Goal: Integrated Communications

Many nonprofits struggle to coordinate their development and marketing communication effectively. Sometimes internal staffing teams operate in silos, and others struggle with limited staffing to actively plan “ask” and “non-ask” communications. If your nonprofit can do a better job integrating outreach or if your New Year’s resolution is to develop a manageable plan for the year, read on!

Planning Rules: No Lone Riders. No Silos. Lots of Team.

To ensure all fundraising and marketing activities are coordinated throughout the year, consider who’s responsible for these various media and control access to various audiences. Invite your employees to contribute to the process: fundraising, programs, institutional funding, communications, donor stewardship – leaders to interns!

Engage them in laying out a month-by-month annual plan, so that ownership is increased, and seasonality and workflow are considered when tasks are integrated. In the end, everyone will learn more about monthly responsibilities and be more committed to your agency’s brand messaging and communications strategy.

Coordinating Fundraising and Marketing Communications

To coordinate annual appeals, event invitations, enews updates, advocacy campaigns, social media posts, advertising, public relations, partner exposure, etc., consider the various media that your agency uses. Think of your communication vehicles and how you can integrate them:

Source: EveryAction

Owned Media: Your branding, website, digital and print marketing collateral, blog, mass emails, signage, plus videos, images, and social content

Shared Media: Social media posts and videos that are shared/reposted, forwarded enews, and handouts that are redistributed

Paid Media: Traditional print/broadcast advertising, online banner ads, and social media redirect ads

Earned Media: Blogger posts, traditional PR, sponsor feature – signage, website, enews, and LinkedIn

• Tips for Owned Media – Segment your markets (new vs. lapsed donors) and target select one-on-one communications. Invest in search engine optimization.
• Tips for Shared Media – Create posts that can be easily shared; feature high-quality photography that others can re-post. Create #hashtag campaigns, prewrite tweets, and cut-and-paste appeal messages.
• Tips for Earned Media – Acknowledge your funders so they want to provide cross-exposure (usually their audience will be greater than yours!). For thought leadership, prioritize communications that will increase your news placement and build relationships with journalists and bloggers.

Six Steps to Creating an Integrated Annual Plan:

• Step #1: Start with a blank planning calendar (click here) and add key fundraising campaigns, appeals, and events to your Year-at-a-Glance Calendar, including institutional funding appeals.
• Step #2: Add year-round outreach efforts (program marketing, social media, plus newsletters and website and database maintenance).
• Step #3: Add seasonal or periodic activities (creating your annual report and/or print collateral, database updates, metrics reporting, summer intern hiring, board/staff retreats, donor research, performance evaluations, etc.).
• Step #4: Add long-range organizational priorities that will take leadership and staff commitment (strategic planning, board development, fundraising planning, feasibility studies, market research, etc.).
• Step #5: Then, reduce/increase activities based on your staff and volunteer capacity; consider re-scheduling tasks in busy months, so that the workload is well divided over the year; consider if all media are being maximized based on your budget.
• Step #6: Lastly, share this year-at-a-glance plan with your team to verify that it incorporates all planned fundraising and marketing activities, in a timeframe that is manageable, and to confirm there is ownership by every team member.

Click here to view and download our free Calendar-at-a-Glance Planning Template.