The Nonprofit Marketing Guide High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause

Grow your nonprofit with tried and tested online and offline marketing techniques 

In the newly revised second edition of The Nonprofit Marketing Guide, CEO and founder of Nonprofit Marketing Guide LLC, Kivi Leroux Miller, delivers a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create an online and offline marketing program that will grow and scale with your organization. 

Written with the benefit of the author’s ten years of survey data from thousands of nonprofits and experience coaching hundreds of communications pros  on nonprofit marketing, the book offers practical and cost-effective strategies you can implement immediately. You’ll discover: 

• How to create realistic marketing strategies and communications plans for nonprofits of any size 
• How to build and engage of community of supporters around your organization 
• How to create and deliver powerful messaging that inspires action  
• Bonus templates and worksheets in an online workbook for readers 

 Whether you have any marketing or communications experience of not, The Nonprofit Marketing Guide will also earn a place in the libraries of all stakeholders in nonprofits who seek ways to help their organization grow organically. 

Preface: The Story Behind This Book xv

Introduction: How to Use This Book xix

Looking for More? xxi

PART ONE Getting Ready to Do It Right 1

CHAPTER ONE 10 Realities of Nonprofit Marketing 3

Reality 1: Marketing Effectiveness Depends on a Confident, Skilled Professional 3

Reality 2: Marketing Effectiveness Depends on a Supportive Organizational Culture 4

Reality 3: There Will Always Be Too Much to Do 4

Reality 4: There Is No Such Thing as the General Public 5

Reality 5: You Need to Manage Your Own Media Empire 5

Reality 6: Nonprofit Marketing Is a Form of Community Organizing 6

Reality 7: Personal and Organizational Brands Often Blend 6

Reality 8: Good Nonprofit Marketing Takes More Time Than Money 7

Reality 9: You’ve Already Lost Control of Your Message – Stop Pretending Otherwise 7

Reality 10: Marketing Is Not Fundraising, but It Is Essential to It 8

Conclusion: Try Boldly, and Try Again 8

CHAPTER TWO Defining Marketing in the Nonprofit Sector 11

The Official Definition of Marketing 12

Is This Work Called Marketing or Communications or Something Else? 14

A More Meaningful Distinction: Marketing for Fundraising or for Community Engagement 15

The Most Common Nonprofit Marketing Goals 17

The Most Common Nonprofit Marketing Strategies 18

The Most Common Nonprofit Marketing Objectives 21

The Most Common Nonprofit Marketing Tactics 24

Conclusion: If You Can Name It, You Can Own It 26

C H A P T E R T H R E E Nonprofit Marketing Plans in Theory – and in the Real World 27

