how to get yours up to par.

Top Nonprofit Blogs & Tips: How to Master Content Marketing

Without a strategic marketing plan, it can be difficult to distinguish your nonprofit in the digital space. Blogging is an easy and effective way to boost your online presence. Nonprofit blogs use storytelling techniques to attract donors, increase engagement, and establish authority.

At Getting Attention, we help nonprofits elevate their online marketing efforts through Google Ad Grant optimization. That said, through those efforts, we’ve seen firsthand what can make or break a nonprofit’s blog! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the following information, including the importance of nonprofit blogs as well as best practices for curating content:

At the end of the guide, we’ll explore some note-worthy examples of blogs in the nonprofit space to kick off your brainstorming. Let’s get started.
Contact us to learn how you can get $10,000 to market your nonprofit blog.

Overview of Nonprofit Blogs

Nonprofit blogs are dedicated resources hosted on the websites of charitable organizations, fundraising professionals and consultants, and nonprofit software companies. Blogs can range in style and content, from educational guides and industry updates to current events and impact stories. But each nonprofit blog shares a common goal: driving traffic to the organization’s website.

A nonprofit blog acts as a powerful search engine optimization (SEO) tool. While your main website provides the basic information for your mission and goals, your blog should explore topics that potential supporters might search for on Google. When your blog consistently posts valuable content that’s optimized for highly-searched keywords, it will become a go-to resource that ranks highly on search engine result pages and attracts new prospects.

Check out the benefits of nonprofit blogs.

If you find yourself asking, “Does my nonprofit need a blog?” the answer is likely yes! Blogging is an easy, effective way to stand out and engage with your audience. Since charitable organizations rely on raising awareness, blogs can help your organization to:

  • Promote your brand. A nonprofit blog is essentially free advertising. Spread the word about your nonprofit’s impact through engaging content.
  • Provide regular updates to your audience. Blogs allow nonprofits to easily publish content with updates about accomplishments, campaigns, and events.
  • Share your content and mission across platforms. The more content you have on the web, the more likely it is that someone will come across your mission and take action.
  • Establish your authority. Show potential donors that you’re an expert in the field by using your blog to discuss topics related to your mission.

For more information on the benefits of blogging, read our article dedicated to the basics of nonprofit marketing blogs. Then, learn how to write a successful nonprofit blog in the next section.

How to Write a Nonprofit Blog

Now that you’ve decided to start a blog for your nonprofit, you’re left with the task of creating content. You may struggle with narrowing down topics, attracting an audience, and standing out against other nonprofit blogs.

Don’t fret! Nearly 64% of nonprofit content marketers publish blogs regularly, meaning it’s a popular and manageable undertaking. Use this simple step-by-step guide to help your nonprofit write an effective blog.Follow these steps to write a successful nonprofit blog.

Step 1: Consider the goals of your blog.

Before you begin writing content, determine how the blog will tie into your marketing strategy. Host a meeting with your team to consider the short and long-term goals of the blog. The first question you should ask is “What do we hope to achieve through our marketing efforts?”

Create a list of 3-5 priorities for your nonprofit blog. Tactical goals include building brand awareness, attracting volunteers, increasing fundraising, and encouraging email signups, among others. Consider the following examples:

  • If increasing your ranking on search engine result pages is a priority for your nonprofit, you should strive to include targeted keywords in your blogs.
  • If your nonprofit wants to decrease bounce rates, you should focus on displaying a pop-up with downloadable content when a user is about to leave a blog post.
  • If generating donations is of high importance, your blog should explain the need for funding and highlight your impact.

This process will help your team determine its short and long-term goals. After carefully considering your objectives, you’re ready to create a content strategy that will drive your nonprofit’s objectives.

Step 2: Create a content strategy.

A content strategy defines content-related decisions, including which blog posts you’ll write and when. Once you determine your goals, consider how content will fit into your marketing funnel. Which topics should be addressed at the top of the funnel to raise awareness? What subjects need to be covered to facilitate conversions?

Making a content strategy that works for your nonprofit will help you to create consistently strong content. Let’s review the three main elements of a content strategy that are especially important for nonprofit blogs:

  • Audience: Test whether blog posts work with your audience by looking into demographic and behavioral information. Determining the characteristics of your average supporter can help you to better understand the needs of your audience. If your blog resonates with your target audience, you’ll see more shares and higher search rankings.
  • Tone: Consider how you want to convey your nonprofit’s tone in a blog. Tone refers to how your words translate to an audience. Do you want to come across as casual and conversational? We recommend creating a style guide for all staff at your organization to maintain consistency.
  • Production: Consider how content will fit into your marketing funnel. Which topics should be addressed at the top of the funnel to raise awareness? What bottom-of-the-funnel subjects need to be covered to facilitate conversions? Decide which types of content should be produced (i.e. an educational guide with fundraising ideas or a news story relating to your mission). You also need to determine who will write the content and where you will promote it.

Content strategies will be a go-to resource for your team, clarifying how, when, where, and why you will create content. Aligning content plans with your overall goals will improve your organization’s marketing efforts and help you create the most effective content.

Step 3: Create content.

Once you set your goals and establish a clear content strategy, you’re faced with the challenge of content creation. Keep in mind that blog posts of around 2,000 words have the highest SEO and social sharing rates. When creating your own content, keep the following writing tips in mind:

  • Keep paragraphs short. Don’t overwhelm readers with lengthy, dense content. Make information easy to digest by keeping paragraphs to 3-4 sentences.
  • Include calls-to-action. Call-to-action (CTA) buttons prompt readers to show their support and take the initiative to help your mission. Keep phrases short and compelling, as in the following example: “Do you want to help animals in need? Donate now.”
  • Use headers, bullet points, and numbered lists. Strong headlines will capture your audience’s attention and help to break up long sections of text. Bullet points and numbered lists allow readers to quickly scan through your blog post and retain information.
  • Add compelling visuals. Images, graphics, and videos can spark an emotional reaction in readers and help them to understand complex topics. Ensure that visuals are consistently formatted and high quality.
  • Optimize with keywords. SEO keywords increase traffic to your website. Aim to include at least 15 to 30 keywords in each blog post to push readers down the engagement funnel.

If you don’t have enough time to write your own content, you can still update your audience and support your marketing goals through content curation. Content curation is the process of selecting, editing, and publishing content from external sources. Just remember to never reproduce external content without identifying your source and adding your own expertise.

Step 4: Market your blog.

Now it’s time to make your nonprofit blog stand out! From email to social media, there are multiple marketing channels to choose from, and each has its own strengths. Here are the most popular marketing channels:

  • Email is a personal, cost-effective way to reach large numbers of supporters. It’s great for sending invitations, thanking donors, providing general updates, and sharing blog content.
  • Social media is a popular place to boost brand awareness and attract donors. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok provide opportunities for your nonprofit to showcase its personality and engage with supporters. Aim to share each blog post across your nonprofit’s social media feeds.
  • Google Grants are $10,000 grants awarded to eligible charities for creating and hosting ad campaigns on Google. These free ads allow organizations to amplify their presence on search engine results pages (SERPs) and get their website content in front of the right eyes.

If a Google Grant seems like the best fit for your nonprofit blog, consider working with a certified agency like Getting Attention. Getting Attention’s team of experts offers free consultations and resources to help your organization plan a successful campaign strategy. Reach out to our team today to learn more!

 

Nonprofit Blog Best Practices

It’s no secret that building a nonprofit blog takes time and effort. But the payoff—driving interested supporters to your mission—will be worthwhile! Whether launching your first blog or updating existing content, your nonprofit will benefit from these blogging best practices:

Your organization will benefit from these 5 nonprofit blog best practices.

  • Post consistently. Posting regularly increases engagement. We recommend establishing an editorial calendar for your nonprofit blog. This will help your team keep track of blog posts, newsletters, social media posts, and other content deadlines.
  • Write long-form articles. Search engines and supporters tend to prefer pieces that exceed 1,000 words. Longer blog posts allow you to dig into complex subjects, include plenty of visuals, and become an authority in your field.
  • Feature experts. Including insights from other experts in your field adds a human element to your nonprofit and inspires your audience to get involved. You can feature thought leaders through guest posts or interviews.
  • Showcase impact. Make your blog engaging and insightful by showing your organization’s impact. This will keep donors, volunteers, and supporters invested in the mission and encourage them to heed your calls to action.
  • Use a multichannel marketing strategy to spread the word. We suggest taking a multi-channel marketing approach to promote your nonprofit blog. Cover all the bases by combining your email, social media, and SEO efforts.

