Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Navigation Bar

  • About
  • Services
  • What Clients Say
  • Contact

Planning a Nonprofit Omnichannel Marketing Campaign: 4 Steps

February 12, 2024 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

A guest post by Liz Murphy of Allegiance Group

Omnichannel marketing is a technique in which nonprofits connect with their supporters through multiple communication channels, with the goal of creating a seamless experience between the various channels. Each message should feel like part of one unified, cohesive strategy that guides supporters to take a desired action, whether that’s donating, volunteering, or registering for a virtual event.

These campaigns can be extremely effective in building awareness of your organization, inspiring more donations, and connecting more deeply with supporters. To learn more about how to plan your first omnichannel campaign, follow these four steps:

  1. Determine the campaign’s objectives.
  2. Identify a target audience.
  3. Select communication platforms.
  4. Evaluate your performance.

1. Determine the campaign’s objectives.

Marketing objectives are clearly defined goals that lay out what you want the results of your campaign to be. These goals should follow the SMART goal framework, meaning that they should be:

SMART goals

  • Specific: State what you want the campaign to do using specific numbers (e.g., raise $5,000).
  • Measurable: Identify the metrics or data targets you’ll need to track. Allegiance Group’s guide to fundraising tools recommends choosing software that offers a robust analytics dashboard to accurately track your marketing progress.
  • Achievable: Analyze past campaign performance and choose goals that are challenging yet possible for your nonprofit to accomplish.
  • Relevant: Specify why it makes sense for your nonprofit to tackle this objective at this time (e.g., it relates to your mission or benefits a key project or initiative).
  • Time-based: Lay out a timeframe for reaching the goal.

Let’s say your nonprofit is creating a campaign to promote its most lucrative fundraising event with your main focus being to increase registrations. In this case, your SMART goal might be to achieve a 20% increase in registrations within the three months prior to the event compared to the previous year by using a more efficient registration platform and leveraging targeted marketing messages.

2. Identify a target audience.

To attract potential donors, you’ll need to identify specific audiences and determine their values, communication preferences, and other key characteristics.

Take a look at your existing donors. Which qualities appear over and over? NPOInfo’s guide to donor data recommends breaking down your file into useful categories or segments based on those qualities. These segments may be based on donors’:

  • Ages
  • Locations
  • Giving behaviors (e.g., frequency and/or amount)
  • Interests or support for specific projects
  • Communication preferences (e.g., email vs. direct mail) and engagement

There are so many other categories to choose from, but it’s best to select those that will assist you in meeting your nonprofit’s needs and achieving your campaign goals.

3. Select communication platforms

Based on your findings about your target audience, choose the communication channels they are most likely to engage with on a regular basis. Nonprofits commonly use channels like email, social media, text, phone calls, direct mail, and print and digital ads.

When choosing communication platforms, keep these tips in mind:

  • Focus on quality over quantity. Avoid taking on more platforms than your nonprofit can realistically manage. Instead, prioritize creating engaging content that persuades supporters to donate or get involved in another way. Consider using tools like social media calendars and email marketing software to stay organized.
  • Connect each platform for a seamless experience. On social media, include links to your website and profiles on other platforms. Encourage email recipients to follow your accounts and check out your website. You can even add QR codes linking to online channels to your direct mail campaigns.
  • Tailor content to the audience and platform. Become familiar with the unique preferences associated with both your target audience and the platforms you use. Make sure your message aligns with the tone and value that your audience will expect as well as the expectations for each communication channel. Social media posts, for example, should be short and attention-grabbing, while blog posts can be much more detailed.

Similar to goal-tracking, it’s important to measure your campaign’s performance on each platform. Make sure to identify which metrics determine success for each—for example, the clickthrough rate is crucial for email marketing whereas likes and shares are important for social media.

4. Evaluate your performance.

After your campaign ends, you still have work to do. It’s essential to take the time to analyze your findings, determine whether you met your goals, and plan for future campaigns.

If you met or exceeded your goals for the campaign, pinpoint the strategies that you think pushed your campaign over the finish line. For example, maybe you tried using a new campaign for the first time or sent targeted messages using your demographic-focused donor segments. Once you understand what resonates with your audience, you can replicate and refine those tactics in the future.

