During periods of disruption such as the current pandemic and societal unrest, nonprofits face unprecedented challenges. However, with foresight, diligence, and flexibility, you can overcome obstacles and find opportunities despite the uncertainties while still remaining true to your core mission. Here are some tips to help you accomplish this.
Express Empathy
Instead of focusing on your organization and its problems, highlight your supporters, those in need, and the difficulties they are struggling with in these troubled times. Share your plans on what you are doing to help and how you are ensuring the safety of your personnel. Let people know how they can get involved.
Clarify Goals
People are coping with a lot of changes right now, so make your calls to action simple and purposeful. In your efforts to solicit donations, request assistance, and raise the public’s awareness of your nonprofit’s cause, make your immediate and ultimate goals as clear as you can.
In times of crisis such as worldwide pandemic, people want to help others. There are many opportunities in the world to help, and many people, who may be financially hurting themselves, want to make sure their donations are being used effectively.
Tell Real-life Stories
The Los Angeles Food Bank has one of the largest operations in the entire entire planet. They don’t just use dyer numbers to prove their point, but tell the stories of real people who, by no fault of their own, have had food insecurities over the last year. Stories are not about exploiting a situation but about being relatable, and giving real-life faces to an unprecedented situation.
Work with Partners
When face-to-face gatherings are on hold, look for businesses and other sponsors that are seeking ways to manifest their empathy with those who are struggling. Show them the benefits of partnering with your nonprofit and sharing your mission through email messages and their social media networks.
Share Thoughtful Content
Use your expertise to put together webinars, blog posts, email messages, and other content that focuses on current topics of relevance and the actions your nonprofit is taking to mitigate the hardships of those in need. Your organization can demonstrate the thought leadership that people are looking for. To keep your channels flowing with communications that people can absorb and share, supplement new content with archival materials such as the best of your past videos, reports, and success stories.
Diversify Your Channels
Since your main methods of communication are online, use every channel at your disposal to further your message. Keep your website up to date and brimming with new content, send out regular mailings to your email list, and consider investing in social media advertising.
Our Saviour Center in El Monte, CA uses a number of different channels (social media, direct mail, and email marketing) to bring attention to their food distribution in the area, as well to the Center providing a safe, COVID-19 compliant learning environment for children in the community.
Sometimes it may seem difficult to maintain communications in evolving situations, but as long as you are guided by the mission and values of your nonprofit, your outreach can continue to succeed.
