Digital Marketing Strategies for Charities and nonprofit Organisations

Digital marketing can be a powerful tool for improving online fundraising efforts. Every Charity and Not For Profit will have its own unique goals, whether you're trying to recruit volunteers, build awareness, promote events, or increase financial support and donations. A comprehensive digital marketing strategy will support your organisation in reaching out to new audiences, encouraging them to your website and ultimately drive donations.

Here are 6 strategies you can take to maximise your impact and achieve your goals. 

Define your goals

Before you start any digital marketing campaign, it's important to define what you hope to achieve. Is your goal to increase donations? Raise awareness about your cause? Recruit volunteers? Be specific. Instead of aiming to "increase engagement", set a target such as "increase email sign-ups by 20% in six months." Having measurable goals helps you track progress, make adjustments when needed, and determine which digital marketing strategies are most effective.

Having a clear goal in mind will help you determine which digital marketing strategies will be most effective.

Identify your audience

Once you know what your goals are, you'll want to identify your target audience. Who are the people you're trying to reach? Different groups will respond to different messages. Supporters, volunteers and beneficiaries all have unique needs. Consider their demographics, interests and online behaviour. Use data from past campaigns, website analytics and social media insights to find out who engages with your charity. 

Creating audience personas can be a useful exercise. These are detailed descriptions of your ideal supporters based on real data and educated assumptions. Factors such as age, location, income level, motivations and preferred communication channels can inform your messaging. Understanding your audience will help you create content and campaigns that resonate with them. 

Develop a strategy

Based on your goals and target audience, develop a digital marketing strategy that includes specific tactics, timelines and metrics for measuring success. Decide on your key messages and how often you will communicate. 

Outline the channels you will use, such as social media, email marketing, paid advertising, SEO, or a combination of these strategies. If your charity has limited resources, focus on a few high-impact channels rather than spreading efforts too thinly.

More specifically, did you know that as a charity you can access a Google Ads Grant? This is a programme offered by Google that provides eligible nonprofit organisations with free advertising on Google Search of up to $10,000 a month. This means that charities can create and display text-based ads on Google Search for free, which can help reach new audiences, drive relevant traffic to the website and increase conversions. 

If you'd like to know more about using a Google Ads Grant for your charity, then get in touch. tictoc is a Google Partner Agency, and we’ve supported numerous charities to raise awareness, drive donations and recruit new volunteers.

Build your online presence

Create website and social media profiles that reflect your organisation and mission. They should clearly explain what your charity does and how people can support you.

Your website should be easy to navigate, mobile-friendly and have clear calls to action. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is an important part of online visibility. Optimise your website with relevant keywords, meta titles and descriptions, schema markup, internal links and quality content to improve search rankings. 

Social media profiles should use consistent branding and messaging. Ensure contact details are accurate and working links are in place. A strong online presence enhances credibility and makes it easier for potential supporters to find and engage with your charity.

Create content

Establish your style (guidelines for tone, voice and branding) and develop high-quality, attention grabbing content that engages your target audience and supports your goals. This could include blog posts, videos, infographics, gifs, photography and social media updates. Working with trending hashtags, sounds and video can also increase reach and engagement too. 

Different content serves different purposes. Blog posts can educate and inform, while social media updates keep supporters engaged. Email newsletters provide updates on your charity’s work and encourage donations, while video testimonials from beneficiaries or volunteers can be powerful storytelling tools. 

Experiment with various content formats to see what works best with your audience. And you can use the same piece of content more than once; repurposing content across digital channels can be a great way to target different audiences.

Your strategy should include a content calendar that outlines what content you will publish and when. You don't want a last-minute scramble to get something out!  

Also, encourage user-generated content. Supporters sharing their experiences with your charity can strengthen your credibility and increase organic reach. Create campaigns that invite followers to share stories, photos, or videos related to their involvement with your cause.

Measure & Adjust

Monitor the success of your digital marketing campaigns using analytics tools like Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Google Ads, Hootsuite and Hotjar.

If something isn’t working, change your approach. Test different content types, posting times and calls to action. Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) can help you measure success. These might include website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates and donation conversions. Digital marketing is an ongoing process; regularly reviewing performance ensures you stay on track and reach your goals.

Adaptability is crucial. Digital trends evolve, and audience preferences change. Stay informed about new tools, platforms, and best practices to keep your strategy relevant. Regularly seek feedback from supporters to understand what they find valuable and adjust your approach accordingly.

Conclusion

Multi-layered digital marketing strategies provide charities and nonprofits with a range of options to gain insight and reach a wider audience, increase engagement and raise more funds. By leveraging social media, SEO, paid advertising or email marketing, you can maximise your impact and achieve your goals. 

Need help with your charity digital marketing? tictoc digital has extensive knowledge of third sector digital marketing and has worked with numerous organisations at local and national level for over 20 years.