2018 has come and gone in what felt like the blink of an eye, and it’s time to start thinking about plans and strategies for the coming year. After you’ve taken the time to reflect on and celebrate what went well in 2018 for your organization’s marketing, think about how you can take it even further in 2019.
Are you ready to join the nonprofit marketing revolution? The nonprofit marketing revolution begins when your organization commits to thinking bigger and recognizes marketing as a tool for social change, not just fundraising and awareness-building.
Make it your prerogative in 2019 to treat marketing as a necessary tool for achieving your organization’s mission. Here’s how you can prepare:
Make sure your marketing plan is aligned with your strategic plan.
Before 2019 begins, ensure your marketing team is set up to help your organization meet its overall impact goals. Each and every one of your marketing goals should be tied to a organizational goal, and each of those marketing initiatives should be measurable. For example, in order to meet your fundraising goals or recruit enough volunteers in 2019, how many people do you need to reach with your messaging?
To avoid stretching anyone on your team too thin, prioritize your marketing initiatives based on what’s most important for your organization as a whole. Be ambitious, but be realistic, too!
Make room for effective marketing in your organization’s 2019 budget.
Advocating for adequate funding for marketing initiatives may be daunting, but it’s necessary for your organization to truly revolutionize your marketing in 2019. We understand that marketing isn’t always viewed as a priority among nonprofit leadership. So, when advocating for marketing dollars, emphasize the ROI of each of your tactics on goals like fundraising and recruitment.
You should also ensure your marketing budget covers hiring the right people to bring your marketing plan to life. Consider whether some of your budget should be allocated to hiring marketing support necessary to achieve your goals, making a marketing leadership hire to truly take your marketing to the next level, or working with a marketing firm that understands the unique needs of the nonprofit sector.
[bctt tweet=”Are you ready to join the nonprofit marketing revolution?” username=”ProsperStrat”]Consider whether a rebrand is on the horizon
Many organizations chose to rebrand in 2018, and we expect that trend to continue into the new year. Will your organization be next to evolve your brand?
If some of the goals you hope to achieve in 2019 include differentiating from other similar organizations, aligning external image with internal identity and changing organizational strategy, empowering of your stakeholders or simply modernizing, a rebrand may be the right step for your organization to take. And that rebrand could be one of the keys to greater mission impact in the new year.
[bctt tweet=”Treat marketing as a necessary tool for achieving your organization’s mission.” username=”ProsperStrat”]What commitments should your organization make in order to fully embrace the nonprofit marketing revolution in 2019?
If your nonprofit wants to advance its mission and drive meaningful, measurable change, marketing simply must be integrated into everything you do. Ask the rest of your organization to make these 10 commitments along with you, and your organization will finally be able to truly leverage the power of marketing. Read the commitments in our Nonprofit Marketing Manifesto.
So what are you waiting for?
Read the Nonprofit Marketing Manifesto here, and get ready for a transformation.