These best practices will improve your search engine results and increase traffic to your nonprofit’s blog. Now let’s take a look at the nonprofit blogs that have successfully implemented these tips!

Best Nonprofit Blogs to Inspire You

With more than 500 million blogs worldwide, it can be difficult to sort through the seemingly endless sea of information. We’ve compiled a list of the best nonprofit blogs that managed to stand out using marketing strategies. From Getting Attention to Top Nonprofits, these nonprofit blogs are sure to inspire your next post!

Getting Attention

Getting Attention is a nonprofit blog committed to Google Ad Grant management.

Getting Attention is made up of professional fundraising consultants dedicated to Google Ad Grant management. Getting Attention’s nonprofit marketing blog offers articles spanning a variety of essential nonprofit topics, from the basics of Google Grants to guides for planning a comprehensive nonprofit marketing plan.

Double the Donation

Double the Donation is a great example of a successful nonprofit blog.

Double the Donation is an expert in matching gift funds, with the largest and most accurate database of matching gift and volunteer grant information in the nonprofit sector. Double the Donation’s dedicated blogroll consists of industry guides and nonprofit tips including corporate fundraising, general fundraising guides, and top software provider lists.

eCardWidget

eCardWidget provides eCard software that allows nonprofit to thank donors.eCardWidget provides eCard software that nonprofits can use to thank donors and spread awareness for their causes. The eCardWidget blog features key tips for supporter appreciation, fundraising ideas, and nonprofit software solutions.

 

re:Charity

re:Charity is a nonprofit blog dedicated to hosting fundraising.

re:Charity is a nonprofit blog dedicated to hosting fundraising resources, tips, best practices, industry guides, and software lists. There is a wide range of information on re:Charity, with specific blog categories dedicated to fundraising, marketing, technology, and nonprofit strategies.

Fundraising Letters

The Fundraising Letters nonprofit blog allows professionals to peruse educational resources.

Fundraising Letters is a website committed to helping nonprofit leaders craft compelling and engaging communications with supporters. The Fundraising Letters blog allows professionals to peruse educational resources provided by thought leaders throughout the nonprofit industry.

Crowd101

Crowd101 is a nonprofit blog and an excellent resource for crowdfunding.

Crowd101 hosts a wide variety of resources and blog posts to help fundraisers begin a crowdfunding event, market it effectively, and explore other fundraising tips. Their blog is a great resource with clearly defined sections like getting started with crowdfunding, crowdfunding examples, fundraising ideas, real estate crowdfunding information, and more!

NonprofitPRO

NonprofitPRO is a go-to nonprofit blog for nonprofit management.

NonprofitPRO is a go-to source for nonprofit management and strategy which serves fresh, hard-hitting content. They cover a range of topics, including human resources, board and volunteer management, legal matters, news, and raising funds. NonprofitPRO’s blog effectively brings together thought leaders in the nonprofit industry, offering a wide range of tools and strategy guides to modern nonprofit professionals.

Get Fully Funded

Get Fully Funded is a nonprofit blog that teaches how to build a loyal donor base.

Get Fully Funded is a step-by-step system for fundraising that teaches how to build a loyal donor base, inspire donors to give, and build relationships that keep them giving. Their dedicated team of professionals offers coaching, training, and support to fully fund your nonprofit. Get Fully Funded has an extensive blog site with weekly tips and tools to help you raise the money you need to grow your nonprofit.

Candid

Candid's nonprofit blog serves as a database for other nonprofits.

Candid connects people who want to make a difference with the resources they need to do it. GuideStar, a data collection company, and Foundation Center joined forces to create Candid, a comprehensive database for nonprofits. Follow their blog for regularly updated information on how philanthropy responds to advancing racial equity and safeguarding democracy.

Nonprofit Hub

Nonprofit Hub's nonprofit blog helps nonprofits grow their missions.

Nonprofit Hub is a national educational publication helping nonprofits grow their missions and better their organizations. It’s a great resource for thought leadership and resources on marketing, fundraising, and more! Each week, Nonprofit Hub publishes new blog content ranging from nonprofit branding to nonprofit web design.

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Nonprofit Tech for Good's nonprofit blog offers news and resources related to digital marketing and fundraising.

Nonprofit Tech for Good focuses on providing useful, easy-to-understand news and resources related to digital marketing and fundraising. 101 Best Practices is their blog and webinar series on website design, email marketing, online fundraising, and social media best practices for nonprofits, NGOs, and charities worldwide.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's nonprofit blog explores what works and what doesn't in the nonprofit sector.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy explores the nonprofit world of philanthropy. Based in Washington, DC, their print and online content targets charity leaders, foundation executives, fundraising professionals, and ordinary people involved in philanthropy. The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s blog is dedicated to honest conversations about what works and what doesn’t in the nonprofit sector.

Top Nonprofits

Top Nonprofits' blog was founded to help charitable missions grow.

Top Nonprofits was founded to help nonprofits accelerate their growth through sharing information, tools, trends, and best practices. In this blog, you’ll learn about new frontiers in fundraising, best storytelling practices, tips for mission statements, and more!

 

Wrapping Up: Our Final Tip for Optimizing Your Nonprofit’s Marketing

The bottom line: running a nonprofit blog takes dedication, consistent writing, and a strong marketing strategy. If you follow best practices, your nonprofit will reap benefits like connecting to donors and increasing brand awareness.

Once you’re ready to promote your nonprofit blog, consider working with a trusted expert like Getting Attention. We’ll help you bring new supporters to your website through Google Ad Grant management and make the most of your Google Ad Grant.

Want to continue your research on nonprofit blogs? Explore these additional resources:

Contact us to learn more about how you can incorporate the Google Ad Grant into your nonprofit marketing strategy.

This guide will go over how to promote your mission with 13 free nonprofit marketing tools.

Promoting Your Mission: 13 Free Nonprofit Marketing Tools

To further your nonprofit’s cause, you need all kinds of support, including donations, and support from volunteers and members alike. To get that support, people need to be aware of your organization and its goals. That’s why getting the word out about your mission is one of the most important parts of running a successful nonprofit.

If you’re not convinced that marketing is vital for your nonprofit, consider that one in four donors use their mobile devices to discover nonprofits they were previously unaware of. And in 2021, nonprofit email list sizes grew by 7%. This means that potential supporters are interested in learning about and helping your nonprofit—they just need to find you.

To help you upgrade your marketing efforts, this guide will cover the following topics:

Having access to free marketing tools can take a great burden off of small or new nonprofits that are just getting started and may not have the budget to pay for marketing software solutions. However, to use these tools effectively, you must first understand how advertising can help your nonprofit.

Click through to learn more about other free nonprofit marketing tools and ideas.

What are the Benefits of Nonprofit Marketing?

This image shows some benefits of nonprofit marketing, covered in the text below.

Promoting your nonprofit brings a variety of benefits. It extends your organization’s reach, resulting in:

  • Greater mission awareness. Increasing your marketing presence means that you’ll be informing a greater number of individuals about your nonprofit’s mission, operations, and work. Even if these individuals don’t choose to support your nonprofit, you’ll still be boosting awareness of your cause.
  • Enhanced supporter recruitment. Nonprofit marketing helps enhance supporter recruitment simply by reaching a larger audience. You’ll be able to connect with a larger amount of individuals who genuinely want to help.
  • Increased fundraising. Because a greater number of people are aware of your nonprofit’s mission, your fundraising capacity also increases as these individuals make donations in your support. Just think back to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral and helped the ALS Association increase its annual research funding by 187 percent.
  • Stronger community relationships. Not only does nonprofit marketing result in new supporters, but it can also strengthen relationships with existing supporters. With email newsletters and social media posts, keep your work top of mind and show the tangible impact of your supporters’ help.

To fully leverage the benefits of promoting your nonprofit digitally, you’ll need to put time and effort into creating a thorough marketing strategy. There’s a lot of research and planning involved in a successful marketing campaign, but not to worry—we’ll help you get started with establishing your strategy.

7 Steps for Creating Your Nonprofit Marketing Strategy

This image lists the steps to creating your nonprofit marketing strategy, covered in the text below.

