Why You Need a Communication Plan
Now’s the time to make your nonprofit New Year’s resolutions. You’ve set your fundraising goals and calendar of events—all that’s left is to finalize your organization’s communication strategy and plan. Wait—another plan? Yes! This crucial plan will help your nonprofit have a successful 2020.
Just like you have a strategic plan for fundraising, you should also have a communication plan that supports your goals and fundraising efforts. Don’t let the only time your donors hear from you be when you ask for money.
Here are 3 reasons why your nonprofit needs a communication plan.
Donors/Volunteers get to know your organization. By establishing consistent and effective communication with your potential donors and volunteers, you give them a better understanding of your mission. And better mission understanding = more dollars!
Support your fundraising goals. When you are consistently communicating with your audience, your request for donations won’t seem invasive or seem to appear out of thin air. Your donors will already have a good understanding of where their contributions are going and how they are impacting the community.
Inspire action through testimonials. Share those amazing, heart-warming stories with your community in more ways than just through your annual appeal. All it takes is one story to inspire others to volunteer or donate. By sharing stories throughout the year in various means of communication, you can capture donations even when you’re not making a big fundraising push.
Building an Effective Communication Plan
No two communication plans are the same and will vary based on your audience and your organization.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you get started.
Who am I trying to reach with my communication? (donors, volunteers, families, artists, healthcare professionals, etc.) Maybe you have multiple different audiences. Identify each one.
How does each audience prefer to receive communication? (email, snail mail, social media, etc.)
What kind of content are they looking for? (testimonials, statistics, mission statements)
Most likely, your communication plan will include a mix of digital and traditional tactics to reach the different audiences you want to attract.
To learn more about building an effective communication plan, download the worksheet to identify your target audiences and the tactics to use to communicate with them.
WANT TO TAKE YOUR COMMUNICATION PLAN A STEP FURTHER?
Let’s set up a meeting to talk about your nonprofit’s goals and how we can work together to meet them.