What Goes in a Marketing Strategy 28

What Goes in a Communications Plan 32

Nonprofit Marketing the Quick-and-Dirty Way 37

Example: The American Red Cross’s “Do More Than Cross Your Fingers” Campaign 37

Conclusion: Always Think Before You Speak 40

CHAPTER FOUR How Nonprofits Increase Their Marketing Effectiveness Over Time 41

Level One – Beginner 42

Level Two – Capable 42

Level Three – Skilled 43

Level Four – Advanced 43

Level Five – Expert 44

How Much Planning Is Taking Place 44

How Well Permission-Based Marketing Is Managed 45

How Well Content Marketing Is Managed 45

How Well Organizational Culture Supports Marketing 46

Conclusion: Give It Time and Put in the Work 47

C H A P T E R F I V E Do Your Homework: Listen to the World Around You 49

Watch and Listen 50

Convene Informal Focus Groups 51

Conduct Online Surveys 53

Analyze Your Website, Email, and Social Media Statistics 54

Review Media Kits and Advertising 55

Watch for Relevant Polling and Survey Data 55

Find Conversations via Keywords and Hashtags 55

What to Do with What You Learn 56

Conclusion: Never Stop Listening 59

PART TWO Answering the Three Most Important Nonprofit Marketing Questions 61

C H A P T E R S I X Define Your Community: Who Do You Want to Reach? 63

In Marketing, There’s No Such Thing as the General Public 64

Recognize That You Are Communicating with Multiple Groups of People 65

Segment Your Community into Groups 66

Use Personas, Empathy Maps, and Journeys to More Clearly Describe Your Groups 68

Avoid Cultural Stereotypes 71

Watch for Gatekeepers and Create Personas for Them, Too 71

Example: Creating Specific Personas Within a Segmented Group 72

Example: Matching Volunteers with the Right Opportunities 74

Conclusion: Don’t Jump Ahead to Tactics 74

CHAPTER SEVEN Create a Powerful Message: What Do You Want to Say? 77

The Power of One Over Many 78

The Power of Emotional Content 79

The Power of Personal Identity 81

The Power of Logic, Reason, and Statistics 83

The Power of a Clear Call to Action 85

Choosing Messages That Appeal to Your Target Community 86

Example: Matching Messages to Personas’ Values 87

Conclusion: Even the Relief Workers Want to Save the Darfur Puppy 88

C H A P T E R E I G H T Spread Your Message Further by Telling Great Stories 91

Add “Storyteller” to Your Job Description 92

Tell Stories with the Challenge Plot 93

Tell Stories with the Creativity Plot 95

Tell Stories with the Connection Plot 96

Use the Six Qualities of a Good Nonprofit Marketing Story 97

Find Fresh Story Ideas 98

Interview Your Supporters for Profiles and Stories 100

Protect the Privacy of the People in Your Stories 102

Incorporate Stories into Your Communications 102

Conclusion: Stories Are a Nonprofit’s Gold Mine 104

C H A P T E R N I N E Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude 105

Donors Are Testing Nonprofits, and Nonprofits Are Failing 106

Improve Your Thank-You Notes in Six Steps 108

Create Thank-You Videos 111

Publish a Short Annual Report 112

Conclusion: Stop Making Excuses; Make the Time Instead 114

C H A P T E R T E N Deliver Your Message: How and Where Are You Going to Say It? 115

The Seven Writing Styles for Nonprofit Communicators 116

Support Your Words with Images 118

Select the Best Communications Channels for Your Community 119

Use Multiple Channels to Reinforce Your Message 121

Put Your Message Where Your Community Is Already Going 123

Example: Selecting Channels to Reach Volunteers 123

Convince Your Supporters to Open Your Email 125

Conclusion: Find the Right Mix and Give It Time to Work 127

PART T H R E E Building a Community of Supporters Around You 129

CHAPTER ELEVEN Make It Easy to Find You and to Connect with Your Cause 131

Be Where People Are Searching for Organizations Like Yours 132

Create a Visible and Accessible Home Base 133

Give New Contacts Multiple Options for Staying in Touch 133

Keep Your Website in Good Shape 134

Improve Your Search Engine Rankings 137

Should Your Website Include a Blog? 138

Grow Your Email List 140

Build Your Social Media Presence 141

Conclusion: Don’t Let Potential Supporters Slip Away 142

CHAPTER TWELV E Become an Expert Source

for the Media and Decision Makers 143

Why Some Groups Get the Call and Others Don’t 144

The Five Qualities of a Good Expert Source 145

Seven Strategies to Raise Your Profile as an Expert Source 149

How to Pitch Your Story to the Media 152

Be Ready to Newsjack 154

Who Is the Expert? You or the Organization? 156

Conclusion: Create Something New and Share It 157

C H A P T E R T H I RT E E N Build Engagement: Stay in Touch and Keep the Conversation Going 159

Is Your Content Like a Good Gift or a Bad Gift? 161

Strive for Shorter, More Frequent Communications in Multiple Places 163

Remember to Repurpose Your Content 165

Improve Your Social Media Engagement 166

The Email Engagement Crisis 168

Conclusion: Conversation Does Pay Off 170

CHAPTER FOURT E E N Empower Your Fans to Build More Support 171

Identify Your Wallflowers, Buddies, and Fans 173

What Makes Someone a Fan? 174

Give Your Biggest Fans the Personal Touch 175

Encourage Word-of-Mouth Marketing and Referrals 177

Be Clear About the Best Ways for People to Help 179

Encourage Your Fans to Friendraise 179

Encourage Your Fans to Fundraise 180

Approach New Friends of Friends 181

Conclusion: Build Your Social Capital 183

PART F O U R Doing It Yourself Without Doing Yourself In 185

C H A P T E R F I F T E E N Find the Talent: Keep Learning and Get Good Help 187

Build Your Own Skills 188

Everyone on Staff Is a Marketer (Like It or Not) 191

Delegate Marketing Tasks to Others 192

Empower Volunteers So They’ll Come Back Again 193

Hire Consultants and Freelancers 194

Conclusion: Know When You Need Help – And Ask for It 196

C H A P T E R S I X T E E N Find the Treasure: Market Your Good Cause on a Tight Budget 197

Marketing Triage: Focus In and Forget the Rest 199

Go Casual and Friendly 200

How to Make Your Print Marketing More Affordable 202

Where to Spend Your Limited Dollars and Where to Scrimp 203

Funding Your Nonprofit Marketing Program 205

Conclusion: Zero Communications Budget = Zero Sustainability 205

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Find the Time: Get More Done

in Fewer Hours 207

Stay CALM not BUSY 207

Keep Up with Best Practices, Big Brains, and Cool Kids 209

Get Fear out of the Way 210

Organize What You’ll Need Again and Again 211

Conclusion: Give Yourself a Break 214

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Conclusion: How Do You Know

Whether You Are Doing a Good Job? 215

Notes 217

Glossary of Online Marketing Terms 221

Acknowledgments 225

The Author 227

Index 229

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