Promotion and communication strategies are not the realm of for-profit enterprises alone. Nonprofit organizations have a keen interest in proactively promoting themselves to maintain their standing in front of their existing and prospective donors and other stakeholders. In the post-Covid environment, competition for precious donations by committed donors will become fiercer. Now, more than ever, nonprofits have a vital stake in ensuring that their message remains relevant and current to enable them to continue to attract and serve their donors.
The first introduction to most nonprofits is often through their website. Websites have replaced business cards and carry equal—if not more—importance. Stale and out-of-date websites will not be serving the best interests of the organization. For donors, nonprofits as a whole represent unlimited needs for the donors’ limited donation budget. Vying for donor contributions—and attention—is like a make-or-break pitch for a new television series. Consequently, donors view a nonprofit’s digital presence (website, social media, etc.) with sharp and critical eyes. Unfocused, outdated, or unsophisticated websites and social media presence will likely deter sharp-eyed donors from making any donations. A good and attractive website and social media presence must meet some basic criteria including:
The Cause: Nonprofits all share one important common thread: They stand for a cause. The organization’s mission must be enunciated in a clear, concise, and captivating language on their website and/or any social media platform.
Tell a Story: A nonprofit’s website is a powerful vehicle to tell a compelling story about the organization’s raison d’être. It is also an opportunity to construct a solid branding foundation for the organization. In today’s “sharing digital world,” the story has to be sharable in order for the organization’s stakeholders feel the urge to forward to their network of friends and colleagues. In addition, it has to meet the key 21st century digital expectations.
Click to Donate: The lifeblood of a nonprofit is the donation streams they have to be able to generate. It is critical for the nonprofit to have an easily locatable donation button with seamless back-end infrastructure to allow for quick and secure donation processing. An extension of this feature is the “text-to-donate” feature that could be incorporated into the organization’s website and social media presence.
Get Involved: Nonprofits rely heavily on committed volunteers. Volunteers are stakeholders that may not be able to make financial contributions but often give generously of their time to an organization because of their sincere belief in its mission and cause. Contributions of volunteers cannot be underestimated. The organization’s website and social media presence must provide easy-to-find ways for the committed volunteers to get involved.
Mobile Devices: Today, a lot of people rely heavily on their mobile devices for everything. A nonprofit’s website must be easily and seamlessly accessible on all mobile platforms and devices.
Ongoing Communication: A nonprofit’s website must provide an easy-to-signup way for the nonprofit to join for the organization’s newsletter and other communication lists with effective opt-out features.
Financial Transparency: To attract potential donors able to make sizable donations, a nonprofit must provide an easy-to-find way to view its annual reports and other key financial data to support their financial management of the funds they have secured through donations.
Back-end Infrastructure: Finally, a responsive website should provide the organizations with key analytics including page views, etc.to enable it to keep abreast of how its website and other social media accounts are being used. This is the only way the organization can finetune its digital presence on an ongoing basis.
Now, more than ever, nonprofits’ websites and social media presence play a key role in keeping up with the times. In the challenging times we find ourselves, nonprofits have a great stake in ensuring that their digital presence serves them now and for years to come. To maintain a current digital presence is an evergreening process. To sustain and prosper in good times and bad, a nonprofit organization can no longer rely on old methods of branding and fundraising. In this digital era, a slick and up-to-date website and social media presence is a must.
For an evaluation of your website and/or social media presence, reach out to the professionals at Your Great Event.