Why You Should Hire a Marketing Team for Your Nonprofit

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As the leader of your nonprofit, chances are you’ve struggled with the decision about whether or not to hire a marketing team. Though you want to increase awareness of your organization and boost donations, there’s that underlying fear of failure that prevents you from contacting an outside party.

The simple fact is that if you don’t take the leap, you may never see your organization achieve its full potential. You need an effective marketing strategy in place to connect to those your mission resonates with. And to develop such a strategy, you need to hire a marketing team that knows how to communicate your message to potential donors and volunteers at every stage.

Choosing to hire a marketing team (the right marketing team, that is) can take your organization to the next level, garnering support from those who wouldn’t otherwise know your nonprofit exists.

Further, doing so allows you to focus on what’s really important: serving your cause.

Understanding the Value of a Marketing Team | Separating Fact from Fiction

There are a couple of myths out there that often keep nonprofits from opting to hire a marketing team…

1. Marketing teams and efforts are a luxury.

Despite growing evidence to the contrary, some continue to view marketing teams and efforts like a “luxury brand.” They think marketing is an unnecessary expense—one that only big-name companies can afford.

If you share this belief, I encourage you to shift your mind-set.

Marketing isn’t a luxury. In fact, it’s a necessity for all organizations, including nonprofits.

There’s a lot of noise in the digital sphere, and in order to reach potential supporters, you need to hire a marketing team that can help you cut through it. In doing so, you’re able to take those potential supporters on a journey—from first becoming aware of your organization to finally transforming into active promoters.

2. Nonprofits shouldn’t use their resources for marketing purposes.  

Another popular myth is that nonprofits should use their resources only to serve their respective causes. This is based on the fear that potential donors will look down on nonprofits that promote themselves.

Now, it’s true that you never want your organization to be viewed as wasteful. You want to be sure that you make every dollar count, ensuring that funding is going to the people and projects that need it.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t allocate some resources toward your marketing efforts. When you hire a marketing team to help you connect with prospective donors, you ARE furthering your mission.

You’re spreading your message and increasing donations so your organization is able to make a greater impact.

The key is transparency. You need to let all supporters know that the marketing you do isn’t wasteful spending but instead strategic investing that will result in more funding for the cause.

What Do the Numbers Say?

To understand the true value of a marketing team, it helps to look at the numbers—specifically, how your organization can benefit from outside expertise.

These statistics demonstrate how enlisting the aid of professionals can allow you to take advantage of opportunities your organization may be overlooking.

What This Means…

If your organization doesn’t have a monthly giving program set up, you’re missing out on the chance to receive recurring donations for your cause.

With the assistance of an experienced marketing team, you can not only create such a program but also encourage more people to get involved on a regular basis by highlighting the advantages through blogs, guides, social media posts, and more.

What This Means…

Having data and actually using that data are 2 very different things. The problem is that many nonprofit leaders are unable to glean insight from the data they compile from their donors and programs, so they can’t apply findings in order to improve marketing performance.   

However, the right marketing team will be able to interpret your data, determine what is and isn’t working, and then adjust your tactics accordingly. 

What This Means…

To increase contributions, you need to optimize your donation pages and make them as appealing and easy to use as possible. Failing to do so means you won’t turn as many website visitors into supporters; therefore, you won’t get the results your cause deserves. 

The good news is that an experienced marketing team will be able to create eye-catching donation pages that get your intended message across to those who are thinking of donating, increasing the likelihood of your organization receiving greater funds than years prior.

Ultimately, when you hire a marketing team, you’re able to get the expert help you need to not only generate leads and new donors but also encourage current donors to do more.

That’s because the right marketing team will be market oriented rather than bottom-of-funnel focused.

Taking a Market-Oriented Approach | Letting Go of Biases to Better Connect with Your Donors

One of the benefits of choosing to hire a marketing team is that you can get the outside perspective you need and discover how taking a market-oriented approach can strengthen your efforts.

Why is this essential?

Because even if you believe you know why people donate, what educational resources they value most, or where they spend their time online, the simple fact is this: You are not your donor. 

Instead of creating assets based on your own beliefs and assuming they’ll resonate with potential donors, you need to take a step back and focus on those you want to get involved. And you can do this when you have a marketing team that is committed to nurturing your donors versus one that is solely interested in getting donations. 

What Is a Market-Oriented Approach?

Team experiencing a light bulb moment after taking market-oriented approach.

In business, market orientation involves focusing on the customer—identifying what they’re looking for and then creating products or services that have the qualities they want.  

So, in nonprofit terms, taking a market-oriented approach means…

The result?

Your marketing efforts will prove to be much more successful, generating interest among individuals who believe in your mission and want to help you in any way they can.

When you hire a marketing team that takes a market-oriented approach, the experts will work with you to develop a donor-centric strategy that supports your mission—rather than trying out various tactics in an attempt to boost donations. In this way, you’ll be able to develop strong, long-lasting relationships with those who want to support your organization.

Moving Forward | Choosing to Hire a Marketing Team to Expand Your Organization’s Reach

As the leader of your nonprofit, you shouldn’t be asking yourself if you should hire a marketing team—you should be asking yourself when.

And the answer is now.

By moving forward with such a partnership, you can…

All you have to do is find the right marketing team for your organization’s needs.

Here’s How…

Step 1. Determine what you require in terms of marketing. Consider what it is you’re looking for in terms of marketing assistance. Do you want a full-service team that can handle everything for you, or would you prefer to receive coaching?

Step 2. Research marketing agencies with experience working with nonprofits. You have different goals for your organization than a for-profit business, so you need to be sure you hire a marketing team that has provided marketing assistance to other nonprofits in the past.

Step 3. Schedule a consultation to ensure the agency you’ve chosen is the right fit. When you enlist the help of a marketing team, you’re forming a partnership. And in order for that partnership to be successful, you must be sure that the team understands and appreciates your mission.

The evidence is out there: If you don’t hire a marketing team for your nonprofit, you’ll miss out on huge opportunities to increase your donor base, welcome new volunteers, and take your mission to the next level.

Ready to move forward? Then set up a call with Viral Solutions. The team would love to learn about your organization’s mission and discuss ways in which your reach can be expanded.

Schedule a Call

 


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Filed Under: Marketing by Industry

About John Rodriguez

For more than 25 years, John’s professional career has spanned corporate business, Christian ministries, and church leadership.

He has held prominent positions with Altec Industries, World Harvest Church, Word of Life Church, Joyce Meyer Ministries, and many other organizations dedicated to growing in their sphere of influence, to reach audiences with quality products and positive messages of hope.

Through his dedication to serve and determination to help others, John founded Castañeda Consulting. He shares decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge regarding infrastructure and operational systems. Castañeda Consulting serves businesses, large or small, and non-profit organizations across the country, including Feed The Children Inc., in Oklahoma City and Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.

John is a true entrepreneur at heart. He owns Castañeda Custom Clothiers, a luxury custom clothing line; Ethos, an Aveda Lifestyle Salon and MedSpa; Culinary Arts Tours, a European tour company; and a financial solutions group.

John resides in St. Louis, Missouri, and enjoys traveling the world in his spare time.