Securing donations and members for your nonprofit organization can be challenging. You have to consider your competitors and declining giving rates during the year. Nonprofits often have limited budgets and resources, making fundraising critical to fulfill their mission.

That’s why you need to use nonprofit marketing strategies that work. This nonprofit marketing guide unpacks the best ten marketing strategies that can help you increase your brand awareness, donations, and new members. 

Do you need expert digital marketing and media services specific to nonprofit marketing? Contact NextGen and let our team help you today!

What Makes Nonprofit Marketing Different?

Nonprofit marketing differs from for-profit marketing in that these organizations prioritize social impact and raising awareness to secure donations. So, marketing strategies for nonprofits will focus on unique messaging, audience targeting, and success metrics, and emphasize storytelling and how their organizations make a difference.

Your marketing efforts are meant to gather support to fund your mission rather than purchase a product or service, making it critical to connect with your audience emotionally. All marketing materials for nonprofits, including your website, social media, and various other marketing channels, must engage potential supporters and show them how impactful their donations are.

These differences mean nonprofits must create tailored marketing campaigns for their audience, industry, and sector. 

The Top 10 Nonprofit Marketing Strategies 

Here are the best marketing strategies for nonprofits. These techniques can help boost fundraising efforts and build a thriving donor community.

1. Define and Understand Your Audience

The first strategy for successful nonprofit marketing is to understand precisely who you are marketing to. You need to understand the specifics of donors, members, volunteers, or beneficiaries, and what motivates them. 

Even within that, you need to get specific. For example, are you targeting younger donors and/or members? New donors and/or members? Lapsed donors and/or members? First-time donors and/or members? Each category will have its nuances. 

There are many ways to gather these insights, including surveys, interviews, and analytics, to understand their wants, needs, behaviours, and values. 

Defining and understanding your target audience well is critical to personalizing your marketing efforts to resonate with and engage them. You can develop nonprofit marketing campaigns targeted at specific audiences rather than generic campaigns that won’t perform as well. 

89% of marketing decision-makers say that personalization is integral to business success, and fast-growing companies generate 40% more revenue from personalized campaigns than slow-growing companies. These statistics prove the importance of customer-centric campaigns for nonprofit marketers, and you can only achieve this by knowing your audience. 

How to define and understand your audience:

• Segment your audience by roles (donors, members, volunteers, partners, beneficiaries).
• Conduct surveys or interviews to gather feedback and motivations.
• Use analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, social media insights) to track behavior.
• Create audience personas to represent typical supporters.
• Monitor engagement across platforms to refine your understanding over time. 

2. Craft a Strong, Consistent Message Across Channels

Your nonprofit’s mission must encompass your goals, personality, values, and vision. In addition, keep your nonprofit messaging consistent across your marketing channels. Whether creating social media marketing posts, printing flyers for an event, or setting up a drip campaign for your email list, your message should remain consistent. 

Consistency is the key to building trust and recognition. If your audience encounters your brand on social media platforms, in person, or through your website, they will instantly know who you are and what you stand for. Because of brand consistency, 35% of organizations saw 10 – 20% revenue growth. 

Here are a few tips for successful brand consistency:

• Develop brand guidelines that include your logo, colors, fonts, tone, and messaging.  Create a handbook reflecting these guidelines and share it with your staff and partners to maintain consistency within your organization and throughout your activities. 
• Use the same voice and tone across all platforms and marketing materials.
• Ensure visual consistency in graphics, imagery, and layout.
• Train your team and volunteers to follow branding standards.
• Audit your content regularly to check for alignment with your brand identity.
• Schedule content to maintain a consistent posting rhythm and message flow.

3. Leverage Storytelling to Communicate Impact

People connect with stories more than numbers and statistics, making storytelling a powerful tool for your nonprofit marketing plan. Showcase real-world stories about people or communities that your organization has helped. Use emotional and relatable elements to emphasize the impact of your work, connect with and engage your target audiences, build empathy, and encourage support.

While most strategies for effective nonprofit marketing are technical, this strategy appeals to your audience’s emotions and highlights the value of your brand. It also makes your brand’s content more memorable — your audience is likelier to remember a compelling story than statistics or analytics.

