Summary: Outreach has a direct impact on a nonprofit’s visibility, credibility, and sustainability. That’s why nonprofits need a defined strategy to guide consistent, long-term outreach efforts. In this article, we discuss the difference between outreach and engagement, what an outreach strategy looks like, and how to get your outreach efforts off the ground.
Outreach is the beginning of positive change for small nonprofits – positive changes in fundraising, volunteering, awareness, impact, and relationships across the community.
Of course, outreach can’t be random or “when we have free time.” Nonprofit outreach should be intentional and strategic to bring about those positive changes!
Let’s discuss what an outreach strategy is and is not, common outreach tactics, and the keys to developing an outreach strategy that can help sustain your mission.
The Difference Between Outreach and Engagement
Outreach is like introducing yourself to someone for the first time. The purpose of outreach is to reach new people and increase awareness with potential donors, volunteers, ambassadors, and partners.
Engagement is like building a deeper relationship with someone you already know. The purpose of engagement is to nurture and retain people who are already connected to your nonprofit. Keep them involved and make them feel valued!
What Is an Outreach Strategy?
Your outreach strategy is a defined process for introducing your nonprofit to new audiences who might be interested in supporting your organization in some capacity.
Promoting your nonprofit on social media, setting up a booth at a community fair, sending email and direct mail, and even running paid ads could be part of your outreach strategy.
How long should your outreach strategy last? The honest answer is, forever, or for as long as your nonprofit exists. Every nonprofit is always looking for more donors, volunteers, ambassadors, and strategic partners. The need may not always be urgent, but it never goes away.
6 Common Outreach Tactics for Small Nonprofits
- Email Marketing. Email newsletters and announcements are a low-cost, high-ROI tactic for connecting with people and keeping them informed and engaged.
- Social Media Posting. Sharing videos, photos, written stories, news updates, and event announcements on social media can help you connect with new people and spark conversations. Encourage existing followers to share your content to cast a wider net!
- Community Partnerships. Collaborating with schools, businesses, and other nonprofits that support your mission will bring your events, fundraising campaigns, and volunteer opportunities to a wider audience.
- Educational Workshops and Webinars. Providing people with helpful, valuable information from a local expert during a structured in-person or online event brings new people into the fold by delivering value to the community.
- Press and Media Outreach. Writing press releases, pitching stories, and arranging interviews with local media outlets, podcasts, and blogs allow you to reach the loyal audiences and followers of the hosts.
- Speaking Engagements. Presenting at schools, conferences, chambers of commerce, and community groups give you a platform for educating engaged audiences about your nonprofit and mission.
7 Keys to Developing a Successful Nonprofit Outreach Strategy
Before you choose tactics, you need to do some planning and define your outreach strategy! These are essential steps in that process.
- Clarify Your Goals. Are you looking to attract more donors or volunteers? Do you want to increase event attendance and advocacy? Set specific, realistic goals that can be tracked.
- Know Your Audience. Only Amazon and Walmart can be everything to everyone. Build personas and segment your audience based on demographics, behaviors, interests, communication preferences, and more. Create segments in your donor management software and tailor your content accordingly.
- Choose the Right Communication Channels. Find out how people want to hear from you, such as email, social media, direct mail, phone call, etc. Enter this information into your donor management software and communicate on the recipients’ terms to improve response rates and engagement.
- Craft Messaging that Matters. Find out what information, stories, and content are most important and interesting to your audience. Develop a clear, compelling message that connects the dots between their needs and preferences and your nonprofits mission and goals.
- Set a Timeline and Map Touchpoints. Determine when and how you’ll reach out to your audience and create a realistic budget. Consistency is key to maintain top of mind awareness and earn trust.
- Assign Roles. Someone needs to own your outreach strategy, and a team will be needed to support various tasks, like writing emails, designing graphics, entering data, and attending events.
- Measure and Adjust. Ideally, your initial outreach will be the beginning of a long engagement journey. Track engagement metrics such as email opens, signups, attendance, and donations, and refine your strategy based on that data.
Creating a clear outreach strategy now will lead to more meaningful engagement in the future. Take steps to define your strategy and bring your nonprofit the awareness and support it deserves!
