
Like many communications directors and marketing executives for nonprofits, I know how important it is to set aside time in your schedule at the end of the year to revisit your marketing plan and brainstorm for the future.
But the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically uprooted the way many nonprofits operate. While the media reports quarantines and vaccine news and updates, you still have to keep your charity providing for the growing needs throughout your community.
Though COVID-19 has made the nonprofit sector more important than ever, the pandemic brought new challenges to overcome. Your stakeholders and supporters adopted new behaviors that made your online presence that much more valuable — and effective for raising money — and it will be a while before the world returns to large, in-person events that once served as fundraisers. As in 2021, this year, the best nonprofit marketing ideas will take place online.
The new year will provide opportunities to implement novel and creative marketing ideas for nonprofit organizations. Looking forward, here are 10 ways to improve your digital marketing strategy in 2022:
Table of contents
- 1. Modernize your website
- 2. Up your social media game
- 3. Save time with automation
- 4. Inspire the next generation
- 5. Sign up for Google’s grant program
- 6. Lights, camera, action!
- 7. Double-down on content marketing
- 8. Plan new virtual events
- 9. Make and meet your goals
- 10. Ask your community what they want
- WATCH: How to use digital nonprofit marketing to drive results
- Feel prepared for 2022
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1. Modernize your website
Can you find yourself via a Google search? How quick and responsive is your website? When you log on using your smartphone or tablet, how easy is it to see and navigate through your content? If your nonprofit’s site isn’t visible, accessible, or mobile-responsive, it’s definitely in need of an upgrade this year.
With a mobile-responsive website and modern SEO tools, this year, make it easier than ever for people to find you online.
As important as it is to have your own business website, make sure your nonprofit also has an active social media presence. Community members want to see the good work your team does, and social media provides powerful ways to connect and share.

In 2022, commit to a strong, consistent social media presence on at least one channel. There’s no need to burn out on trying to do it all. Poll your stakeholders if you’re not sure whether to pick Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, or another popular platform.
3. Save time with automation
Email marketing has one of the best ROIs among existing digital outreach tools, but in order to maximize your return, you need to set up automation. Automation will save you a lot of time while also helping to strengthen relationships and woo future donors.
Every person who signs up for your email newsletter should receive a welcome letter that includes calls to action that seamlessly transfer into providing services. Folks may benefit from your agency offers and would appreciate learning more before financially underwriting your important work. Some automated emails should also provide links and invitations to follow your social media pages.
4. Inspire the next generation
With the older population at greater risk for health concerns associated with COVID-19, many nonprofits have seen their volunteer base drop this year. That’s just one reason to target your digital outreach to the younger adults in your community in 2022.
Young people with families or who are budding professionals are looking for ways to give back, and they’re more likely to be familiar with today’s digital methods and tools.
5. Sign up for Google’s grant program
I remember my years as a communications director for a nonprofit; my marketing budget was … zero. Zilch. Nada. I had to be creative. What I would have given for the Google Ad Grant program!
If you haven’t signed up for a grant, which can provide qualifying agencies with up to $10,000 in free Google ads, make it a 2022 priority. These text-only ads can help you expand your community if done thoughtfully.
6. Lights, camera, action!
Now that your board president finally knows how to log into Zoom meetings, it’s time to take the next step in digital marketing: videos. Most nonprofits are hesitant to take this step, but videos are an effective way to grab attention and build an audience.
You can share video messages from your executive director, highlight recipients of service, hold question-and-answer sessions with your knowledgeable team, and do so much more. Post videos on your social media pages, link them with your website and send them to your supporters as part of your email campaign.
7. Double-down on content marketing
It’s easy to fall behind on the agency blog — trust me, I know! — so take the time now to fully flesh out a content marketing strategy for 2022. Writing can be time-consuming, but the hardest part is actually coming up with the ideas and getting them approved.

By front-loading the work, it will be easier to stay consistent with your content marketing. With content ideas planned out beforehand, you can take the time you saved to research and incorporate updated keywords when you write your blog posts to provide the most valuable content and improve your SEO.
8. Plan new virtual events
Many nonprofits transferred their fundraising events online as the country struggled to cope with the pandemic, but hosting online events was largely uncharted waters. In 2022, you’ll have a lot more experience and know the pitfalls. This makes for an opportunity to create new virtual fundraising events.