For advice on establishing a comprehensive and thoughtful promotional plan, consider these seven steps to creating a successful marketing strategy:

  1. Establish your goal.Ask yourself, what’s the ultimate goal behind promoting your nonprofit? Depending on what that goal is, you may need to adjust your approach. Common goals include increasing fundraising revenue, recruiting volunteers, and attracting event attendees.
  2. Determine your target audience. Consider the demographics that make up your supporter base. For example, maybe most of your volunteers belong to Gen Z and live locally to your headquarters. Or, maybe the majority of your donors are Millennials that live all across the country.
  3. Decide which marketing channels to use. Once you’ve determined your target audience, assess what types of messages they are most responsive to and what channels they are most active on. Common marketing channels include email, direct mail, and social media.
  4. Design an attractive and consistent brand. Remember that your marketing efforts reflect back on your nonprofit. Having consistent and professional graphics, branding, and content will add to your nonprofit’s credibility.
  5. Create compelling marketing content. Your content should be unique from other nonprofits, shaped by the marketing channels you use, your nonprofit’s voice and culture, and what your supporters and target audience are interested in.
  6. Evaluate your marketing strategy. After you’ve employed your new strategy for a period of time, assess how well it’s performing. Look at relevant data and information and ask yourself: What’s going well? What could be better?
  7. Revise and improve your strategy. Once you’ve honed in on the portions of your nonprofit marketing strategy that could be improved, make adjustments to them so the strategy is tailor-made to fulfill your goal.

Don’t be discouraged if your strategy isn’t as successful as you want it to be on your first try. Building a nonprofit marketing strategy can be difficult, as there are many different aspects to it that you’ll need to consider. It will take trial and error, and it’s normal for your strategy to need revising.

Click through to learn more about other free nonprofit marketing tools and ideas.

13 Free Nonprofit Marketing Tools

To help you execute your marketing strategy, we’ll discuss 13 free nonprofit marketing tools you can use and what you can accomplish with them.

1. Google Trends

With Google Trends, you’ll gain a broad understanding of what people are searching on Google in real time. You can use this information to gauge interest in a particular topic. This could be your nonprofit, your cause, or any current events that relate to either.

You’ll also be able to evaluate engagement with your topic of choice in specific locations over time. This can help you determine how popular the topics surrounding your nonprofit’s mission are and form an understanding of your target audience. You can also leverage long-term trending searches in your marketing strategy to garner more support for and awareness of your nonprofit.

2. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is helpful for nonprofits during each stage of establishing their marketing strategy. It allows you to understand your website, your visitors, and their behaviors. Some of the insights you gain from Google Analytics include:

  • Who your visitors are. This includes each visitor’s location, age, gender, and interests.
  • How they’re getting to your site. Web browsers commonly find sites through search engines, but they could also click on a direct link from another page or on an ad to get to your web page.
  • What device they’re using. You’ll learn whether your visitors use desktops or mobile devices, the browser they’ve chosen, and even their operating system.
  • How long they’re engaging with your site. Google Analytics tracks session duration rates, meaning the amount of time that a visitor stays on your site. It also tracks bounce rate, which is the percentage of users that leave your site after only viewing one page.

This tool is most helpful for nonprofits who are trying to determine their target audience and decide which digital marketing channels to use. You can also use it to track the success of certain strategies and channels, like Google Ads.

With the insights from Google Analytics, you’ll be able to gain a thorough understanding of your target audience and how they prefer to see communications from your nonprofit. You can also create customized dashboards to keep track of the information you need, which is very helpful for evaluating and tweaking your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.

3. SurveyMonkey

This free nonprofit marketing tool allows you to conveniently create surveys for polling your nonprofit’s audience. Not only can you create surveys to assess attendee satisfaction after events, for example, but you can also leverage this tool to inform your marketing efforts.

With SurveyMonkey, you’ll have access to a library of survey templates that you can build upon and customize to fit your nonprofit’s needs. Make your survey available through web links, email, or embeds on your website. Once you get responses to these surveys, analyze responses with SurveyMonkey’s built-in reports and dashboards.

Like Google Analytics, you can use this free marketing tool to decide on your target audience and which marketing channels to use. However, you can use it to gather more in-depth and detailed information from your nonprofit’s existing supporters to fuel your marketing efforts. For example, use your surveys to ask them about their interests, communication preferences, and what they’d like to see from your organization.

4. Canva

When it comes to developing your nonprofit’s graphics and marketing materials, Canva is the free marketing tool you’ll want to use. To help nonprofits with their advertising efforts, Canva offers free use of its intuitive and convenient premium tools to eligible organizations.

With Canva, you can create a variety of marketing materials to boost mission awareness and recruit support, including:

  • Social media posts
  • Presentations
  • Infographics
  • Reports
  • Posters
  • Flyers

This tool offers over 75 million images and 3.5 million graphical elements to help you design attractive, professional, and consistent marketing materials for your nonprofit. If you’re unsure of how to effectively utilize graphic design principles to create eye-catching promotional content, don’t worry—Canva also offers over 400,000 customizable templates to get you started.

5. Pexels

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is a common saying, but it’s based on reality. In fact, articles with images have 650% of the engagement of articles without. If you’re interested in leveraging the power of images to engage your audience, consider using Pexels.

This free nonprofit marketing tool is a database of free stock photos and royalty-free images and videos that you can use at no cost. Pexels also encourages creativity by allowing users to modify the photos and videos on their site.

For nonprofits without photographers and videographers, Pexels is a great alternative. While you don’t have sufficient photos and videos of your own, use this tool to liven up your promotional content and make it more visually appealing and engaging.

6. Grammarly

While visuals are important for your nonprofit’s marketing content, your written content is also crucial to creating a compelling message that helps garner more funds and followers. Grammarly is a free nonprofit marketing tool that can help you do that.

Although Grammarly can’t write your content for you, it can act as a proofreader. To ensure your nonprofit presents a professional image to potential supporters, it will review spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity errors in your text and suggest fixes. By downloading the Grammarly app and extension, you can write mistake-free in any app you use, including Gmail, Google Docs, Facebook, and more.

If you’re looking for even more in-depth insight into improving your writing, Grammarly’s paid premium service will give you targeted suggestions for clarity, vocabulary, and tone.

7. Typito

Nonprofit video content is a type of marketing material that, when strategically created, can create a great impact on your organization. A recent study found that as many as 91% of consumers want to see more online video content from brands, and another study found that video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year and achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness.

Typito is a free nonprofit marketing tool you can use to create stunning and professional text videos. It has an easy drag-and-drop interface to make the editing process more convenient, so you can have your promotional videos ready to go in no time. Typito also offers the following features:

  • Brand Kit. With this feature, you can choose colors, fonts, and styles to create a consistent brand for your nonprofit.
  • Instant Captions. Automatically create closed captions that are synced perfectly with the audio of your video.
  • Video Formats. Typito allows you to choose from over 20 different video formats and aspect ratios for full control over your video.
  • Free Templates. Inexperienced video creators will appreciate the free text animations that can help you spice up your video without editing expertise.
  • Live Video Preview. You’ll know how your finished video will look at every step of the editing process with the real-time video preview feature, without needing to export.

And, if you ever need any help with your creations, Typito’s support team is ready to help. For nonprofits that are looking to create compelling video content, such as for a social media platform like Youtube or TikTok, this free marketing tool is a stellar choice.

8. Google Ad Grants


When it comes to reaching a wider audience, Google Search Ads is a top tool for organizations of all types. The Google Ad Grant gives eligible nonprofits access to these ads for free by giving them $10,000 of credits to spend on Google Ads. This free funding can make a huge difference for small nonprofits seeking to create a greater impact.

To be a part of the Google Ad Grant program, your nonprofit must be eligible and go through the application process. After you’ve been approved, you’ll set up ad campaigns that help you work towards your greater marketing goals. Effective Google Ad Grants management allows nonprofits to:

This image lists the benefits of effective Google Ad Grants management, which your nonprofit can utilize as a free nonprofit marketing tool.

  • Improve the visibility of your nonprofit’s work.
  • Generate mission awareness by promoting educational content.
  • Increase the registrations for upcoming events.
  • Share volunteer-related content to boost recruitment.
  • Promote advocacy activities like online petitions.
  • Share donation and sponsorship opportunities to increase funding.

Use Google Ad Grants to create compelling advertisements that your target audience will click on. To do so, you’ll need knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword research. However, if you have the budget and lack the required experience, consider partnering with a Google Ad Grants agency. These marketing professionals can lend their experience to help you generate the impact you desire.

Click here to learn more about implementing Google Ad Grants, a free nonprofit marketing tool, in your strategy.

