The nonprofit sector has been steadily growing in the United States for the past two decades. In 2016, over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations were registered with the IRS, a nearly five percent increase from 2006 (NCCS Project Team, 2019). This growth is in direct opposition to the amount of money being donated to nonprofits. While COVID-19 is blamed for a steep decline in donations, the truth is that small and medium-sized donations were down significantly before 2020. In 2016, nearly 54 percent of American households donated to a legally recognized charity organization, a 1.5 percent drop from 2014 and an 11.5 percent drop from 2008 (Rooney, 2019).
Between growing competition and fewer available dollars, your nonprofit needs a successful strategy to build your brand and attract donors. Unlike for-profit businesses that rely on transactional connections, ie: what the customer gets in exchange for their dollars, a nonprofit has to build their outreach and growth strategy by building human connections and tapping into emotions. To help you do this, our strategic planning company in Minneapolis is sharing five steps that will help you stand out from other organizations and quickly connect and build trust with prospective donors.
Understand the Problem and How Your Organization Is Solving It
Do your stakeholders know your mission? Can they clearly define it?
The first step to successfully standing out from your competition and connecting with donors is to clearly answer the following questions:
- Who are you?
- What does your nonprofit do?
- Who are your stakeholders?
- Why is this necessary?
- What is the challenge that requires a solution?
- Who is affected?
- What is the scale of the issue? That is to ask, what is the effect on individuals at a micro and a macro level?
- How does your organization help?
- How do you provide a solution and serve the population affected?
Oftentimes, people give to a charity or nonprofit because they want to make an impact and help others (Sanders and Smith, 2014). If someone doesn’t know the answers to these three questions, they won’t understand how their donation will make an impact or how they are helping others.
Frequently, the lack of clarity comes from within the organization itself. Ask ten people within your nonprofit, including people in leadership, the three questions above. Are answers consistent? Before you do anything else, you need to get everyone on the same page.
Understand What Sets You Apart from Other Organizations
Be assured, competition does exist within the nonprofit world. By communicating your organization’s purpose, you can more easily clarify market differentiation. What you do is different and important. Perhaps your organization is serving a unique population, is the only one in your city, or you have a different vision for what you see as your goal. Be clear about what it is that separates you from your competition and use that to build and portray your brand.
Carving out a unique niche in the marketplace is an effective strategy to engage with your donors.
The Power of One: Create a Story That Shows the Human Element of Your Organization
Use the Power of One to reach your constituents. One story is powerful because we can all put ourselves in another individual’s place. The Power of One also shows the challenge at a human level and also shows that the challenge is not insurmountable (Small, Loewenstein, and Slovic, 2007).
Prospective donors are much more likely to engage with you when you’re sharing the success stories profiling individual clients who have made significant gains as a result of your interventions. Highlight a success story (with the individual’s permission, where applicable) that personalizes the challenge. Highlight what it is that your organization works to solve as well as brings your mission statement to life. Use that story to build trust and make connections with your donors.
Show the Metrics of Your Impact
While overwhelming a potential donor with negative statistics can turn them away from donating, seeing the benefit of what you do and the impact of their gift is one of the most effective ways to attract younger donors (Moon and Liu, 2017). Show potential donors that their money is being put to good use. Be prudent.
Remember, create clear messaging. Use your mission statement in all of your various media. Donors will understand the impact their donations will have and will feel more confident in giving to your organization when you have clear, action-oriented messaging that communicates who you are, and how you are addressing your various stakeholders’ needs and challenges.
Contact Woodland Strategies for Nonprofit Strategic Planning to Increase Donors
At Woodland Strategies, we understand that it can be challenging to undergo a dramatic shift in messaging and change how you reach potential donors. We are here to assist you in creating a communication strategy that starts from within the organization and then launches outward. To set up a consultation, reach out to us today via our contact form.