Track your ROIs for your 2021 events by determining your net profit versus the time it took paid staff to plan and run the events. Learn from the past as you look for new creative marketing ideas and digital opportunities for your nonprofit organization in the upcoming year.

9. Make and meet your goals
You can’t reach your goals if you don’t have any. It’s one thing to want to attract new donors. It’s another thing to have a goal of increasing donations by $75,000 by the end of the year.
Make your goals clear, tangible, and measurable. With measurable goals, you’ll know if you’re on track to reach your targets and be able to share with stakeholders what that extra funding will do.
10. Ask your community what they want
If you’re at a loss for where to go next in the face of yet another stay-at-home order, ask your community. Life hasn’t come to a halt, and folks still want to be involved and help those who need it most.
Your board members, volunteers, donors, and staff might have great digital marketing ideas to share. Be open to new possibilities as the world continues to change.
WATCH: How to use digital nonprofit marketing to drive results
Watch this on-demand webinar to see how Constant Contact makes it easy to inform and engage community members, grow, and drive fundraising efforts – with all the marketing tools you need in one place.
From email to automation, websites, social, integrations with other tools you’re using, and more. In this free, one-hour webinar, you’ll get an overview of the tools that Constant Contact offers and see how you can drive results with online marketing.
Feel prepared for 2022
Think ahead and be prepared for your most successful year of fundraising and community building for your nonprofit. To learn more about effective digital strategies and creative marketing ideas for nonprofit organizations, check out Constant Contact’s The Download.
FAQs
What is the best way to market a nonprofit? ›
- 1) Offer Incentives. ...
- 2) Create Excitement. ...
- 3) Keep Your Current Members Engaged. ...
- 4) Run a Public Relations Campaign. ...
- 5) Ask Your Members to Tell Their Friends and Family Members About Your Organization. ...
- 6) Publish Testimonials on Your Website. ...
- 7) Create Better Headlines Using a Helpful Fill-in-the Blank Worksheet.
- Host a social media competition.
- Share user-generated content on social media.
- Produce video tutorials.
- Jump on trending topics.
- Partner with other small businesses.
- Give quirky product recommendations.
- Collect customer feedback.
- Enter local awards.
- Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. Revenue:$10,031,882,956. ...
- Partners Pooled Investment Holdings LLC. Revenue:$9,476,124,609. ...
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. ...
- Battelle Memorial Institute. ...
- The Global Fund. ...
- Schwab Charitable Fund. ...
- National Philanthropic Trust. ...
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
- Determine Your Target Market. ...
- Set Measurable Goals. ...
- Create Marketing Materials. ...
- Set a Social Media Strategy. ...
- Update (or Create) Your Website. ...
- Create a Database. ...
- Showcase Your Results. ...
- Form Partnerships.
What nonprofits need most is to keep their community-oriented services viable. To do that, they need to develop an organizational structure that supports financial sustainability.
What are the 10 marketing activities? ›- Conduct market research. ...
- Segment your customers. ...
- Enhance customers' experiences. ...
- Create engaging and informative content. ...
- Target customers with high bounce rates. ...
- Distribute newsletters. ...
- Budget for more ads. ...
- Develop an effective pricing system.
What are the 4Ps of marketing? (Marketing mix explained) The four Ps are product, price, place, and promotion. They are an example of a “marketing mix,” or the combined tools and methodologies used by marketers to achieve their marketing objectives. The 4 Ps were first formally conceptualized in 1960 by E.
Why do most nonprofits fail? ›The real data from National Center on Charitable Statistics reveals that approximately 30% of nonprofits fail to exist after 10 years, and according to Forbes, over half of all nonprofits that are chartered are destined to fail or stall within a few years due to leadership issues and the lack of a strategic plan, among ...
What is a famous non profit? ›American Heart Association. American Red Cross. United Way. Humane Society of the United States. Salvation Army.
What is the biggest nonprofit in the world? ›2021 Rank | Org Name | Domain Rank |
---|---|---|
1 | Metropolitan Museum of Art | 91 |
2 | United Nations ChildrenÇs Fund (UNICEF) | 92 |
3 | ACLU | 89 |
4 | Mozilla | 98 |
How do nonprofits gain followers? ›
- Set up accounts as nonprofits. ...
- Add donation buttons. ...
- Take advantage of free training and resources. ...
