One of the most difficult parts of running a nonprofit is the administrative work and fundraising that happens behind the scenes. When you’re focused on meeting your nonprofit’s goals, the last thing you need is to miss those goals because you’re behind the curve when it comes to marketing your mission and the work that you do. The key to making connections and drawing support is to work smarter, not harder, to reach potential supporters. Sharing your nonprofit’s work and thinking in marketing terms – like you might if you were running a for-profit business – can help you meet or exceed your fundraising and support goals. With those out of the way, you can spend more time and resources on the projects that matter most to you and your supporters. Here are some ways to market your nonprofit in a way that won’t leave your supporters with a sour “used car salesman” taste in their mouths: 1. Define Your Target Audience Let’s face it: not every person you meet is going to relate with what your nonprofit does and want to support you. That’s okay. Actually, that’s a great thing. There’s no company or nonprofit that appeals to every human being universally. And that’s what allows your work to really stand out. Instead of using blanket approaches to raise funds or find support, look to audiences – groups of people – who are most likely to support the work that you do. For example, if you run a nonprofit that’s dedicated to saving local ecosystems, look for individuals who are committed to the local landscape and already support other groups, like bird watching clubs, or events, like cleanup days,…

There’s a common misconception that non-profits don’t make any money. But if you operate, work for or volunteer with a non-profit, you know that this couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Non-profits need money to operate and serve their communities. Sometimes, non-profits need a lot of money to accomplish their goals or carry out their mission. Often, non-profits rely on donations to meet their financial goals. But raising funds can be its own headache. Recurring online giving is an ideal solution to round out your non-profit’s funding puzzle. Of course, it can’t wholly replace fundraising or the excitement of an annual pledge drive, but recurring giving can help to even out your non-profit’s budget from month-to-month, and even increase donations from year to year. [text_with_frame id="368c1dbfefba91dceb946d322e0e86bc" content="‹¨›p‹˜›‹¨›em‹˜›If you find this article helpful consider giving it a share‹¯›nbsp;‹¨›/em‹˜›?‹¨›/p‹˜›" line_color="rgba(0,0,0,.07)" text_font="body" heading_font="heading" animation="none" animation_speed="2" animation_delay="0" __fw_editor_shortcodes_id="e6852c2dacc162bc8c34ba646905e841" _fw_coder="aggressive"][/text_with_frame] Streamline Donations Recurring online donations allow your donors to pledge a certain amount for monthly/quarterly/yearly giving in a way that’s similar to the pledge cards that you already use at conferences and event tables. However, unlike with physical pledge cards, donors can fill out recurring online donation forms from the comfort of their own homes – or on their smartphones while they’re on the go. Recurring online donation portals safely capture donor information and consistently withdraw the requested amount at preset intervals from the donor’s bank account, PayPal account or credit card. Best of all, the information collected through a recurring online donation platform keeps information safely stored in one place – versus piles of pledge cards with information that must be manually entered. Additionally, the monies collected online all end up in a…