9. Mailchimp

Email marketing is a tried and true channel for nonprofit advertising. Mailchimp makes that easier for you with a solution built for marketing. With this free nonprofit marketing tool, you can set up automated email campaigns to ensure that you send your messages at the right time.  And, it syncs seamlessly with your existing software solutions so you can save time.

Use Mailchimp’s free, pre-built email templates to help you jumpstart your email marketing processes. You’ll have access to tools to help you create content, customize designs, and assess how your content is performing. You can also separate your supporters into different segments, helping you create compelling content that appeals to each unique audience group.

10. Hootsuite

It’s estimated that there are over 4.8 billion social media users worldwide. That alone speaks to social media’s greatest power, which is helping your nonprofit increase its reach and visibility. Hootsuite helps you do that by managing your social media profiles, all in one place.

With Hootsuite, you can:

  • View all your social media content in one calendar.
  • Schedule and publish content to your profiles.
  • Create and organize your posts.
  • Track post engagement in real-time.
  • Monitor relevant trends and topics.
  • Get actionable insights on the best times to post.

This nonprofit marketing tool will level up your social media marketing efforts by helping you create high-quality content that appeals to your target audience. Hootsuite offers a free 30-day trial for organizations interested in their Professional and Team plans, but after that, you’ll have to pay a yearly fee to continue using their services.

11. Bitly

Bitly is a free nonprofit marketing tool for creating short links, QR codes, and Link-in-bio pages. They have over 500 thousand paying customers across the globe and 5.7 million monthly users. Their free features include:

  • Link Management. This includes URL shortening, custom brand links, and URL redirects.
  • QR codes. Fully customizable and dynamic QR codes, different QR code types, and different destination options.
  • Link-in-bio. Customizable social media URLs and landing pages and easy-to-manage links.

You can use Bitly’s features in a variety of ways to aid your marketing efforts. For example, if the URL for your donation page is long and difficult to remember, make it more convenient for potential donors by shortening it. Or, if you’re promoting an event, include a QR code on your posters and flyers so people walking by can easily get more information

Additionally, Bitly also offers advanced analytics and tracking tools to help you easily assess the data from your links and QR codes. You can use these features to evaluate your marketing strategy’s efficacy, helping you identify points that could be improved in the future.

12. WebSite Auditor

This free nonprofit marketing tool does exactly what its name suggests—it audits your website and performs on-page analysis for SEO. Ensuring that your organization’s website is as easy as possible for search engines to crawl through is important to improving your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs), as this boosts your mission’s visibility.

WebSite Auditor’s free plan allows you to:

  • Find and analyze the pages of your website
  • Calculate overall website statistics
  • Make Google XML sitemaps for your pages
  • Create and manage robots.txt files
  • Check the number of visitors every page gets
  • Run full health checks for your website
  • Polish your site’s HTML code

Not only that, but it offers easy access to all analytical data for your website and pages within one project. WebSite Auditor gives your nonprofit specific knowledge on how your site can be improved and empowers you to make those changes by giving you actionable insights. It works on any operating system, allowing you to easily evaluate and upgrade your site’s marketing potential.

13. Give Lively

After you’ve put your advertising plan into place and evaluated it, you’ll need to decide which improvements to make. Ask yourself, what changes would help your marketing strategy fulfill its purpose? One of the ways you can improve your strategy is by using a dedicated fundraising platform like Give Lively.

Entirely free for nonprofits, Give Lively offers digital, event, and peer-based fundraising features that will help your organization raise the funds you need. This software solution enhances your marketing strategy with these features:

  • Campaign Pages. Create beautiful, customizable, and responsive donation pages that are easy for donors to use.
  • Text-to-Donate. Encourage supporters to give on the go with custom text codes that never expire, making fundraising easier than ever.
  • Peer-to-Peer Fundraising. Word of mouth is a great way to spread information about your nonprofit and its mission. Take that to the next level with peer-to-peer fundraising, empowering your supporters to appeal for and collect donations on your behalf with personalized campaign pages.

If the goal of your advertising strategy is to increase your fundraising capability, Give Lively is the free marketing tool that will upgrade your marketing efforts. To use this software solution, you need to be a U.S. based 501(c)(3) public charity. You’ll apply to become a member, and Give Lively will accept your membership if you align with their values statement.

Additional Resources

Nonprofit marketing can be just as complex and difficult as marketing for for-profit organizations. Luckily, there are a variety of free marketing tools available that your organization can use to reach your goals.

There are a lot of choices, and you might feel overwhelmed by them. Just remember that the first step is to establish your marketing plan—after that, do thorough research and select the tools that will help you achieve your goals.

If you’re interested in learning more about nonprofit marketing, take a look at the following resources:

Click here to speak to a professional about how the Google Ad Grants program fits into your nonprofit marketing strategy.

Read this to learn how to advertise your upcoming fundraising 5K in three easy steps.

3 Easy Steps to Effectively Advertise Your Fundraising 5K

Picture this: you’re rallying your coworkers, friends, and family to join your local business’ fundraising 5K to raise money for a cause near your heart. Whether protecting animal rights or conserving the land where you grew up, you want to involve as many people as possible.

However, it might feel overwhelming if you’re new to promoting social good causes. You might ask questions like, “How do I leverage my existing connections?” and “How can I reach more people faster?” To help you get started, we’ve drafted three easy steps to advertise your fundraising 5K:

  1. Build a Dedicated Event Website
  2. Leverage Social Media
  3. Connect with Your Local Community

By following these steps, you can build a reliable community of supporters that you can continue to grow even after your race ends. Let’s dive in!

1. Build a dedicated event website

Your event website acts as your “home base” for all things related to your fundraising 5K. It should be the first place supporters can count on to find the most up-to-date information about your upcoming event. An effective website will include elements such as:

  • An event overview: Dedicate a section to explain why you are hosting your 5K event so participants can feel united under your cause. For instance, Bringing Happiness’ 5K announcement reflects its mission to provide sports and activities to vulnerable children: “Not only is this event a chance to get outside and exercise, but it’s also an opportunity to bring our community together and spread happiness and positivity through healthy activities. We truly believe in the power of movement and its impact on our mental and physical well-being.”
  • An event itinerary: Break down your itinerary for race day, including location, start time, and any reward ceremonies or community activities following the race.
  • Registration links: Post the links to register for your event in a visible spot so visitors can easily sign up. Test these links ahead of time to ensure visitors can access them.
  • Fundraising information: Provide guidelines on how participants can create their fundraising pages, set goals, and collect donations. For instance, you might include instructions on how to sell branded 5K t-shirts to raise funds leading up to the event.
  • Social media links: Inspire site visitors to connect with you online with links to your Facebook page or Instagram profiles. You can use upbeat phrases like “join our running journey” or “get to know our team” to facilitate increased online community connections.

To bring your website to the next level, you might consider posting relevant blog posts to convince your visitors to stick around. You can cover topics like The 5 Best Pre-Run Meals or How and Why You Should Recycle Old Running Shoes. You can link to these topics on social media and invite guest contributors to share their thoughts.

2. Leverage social media

Did you know that almost 60% of Gen Z are inspired to donate by a message or image they saw on social media? That means that social media should be essential to your overall marketing plan. The main channels to consider include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, and it can help your fundraising with dedicated event page features, page creation capabilities, and sharing features. It’s also a great platform to share your fundraising results following your 5K. Twitter makes real-time reactions and updates easy with short messaging and retweetability.

In many ways, Instagram is an ideal platform to make your pre-event journey come to life because of its visual storytelling capabilities. To make full use of this channel, consider posting engaging content like:

  • Livestreams: Host Q&A sessions to highlight your cause, or post training insights to engage your audience and maximize your viewers. Livestreams give followers a chance to get to know you in an unfiltered way, reminding them you’re all a part of the same running community.
  • Influencer collaborations: You can use Instagram to reach out to fitness enthusiasts interested in highlighting your 5K. Invite them to join live streams, share their tips, or even become ambassadors for your cause. Their involvement can lend credibility to your cause and increase your reach.
  • Giveaways: Announce giveaways or contests related to your upcoming 5K to attract new followers and engage current ones. Consider offering free registrations, branded apparel, or gift cards to get more people excited about supporting your 5K.

For the best social media marketing results, begin posting regularly at least a month or two in advance and maintain a consistent schedule. When you come closer to your event, post more frequent countdowns, relevant updates, and any final instructions. Engage with comments and direct participants to your website for any updates that need to be fleshed out in more detail.

