Episode 89: Digital Marketing for Nonprofits

A Modern Nonprofit Podcast

On today's episode Tosha brings on guest Dana Snyder. Dana is the host of Missions to Movements and she is also the creator of the monthly Giving Mastermind.

Dana and Tosha's conversation today will focus on digital marketing and how this tool can be leveraged, especially in nonprofit organizations, to assist in fundraising. Marketing is a fun game in the business world.

The misconception is that marketing is the 'art class' to business. All the pretty graphics and eye catching fonts combined with the data gathered from the rest of the team makes for the perfect marketing piece. This couldn't be further from the reality of what marketing truly is.This misconception even stretches into nonprofits. Tosha starts the conversation by asking Dana her thoughts on another misconstrued opinion on marketing.

Many 501c(3)s treat social media as a passive necessity. 'Sure, it's there and we should probably use it, but just because everyone else does.' - Some nonprofit (probably). Is there intentionality behind the use of social media and digital marketing within nonprofits? Let's find out.

Dana believes it truly does depend on the circumstance. It seems like COVID is talked about in nearly every episode, yet this was such a significant event that impacted the way we do business today. In Dana's opinion, COVID forced many businesses to lean into the digital marketing age and rely on it more than ever.

That's easy to see, when a group of people were confined to the inside, and left with the internet to communicate. This is one side of the coin. The other side is the intentionality of business planning with a marketing budget in mind. Dana has seen a lot of success when individuals with for-profit experience come to the nonprofit space.

They tend to understand the importance of marketing and how this creates a brand. We mentioned that the aesthetics are not all the marketing is, however it is a huge piece of it. Dana shares that when businesses have invested into marketing through means of establishing a budget, they can allocate these funds to their websites, designs, logos, and overall brand.When a business invests into marketing, they are investing in the quality of their brand.

And we know this is impactful, because this is ultimately the brand's reputation. When consumers, investors, donors, or whomever the business is trying to attract has a quality experience associated with the brand, cohesiveness is created setting the stage for growth.

Tosha raises some great points when it comes to taking a look at a nonprofit's 'self-view'. With plenty of experience in the nonprofit space, Tosha wonders if nonprofits aren't taking a hard look at their 'digital storefront', is the business being represented to its full capacity or being authentically portrayed to the outside world?

If providing the best service there is, yet most are unaware of this service, then are their missing pieces?She is also launching a virtual event; the Monthly Giving Summit on September 5th & 6th.

This will focus on building subscriptions for good. The event will host panel discussions, corporate partnership presentations, 1-to-1 networking with other nonprofits, and even small breakout sessions.

The goal is to remove any smoke and mirrors to allow organizations to have those real conversations with each other about where they are in the business. Please be sure to engage with the interview. Whether you enjoy listening to it, reading about it, or watching us on YouTube, make sure you review, share, and engage with A Modern Nonprofit Podcast.

You can find Tosha and the Charity CFO team on Youtube or our website, thecharitycfo.com!