Adapting Nonprofit Communications for the 21st Century
The technological revolution has transformed virtually all industries, including healthcare, finance, entertainment, and education. Day-to-day operations have been turned upside-down by the adoption of ever-smarter and savvier machines and applications. But marketing in particular, more so than most other professions, has undergone massive and rapid changes during the digital era.
In our field of Nonprofit communications, we’ve all experienced a seismic shift that continues evolving every year. Whereas, once upon a time, Nonprofits had only to purchase print packages with maybe some commercial time on television and radio to get their message to the masses, that’s certainly not the case anymore.
As the founder and CEO of Universal Events Inc., I work with humanitarian and charitable organizations to spread the word about their missions and activities. Before that, I worked in traditional advertising, so I’ve watched the disruptions unfold in real time throughout my twenty-year career.
Through these observations, I’ve developed some convictions on how Nonprofits can successfully adapt their communications practices to take advantage of the new digital landscape.
Social Media – The Elephant in the Room
Businesses have long accepted that social media is the cheapest and most effective way to grab attention for your brand. Still, this realization hasn’t seemed to penetrate the Nonprofit world in the same way.
Whatever a person’s feelings are about the medium, the plain truth is social media is an unavoidable tool that must be used to raise both funds and awareness. Social media sites like Facebook, X, and Instagram serve as public squares. When you create content specifically tailored for those platforms, you have the chance to win over more hearts and minds to your cause than any radio ad or television commercial could ever hope to.
Content – Trickier than It Used to Be
Even when we know where it should be placed, we still must address what that content ought to be. Once again, the general consensus on this subject has changed dramatically over the past few decades.
For one thing, Nonprofit marketing used to be largely centered around facts and figures. How many acres of rainforest have been chopped down in the last few years, or how many dollars it would take to build a schoolhouse in the developing world—things of that nature.
These days, in Nonprofit marketing circles, the focus is much more on storytelling and authenticity. Rather than explain how many acres of rainforest have been removed, for example, audiences would connect more to stories about the wildlife that have been displaced by the process. Don’t just make the case for the money to build a schoolhouse; get to know some of the children who would benefit from the education they’d receive. In other words, aim for the heart, not the brain.
For another thing, in the past, humanitarian and charitable organizations tended to favor broad-sweeping, mass-produced messages. The “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign of the 80s and 90s is a classic example. But once again, the industry has done a complete one-eighty. Now, personalization and targeted messages are de rigueur, and cutting-edge Nonprofits utilize data analytics and segmentation to appeal directly to individuals by customizing their content. This is especially true when it comes to people identified as potential donors.
I hope these few simple tips drawn from my professional experience have been helpful. Whenever our team faces challenges in adapting our methods to new mediums, we remind ourselves why we got into this work - to help purpose-led Nonprofits achieve their goals. In optimizing their branding and marketing strategies, we’re taking a heavy load from their shoulders, allowing them to focus on the important work they do.