Top 5 Charity Marketing Strategy Examples for Non-Profits

Marketing is crucial to the success of all nonprofits. A clever marketing campaign can dramatically improve any nonprofit organisation’s capabilities, helping to build awareness, reach people, raise money and, importantly, make progress for great causes.

However, charity marketing strategies work slightly differently than those deployed by typical B2C businesses. When creating and managing a strategy for a nonprofit, marketers need to be fully aware of how best to connect with their audience and pique their interest to get results and build long-lasting relationships.

This blog will guide you through our top charity marketing strategy examples, explaining how they work and why they never fail to make a difference. 

Why is marketing important to these types of organisations?

A nonprofit organisation is created for a reason other than generating profits. Such organisations are driven by a particular cause and often give back to local communities or other good causes. 

Nonprofits generate their income primarily through fundraising and donations, so their resources are limited. But marketing campaigns help create new revenue streams for nonprofits while raising awareness of the cause the nonprofit has been designed to draw attention to.

Charity marketing campaigns can also bring in more volunteers, partners and donors for a nonprofit and spread the word to help the nonprofit reach those it intends to help. 

How does a non-profit fund its marketing activity?

A non-profit organisation funds its marketing activity in several different ways. Some non-profits will focus on a single or a small number of revenue streams, while others might explore a broader range of options. 

These are some of the most common ways of funding marketing for nonprofits: 

• Membership fees 
• Fees for services 
• Donations – one-off and regular donations
• Renting out space 
• Gifts
• In-kind contributions 
• Government grants 
• Investments 
• Gifts in Wills, also known as legacy gifts
• Gifts in memory

Top 5 Marketing Strategies for Nonprofits 

Nonprofits can use a wide range of different marketing strategies to achieve their objectives. 

Below are five of the most effective types of nonprofit marketing campaigns, all proven to improve awareness, help raise funds and draw attention to the critical causes these organisations focus on. 

1. Social media marketing

Social media marketing is perfect for nonprofit organisations. Companies can now use social media to connect with audiences worldwide, significantly improving awareness of their cause through clever digital marketing techniques. 

For nonprofits, the opportunities for social media marketing are endless. Organisations can build a loyal following by making a name for themselves on social platforms. Once established, this becomes an invaluable marketing channel that enables an organisation to speak directly to its target audience. 

If a nonprofit organisation aims to connect with hard-to-reach demographics, such as young people, social media marketing can help it do so. Nonprofits can create accounts and share content on various platforms to reach the demographics most likely to engage with their campaign. 

2. Email marketing 

Email marketing is a valuable marketing strategy for nonprofits. While email marketing tactics might seem old-fashioned compared to some of its newer rivals, it remains a highly effective and cost-efficient way of connecting with audiences. 

Nonprofits can create automated email marketing campaigns designed with particular audiences in mind, such as high-value donors or regular donors. Such campaigns should be highly targeted and personalised as far as possible for the best results. The more a campaign speaks to the person receiving it, the more likely it is to influence them to take action. 

For example, if you know someone has shown particular interest in a specific cause or campaign before, refer to that.

Email marketing platforms provide many affordable services for nonprofit organisations, allowing charities to use email marketing to get the message out about any products or services they offer. 

3. Event marketing 

Events have always been a popular non profit campaign example. They raise awareness, attract large crowds, and allow you to directly communicate with an audience with a confirmed interest. 

Many nonprofits opt to organise events. These can range from small, informal occasions designed to attract the attention of a local community to large-scale nonprofit fundraising events that draw crowds from across the country, such as Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life.

Nonprofits that lack the resources to organise their events might also contribute to planned events that are relevant to their cause. For example, a smaller-scale nonprofit might choose to open a stall at an upcoming craft fair or sponsor a local sports team to get the word out amongst residents. 

4. Content marketing 

Content marketing is an effective marketing tool for any business, and of course, that includes nonprofits. Nonprofit organisations can use a range of content marketing opportunities to create content that helps them build awareness and establish trust amongst their followers. 

Create content that adds value to its target audience by informing and educating viewers or entertaining them in a way that reminds them of a particular cause. Content can be anything from short or long-form blog posts to infographics, images and videos. Some charities create helpful forums where people can have their questions answered, such as Mind’s Information & Support Hub. Consider incorporating diverse content strategies, including those that highlight the impact of charitable actions like car donation, to engage your audience and foster a sense of shared purpose.

This brings us nicely to our next strategy… 

5. Video Marketing 

Very few types of marketing content connect with their audience quite as well as video content can. 

There’s just something about well-crafted video content that’s immediately compelling. And for nonprofits, that’s precisely what’s needed. 

Nonprofits will often use video marketing tactics to raise awareness of a cause. Video can showcase everything from the issue itself to how a nonprofit seeks to address it. 

Videos can also be used for more informal content, such as showing followers behind-the-scenes footage from the company’s HQ or showcasing donations’ impact on people’s lives. Bigger charities may opt to advertise on TV to reach a national audience.

Make the most of marketing opportunities to get noticed 

Marketing campaigns are always designed with one goal in mind: to get attention. 

Nonprofits typically work towards several targets simultaneously, but an increase in awareness will always improve the capabilities of a nonprofit organisation. And that’s why marketing is so crucial for nonprofits. 

Thankfully, endless marketing opportunities are available to such organisations, and almost all of them prove hugely valuable when used effectively. 

Author bio

Sean Begg Flint is the founder of Position Digital, a digital marketing agency for ambitious startups, ecommerce, B2B, tech and purpose-led brands. He is passionate about purpose-driven content marketing and using outreach for good.