In today’s digital age, nonprofits face the challenge of standing out amidst the noise to communicate their mission effectively and drive meaningful engagement. 

In our years of partnering with nonprofits to amplify their impact through strategic storytelling and content creation, we understand the critical role that content marketing plays in building awareness, fostering connections, and driving action. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything needed to harness the power of content marketing and drive your organization’s mission forward. 

Whether you’re just starting or looking to enhance your existing strategy, we’ll explore the fundamental principles, techniques, and best practices for unlocking the full potential of content marketing for your nonprofit.

Content Marketing for Nonprofits FAQs

What is content marketing for nonprofits?

Content marketing for nonprofits is the process of creating and distributing valuable, compelling, and relevant content to attract and engage a target audience, drive action, and support your organization’s cause. 

Some of the most common methods of content marketing include: 

• Blog posts
• Social media
• Emails
• Landing pages
• Podcasts
• Videos
• Infographics

Why is content marketing so important to nonprofits?

Strategically crafting a content marketing strategy with data-driven insights helps nonprofits effectively tap into their potential donor base and spread awareness of their cause. 

Investing in content marketing for your nonprofit has many benefits, including: 

• Increased awareness for your mission: Content marketing is crucial for connecting with your target audience, keeping them engaged, and sharing your vision, mission, and values. 
• Attracting and retaining donors and supporters: Donors are 25% more likely to give when email marketing or social media is the communication medium. Additionally, 89% of online giving happens through a nonprofit’s website.
• Attracting new volunteers: 53% of individuals who interact with a nonprofit on social media end up volunteering. 

What are the most common types of content marketing for nonprofits?

Content marketing for nonprofits can include both non-digital and digital efforts. A nonprofit can benefit from a combination of multiple efforts and avenues depending on the goals. 

• Non-digital nonprofit marketing techniques:
  • Brochures
  • Flyers
  • Direct mail
  • Events and workshops
  • Word-of-mouth marketing, such as operating a booth at a community event
• Digital nonprofit marketing techniques:
  • Blog posts
  • SEO
  • Email newsletters
  • Social media posts
  • eBooks and other educational content

How can we succeed with little content marketing experience? 

Starting your content marketing strategy on the right foot includes:

• Knowing your target audience.
• Understanding and tracking your desired KPIs.
• Determining a consistent branding message.

Working with a nonprofit marketing agency that knows the ins and outs of content marketing can be a crucial step in your strategy. For an all-encompassing experience, look for an agency that can provide multiple services, such as visual branding, website management, copywriting, social media, email marketing, and more. 

Content Marketing for Nonprofits Dos and Don’ts 

DO:

• Collect relevant key performance indicators (KPIs): Choose 3-5 KPIs that best fit your organization and marketing goals. These could include donor acquisition cost, retention rate, etc. 
• Maintain brand consistency: Reinforce your branded elements by adhering to your brand guidelines for everything, whether it’s a letterhead or language for a donation pitch.
• Highlight tangible impact: Sharing the tangible impact their involvement will make can encourage individuals to find the best way to support your mission. For example, you might highlight that a $50 donation can provide 10 meals for people experiencing homelessness.
• Consider web accessibility best practices: Making your online nonprofit instance accessible to all, regardless of ability and browsing preference, is key to broadening your impact. Ensure that digital materials are mobile-friendly and accessible by using alt text and color contrast. Also, consider offering translated versions of your website so your content can inspire speakers of other languages.
• Pay attention to trends: Finding reliable sources of information for marketing and following the trends relevant to your organization can be an easy way to boost your content marketing efforts. 
• Be transparent, authentic, and passionate: 88% of consumers and donors say brand authenticity is critical in deciding who to support. Be open about your nonprofit’s direction and genuinely commit to your beneficiaries. 

DON’T:

• Adopt every strategy/channel (quality over quantity): Decide which social media channels best suit your organization’s needs and focus on those. Keep in mind certain statistics such as 48% of social media platform donors give on Facebook when deciding which channels to optimize. 
• Rely on jargon: To best reach everyone in your target audience, avoid jargon overly specific to your organization. Instead, focus on simple, straightforward methods of communicating. 
• Overpromise: Be realistic when communicating with supporters via your content marketing efforts. Don’t highlight unachievable goals in your narrative so you and your supporters remain on the same page.

Overcoming Common Challenges in Content Marketing for Nonprofits

As with everything in marketing, you may encounter some challenges. We’ve gathered the most common ones and have a few ideas on how to overcome these challenges and move forward with your marketing efforts. 

Challenge: Limited Budget and Resources

Solution: Start by focusing on low-cost solutions like social media and free content creation tools. 

Challenge: Reaching the Right Audience

Solution: Conduct in-depth audience research that helps you understand your target audience’s demographics, motivations, and more. Use marketing software with automated cadences to make outreach more personalized and time-efficient.

Challenge: Measuring the Impact of Marketing Content

Solution: Have a good understanding of the relevant KPIs for your audience and use comprehensive CRM solutions to track marketing data.

Challenge: Too Busy with Other Nonprofit Activities to Prioritize Marketing

Solution: Working with a professional marketing or branding agency that is passionate about nonprofit organizations (such as Fifty & Fifty!) can help eliminate the amount of work on your plate and provide more comprehensive marketing strategy recommendations. 

Nonprofit Content Marketing Success Stories

As a Digital Agency for Nonprofits & Social Brands, we have been given the opportunity to work with various nonprofits in their digital marketing efforts, including content marketing specifically. Some of our favorite examples include: 

• VolunteerMatch: The goal of our partnership with VolunteerMatch was to strategize a social media plan around their four current platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin) that would resonate and result in more engagement with their audiences. We saw great success in reaching our goals where we saw substantial growth in impressions, click-throughs, views, and email opens.
• National University: We dove into our partnership with National University with the goal of Top-of-Funnel engagement through strategy, social media, paid advertising, and content to help convey the mission and vision of Harmony Academy, as well as aim for retention, acquisition, and brand awareness during a new product launch. Our efforts grew and expanded with the company through specific campaigns, landing pages, email strategy, and more. Our mutual efforts resulted in a 76% decreased cost per registration, a 26% increase in conversion rate, and a 31% cost reduction. 

Wrapping Up

In today’s busy digital landscape, standing out and effectively communicating your cause is more important than ever. Whether you’re just beginning your content marketing journey or seeking to enhance your existing strategy, every effort contributes to building awareness, fostering connections, and making a difference in the world. By leveraging the power of strategic content marketing, nonprofits can amplify their impact, inspire action, and drive meaningful change in their communities.

At Fifty & Fifty, we’re passionate about empowering nonprofits to succeed in their digital marketing endeavors. Even if you’ve got the basics covered, remember that our team stands ready to collaborate with you, providing comprehensive strategy recommendations and leveraging our expertise to amplify the impact of your mission. 

Together, let’s create a brighter future for all.

Additional Resources

• An Ultimate Guide to Creating Fundraising CTAs + 12 Examples: Creating fundraising materials is one thing, but convincing your audience to give is another. Here’s how to level up fundraising CTAs and secure more gifts. 
• Nonprofit Digital Marketing – Making Your Mark Online: The digital world is full of possibility for your nonprofit. It just takes a trained eye to spot the best opportunities. 
• Nonprofit Marketing Agency: Share Your “Why”: If you’re sold on working with a nonprofit marketing agency, check out our list of the top providers on the market.