Nonprofit Marketing Services Strategy Tom Lynch Marketing

Modern Marketing For Nonprofits

Read my blog post "Nonprofit Marketing During Covid-19 Pandemic And Beyond."

Even before Coronavirus, there was additional pressure on nonprofits as the nature of fundraising was rapidly changing. As Boomers retire, GenX matures and Millennials become the main source of individual giving, much has changed about how you need to brand, message, connect, and raise funds. The expansion of Corporate Social Responsibility created new opportunities that came with more stringent analysis and expectations.

Modern marketing (and fundraising) requires ongoing dialog, personalized experiences, persistent trial and measurement in order to improve performance, stand out, and be more efficient. In this new model, even the big, annual pro bono campaign from a great agency has more limited value.

Luckily, all the tools you need to adapt and thrive already exist. The question is how do you choose to do it; quick or slow, strategically or tactically, integrated or one-off. In an increasingly competitive marketplace you can't afford to be wrong. Covid-19 did not change any of those dynamics, it simply made them more acute.

Transformation

Data is important. Platforms are important. SEO, CRM and social media are important. Analytics is important. They are all important means to an end.

The end is where you want your business to be. Taking a holistic view of where you are going and which combination of those marketing "means" will best get you there. You need a plan that will work for you.

Your prospective donors, how they learn about nonprofits, how, when and how much they give, and who they volunteer for has transformed. The question is how you will transform.

It will take no more than 3 minutes to answer these 15 simple yes/no questions that will help you evaluate your current marketing.

1. Do you have a Google AdWords Grant & if so, do you know the ROI of your different campaigns and how to optimize them for improved performance?
2. Which marketing KPIs (key performance indicators) tie to each business goal?
3. Do you know which parts of your marketing perform better against those KPIs?
4. Do you have segments/personas that profile each of your most valuable donors and subscriber types?
5. Do you have donor acquisition funnels for each segment in your Analytics program?
6. Do you know where the friction points are that prevent your best prospective donors from donating - where do people who click on marketing then stop and fail to donate?
7. Do you know which marketing messages, experiences and/or calls to action resulted in acquiring your most valuable donors?
8. Are you optimizing your social media posts to include more of the content that is most relevant to your most valuable personas?
9. Does all of your marketing lead to highly relevant landing pages?
10. Do you run multiple versions of every marketing campaign in order to measure the results and maximize the ROI on each dollar spent?
11. Do you know which subscribers and donors are your most valuable most likely to become donors, high-value donors, and advocates for your nonprofit?
12. Do you know which subscriber or donor activities signal they are most likely to donate (or stop donating)?
13. Do you have automated marketing in place when those signals are triggered?
14. Do your marketing, eCommerce, CRM & donation systems integrate and share data in a way that allows you to know all the answers to the questions above?
15. Do you know how much more revenue you would take in if all your marketing was 10% more effective? 20%?

BONUS QUESTION: Would if be worth investing some of that increase in setting up your marketing to deliver that improved performance every year, for years to come?

If you answered "no" or "I don't know" to more of those than you answered "yes," we should talk. If you answered "yes" to the last question, we should definitely talk.
My contact info and calendar link are here.

There are three important things to know about my nonprofit marketing services:

1. I am solution agnostic. Every nonprofit can and should know exactly who their best prospects and donors are, where to reach them, and which messages, offers and experiences will best motivate them to engage, buy, then advocate for your brand, cause and programs. Knowledge and insight from data guide the plans, budgets, campaigns, and technology I recommend and implement for you. Your opportunities drive the marketing I do, not the other way around. I deliver what makes your nonprofit succeed. Period.

2. I've been an integral part of branding and marketing for small to mid-size nonprofits for more than 20 years. I have also founded and run a small, highly successful international nonprofit; I understand marketing and fundraising as both a marketer and CEO. Most of my career has been outside the nonprofit realm, delivering world-class marketing for companies like Kraft, Coca-Cola, ING, State Farm, Gallo Wine, AutoTrader, KinderCare and others. The experience I bring from the corporate world is invaluable. It is much more difficult to "think outside of the box" if you're spent your entire career inside the box. Ideas that drive measurable results are in my marketing DNA.

3. Sometimes, investing in the foundational strategic work of marketing may seem like a luxury you can't afford, or maybe don't really need. Inspired, well-grounded strategic plans, brands, messaging and segmentation make ALL of your marketing work better, more often. Single digit increases in marketing effectiveness and efficiency more than pay for the cost of great strategic work. Every time. You actually can't afford to NOT do this work.

Modern Marketing For Nonprofits

Transformation

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