When information is conveyed through stories, people are 22 times more likely to remember it. Storytelling can also increase customer trust by 4%, and while this figure seems low, any increase in how much your audience trusts your brand can significantly impact your conversions and revenue. 

Tips for nonprofit marketing storytelling:

• Focus on real people: Share authentic stories from beneficiaries, volunteers, or staff.
• Highlight the transformation: Show the before-and-after impact your nonprofit made.
• Keep it emotional and relatable: Use feelings to connect with your audience.
• Include details: Names, locations, and small moments make stories powerful.
• Use visuals: Photos or videos can enhance emotional engagement.
• Keep it concise and focused: Stick to one clear message or takeaway.
• End with a call to action: Encourage readers to donate, join, share, or get involved.
• Make your audience the hero: Show how their support drives the story forward.

4. Optimize Your Website and Donation Experience

Nonprofit organizations must have user-friendly websites that are easy to navigate. Visitors should be able to find the information they need and make donations easily. If your website is overly complex and users don’t feel comfortable donating to or joining your organization, you’ll scare off potential recurring donors and members, meaning less revenue for your business.

While 91% of nonprofits have websites, only 22% of these websites are accessible for visitors with hearing and visual disabilities. Your website should be accessible to all your web visitors, secure, and mobile-friendly to boost your fundraising and membership efforts. 52% of nonprofit website visitors are from mobile users. 

Your brand message should be reflected through your website, and your donation and membership processes should be quick, intuitive, and secure. 

How to optimize your website and participation experience for nonprofit organizations:

• Simplify navigation: Make it easy for visitors to find information, donate, join, volunteer, etc.
• Use clear, compelling CTAs: Place “Donate”, “Join”, and “Get Involved” buttons where they’re visible.
• Streamline the donation process: Reduce the number of steps and required fields.
• Offer multiple payment options: Credit card, PayPal, digital wallets, etc.
• Show impact clearly:  Explain how donations are used and share success stories.
• Enable recurring donations and membership renewals: Users should be able to donate monthly or annually and/or have their membership auto-renew. 
• Add trust signals: Include security badges, nonprofit accreditations, and testimonials.
• Use analytics: Track how members and donors interact with your brand and participation process to identify and fix drop-off points.

5. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Organic Traffic

Beyond optimizing your website and participation experiences for accessibility and ease of use, you should optimize your website for SEO. Focusing on on-page and off-page SEO helps you gain high rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs)—a cost-effective way to drive targeted traffic to your website. 

SEO is a fantastic solution if your organization has budget constraints and needs cost-effective strategies. The results from these campaigns are long-term and, after making an upfront investment, you can expect to see a significant increase in monthly traffic and, in turn, donations and/or new memberships. While SEO practices are challenging if your marketing team has no experience, some agencies can help you. If these agencies aren’t the best solution for you, contact industry experts who share your values and determine whether they can help you.

Tips for nonprofit marketing SEO:

• Do keyword research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to find terms your audience is searching for
• Use relevant keywords: Include keywords in your page titles, headers, and content.
• Optimize page titles and meta descriptions: Keep them clear, engaging, and keyword-rich to improve click-through rates.
• Create high-quality, mission-focused content: Publish blogs, case studies, and guides that serve your audience’s interests.
• Build backlinks from trusted sites: Collaborate with partners or submit to directories to improve domain authority.
• Update content regularly: Refresh outdated information to stay relevant in search rankings.
• List your nonprofit in online directories: Your organization should appear in sources like Google Business Profile, Charity Navigator, and local nonprofit listings.

6. Drive Free Traffic with Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants is a nonprofit organization’s most powerful and underused tool. This program from Google provides eligible nonprofits up to $10,000 monthly in free Google Ads credits. You can use these credits to promote your events, content, mission, donation, and membership pages through Google Ads.

While paid advertising campaigns may be costly for nonprofit organizations, this solution allows you to maximize the benefits of advertising without the cost. You can drive targeted traffic to your website and boost awareness while maintaining a cost-effective marketing budget. Since 2003, the Google Ad Grants programme has awarded over $10 billion in advertising to over 115,000 nonprofits across 51 countries. 