3. Connect with Your Local Community

Aside from leveraging digital channels, you can advertise for your cause by connecting with your local community. Most likely, at least a few organizations would be interested in participating in or sponsoring your 5K.

Sneakers4Good suggests reaching out to the following groups to spread the word and expand your existing running community:

  • Running stores: These retailers offer practical ways to generate funds for your 5K. You can broach the idea of gaining their sponsorship by highlighting the benefits it would bring to their store (e.g., an increased customer base). Or, suggest a percentage night where the store donates a percentage of one day’s profits to your cause.
  • Gyms: Gym members already share your passion for fitness. Reach out to local gyms to recruit more participants, collaborate with instructors for 5K-specific training sessions, or engage in cross-promotional opportunities to increase gym membership.
  • Door-to-door campaigning: To launch this type of campaign, you can separate your existing 5K community into groups and assign each group with the responsibility of knocking on doors to invite neighbors to donate or sign up for the race.

To increase community awareness, your team could also post flyers in local parks, gyms, and other fitness centers. Kwala’s guide to fundraising flyers offers plenty of design inspiration. Just be sure to include your event details, social media links, and website information for interested members to get involved.


Using a combination of digital and community outreach, you can effectively promote your fundraising 5K. Whenever possible, look for ways to combine your digital and in-person worlds to create a more integrated marketing strategy.

For example, you can include QR codes on printed flyers that link to your registration page. Or, you could invite your online followers to join an in-person training session to prepare for the race. These strategies will let participants get to know one another and help you reach more people faster. You’ve got this!

In this guide, we’ll explore the top 10 online donation tools that help nonprofits raise more for their missions.

Top 10 Online Donation Tools That Help Nonprofits Raise More

Online donations are a growing source of revenue for nonprofits, with 63% of donors saying they prefer to give online. From small grassroots organizations to large international charities, nonprofits are turning to online donation tools to make it easier for donors to give and to help raise more funds for their causes.

However, with so many donation tools available, each with its own unique features, pricing, and benefits, it can be difficult to decide which ones to invest in.

In this guide, we’ll highlight the top 10 online donation tools that help nonprofits streamline their donation process and raise more: Read more

Explore this nonprofit marketing guide to learn how to expand your audience and reach more supporters.

Nonprofit Marketing: A Behind-the-Scenes Guide for Success

 

For nonprofits, developing an effective marketing plan is key to spreading awareness, engaging new prospects, and deepening relationships with donors. However, there’s a lot that goes into crafting the perfect strategy for your organization, from setting goals to analyzing your marketing data.

In this comprehensive nonprofit marketing guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to refine your marketing efforts. Here’s what we’ll cover:

At Getting Attention, we empower nonprofits to expand their nonprofit marketing capabilities with the Google Ad Grant. While we’ll explore that channel a bit more later, know that it’s a powerful addition to any nonprofit’s toolkit. Plus, it’s completely free!

Regardless of your nonprofit’s size, budget, or staff resources, taking the time to optimize your current marketing strategy can go a long way toward securing more support for your mission.Reach out to Getting Attention to learn how you can start leveraging the Google Ad Grant to enhance your nonprofit marketing results.

What is Nonprofit Marketing?

Nonprofit marketing refers to the various marketing strategies and channels that a nonprofit uses to amplify its cause, solicit donations, attract new supporters, and retain existing ones.

Organizations often create nonprofit marketing plans to allocate their budgets, time, and efforts effectively. This plan typically includes essential details such as your core mission, tone, target audience, preferred marketing channels, and branding.

Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing

There are two main approaches to nonprofit marketing:

  • Inbound marketing refers to methods of catching prospective supporters’ attention through unpaid promotion or content production. Commonly, this includes search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, and organic social media posts.
  • Outbound marketing, often referred to as “advertising,” relies on paid media to get in front of potential supporters. You might use Google Ads, social media advertising, radio ads, or any other paid outlet to promote your mission.

While inbound marketing attracts potential supporters in a natural way, outbound marketing can help your nonprofit extend its reach to people who might not otherwise come across your cause. Finding the perfect balance between inbound and outbound channels enables you to cast a wider net and reach more prospects.

Benefits of Nonprofit Marketing

Preparing a thoughtful and comprehensive nonprofit marketing plan allows your nonprofit to:

There are many advantages to creating a comprehensive nonprofit marketing plan, including the five benefits detailed below.

  • Boost awareness. With effective nonprofit marketing, your organization can increase awareness around your mission, ensuring that more people know about your nonprofit’s goals and the work you’re doing to achieve them.
  • Increasing funds. By spreading more awareness about your cause, you’ll naturally receive more donations from people who resonate with your mission and want to get involved.
  • Cultivate long-term relationships. Successful marketing can build lasting relationships with donors, leading to more recurring donations and generating more revenue. Nonprofits Source estimates that, among online gifts, the average monthly donation is $52 (a total of $624 per year), compared to the average one-time gift of $128 per year.
  • Attract all types of support. In addition to securing more gifts for your nonprofit, marketing can help with increasing volunteer recruitment, event participation, membership signups, and other types of engagement with your organization.
  • Promote your services. The services that your nonprofit provides to those you serve are an integral part of your fundraising efforts and inspire your supporters to give. With a comprehensive nonprofit marketing strategy, you can more effectively promote these services to supporters and beneficiaries.

In other words, marketing impacts every area of your organization, making it essential to achieving your mission and inciting real change in your community.

Nonprofit Marketing Challenges

Effective outreach, however, does not come without its challenges. By understanding the common marketing obstacles that nonprofits face, you can plan ahead and minimize potential difficulties further down the road.

Four common marketing challenges to keep in mind include:

  • Establishing trustworthiness. Many people contribute to nonprofits because they’re driven to make a difference in the world. To convince potential donors to give, you’ll need to assure them that your organization is legitimate and worthy of their financial support.
  • Selling your mission. Unlike for-profit companies, nonprofits must sell their ideas and values to prospects rather than a product.
  • Working on a limited budget. Even with a well-defined mission and a compelling story, budget constraints may hinder your marketing efforts. This can limit your advertising options through paid outlets.
  • Appealing to different demographics. Many of your potential supporters will have varying preferences and interests. For example, older donors might prefer traditional, print outreach methods while younger audiences might lean toward text or social media outreach.

Fortunately, your organization can overcome all of these challenges by laying a solid foundation with your nonprofit marketing plan and following the best practices we’ll explore later on in the guide.

How Much Do Nonprofits Spend on Marketing?

While there’s no single answer to how much an organization should spend on marketing, there are a few methods you can use to calculate a smart budget:

  • The percent method. Allocate 5% to 15% of your total budget to marketing, communications, and fundraising. Many organizations group these three essential activities together as a single line item in their budget. This method makes it easy to scale your nonprofit marketing budget as your organization grows.
  • The dollar method. Apportion a set dollar amount to marketing, communications, and fundraising based on past expenditures. This method eliminates guesswork and makes spending expectations clear.
  • The incremental method. Take the current period’s budget and revenue into account. Then, use that to adjust each line item by incremental amounts to create your next budget. This makes it easy to allocate money strategically without starting from scratch.

While nonprofits often consider cutting marketing from the budget when resources get tight, this is worth reconsidering. Promoting your mission is key to staying top of mind with donors and driving more gifts to keep your doors open. Instead, opt for low-cost communication channels or apply for a grant.

Whether you’re facing budgetary constraints or simply want to reduce costs, explore our guide to applying for Google Ad Grants to tap into more marketing potential.

5 Steps to Create a Nonprofit Marketing Strategy

Crafting an organized nonprofit marketing strategy is crucial to connecting with your supporters and beneficiaries. Your strategy should outline all the information you need to meet your audience’s needs and spread your mission.

1. Perform a Marketing Audit.

Start out by getting a sense of your current marketing capabilities and available resources. That way, you can start thinking about the changes and tweaks you’ll need to make.

Gather past outreach materials and campaign metrics to conduct an audit on your most recent outreach efforts.

A nonprofit marketing audit often consists of conducting a SWOT analysis, which stands for:

This image illustrates how you can use a SWOT analysis to conduct an audit and learn from your past nonprofit marketing efforts.

  • Strengths. List any areas where your nonprofit excels and stands out from competitors. For example, you may have unique services, strong brand awareness, or an incredibly loyal supporter base.
  • Weaknesses. List anything that hinders you from achieving your nonprofit marketing goals, such as a very limited budget or a poor digital presence.
  • Opportunities. Include any external factors that give you an advantage over competitors. For instance, your mission could be prevalent in the news or you might have a strong pipeline of corporate sponsors.
  • Threats. This includes any external factors, out of your control, that negatively impact your nonprofit. These factors could be anything from unfavorable media coverage to shifting government regulations.

