Nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments play crucial roles in driving your organization’s goals forward. However, too often, the overlap in their efforts—engaging supporters and raising funds—can lead to competition rather than collaboration.
In addition to reminding ourselves that we’re all here for the mission, to maximize the impact of both teams at your nonprofit, it’s essential to structure them in a way that fosters cooperation and alignment. You can do this by:
- Developing clear roles and responsibilities for each department
- Aligning your strategies and developing shared objectives and key results (OKRs)
- Leveraging shared resources and tools
- Communicating regularly
- Celebrating joint successes
Establishing Clear Roles and Responsibilities in Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising
Lack of clear roles and responsibilities is the number one area where nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments struggle. While both departments support your nonprofit’s mission, they do so in different ways.
Your nonprofit marketing department is responsible for building your nonprofit’s brand, raising awareness, engaging the community, and driving digital and offline campaigns. This department should create and own your nonprofit’s key messages, brand architecture and brand guidelines. Every department, including fundraising, should follow these brand guidelines.
This team is also responsible for story-gathering, content creation, social media management, media relations, and outreach to amplify your nonprofit’s message.
Your nonprofit fundraising department, on the other hand, focuses on securing financial support through donations, grants, sponsorships and events. The fundraising team cultivates relationships with donors, writes grant proposals and manages major gifts and stewardship.
Your nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments need to work together toward the same goals, objectives and key results.
Align Your Nonprofit’s Marketing and Fundraising Strategy and Develop Shared OKRs
We often see conflicts between nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments when:
- Nonprofit marketing and fundraising teams don’t coordinate communications to donors and potential donors
- Marketing and fundraising teams don’t identify which channels are primarily for donors versus other audiences (for example, who should you be communicating to on your social media channels?)
- Marketing is often asked to support fundraising efforts (such as annual appeals, donor newsletters, and the annual report), but the process for who provides final sign-off is often unclear
Having your nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments work together to develop a joint marketing and fundraising plan can help solve many of these conflicts. Your marketing and fundraising plan should outline shared goals and the tactics you will use to reach your goals for each of your nonprofit’s target audiences. Setting collaborative goals that both departments work towards—such as increasing donor engagement or expanding the number of contacts in your database—can foster a sense of shared purpose.
To coordinate communications to your nonprofit’s audiences, including donors, your marketing and fundraising plan should also include a detailed calendar of activities, outlining who is accountable for each tactic. And, your nonprofit marketing and fundraising leaders should take time to think through those areas where marketing needs to support fundraising, so everyone can plan ahead. Developing a coordinated, cross-departmental plan helps your nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments prevent potential conflicts before they arise.
Setting collaborative objectives and key results (OKRs) as part of your plan is another way to ensure both teams are working towards common goals. Metrics such as donor acquisition cost, lifetime donor value or engagement rates should reflect the contributions of both marketing and fundraising efforts. This encourages both teams to focus on the overall success of the nonprofit rather than competing for credit.
Leveraging Shared Resources and Tools Between Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Teams
Another effective way to encourage collaboration between your nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments is by ensuring both teams have access to shared resources. A common Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can be invaluable. There are many on the market, such as Neon One CRM, Blackbaud and DonorPerfect, that are designed specifically for nonprofit marketing and fundraising teams, as well as platforms like Salesforce, Hubspot and MailChimp.
These CRMs allow you to segment your contacts. For example, you can designate donors, major gifts, volunteers, general supporters, etc. This makes it easier to determine who needs to receive general brand awareness information versus donor-related communications versus a more personal touch.
When marketing and fundraising teams have access to the same data on donors, volunteers and supporters, they can work more effectively together.
Regular Communication and Cross-Functional Teams
Along with the development of a joint marketing and fundraising plan, open lines of communication are essential for preventing misunderstandings and fostering collaboration between your nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments. Regular joint meetings—weekly or biweekly—can keep both teams informed about ongoing projects, campaign updates and any challenges they’re facing. Together, you can review campaign objectives and key results, foster transparency and engage in real-time problem-solving.
Creating cross-functional nonprofit marketing and fundraising teams for specific projects, such as your annual appeal or your annual report can further strengthen collaboration. When members from both departments work together on campaigns, they’re more likely to develop a cohesive strategy that meets both marketing and fundraising goals. Be sure to clarify who is accountable for each component and who is responsible for the final sign-off. Using a decision-making framework, like DARCI, is a great way to determine project roles.
Aligning Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Messaging and Campaigns
One of the most effective ways to ensure collaboration is to align the messaging and timing of marketing and fundraising campaigns. For example, a marketing campaign that shares stories of the people your nonprofit serves can naturally lead into a fundraising appeal. This approach not only creates a seamless experience for your audience but also strengthens the impact of both teams’ efforts.
Consistency in branding across all communications is key. Marketing and fundraising teams should always work off the same brand guidelines. When marketing and fundraising teams commit to unified messaging, they reinforce the nonprofit’s values and mission in the minds of supporters.
Celebrating Joint Successes
At the end of the nonprofit day, marketing and fundraising teams share a commitment to the same mission. It’s important to recognize and celebrate the successes that result from collaboration. Publicly acknowledging that successful teamwork between marketing and fundraising led to these achievements reinforces the importance of working together. This not only boosts morale but also encourages continued collaboration.
Structuring nonprofit marketing and fundraising departments in a way that fosters collaboration rather than competition is essential for the success of any nonprofit. By clearly defining roles, fostering communication, aligning goals and celebrating joint successes, you can create an environment where both teams work together seamlessly to advance your organization’s mission.