It’s vital to check the eligibility requirements for your country and be as strategic about these ad campaigns as you would for paid ads. Remember, you want to get the most out of these free ad credits to build your constituent base, and therefore your revenue.

Tips for Google Ad Grant campaigns:

• Choose relevant, high-intent keywords: Focus on terms that potential donors or supporters are actively searching for.
• Write clear, compelling ad copy: Highlight your mission, impact, and what users can do (e.g., donate, volunteer, sign up).
• Link to strong landing pages: Create direct ads for relevant, fast-loading, optimized pages for conversions.
• Use geo-targeting: Target ads to specific locations where your services or supporters are based.
• Set up conversion tracking: Monitor actions like donations, new memberships, volunteer sign-ups, and downloads to measure success.
• Follow Google’s compliance rules: Maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR), use at least two ads per ad group, and enable site link extensions.
• Test and optimize regularly: Use A/B testing on ad copy and keywords to improve performance over time.

7. Grow and Nurture Your Email List

The digital form of direct mail marketing is email marketing, and it really works. 33% of online donors say email is the best communication method and inspires them to donate. In addition, 57% of donors like to be thanked for their donations via email.

Email marketing should be one of your top nonprofit marketing goals. Not only is email the most preferred communication method of most donors and members, but it is also cost-effective. Focus on building your list through website sign-ups, events, or campaigns. Make it easy for people to subscribe to your email list. 

Once people subscribe, send regular newsletters and updates, and share success stories that resonate with your audience. You can repurpose your content marketing materials to build and engage your email list. For example, if you created a social media post showcasing a profound success story and this post performed well, you can repurpose it for your email list and create a newsletter.

Tips to grow your email list for nonprofit marketing:

• Add sign-up forms to your website: Include them on your homepage, blog, and donation pages.
• Offer value in exchange: Provide a free guide, newsletter, or impact report as an incentive.
• Use pop-ups strategically: Prompt users to subscribe when they show interest or are about to exit a page. 
• Collect emails at events: Use digital sign-up forms or QR codes at fundraisers and community events.
• Promote sign-ups on social media: Share the benefits of joining your list with a direct link.
• Encourage referrals: Ask current subscribers to forward your emails or invite friends to join.
• Segment your list: Offer tailored sign-up forms for donors, members, volunteers, or general supporters.

8. Maximize Social Media for Visibility and Engagement

Social media is a fantastic way to raise awareness for your nonprofit organization. There are many social platforms to consider for your marketing campaigns. However, it’s best to prioritize social media platforms that your audience uses. For example, 18% of online donors worldwide have donated through Facebook, while 30% of nonprofits use Instagram to raise money and awareness.

It’s critical to consider platforms that online donors and members prefer (specifically your target audience) and your competitors’ platforms. This is much easier said than done, and social media marketing takes trial and error before you find what works for your business. Ultimately, 55% of people who engage with nonprofits on social media take some action, highlighting the importance of marketing on social platforms.

How to maximize social media marketing for nonprofits:

• Choose the right platforms: Focus on where your target audience is most active (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)
• Post consistently: Create a content calendar to maintain a regular posting schedule.
• Engage with your audience: Respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly to build community.
• Leverage hashtags: Use common nonprofit industry hashtags, and create custom ones for your own initiatives, events, etc., to expand your reach and join trending conversations.
• Run targeted ad campaigns: Use paid promotion to reach specific demographics or boost campaign visibility.
• Collaborate with influencers or partners: Amplify your message through an influencer marketing campaign. 
• Track performance metrics: Use insights and analytics to see what works and adjust accordingly.

9. Explore Low-Cost Tools and Tech for Smarter Marketing

Marketing software can become very expensive if you don’t choose the right solutions for your business and nonprofit marketing goals. For example, an all-in-one platform might be best if you want software to automate your content marketing, SEO, and social media marketing efforts. 

Many robust platforms offer free versions that could be perfect for your business. 

For example, Canva, MailChimp, Hootsuite, and Google Analytics all provide free tools. Although these free solutions may not be as robust as paid platforms, for some businesses, they deliver all the features you need without being overly complex.

