Why Every Nonprofit Needs Strong Marketing & Branding

Do you own or work at a nonprofit organisation? If you do, you probably work there because it’s awesome! But you won’t be able to grow it if other people don’t know it’s awesome, and that’s why branding and marketing are so important for charities and nonprofits.

Whilst they seem similar, there are a few important distinctions between the two. In this blog we’re going to break down what they are, why the matter and how you can use them to your advantage.

What Is Branding?

Branding refers to the way you present your nonprofit organisation and how people perceive it. Think of Nike — it’s bold, energetic and sporty. Starbucks is friendly and inviting, National Geographic is more serious and so on. In a nutshell, branding is how your NFP ‘feels’.

Your nonprofit’s brand influences a wide range of factors, from the way you communicate with others about your mission to the words, images, graphics, and colours you use on your website and marketing.

It also differentiates you from other organisations to help you to stand out from the crowd. There are all sorts of things to factor in like your mission, core values, messaging, storytelling and culture.

What Is Marketing?

Marketing refers to the specific activities and strategies that you use to achieve your nonprofit’s goals. Marketing raises awareness, helps generate donations, recruit volunteers and more.  

Branding is about how your brand feels, whereas marketing is actively doing something to generate a response e.g social media marketing, Facebook ads, handing out flyers etc.

How Do Branding and Marketing Work Together?

In simple terms — branding shapes who you are, marketing gets your brand out there. Marketing helps you to catch a customer’s attention whilst branding helps retain it, and to get get the most out your resources the two of them need to work hand in hand.

Branding is consistent, whilst marketing strategies change frequently. E.g you might try Instagram, then Google ads, then in-person events. The tactics vary, but the branding should remain the same.

Whilst it doesn’t need to be perfect, it’s important to get clear on your brand before you start marketing to make sure you don’t confuse people and you make the most out of your budget.

If you spend a bunch of money on marketing but your branding is off, you won’t be able to keep the people who’ve seen your marketing and you’ll miss out on all the benefits.

Also — a strong brand won’t just help potential customers remember you, it also helps you recruit more team members who buy into your vision, and have them more invested in your success long-term.

How to Master Branding and Marketing

So now you are aware that both branding and marketing are essential to your nonprofit’s success, the big question is how do you implement them? Here are some tips to help you get started:

Get to Know Your Audience

The first step to building a recognisable, meaningful brand is to get to know your audience. Start learning about the people who currently support your nonprofit to find out what they value, what motivates them to donate money or time, etc. Think about and research the people whose support you want to gain in the future, too.

Reflect on the Big Picture

If it’s been a while since you revisited your nonprofit’s mission and values, now is a great time to do so.

Your mission and values should drive all your branding and marketing decisions, so you need to make sure you (and everyone else on your team) has a clear understanding of what they are.  

Tell Stories

Storytelling is one of the best ways to communicate your brand’s mission and help people to feel more connected and loyal to it.

Gather stories from those who have been positively impacted by your nonprofit in the past. Then, you can start developing a strong brand message and communicate what your organisation is all about.

Create a Branding Guide

A branding guide provides a clear set of rules for all future branding and marketing decisions. 

This guide dictates the kinds of fonts and colours that should be used in marketing materials, as well as the type of language you use in social media posts, blog posts, emails, etc. It also makes it easier for all members of your marketing team to stay on the same page.

Set Specific Goals

When it comes to marketing for your nonprofit, make sure you’re setting specific goals that help you to further your mission and build your brand. In addition to being specific, your marketing goals should also be measurable, relevant to your brand, and time-bound (i.e., they have a distinct deadline attached).

Craft Key Messages and Strategies

Write a clear message for each nonprofit marketing initiative you take on.

Think about what you want people to do when they read your email, see a post on social media, see a billboard while driving, etc. Then, consider whom you want to target with each initiative, why it matters, how much you want to spend, and how each strategy relates to your larger goals, too. 

Gather Data

Finally, make sure you gather data from each marketing initiative.

What kind of response did your email campaign or social media campaign generate? Did you achieve or fall short of your goal? Did you outperform past initiatives?

The more data you collect, the easier it is to measure progress and determine whether or not you’re on the right track.

How Can Donation Hub Help?

Not only does Donation Hub make it easier than ever for your donors to support your non-profit, but our state of the art software also provides access to marketing tools to help you grow. These include fundraising pages, SMS and email marketing, website widgets and more. You’ll find these tools are an incredible assistance for any non-profit looking to grow their brand.

Want To Learn More?

Our team at Donation Hub has created a heap of blogs to help your non-profit reach its maximum potential, and find more donors. Check out our 3 fundraising tips blog for more helpful advice.