Analyze your results and create an action plan for playing to your strengths, overcoming any weaknesses, increasing your opportunities, and mitigating any threats.

2. Define Your Marketing Goals.

Your nonprofit marketing strategy should aim to support your overall goals. Are you trying to raise funds? Encourage volunteering? Garner fundraising event registrations? Every marketing campaign needs a concrete goal and target action to be successful. When outlining your nonprofit marketing strategy goals, use the SMART method:

  • Specific. Define the exact goal your nonprofit is aiming to achieve and identify how achieving it will support your mission.
  • Measurable. Your goal should have clear key performance indicators (KPIs) attached to evaluate your progress.
  • Attainable. Given your organization’s current standing (e.g., time, money, expertise), choose a goal that you can realistically achieve.
  • Relevant. Your chosen goal should contribute to your organization’s overall success. For example, increasing volunteer registrations clearly impacts your organization more than reaching a certain number of likes on an Instagram post.
  • Time-based. Provide a realistic deadline for achieving your goal. Then, create milestones along the way.

From here, list your goals by priority. This allows you to have clear nonprofit marketing goals in place to power greater outcomes for your cause.

3. Understand Your Audiences.

It’s essential to focus your nonprofit marketing strategy on who you’re trying to reach. Outline both your current audience and your target audience. Then, segment your audience members according to characteristics such as:

Take note of these key characteristics as you segment your audience for more effective nonprofit marketing messages.

  • Supporter type, including first-time donor, recurring donor, major donor, volunteer, or corporate partner.
  • Preferred communication method, like email or direct mail.
  • Demographic data, including age group, geographical location, and education level.

Every nonprofit marketing campaign should have a target audience in mind to ensure that you send the right messages that resonate with the right people.

4. Create and Share A Compelling Message.

There are hundreds of ads and messages online, all competing for your supporters’ attention. To make your messages stand out from the crowd, use the CRAM rule to bring your powerful marketing ideas to fruition and connect with supporters. Your communications should be:

Follow the CRAM rule to take your nonprofit’s communications to the next level.

  • Connected to a cause. Link your nonprofit’s mission with something your audience cares about.
  • Rewarding. Readers should feel fulfilled or inspired when they come across your message.
  • Actionable. Include a clear call to action to outline readers’ next steps, whether that’s donating, volunteering, registering for an event, or something else.
  • Memorable. Use storytelling and statistics to leave a lasting impression on your readers.

Plan out the language and tone of your message, the specific calls to action you’ll use, and any visual branding elements. Then, choose your nonprofit marketing channels and start sharing your outreach.

5. Track Results and Make Adjustments.

Every nonprofit marketing strategy needs a dedicated way to measure performance, so you’ll be able to identify your areas of strength and areas for improvement moving forward. Here are some examples of KPIs for different channels you might track:

  • Click-through rate (CTR) for Google Ads
  • Email opens for email marketing
  • Video views or likes for video marketing
  • Likes, shares, and comments on social media
  • Page views or time on site for your website
  • Number of downloads for content marketing

Data is the backbone of your nonprofit marketing efforts, ensuring that your campaign is performing well, allowing you to glean insights for improving future campaigns, and acting as a resource for supporters wanting to learn more about your impact.

Types of Nonprofit Marketing Channels

The specific nonprofit marketing channels you use are critical to reaching your donors and meeting new prospects. While you don’t need to leverage every platform, a multichannel marketing approach allows you to connect with as many supporters as possible.

Let’s walk through some of the most popular channels that can catapult your nonprofit marketing efforts forward!

Explore these nonprofit marketing channels to discover how to make the most of your efforts on each channel.

Search Ads

To enhance their marketing results, many nonprofits leverage Google Ads, a platform where organizations display advertisements, service offerings, products, and other marketing content. Google places these ads strategically at the top of search engine result pages to expand each organization’s online presence.

Many nonprofits apply for the Google Ad Grant to take advantage of this platform. This technology grant offers nonprofit organizations $10,000 in ad credits to spend each month, which they can use to bid on valuable keywords that their prospects are searching online and promote their website content with Google Ads.

The best part? Any eligible nonprofit that complies with Google guidelines can leverage this grant. For example, if your church is eligible and compliant, you can apply for and receive the Google Ad Grant. It automatically reactivates every month, too. As long as you comply with the program’s rules, you’ll add up to a total of $120,000 to your nonprofit marketing budget each year.

It’s up to you to choose the right keywords related to your mission. For example, Science Moms created a Google Ad campaign to target terms related to “fight climate change.”

Science Moms’s campaign demonstrates how you can use the Google Ad Grant in your nonprofit marketing strategy.

However, a lot goes into determining your nonprofit’s eligibility, applying, and making the most of the program. That’s where an expert Google Grants agency can step in.

The specialists at Getting Attention will champion your cause at every turn. We’ll learn all about your specific nonprofit marketing goals and handle the entire Google Grant management process. That way, you can focus on other areas of your mission and relax knowing your Google ads are in good hands.

Reach out to Getting Attention to learn how you can start leveraging the Google Ad Grant to enhance your nonprofit marketing results.

Nonprofit Advertising

While people commonly interchange “advertising” and “marketing,” nonprofit advertising is actually a specific subset of nonprofit marketing that refers to using paid channels to promote your mission. Some of the most common nonprofit advertising channels include:

  • Search ads (like Google Ads)
  • Radio and TV ads
  • Social media ads
  • Influencer advertising

Advertising can expand your audience and amplify your content to people who aren’t actively researching nonprofits. Even if you’re working on a limited budget, outbound marketing isn’t entirely out of reach! Similar to Google, there are many other advertising platforms with free or discounted options for nonprofits.

Sign up for Getting Attention’s free email newsletter to access tips and best practices that will take your nonprofit’s advertising to the next level.

Nonprofit Email Marketing

Email is a reliable and effective channel for nonprofit marketers, allowing them to connect with all types of supporters, from first-time donors to those who have been giving regularly for years. 

Some impactful ways to leverage email marketing for nonprofits include:

  • Creating a regular newsletter. Provide supporters with updates about your organization, the latest industry news, success stories from your ongoing programs, supporter spotlights, volunteer opportunities, and anything else going on at your nonprofit that they might be interested in.
  • Sending monthly emails about donation needs and opportunities. To increase your donors’ value over time, send out regular donation requests. Fine-tune these requests to ask each donor for a reasonable upgrade from their last gift. For example, if a supporter gave $25 last month, you might make a request of $30, which they are more likely to respond to than a jump to $100. Additionally, make sure to take recurring donors off of your monthly donation request list since they are already giving regularly.
  • Segmenting your email audience. Target your messages to specific donor groups by dividing them based on relevant characteristics. 78% of marketers agree that subscriber segmentation is the most effective strategy for email campaigns. When you segment donors, you ensure you’re sending them content that aligns with their interests, making them more likely to open your emails and engage with them. 
  • Following up with appreciation emails. As soon as a supporter donates, signs up to volunteer, or shows some other form of support, you should automatically send out a thank you email. Personalize these emails to address each supporter by name and reference their specific contribution. 

On average, email generates $36 for every $1 spent. This high ROI makes it clear that this nonprofit marketing channel is worth investing in.

Word-of-Mouth Nonprofit Marketing

When your volunteers and donors feel strongly about your cause, they’ll naturally want to share your important work with like-minded friends and family members who are likely to be interested in supporting your nonprofit.

Peer-to-peer outreach can be incredibly powerful. In fact, 88% of consumers trust recommendations from loved ones over any other type of marketing. Encourage your supporters to reach out to their personal networks, post online about your cause, and share your organization’s social media posts to spread the word.

One powerful way to encourage peer-to-peer referrals is with nonprofit eCards. They’re an easy and interactive way to broadcast your mission, activities, and successes.

eCards, like this Project Sleep World Narcolepsy Day eCard, can be a stellar way to market your nonprofit.

Create designs for every occasion to encourage referrals year-round. Here are just a few ideas to get started:

  • Birthday fundraising eCards that encourage supporters to give in a loved one’s name as a way to wish them a happy birthday.
  • Holiday eCards to spread some holiday cheer during special times throughout the year.
  • Thank-you eCards to help supporters express their gratitude.
  • Tribute eCards for individuals to give in honor of their loved ones.
  • Mission awareness eCards to call attention to your work during a cause awareness campaign.
  • Event invitation eCards to help supporters invite their loved ones to one of your nonprofit events.