How to find low-cost marketing tools for nonprofit organizations:

• Explore nonprofit discounts: Reach out to popular marketing tools and check if they offer special pricing or free plans for nonprofits.
• Use free versions of popular platforms: Many tools have free tiers with essential features.
• Browse nonprofit tech directories: Websites like TechSoup or Nonprofit Tech for Good list discounted or free software for nonprofits.
• Try open-source software:  Look for free, community-supported tools for email, CRM, or social scheduling.
• Request sponsorships or in-kind donations: Contact local businesses or service providers willing to support your cause.

10. Collaborate to Expand Your Reach and Credibility

Look for nonprofits, influencers, businesses, and community leaders who share your organization’s mission and values to collaborate with. This approach can help you raise funds through building credibility and awareness for your organization. Successful nonprofit marketers would also understand the importance of developing valuable and strategic partnerships for long-term gains.

Collaborating with the right people and businesses can expose you to different audiences and help you generate more engagement and donations. There are many ways to accomplish this: You can host co-events, promote each other’s work, host social media campaigns and events, or exchange guest blogs. Your partnership must benefit both you and your partner, so it’s critical to understand what motivates them to work with your organization. 

How to find partners for nonprofit marketing collaborations:

• Identify organizations with shared values: Find nonprofits, local businesses, or influencers aligned with your mission.
• Attend community events and networking meetups: Engage with potential partners in person or virtually.
• Reach out to existing supporters: Ask donors, members, volunteers, and board members if they have partnership connections.
• Use LinkedIn and online directories: Search for mission-aligned groups or companies interested in social impact.
• Collaborate on co-branded campaigns: Propose joint events, fundraisers, webinars, or social media takeovers. Influencers or industry experts can temporarily manage your social media accounts and engage with your followers. 
• Offer mutual benefits: Highlight how the partnership helps both parties reach new audiences or achieve shared goals.
• Start small and build trust: Begin with low-effort collaborations to test the relationship before scaling up.

Expert Tips for Nonprofit Marketing

While this nonprofit marketing guide covered the top strategies for nonprofits, let’s examine a few more expert tips that your business needs.

• Collect detailed donor and member data: This practice complements defining your target audience. Record in-depth data about potential donors and supporters who have already made donations. This information includes their preferred communication channels, what motivates them to make donations, and patterns, like increased giving periods during the holiday season, at specific times of the year, etc. 
• Consider your content marketing strategy: Different types of content will resonate with different audiences. When creating blog content, videos, or social media posts, consider your end goal and your constituents. Will educational content move the needle? Or should you focus on more emotive content? 
• Use consistent branding and colors: Keep your branding and colors consistent across your website, your email newsletters, and social media posts. Regardless of where donors interact with your organization, they should be able to recognize you from the outset.
• Engage supporters beyond donations and memberships: Get supporters involved in your business after they have made donations or joined your membership. You could offer volunteer opportunities, or they could help you raise awareness or build relationships with more potential supporters, industry experts, or other businesses by sharing your content and values. 
• Create compelling call-to-actions CTAs: All your content should be clear, engaging, and actionable. The aim is to direct web visitors to take your desired action and strategically place your CTAs to improve conversions. 
• Leverage A/B testing: Use A/B testing to determine which marketing components work for your campaigns. For example, you could A/B test different CTA’s to determine the best conversion rate.
• Track and improve your performance: Always track the right metrics for your marketing campaigns. Consistent tracking helps you evaluate your performance, set realistic goals, and fine-tune your approach. 

Building a Sustainable Nonprofit Marketing Plan with NextGen

Nonprofit marketing is unique, and organizations must focus on emotionally driven storytelling that reflects their values and mission. 

Many strategies can help you succeed in nonprofit marketing. Understanding your target audience, creating strong brand recognition, leveraging storytelling, optimizing your website and donations experience, and using Google Ad Grants is vital. Likewise, SEO is a powerful marketing tool, and you should focus on email marketing, social media marketing, and cost-effective marketing software.

Do you need expert digital marketing and media services specific to nonprofit marketing? Contact NextGen Fundraising today and let our team of experts help you!