If you fell short of your goal, use it as a learning opportunity. Refer back to your initial goal and ask yourself if it was too ambitious for your nonprofit to achieve at this point. Additionally, make sure to identify the wins and losses from the campaign so you know which strategies to keep, which to tweak, and which to remove altogether.

As a result of your hard work, you’ll be able to create a nonprofit omnichannel marketing campaign that feels consistent and connected to your audience. This will deepen their relationship with your organization and inspire them to donate, volunteer, and share about your mission to further the work you do.


Liz Murphy, Allegiance GroupAuthor: Liz Murphy

Liz Murphy is an EVP at Allegiance+Pursuant Group, a direct response fundraising agency and technology company. Liz has more than 30 years of experience growing digital and integrated fundraising and communications programs for social justice, health, and international relief nonprofit organizations.

Liz is an award-winning copywriter and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, including ANA, DMAW, Bridge, and NTC. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Direct Marketing Association of Washington Educational Foundation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Fundraising Tuesday: How to Build Long-Term Partnerships with Corporate Sponsors

December 12, 2023 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

A guest post by Adam Weinger, Double the Donation

As your nonprofit strives to make a positive impact on society, forging connections with like-minded businesses can extend your reach and help you pursue your mission more effectively. Cross-sector partnerships involve more than just financial transactions—they demand a strategic approach, effective communication, and a commitment to shared values.

In this guide, we’ll explore four best practices that will enable your nonprofit to secure corporate sponsors and nurture these partnerships for long-term success.

Understand Their Goals

According to 360MatchPro’s guide to corporate social responsibility (CSR), businesses often have several objectives in mind when sponsoring a nonprofit. For instance, they might be looking to engage employees, connect with new customers, improve their reputation, and make an impact on their larger community.

Take these expectations into consideration as you develop an overarching goal for the partnership, ensuring that it is mutually beneficial and SMART:

  • Specific: Sponsorship goals should be clearly defined and focused, leaving no room for ambiguity.
  • Measurable: Include specific metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) to allow for quantifiable progress tracking.
  • Achievable: Ensure that the goals are attainable within the context of your respective time, reach, and resources.
  • Relevant: Align the goals with the overarching objectives of both your nonprofit and corporate sponsor.
  • Time-bound: Setting a specific timeframe or deadline for achieving the goals creates a sense of urgency and helps with project management.

Let’s say a nonprofit focuses on providing education to underprivileged youth and partners with a corporate sponsor that shares its commitment to community empowerment. An example of a mutually beneficial goal for the partnership could be to establish a mentorship program and provide career guidance to 100 underprivileged high school students within the fiscal year.

Customize Sponsorship Proposals

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach to sponsorship proposals, customize them to meet each sponsor’s needs and demonstrate that your organization is committed to delivering individualized value.

For the best results, incorporate the following details into your sponsorship proposal:

  • Contribution expectations: Conduct thorough research into the business’s financial well-being and past CSR initiatives. Then, use these insights to build your case for support and define the financial or in-kind contributions that you expect to receive.
  • Target audience: Corporate sponsors are often interested in reaching new customers through a nonprofit partnership. Research their target demographic and explain your access to that audience. For example, you might say something along the lines of, “We understand that your customers are primarily college students. At our last benefit concert, 87% of the participants were young adults aged 18-24.”
  • Tailored benefits: Offer incentives that cater to the sponsor’s interests, such as logo placement in promotional materials, recognition in targeted communication channels, or exclusive access to VIP events or programs.

Consider creating an enticing menu of sponsorship tiers. Ask potential sponsors to choose a sponsorship package with the benefits and involvement that best suit their needs. For instance, the lowest level might require a $1,000 donation in exchange for a social media shoutout, whereas a $10,000 donation will result in a full-page spread about the business in your newsletter. This system allows you to accommodate large corporations seeking extensive exposure as well as smaller businesses looking for more modest involvement.