- Develop social media guidelines and policies. ...
- Create a content calendar. ...
- Share stories about people. ...
- Post shareable content.
- Make storytelling a part of your marketing campaign. ...
- Go for video content. ...
- Invest in email marketing. ...
- Leverage social media. ...
- Measure your marketing performance.
- Set up a donation page.
- Enable recurring donations.
- Send segmented email campaigns.
- Leverage text-to-give campaigns.
- Ask for donations at community events.
- Mail out fundraising materials.
- Promote your cause on Facebook.
- Showcase the impact of donations.
Nonprofits serve individuals and communities, and they can make a generous and measurable impact on society. Of course, the challenges facing nonprofits are often serious. Budget cuts, limited resources and political instability can threaten your organization.
How do nonprofits keep running? ›- Raise Funds And Save Money. Nonprofit is a tax status, not a financial situation. ...
- Speak The Same Language. ...
- Focus On ROI. ...
- Build Models Of Earned Income. ...
- Generate Revenue Through Corporations. ...
- Don't Ignore Expenses. ...
- Match Costs And Benefits. ...
- Make The Mission Itself Profitable.
- Longevity of leadership.
- Longevity of staff and volunteers.
- Passion oozing out at every turn.
- Polished practices and procedures.
- Extraordinary lifetime value of donors.
- A well funded mission.
- Investment in the future.
There Are Three Main Types of Charitable Organizations
Most organizations are eligible to become one of the three main categories, including public charities, private foundations and private operating foundations.
Association, Trust, or Corporation
A nonprofit organization can organize itself in four ways: an unincorporated association, a trust, a corporation, or a limited liability company.
501(c)(3) - charitable organizations
501(c)(3) charities are the most popular type of nonprofit. There are more than 1.5 million registered charitable organizations in the United States. 501(c)(3) organizations are funded primarily through charitable donations and government grants.
- SEO. ...
- Influencer marketing. ...
- PR and affiliate marketing. ...
- Email marketing. ...
- Social media marketing.
What are the 5 additional marketing activities? ›
The 5 areas you need to make decisions about are: PRODUCT, PRICE, PROMOTION, PLACE AND PEOPLE.
What is the 4 C's in marketing? ›The 4Cs for marketing communications: Clarity; Credibility; Consistency and Competitiveness. What is it? The 4Cs (Clarity, Credibility, Consistency, Competitiveness) is most often used in marketing communications and was created by David Jobber and John Fahy in their book 'Foundations of Marketing' (2009).
What are the most essential 7 M's in marketing? ›Seven cyclical elements to a successful integrated marketing program are: mindset, measure, model, map, make, modify, and monetize.
What is the ultimate marketing strategy? ›The ultimate goal of a marketing strategy is to achieve and communicate a sustainable competitive advantage over rival companies by understanding the needs and wants of its consumers.
What is the most important P among the 4 P's of marketing? ›Price: The Most Important P in the Marketing Mix.
What are the 4Ps of Social Marketing? ›Most people have heard of the four P's used in social marketing: Product (key benefits, service or behavior change), Price (the cost of stopping an unhealthy behavior or adopting a healthy one), Place (the opportunities and access to products, services and places to engage in the behaviors), and Promotion ( ...
What is a marketing strategy example? ›Marketing strategies
For example, if your marketing plan is to promote a new product or service, you might have a strategy dedicated to how you're going to use email marketing to support these broader goals. Every marketing plan will most likely produce several marketing strategies as part of the broader plan.
The reason nonprofit employees are paid less, according to researchers Christopher Ruhm and Carey Borkoski, is simply because nonprofit organizations are disproportionately concentrated in low-paying industries. (“A Fair Wage,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, Summer '04.)
Can nonprofits sell on Amazon? ›Here's just a few of the features made available to nonprofits through Amazon Business: Amazon Business provides charities: Multi-user, TAX-EXEMPT Amazon account for your organization. Product selection and pricing advantages.
What makes a good nonprofit executive director? ›Great executive directors are goal driven and possess a high degree of motivation and energy. They are “doers.” They have a record of productivity. Passion for the Organization's Mission. They are “driven” by the importance of the organization's mission.
How do founders of nonprofits make money? ›
The founder is hired by the nonprofit as the executive director (or in a similar leadership role). This way, the founder is paid, but they do give up all their authority to the board of directors, which governs the nonprofit and has hiring/firing authority of the founder's position.
