Our longstanding relationship with the not for profit community has given us a unique insight into various communication and fundraising processes surrounding the industry. We have worked with nationally recognised charities as well as local grassroots initiatives and despite the size of the organisation one thing remains constant – they are all vying for that coveted charity dollar.
The highly competitive nature of the Australian not for profit sector means that organisations are being challenged to think outside the box in order to make a splash. Innovation is key and it all comes down to survival of the fittest.
So what are some of the essential tools required to thrive in today’s increasingly cut-throat charity sector? We’ve put together a survival kit of our top tips and hints below.
1. Fundraising Kit: The best weapon in any not for profit’s arsenal is its front-line fundraisers. These are the people who are passionate about supporting your cause, who are running fundraising campaigns and who are working proactively to raise money for the organisation. By arming fundraisers with a fundraising kit, the charity is making it much easier for them to succeed at their job – the ultimate win-win situation. A well-stocked fundraising kit should include everything from email templates, hints and tips for fundraising, social media shareables and even printable posters.
2. Get Social: Social media is the perfect platform for sharing a cause with a large and active audience. Most charities have passionate stories to share and the best way to tell these are through engaging images, videos and of course words. People want to see where their funding is going toward and without a well-thought-out social media strategy, they will be left in the dark.
3. Data or die: A charity is only as good as its database and a top priority of any organisation should be the collection (and maintenance) of contact and donor data. There are many ways that this can be achieved – the addition of a ‘subscription’ button on the organisation’s website, the collection of contact information through a fundraising raffle or even running a social media competition via a third-party app which requires participant’s contact details. Regardless of the means, what’s important is that this data is captured and utilised.
4. You’ve got mail: Regular Direct Mail campaigns to your database will keep your cause front of mind and help to communicate important news or information to your audience. Be warned, however, that there is a fine line between good and bad communication and direct mail campaigns must be engaging, relevant and purposeful.
For Electronic Direct Mail (EDMs) you want to ensure your content and design is right to prevent users from clicking the dreaded ‘unsubscribe’. For direct mail via post, it’s all about the message and delivery. SMS campaigns can often be the most effective given that users will have to open the message in order to read, unsubscribe or delete it, resulting in an all but 100 per cent open rate – what other channel is that effective?
5. Find an angle: Chances are your charity is advocating a similar cause to hundreds of other charities out there. There are countless animal shelters, homeless services, children’s charities, medical research organisations (and the list goes on) throughout the country, all fighting to get their name out there. But what makes some charities cut through and gain recognition over others? It’s usually a unique angle or distinct feature that makes people instantly recognise the association – Vinnies has its CEO Sleepout, the Cancer Council has Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and The Salvos have their Red Shield Appeal. What does your charity have that others in your sectors do not?
6. Online Presence: An engaging, up to date website is a vital tool for getting your message out there and allowing supporters to find out more about you. A website often acts as the first point of call for people wanting to find out more information about an organisation and a poor quality website can do damage to your overall brand perception. Even not for profits need to think about how their brand image affects them – poor brand consistency and unprofessional messaging can cause your audience to perceive your organisation as unprofessional or unviable. And in this day and age you just must have a website that is mobile and table compatible!
Brilliant Logic has undertaken strategic communication, marketing and graphic design activities on behalf of an impressive portfolio of not for profit organisations including The Salvation Army, The Smith Family, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, the Men of League Foundation and the Oasis Youth Support Network (to name a few).
If you’re a not for profit looking for strategic guidance, contact Brilliant Logic on 02 4324 6962 or email admin@brilliantlogic.com.au.
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