Deliver on Promises

Fulfill all the promises made in your sponsorship agreements, whether that be providing the agreed-upon marketing opportunities, promoting the sponsor to a specific audience, or extending the appropriate recognition.

For example, let’s say your education-focused nonprofit promises a sponsor that their funding will provide scholarships to underprivileged students to attend a summer enrichment program. In this case, ensure that the scholarships are awarded as intended and students have access to the program. Then, summarize your efforts in a report that you provide to the sponsor, outlining the number of students benefiting, their progress, and any notable success stories.

When businesses see that your nonprofit can hold up its end of the deal, it validates their decision to invest and signals a willingness to nurture a long-term relationship. This can lead to more sustained support and ongoing collaboration, as both parties recognize the value of the partnership beyond short-term transactions.

Promote Open Communication

Maintaining open lines of communication is a basic tenant of professionalism. Use the following channels to connect with sponsors and gather feedback about their experiences with your nonprofit:

  • Email: Send personalized updates, newsletters, and event invitations directly to sponsors’ inboxes.
  • Social media: Leverage social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to share the impact of their contributions and tap into their potentially expansive networks.
  • In-person meetings: Organize meetings or conferences to connect with sponsors face-to-face, answer questions or concerns, and discuss future initiatives.

Additionally, consider designating a point of contact from your nonprofit staff to communicate with corporate sponsors and serve as a liaison between the two organizations. They can provide timely responses to inquiries, address concerns, and coordinate logistics, creating a positive experience for the sponsor.

Show Appreciation

Don’t underestimate the power of appreciation. eCardWidget’s guide to donor recognition recommends taking the following steps to acknowledge and thank your corporate sponsors for their support:

  • Personalize thank-you letters. Send personal thank-you letters to express your sincere gratitude for their support and highlight the specific achievements that you’ve made with their help.
  • Provide public recognition: Recognize corporate sponsors on your website, your digital donor wall, social media platforms, and in your marketing materials to publicly showcase their commitment to your cause.
  • Host exclusive events. Host recognition events or ceremonies where sponsors are celebrated to create a memorable partnership experience and positive impression of your organization.
  • Publish impact reports. Provide corporate sponsors with impact reports that detail the outcomes resulting from their support and demonstrate how their contributions have made a difference for your nonprofit’s beneficiaries.

These forms of recognition not only inform sponsors about the tangible results of their support but also reinforce their sense of purpose and commitment to your organization.


Adam Weinger is the President of Double the Donation, the leading provider of tools to nonprofits to help them raise more money from corporate matching gift and volunteer grant programs.

Double the Donation’s robust solution, 360MatchPro, provides nonprofits with automated tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. 360MatchPro integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Creating An Effective Nonprofit Blog: A Mini Guide

September 11, 2023 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

A guest post by Sarah Fargusson of Cornershop Creative

Picture this: you’re searching online for things you can do in your daily life to be more environmentally friendly and come across a blog post with a list of daily life changes that you can make to help the environment.

You find the post super helpful, take a few of the suggestions to heart, and then begin exploring the rest of the nonprofit’s website to see what else this organization can teach you and how you can support them in return.

This scenario is common for organizations with blogs. Blog posts help your nonprofit share relevant and meaningful information with your audience, engaging your current audience with fresh content and bringing in new supporters through the process.

Why Your Nonprofit Needs a Blog

As a marketing tactic, blogging is an oldie, but a goodie. While maintaining a blog isn’t possible for every organization, if you’re able to keep up with a consistent posting schedule, blogs are an excellent tool to connect supporters to your mission through relevant topics.

There are tons of benefits, including:

  • Establish your organization as a thought leader. Sharing your expertise on topics related to your mission in a public place like your site’s blog can help set you up as a thought leader in your space.
  • Share important updates/information/stories. Blog posts are a great place to share timely content with your audience, including news or organizational updates and stories from your community.
  • Engage with your nonprofit’s audience on a regular basis. Consistency is key when it comes to blogging, and regular, fresh content will have your audience visiting often to see what’s new.
  • Boost your visibility via SEO-driven content marketing. Potential supporters interested in your area of work, but unfamiliar with your organization, can find you through optimized blog posts on relevant topics.
  • Fuel your other marketing channels. Blog content can also be shared on social media, in email campaigns, and through other marketing channels you may use to stay connected and keep your organization top of mind for supporters.