What is the number 1 charity in the world? ›Rank | Charity | Donors Tracking This Charity |
---|---|---|
1 | Doctors Without Borders, USA | 34,744 |
2 | American Red Cross | 20,053 |
3 | ALSAC - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | 15,884 |
4 | The Nature Conservancy | 15,803 |
Non-profit organizations include churches, public schools, public charities, public clinics and hospitals, political organizations, legal aid societies, volunteer services organizations, labor unions, professional associations, research institutes, museums, and some governmental agencies.
Who gives the most to non profits? ›It is easy to think of philanthropy as something done by the very wealthy, or big foundations, or prosperous companies. Actually, of the $358 billion that Americans gave to charity in 2014, only 14 percent came from foundation grants, and just 5 percent from corporations. The rest—81 percent—came from individuals.
Which religion gives the most to charity? ›These giving levels vary by particular faith. Mormons are the most generous Americans, both by participation level and by size of gifts. Evangelical Christians are next. Then come mainline Protestants.
What is considered revenue for a nonprofit? ›Nonprofit organization revenue refers to the funds generated through its primary operations. It may include amounts collected through contributions, fundraising, membership, and service fees.
How do I market my nonprofit on social media? ›- Set up accounts as nonprofits. ...
- Add donation buttons. ...
- Take advantage of free training and resources. ...
- Develop social media guidelines and policies. ...
- Create a content calendar. ...
- Share stories about people. ...
- Post shareable content. ...
- Run a hashtag campaign.
For many nonprofits, the target market segments are simple: beneficiaries or recipients of the organization's services, potential volunteers, and prospective donors.
What are the marketing strategies for promoting an NGO in the public? ›- Optimizing content. To ensure a smooth user experience, it is important to optimise the content you post online. ...
- Have a social presence. ...
- Email marketing. ...
- Crowdfunding. ...
- Paid promotions.
- Make storytelling a part of your marketing campaign. ...
- Go for video content. ...
- Invest in email marketing. ...
- Leverage social media. ...
- Measure your marketing performance.
What should a non profit post on social media? ›
- Share a testimonial. Share how someone's life has been impacted by what you do. ...
- Quote your founder. People love to hear from your leaders. ...
- Get behind the scenes. ...
- Ask a question. ...
- Post some FAQs. ...
- Share an inspirational quote. ...
- Create a poll. ...
- Give a tour.
Posting as much as you can is worth it, but if not, 2-3 times a week may be efficient for a small organization. If you're in the nonprofit / education industry and only posting once a week, try ramping it up to two or three times — it looks like you'll be happy with the results.
Which social media platform is best for nonprofits? ›- Facebook. Facebook has nearly 3 billion users, proving its enormous impact on social media worldwide. ...
- Instagram. ...
- Twitter. ...
- LinkedIn. ...
- TikTok. ...
- Setting SMART goals for the year. ...
- Setting SMART goals for individual campaigns. ...
- Create a content calendar based on goals.
As you see above, the Supporters (customers), of a typical Nonprofit are a lot different than for profits, as their expectations are different.
How much should a nonprofit spend on marketing? ›How much should nonprofits spend on communications? According to Nancy Schwartz, a marketing and communications consultant from New York, nonprofits should spend 10-20% of their budget on marketing.
What is the difference between non profit marketing and social marketing? ›The main difference between nonprofit marketing and social marketing is that in the latter, the marketing efforts are made to improve the overall living condition of people or communities or localities as a whole.
What are the 4 concepts of marketing? ›The marketing concept rests on four pillars: target market, customer needs, integrated marketing and profitability.
How do I get people to donate to my nonprofit? ›- Set up a donation page.
- Enable recurring donations.
- Send segmented email campaigns.
- Leverage text-to-give campaigns.
- Ask for donations at community events.
- Mail out fundraising materials.
- Promote your cause on Facebook.
- Showcase the impact of donations.
Maintaining the Nonprofit 501(C)(3) Status
To maintain their tax-exempt status, nonprofits must take the following actions: Always filing their annual tax return with the IRS to report on their gross receipts and how they used their funding over the course of the year.
Charitable Contributions
Even though nonprofits receive nonprofit funding from diverse sources, the individual charitable contributions amount for the highest percentage of the funding.