After working with Not-for-profits for many years, Grant and I share many insights from our experiences working in the industry and some ideas on how they may be able to navigate this difficult time.
The not-for-profits arena is a challenging space. Resources can be limited, it is difficult to maintain the brand and you can be dependent on volunteers to invest their time into the cause while keeping to a standard which represents the brand. Because of this the brand an the message can be dilute and look insincere, this is a challenge as sincerity is what a potential donor would be looking for when choosing who to support.
In today's market, it is has become even more important who you have representing your business. From the street to the why the business communicates online. In the past the spruiker on who is clearly not a part of the business, wearing mismatch clothing and attempting to garnish donations would probably do more harm than good to a brand in today’s market. They are essentially the face of the brand, for most interactions you will have with the NFP would be only through that individual. Ask yourself “Do they instill the values of the brand?” and “Will they represent our values?” Can they convey the message?
So, what could be some alternative channels to take advantage of while many people aren’t necessarily commuting as often?
- Perhaps look at an online services such as https://au.gofundme.com/ or https://www.everydayhero.com/au/ to form an online channel for donations
- Attempt to create content that has the potential to go viral and cause participation
- Find more traffic, look at re-directing the spend for outsourced spruikers and turn it towards digital advertising.
- Google has a grant available to NFP’s for up to $20,000, see if you’re eligible https://www.google.com/intl/en_au/grants/
The most important thing is to ensure that your mission and vision are instilled in the brand and that content shared is aligned with a view to grab peoples attention.