Once you design your nonprofit eCards, you can offer them for free, sell them for a set price, or give them in exchange for donations. No matter what, people will be excited to browse your collection and share a cause that’s close to their hearts.

Social Media Marketing for Nonprofits

By 2027, the global number of social media users is expected to skyrocket to 6 billion. Social media’s rising prevalence makes it one of the most viable channels for reaching supporters and marketing your mission.

Not only is social media affordable, but it’s also a key way to connect with supporters on a deeper level. You can engage with followers, encourage them to comment or repost content, and build a brand personality that they enjoy interacting with. Here are some general ways you can leverage this social media in your nonprofit marketing strategy:

  • Share news about your organization and cause.
  • Boost brand awareness and recognition.
  • Post calls to action for online gifts, event registrations, volunteer signups, and more.
  • Recruit volunteers and employees.
  • Recognize your committed donors, employees, and volunteers.

Whether you use TikTok for connecting with younger generations or Facebook for its long-form posts and its fundraising features, social media is a channel worth optimizing for your nonprofit marketing.

Direct Mail Marketing

While email marketing response rates are typically 1%, direct mail response rates hover around 9%, making it a highly valuable and personalized marketing channel.

For nonprofits, direct mail marketing and fundraising involve writing, printing, and sending out hard copy requests for funds, event invitations, or thank-you letters to your passionate supporters. These letters arrive in your supporters’ mailboxes and provide a tangible connection to your organization—especially when compared to opening up an email.

Use these tips to inspire action with your direct mail content:

  • Lean on storytelling. Perhaps the most unique aspect of direct mail is its personal touch. This is a key opportunity to connect with donors through storytelling. For example, you could describe the story of a family that your nonprofit has helped to get readers invested in your cause and eager to give.
  • Use compelling visuals. Weave your visual and written elements together to break up blocks of text and support your call to action. This applies to everything from your letters to your fundraising flyers. Whether you use photos of real people or graphics to illustrate different points, the visuals you choose should be strategic and reinforce your messaging.
  • Combine direct mail with digital marketing. Enhance your direct mail marketing by conducting it alongside your digital marketing efforts. Be sure to include easy ways for direct mail readers to connect online by including a QR code to your donation page or adding social media details to encourage engagement on various platforms.

As long as it aligns with your recipients’ communication preferences, direct mail can both benefit your nonprofit and show donors that you really care. Consider partnering with a direct mail marketing company to facilitate the process of writing and sending your letters.

Nonprofit Video Marketing

From short videos on TikTok to longer content on YouTube, many nonprofits have found success in using this form of media to promote campaigns, events, and their mission in general.

Why is this? Well, here are some reasons why video marketing for nonprofits is so valuable:

  • Inspire action. Well-edited videos, supplemented with evocative music, do really well when it comes to appealing to viewers’ emotions.
  • Shareable. Who hasn’t gotten a cute video of a pet sent from a friend? In fact, 51% of people are more likely to share videos than any other marketing content, including social media and blog posts.
  • Entertaining. According to DataReportal, watching videos is considered one of the top online activities among working-age internet users around the world, with 92.8% watching online videos every week.

You can incorporate video marketing across your nonprofit website, in social media posts, and in email content. For instance, you can send out an event invitation with a video teaser or record a video featuring someone your nonprofit has helped to show donors just how much their donations make an impact.

Bonus Tip: Because of their file format, videos can potentially slow down a website. When publishing videos to your website, we recommend turning off auto-play to minimize any slowdowns!

SEO Marketing for Nonprofits

Your nonprofit’s website is a huge resource when it comes to marketing your mission. It’s where prospects go to learn about your mission and where long-term supporters go to give support. Because of this, 68% of nonprofits have redesigned their websites within the last three years to incorporate SEO best practices and boost their organic rankings. When optimizing your organization’s website, keep these tips in mind:

  • Center each page around a core topic related to your cause and pick relevant keywords for each page.
  • Ensure full and regulatory accessibility compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
  • Use call-to-action buttons and links to direct users to your popular landing pages.
  • Prioritize user experience when it comes to ease of use and navigating your website.
  • Make sure all tools and content management systems are updated and functioning properly.
  • Feature consistent branding throughout the site.

Not all of these tips are directly related to SEO, but they all contribute to your site’s performance in some way. Plus, improving your website will set you up for success with multichannel outreach, like when you’re promoting it via social media or search ads.

Content Marketing for Nonprofits

Content marketing is all about creating valuable and promotable nonprofit content that can build your nonprofit brand and reputation in the sector. While this content will likely live on your website, you can also create specific content for emails or host a downloadable gated resource.

Common types of content you might create include:

  • Educational content about your mission, cause, and industry trends.
  • SEO blog content to get your online content ranking higher in search engines.
  • Easily shareable content that encourages your audience to send it along to their friends.
  • Content that is easily repurposable, like attaching a downloadable resource to an email message.

Plus, your content marketing materials can be used for other nonprofit marketing efforts, whether you promote it via email, Google Ads, or social media. Consider creating a dedicated team focused on content copywriting.

Text Message Marketing

With a 99% open rate and 90% read rate within just three minutes of sending, text message marketing is one of the best ways to promote a campaign and reach your audience where they already are.

To use text marketing, consider investing in a comprehensive text-to-give tool. Tatango’s nonprofit text messaging guide recommends looking for a text messaging provider with the following features:

  • A2P (Application to Person) messaging. A service that offers A2P messaging makes it easy to send off a single message to hundreds or thousands of supporters at once, saving your nonprofit time.
  • Ability to handle fast messaging speeds. A provider with a high message-per-second rate will ensure that your campaign reminders reach supporters just moments after you send them.
  • Security for your campaigns. Your text messaging provider should come with security measures like two-factor authentication, secure sending, and automated logout so that only your nonprofit’s team can access your sensitive data and send off messages.
  • Subscriber segmentation. Divide your contact list into subgroups based on characteristics such as recency of opting into your text messaging campaign, donation frequency, and average giving amount.

With a secure and user-friendly text messaging platform, your nonprofit can confidently deliver a high ROI, engage supporters year-round, and leverage contextual giving.

Contextual giving is a donation given at the moment when the donor first feels inspired to give. For instance, let’s say a prospect attends an in-person fundraising event and feels inspired by the turnout and the mission. They see the text-to-give number plastered on event signage and decide to give a gift. If you didn’t offer text giving, they might have decided to wait until they got home to give, which decreases their chances of completing the giving process.

Nonprofit Marketing Best Practices to Follow

There are a lot of moving components in your nonprofit marketing strategy that you have to keep in mind, from crafting your messaging to picking the channels you use. To keep your team organized, let’s explore some general best practices that can help you hone your marketing efforts:

Follow these nonprofit marketing best practices, detailed below, to maximize your results.

Elevate Your Graphic Design

Regardless of whether someone’s scrolling through their social media feed or passing by a bulletin board with your fundraising flyer pinned to it, they’re more likely to notice marketing collateral that features eye-catching graphics and vibrant colors.

Considering that people retain 55% more information when paired with an image, effective visuals make your content more memorable to prospects, too.

Here are a few crucial areas where graphic design comes into play:

  • Your logo. Your nonprofit’s logo appears on everything from your fundraising letters to your business cards. Prospects should see it and immediately associate it with your organization.
  • Website design. The graphics you include on your website are just as important as your site’s layout. You’ll want to include everything from images of your beneficiaries and volunteers to artistic elements that emphasize the most important aspects of each page.
  • Merchandise. If you sell t-shirts, mugs, or any other fundraising products, make sure you feature effective designs on them. Visually-appealing graphics will make the buying experience much easier for prospects who come across your ads for them.
  • Printed materials. Effective graphic design is just as important for your printed collateral, such as your fundraising letters, flyers, and service brochures.

If you have limited time or graphic design expertise, reach out to an experienced graphic designer to support your efforts. Those that have experience in the mission-driven space, such as Kwala, understand exactly what it takes to make charitable causes stand out. Their team will work with yours to create anything you request, including flyers, logos, stickers, and even fundraising product designs.

Take a look at this postcard that they designed for the Wildlife Rescue Group:

Create engaging nonprofit marketing postcards like Wildlife Rescue Group’s World Wildlife Day postcard with help from professional designers.