With all of these great benefits, have we convinced you yet? Starting and maintaining a blog allows your organization to connect with your current supporters and attract new ones. It’s well worth the time and effort!

Blogging Tip #1: Tell Stories That Resonate With Your Readers

Who doesn’t love a good story? Sharing stories helps us connect with each other and drives home the impact of your nonprofit’s work in the lives of real people.

Like any good story, the stories that you share on your organization’s blog should have:

  • Characters that your audience can relate with
  • A familiar setting
  • A conflict that is resolved (ideally through your organization’s work)
  • Details that help readers connect to the characters and outcome

Share stories about beneficiaries who tapped into your services, volunteers who are passionate about your cause, or donors who made a big difference to your organization. Anyone who represents the impact that you’re able to make toward your mission is a good contender. The sky’s the limit!

 

Just be sure to get permission from the subject of your story before sharing their story on your blog.

Blogging Tip #2: Incorporate Compelling Visuals

Compelling visuals have the power to take your blog content to the next level. While text will likely be the meat and potatoes of the majority of your posts, visuals and great nonprofit website design helps keep things interesting and give readers a bit of visual relief and a different way to engage with the topic as they work through the text content.

Mix things up for your readers and incorporate a variety of different visuals into blog posts, taking into account the particular topic or post. You might include:

  • Photos
  • Infographics (with details from your annual report)
  • Visual quotes
  • Videos

Compelling visuals stick with readers and drive your topic home. And, for all of the skimmers out there, solid visuals keep visitors’ attention, keeping them on the page and reading more of your post than they otherwise would have.

Blogging Tip #3: Post New Content Regularly

When it comes to blogging, consistency is key. Determine a posting schedule and stick to it. While there’s no need to schedule down to the minute and urgent to-dos will come up, posting content regularly helps to keep people visiting the blog.

It’s what brings all of those wonderful benefits listed above and shows your community that you’re actively working to keep them updated on important information.

To keep yourself on track, consider creating a content calendar, working ahead during quieter times, or pulling in other team members (or even a marketing partner) to help create blog content in a timely manner.

3 Strategies for Promoting Your Blog

In order to bring visitors to your blog and reap all of the benefits, you’ll need to promote your blog to your audience. Plus, getting more eyes on your blog more often will encourage blog readers to explore other parts of your nonprofit’s website, too.

These tips will drive more visitors to your new blog and keep them coming back:

  • Leverage on-page SEO best practices. Following SEO best practices will help your blog post rank for relevant keywords and bring the people searching for those keywords right to your site.
  • Collaborate with other bloggers in the nonprofit space. By partnering up with others in the nonprofit space, you can expand your audience even more by guest blogging and building backlinks.
  • Share blog posts on social media and in emails. Sharing your blog posts with your current audience through social media and email will engage your current audience and keep them coming back to your site.

While adding a blog to your nonprofit marketing toolkit does take time and effort, the benefits are well worth the work. A blog can help you continuously grow and engage with your audience, encouraging them to visit your website and take action for your cause on a regular basis. So what are you waiting for? Get blogging!


Sarah Fergusson digital mavenSarah Fargusson – Director of Digital Strategy at Cornershop Creative

Self-described as a “non-profit junkie,” Sarah has dedicated her career to serving the needs of the non-profit sector. Her project management experience spans a variety of non-profit management disciplines including strategic planning, community engagement, capacity building, fundraising and research. She has worked both in and for the non-profit sector at the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, and the consulting firms The Lee Institute and The Curtis Group.

With her ever expanding non-profit tool belt, Sarah joined Cornershop Creative to tap into her techie, creative side, while developing meaningful partnerships with her clients to help them more effectively achieve their goals.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 69
  • Next Page »

Yes, I’d like weekly email from Communicate!

Get more advice

Yes! Please send me tips from Communicate! Consulting.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Copyright © 2025 · The 411 Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in