Digital Marketing Tips for Nonprofits: A Brief Guide to Maximize Your Impact
Digital marketing comprises – generally – the same overarching strategies that smart businesses use to grow an audience online, and then get that audience to take the next steps toward conversion. From industry to industry, the marketing emphasis shifts. Where product descriptions, content management and SEO are top of mind for e-commerce, B2B companies will focus more on their email outreach, article creation, and CRMs.
Nonprofits are a little trickier. The primary goal of a nonprofit organization (NPO) is donation generation, followed closely by volunteer recruitment and awareness, which translate into two very different audiences. That means the storytelling in an NPO’s marketing has to be tailored to reach potential donors as well as volunteers and beneficiaries. The value proposition for a NPO is social change. The messaging is, therefore, necessarily more emotional, not benefit/features driven. And lastly, the success metrics are not quite as quantifiable as sales and revenue, but more like engagement, open rates, and donations.
So how do you accomplish this? How do you build long-term relationships with high value donors and supporters? Let’s dive into the most critical keys to success here.
Online Presence
Your online presence has to be top tier priority, and you probably know that. Where we find many marketing managers get bogged down: The tedious, regular, and often repetitive actions that need to be done to keep your online presence relevant, engaging, and at the top of your audience’s mind.
The three pillars of what you want to hit are:
- Showcasing Who You Are… Clearly
Build and maintain a strong online presence, primarily through your website, which has to be user friendly, informative, and mobile friendly. This is also demonstrated in your social media and communications. - Speaking To Your Donors
How are you communicating with your audience? You have several, and the messaging is obviously different for each. A good CRM to segment the audience is an email strategy that can speak to donors, volunteers, and the general public. Likewise, how are you accepting donations? Make it as easy as possible with tools like Every Action or Kindful. - Growing Your Reach
You absolutely have to have social media that’s regularly updated, video focused, engaging and informative. Which tools you use are dependent on your audience, mission and goals. TikTok may be right for some but not for others. Same thing with Facebook or Instagram. YouTube is pretty universal for all. Whatever you use, it needs to be regularly updated (at least once a week) and engaging.
Now that we’ve talked about the big-picture pillars, let’s delve into the specifics. First up, your website:
Website Content, User Experience, and SEO
Your website serves as the digital hub for your organization, providing essential information about its mission, programs, and impact. At its core, the website should clearly convey the nonprofit’s purpose and invite visitors to take action—whether through donating, volunteering, or subscribing to updates.
Key features often include a homepage with a compelling mission statement, an “About” page sharing the organization’s story and values, and dedicated sections for events, campaigns, and resources. The website should be easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and visually appealing to build trust and encourage engagement. Integrating tools for online donations, email sign-ups, and social media sharing is also vital for expanding the organization’s reach and fostering ongoing support.
Website SEO
SEO is crucial for nonprofits to increase their online visibility, attract supporters, and drive engagement. Here are the best strategies nonprofits can use to optimize their websites for search engines:
- Keyword research: Identify relevant keywords for your nonprofit, focusing on cause, services, and geography. EVG Media uses tools like Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner and Moz.
- On-page SEO: Optimize website content – seamlessly – including h1 and h2 titles, title tags, meta descriptions, and the copy itself.
- Off-page SEO: Build backlinks to your website through reciprocal and meaningful linking, as well as review sites and social media.
- Technical SEO: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and fast-loading. Audit the site and fix any broken links. Look for issues that may impact user experience (like clear navigation). And ensure you have an XML sitemap that’s submitted to Google for indexing.
- Local SEO: Optimizing your website for local search results (e.g., Google My Business)
- High-quality content: Publish blog posts, success stories, or educational articles that align with your mission. Address FAQs. Write content that resonates with your target audience, such as “How to Volunteer in [City]” or “The Impact of [Your Cause].”
Ok, your website is fabulous. It’s well optimized. It’s easy to navigate on mobile. You have a site index and amazing images and video. What’s next?
Email Marketing
Particularly when compared to direct mail, email marketing is an efficient and cost-effective way to engage with supporters, build relationships, and drive action. We like Bloomerang for relationship management, but there are so many great options. Whichever you choose, you’ll need to:
- Build an email list: Use strategies for list building like pop-up forms, social media promos, at-event email gathering.
- Create impactful email campaigns: Send regular emails (twice a month is a fine strategy here) and ensure that you keep it concise, focused, and well written – personalized, with excellent subject lines, and with the right links and CTAs.
- Measuring email performance: Track your open and click-through rates, as well as conversion rates. Use these analytics to optimize your next campaigns.
Social Media
For NPOs, social media is about more than likes—it’s a strategic tool for driving impact and engagement. Start by aligning your social media content strategy with your organization’s mission and audience insights; use content pillars to guide what type of posts you’ll make, how often, and how (with a tool? directly via the platform?). Speak directly to followers’ motivations, whether it’s volunteering, donating, or amplifying your cause. Focus on storytelling: authentic narratives about your impact, beneficiaries, or behind-the-scenes moments strengthen emotional connections and drive action. And don’t forget to take advantage of each platform’s native features, such as stories, reels, or lives.
Consistency is key, but quality trumps quantity; post regularly but prioritize high-value content. Leverage analytics to test, iterate, and refine campaigns—experiment with A/B testing for calls-to-action or creative formats. Encourage engagement by responding to comments and messages promptly, turning passive followers into active participants. And, integrate your social efforts with broader campaigns, ensuring a cohesive journey from social to website, email, or events.
Paid Advertising
Paid advertising can boost nonprofits, particularly in terms of brand/organization recognition, but paid ads can also play a huge role in expanding your reach on social platforms and in actual donations. EVG uses the following, and we’re constantly measuring the return of the campaigns, whether through new subscribers, donations, or return visitors.
- Google Ads: Creating effective pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to reach your target audience
- Social Media Advertising: Leveraging platforms like Facebook and Instagram to target specific demographics
In a Nutshell
We’ve barely scratched the surface here, but the takeaway is this: There are the basics you have to have in place (good website, good social, easy donation tool) and then there are the “need to haves… when we have time.” Ultimately, your success lies in building authentic relationships with your supporters, crafting compelling stories, and measuring your impact.
If you’re struggling with the time or expertise to manage all this (and we know it’s a lot), reach out. We can help!