Well-designed materials like this will reel supporters in and drive more action, whether you want people to donate, volunteer, or get involved in some other way. Turning to a professional graphic designer allows you to focus on furthering your mission and trust that your marketing materials are resonating with supporters.

Segment Your Audience

People respond best to communications that are targeted to their needs, goals, and preferences. To effectively tailor your messaging to appeal to each supporter, ensure that you have accurate and updated contact information for all your supporters. People constantly change their phone numbers, get new email addresses, or move. In other words, their contact information can become quickly out of date.

Consider using appending services to fill in missing out outdated information. That way, you’ll never have to risk losing contact with your donors and volunteers.

Use Current Events

Boost your nonprofit’s marketing efforts by leveraging what is currently going on in the world to create urgency. Is there a story related to your cause in the news? For instance, if your organization is contributing to relief efforts in the wake of a natural disaster, take the time to connect your specific mission to this broader issue and boost public awareness around your work.

Remember to highlight all the work your organization aims to achieve so that potential donors feel inspired to get involved and contribute toward your impact.

Follow Up With Supporters

Successful marketing requires more than one-way communication. Start building relationships with your donors and volunteers by implementing strategies to start ongoing conversations. Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to exchange text messages with each supporter to keep them engaged. Rather, your nonprofit just needs to respond to the actions supporters take to show that you see and value their contributions. 

Some basic occasions for reaching out to a supporter include:

  • After they’ve made a gift
  • After they’ve attended an event
  • On their birthday
  • On their anniversary with your nonprofit
  • On a holiday or at year-end
  • Asking for their feedback in a survey

Your follow-up process can also benefit from a multi-channel approach. For example, personalized donor thank-you emails make it possible to show your appreciation quickly. Then, you can send a card or give donors a phone call a few days later when your nonprofit has time set aside for donor outreach. 

By reaching out often, you’ll be able to retain more donors and even convince lapsed donors to get involved once again.

Wrapping Up

Marketing your mission is key to your organization’s ongoing success. From choosing the right channels to keeping up with the latest trends, crafting a strong nonprofit marketing strategy takes quite a bit of forethought.

Whether you choose paid outlets like search ads or organic outlets like email, there’s a lot you can do to stand out. As you start crafting your strategies, check out these resources to keep learning:

Click through to learn how Getting Attention can amplify your nonprofit marketing results with the Google Ad Grant.

Learn more about how to manage your nonprofit's financial records when fundraising digitally.

Managing Financial Records for Digital Fundraising: 4 Tips

In today’s online-focused world, digital fundraising is essential for nonprofits to thrive. Research shows that revenue from online donations increased by 10% from 2021 to 2022, and that number is only projected to grow as more supporters take advantage of the convenience and versatility that digital fundraising provides.

When your organization is incorporating new methods of online fundraising such as crowdfunding or investing for your nonprofit, financial management can become complicated. This is especially true when making sure that all of your donations are recorded properly, which is key to ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements for fundraising.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the following four tips for effectively managing your nonprofit’s financial records when doing digital fundraising:

  1. Understand the Different Types of Online Donations
  2. Consider the Implications for Your Budget
  3. Compile and Analyze Financial Statements
  4. Focus on Financial Data Security

As you adapt these tips to meet your nonprofit’s needs, keep in mind that your fundraising and financial management strategies should work together. To further your organization’s mission, you not only need to maximize the amount of revenue you bring in, but also handle that revenue appropriately. Let’s get started!

1. Understand the Different Types of Online Donations

While the donation page on your organization’s website likely comes to mind when you think of the term “digital fundraising,” not all of your online contributions come in through that page. There are many types of digital donations, each of which needs to be recorded slightly differently in your nonprofit accounting system.

Some of the most common forms of online fundraising revenue include:

  • One-time donations. These contributions are the most straightforward to track. Each donation amount is simply recorded as revenue with a few additional details such as the date the gift was received, the donor’s name, and their payment method.
  • Recurring gifts. If a supporter sets up an automatic monthly, quarterly, or annual contribution through your online donation page, the gift amount is recorded each time it’s received with a note that it’s from a recurring donor.
  • Crowdfunding campaign donations. Because crowdfunding contributions usually come in via a third-party site rather than through your organization’s regular donation page, it’s best to record them separately and organize them by campaign.
  • Peer-to-peer contributions. Similarly to crowdfunding, record contributions that come in through a peer-to-peer platform separately from the ones made through your nonprofit’s website. Additionally, the donations should be recorded under the name of the person who made the gift, not the person whose name is on the fundraising page.
  • Virtual event revenue. Virtual events often provide multiple opportunities for supporters to donate. For instance, at an online silent auction, one participant may pay for an event ticket, buy auction items, and make an additional gift. Each of those contributions should be categorized by type in your accounting system and marked with the donor’s name.
  • Matching gifts. When a supporter who works for a company with a matching gift program donates online and submits a match request, you’ll need to record two separate contributions. The original gift should be attributed to the supporter with a note that their employer matched it, and the matching gift should be attributed to the employer and categorized with corporate giving revenue.

With all of these revenue sources, it’s important to reconcile your donation records on a regular basis—at least once per quarter, if not once per month. Working with a nonprofit accountant can help with this process. They have the expertise to ensure all of the information in your accounting system matches the data from the various online fundraising platforms you use and resolve any potential discrepancies.

2. Consider the Implications for Your Budget

If you’ve ever created a nonprofit operating budget, you know that this document is used to predict your organization’s revenue and expenses for a given fiscal year. Of course, digital fundraising provides revenue to include in your projections, but you should keep in mind that it also affects your expenses.

Most nonprofits divide their predicted expenses into program costs, which are incurred while doing activities that directly relate to your mission, and overhead costs. Overhead costs include not only administrative expenses like rent and staff salaries, but also the expenses required to fundraise. In the digital space, this may include:

  • Payments for fundraising software like virtual event platforms, payment processors, and matching gift databases.
  • Marketing costs, such as paid social media ads or website hosting platform subscriptions.
  • Fees paid to consultants, graphic designers, or other third-party professionals who help with your digital fundraising efforts.

As you develop your budget, make sure to figure in all of these costs. Additionally, remember that both the revenue and the expenses you record in your budget are just estimates. If possible, try to budget for a revenue surplus so that you can still cover all of the costs of digital fundraising if you bring in less funding than expected.

3. Compile and Analyze Financial Statements

In addition to your budget, your organization’s financial statements are some of the most important documents for sound management. They summarize and contextualize data from digital fundraising and other financial activities so you can accurately assess your nonprofit’s financial health.

Jitasa’s guide to nonprofit financial management recommends compiling and analyzing the following statements:

  • Statement of activities. This document is the nonprofit parallel to the for-profit income statement. It allows your organization to review your revenue and expenses over time, which can help you make more accurate projections for future digital fundraising efforts.
  • Statement of financial position. Also known as a balance sheet, this statement categorizes your nonprofit’s assets and liabilities, some of which are likely connected to digital fundraising. For instance, the revenue you generate from online activities falls under your organization’s assets, while any related debts or expenses payable count as liabilities.
  • Statement of cash flows. This document shows how cash moves in and out of your organization—digitally and otherwise—to provide insight into your nonprofit’s spending and fundraising habits.

Some organizations also compile a statement of functional expenses, which breaks down your costs based on programming, fundraising, and administrative activities. Although this statement is optional, it organizes your digital fundraising data in the same format as the IRS Form 990, so it makes filling out your nonprofit’s annual tax return easier.

4. Focus on Financial Data Security

Data security measures are an important part of your nonprofit risk management strategy, especially when it comes to financial information. Keeping your digital fundraising data safe is important not only to protect against theft and fraud, but also to build trust with supporters by protecting their contact and payment information.

Some strategies to increase financial data security at your nonprofit include:

  • Requiring two-factor authentication for account logins.
  • Granting user permissions only to those who require access to financial data for their job responsibilities.
  • Investing in a PCI-compliant or PCI-certified payment processor for your online donation page.
  • Training staff members in data security best practices.

Additionally, be cautious about the types of online payments you accept. According to NXUnite, data security is especially important when it comes to donations made through mobile payment services since they typically ask for bank account information from both your organization and the donor. Stick to trusted providers and research their internal security measures before accepting contributions made through those services.


As your nonprofit expands its digital fundraising efforts, you’ll also need to be more mindful of how you manage and record the funds you bring in through online channels. A robust accounting system, a well-organized budget and financial statements, and strong data security measures are essential for your organization to not only comply with regulations but also make the most of digital fundraising.