- Be timely. Nothing says you’re able to manage your nonprofit excellently more than superb communication. Promptly and professionally responding to messages shows respect for their time and concerns. Don’t make them wait long, or they may feel that you don’t care and have forgotten about them.
- Map out communications to track and improve messaging. This can help if you have a large organization or have trouble responding promptly to messages. Keep track by assigning certain communication roles to specific staff members, so there will be consistency in how messages are checked and written. For phone calls, meetings, or other assignments that need to be completed, stay organized by using online programs, such as Google Sheets, Google Calendar, or Asana. There’s a vast variety of free and low-cost organizing and scheduling options. Paper or whiteboard might even work best for some.
- Survey existing donors and clients. Stay in touch with those who are supporting your cause and organization. This is important in order to maintain good relationships and gain valuable feedback. It can help you better care for the community your organization serves if you deepen those relationships and seek your regular donor’s feedback.
- Get supporters involved. Supporters can do so much more than simply give money. They are amazing people with great influence in their communities, and their unique talents will bring your message to life. They can promote your cause by holding their own fundraisers, speaking about your cause, or even by advertising for you.
- Host contests and regular events. Make good use of all your social media to raise awareness of your cause and events run by your organization. Involve online users by creating contests your followers can vote on. Regular events give people something to look forward to on a consistent basis, so supporters remain involved. Each event is also an opportunity for someone new to learn about your organization and cause.
- Organize speaking engagements. Book an engagement where you can share about your nonprofit and cause. An event can be an opportunity for your organization’s message to be recorded and posted online or discussed in person. In the current social media-driven world, people might tweet or post ideas and quotes from your talks or videotape your talk to share online.
- Maintain your prospect and customer databases. Make the most of your resources. You can keep your supporters and donors updated by performing follow-up telephone calls, mailing special letters, and inviting them to your organization’s special events. If you need help attracting more clients, make use of research profiling to understand patterns better. Search engine and text-mining tools can be used to allow research profiling in order to gain information from many databases.
- Encourage those you interact with to share their personal experiences in working with your organization. Often, people your organization interacts with are the best help in spreading the word about your cause, especially if they’ve had outstanding experiences with your organization. They’re witnesses to your work and the attitude and impact of your organization.
- Be positive in your outlook. A positive attitude and enthusiasm about your cause can be transferred to your staff, volunteers, those you serve, and donors. Even if your organization is currently struggling, remember that your cause is important. There may be trouble spots throughout your experience, but don’t give up. Nonprofits have a special, vital place in this world!