Nonprofit Marketing Tips

While mailing rates have increased since 2023, so has the price of mailing services. This is a problem because not only is it not cost-effective, but as the younger generation grows, they prefer digital mail over physical mail.

As times change, it is essential to ask yourself these questions when it comes to direct mail and your results:

Are my results improving, or am I paying more for the same result?
Can I depend on direct mail to understand my competition?
What’s my plan to build and maintain relationships with younger supporters, especially those who prefer digital channels?

The first question is the most important. Why? Nonprofits often do more work with less funding. Although making profits isn’t the primary concern, it remains necessary.

That is why it’s more important than ever to lean towards cost-effective strategies. While big companies can remain open with significant expenses, creative nonprofits can find new ways to maximize their digital marketing ROI.

If you’re still allocating the majority of your marketing budget to direct mail, it’s time to mix things up. Not only is it more cost-effective, but digital channels are where everyone is connected most today. Here are the three most effective digital strategies to replace direct mail.

Google Ad Grant
Geofencing
Email retargeting

Google Ad Grant for nonprofits

Using Google Ad Grants is the best cost-effective option. If you are a 501(c)(3) organization that meets all its requirements, Google will give you $10,000 per month. Some of their requirements include being a registered charity, maintaining good standing with the law, and operating within certain countries that Google allows. However, this does not apply to healthcare, education, or governmental organizations.

Like all good things, it will take time and slight changes to spend the entire budget, but it’s worth it, especially when you are not paying out of pocket yourself.

An important fact to know is that because many nonprofits are using this, bids for ad placements run higher for nonprofit keywords. A significant portion of the $10,000 budget might be spent to achieve the desired results, as you’re competing against others with the same free money!

Now that wasn’t said to discourage you, but instead to set up certain expectations and mindsets for the long run. Knowing what a head is saves you from making inevitable mistakes that could do more harm than good, and you can learn from others to be one step ahead. The rewards will be worth it!

While you are waiting to receive this grant, check out the comprehensive guide to the Google Ad Grant to learn more tips and tricks.

Digital ads for nonprofits

One thousand impressions can cost between $5 and $10, making display advertising highly cost-effective. It isn’t easy to replicate this on other media.

Although they won’t receive as many clicks as email, the type of display ad can boost your chances of a click.

Let’s say you are a nonprofit in need of volunteers and you notice a nearby college campus. You can utilize targeted ads on the nearby campuses to reach your target audience. And let’s say you want to increase donations and notice a trend of donors from a specific faith. With targeted ads, you can reach those people who worship at those places.

How to Use Email To Retarget

It is good to revisit basics sometimes, and email marketing is one of the oldest yet most effective tricks in the book for nonprofits. But just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it’s less effective. So, it’s best not to drop your email marketing efforts because you want to focus on fancy geofencing campaigns or the free money from Google. In fact, emails might be one of the core pillars of digital marketing.

Clearly, emails differ from digital ads, but retargeting emails utilize the same technology as retargeting ads. Retargeting ads target website visitors and choose to send emails to this demographic instead of non-website visitors.

There is a high chance that many potential speed shifts are interested in your organization, but at different stages. The best part of retargeting emails is that they’ve visited your website, and you can reach them all through the same channel.