From Good to Nonprofit Great Marketing Plan 2025

Transcript

1. From Good to Great: Rework Your Nonprofit Marketing Plan for Year-End Growth
2. S P E A K E R Candace Cody Director of Events, Candace Cody, the dynamic Director of Events at Community Boost, boasts over nine years of empowering nonprofits through targeted digital marketing and event leadership. Known for her exceptional ability to translate complex strategies into actionable steps, she has helped shape the future of nonprofit marketing, mainly through stewardship of The Nonprofit Marketing Summit.
4. A N S W E R P O L L Do you have a 2025 marketing plan for your nonprofit? ✅ Yes – and it's working well! 🤔 Yes – but it's not going as planned 🌀 Yes – but we haven’t followed it ✍ No – but I want to make one!
5. AGENDA • The Case for Reworking Your Plan NOW • Reworking Your 2025 Nonprofit Marketing Plan • Next Steps To Maximize Results Before Year-End
6. The Case For Reworking Your Nonprofit Marketing Plan NOW!
7. Heading Into Year-End Without A Reworked Plan • Creates a lot of stress. • Fly by the seat of your pants approach = missed opportunities. • No way to keep track of success. • Ultimately, you’ll miss out on thousands in gifts.
8. Heading Into Year-End With A Reworked Plan • Easy to follow + delegate tasks. • Process-oriented approach to help you take advantage of all opportunities. • Easy to keep track of success. • You’re set up to meet (+ exceed) your marketing/fundraising goals.
9. Your Biggest Opportunity For 2025 Growth Is Ahead! 1. Nearly one-third (≈30–31%) of annual donations are made during December (avidai.com) 2. Approximately 12% of gifts are made in the final 3 days, reinforcing that year-end rush (avidai.com). 3. In the latest update, GivingTuesday 2024 raised a staggering $3.6 billion in the United States—a record-breaking 16% increase over 2023’s $3.1 billion total (givingtuesday.org). 4. 53.8% of nonprofits begin planning their year-end appeal in October (Get Fully Funded). 5. November (≈46.2%) and December (≈30.8%) are the peak months for making year-end asks. While a precise December figure isn't quoted verbatim, this is supported by data showing ~31% in December and most nonprofits focusing efforts in those two months (Via Generosity). 6. 59.9% of nonprofits make between 1–3 donor "touches" during their year-end campaign (mathisnps.com).
10. Good News: Small shifts = high rewards
11. Attract ➠ Engage ➠ Convert ➠ Retain Nonprofit Marketing Framework
12. 4 Ways To Grow Fundraising • Acquire More Donors • Increase Average Gift Size • Increase Donor Retention • Increase Your Return On Investment
13. What Is A Nonprofit Marketing Plan? A nonprofit marketing plan outlines your marketing objectives, goals, and the strategies needed to reach your goals. It is NOT a list of everything you need to do. It’s the backbone of your marketing strategy that will guide your decisions year-round, and looking ahead to year-end.
14. Download Your 2025 Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template Chart your path forward in 2025 and plan predictable growth! https://www.communityboost.org/guides/2025-nonprofit-marketing-plan-template-download/
15. Get The Year-End Marketing Calendar Template! Download the free template to create your Year-End Marketing Plan! https://www.communityboost.org/guides/year-end-marketing-calendar-template/
16. Reworking Your 2025 Nonprofit Marketing Plan
17. Anatomy Of A Nonprofit Marketing Plan • Organization Summary • Organization Initiatives • SWOT Analysis • Target Audience • Donor Personas • Competitive Analysis • SMART Marketing Goals • Defining Strategies, KPIs + Channels
18. 3 Steps To Reworking Your Marketing Plan Ahead Of Year-End
19. Year-End Campaign Timeline Prepare & Analyze September or earlier Pre-Wire & Gratitude Oct - Nov Full Launch (#GT) November ❏ Analyze data from previous campaigns & years ❏ Define the campaign theme ❏ Set target fundraising goals ❏ Start creating and testing content ❏ Segment leads ❏ Gather incentives, secure sponsors or matches ❏ Pre-wire core constituents with gratitude and ads of impact ❏ Pre-wire new and warm, non-donor audiences with ads of impact ❏ Grow remarketing audiences ❏ Unlock early gifts without the big ask ❏ Continue to engage and attract users with regular posts Giving Tuesday serves as the main launchpoint in what is outwardly seen as the start to Year-End fundraising ❏ Increase posts and promotion on Facebook ❏ Highlight key giving events for the weeks ahead ❏ Launch your #GivingTuesday campaign ❏ Showcase the impact made, people helped, the volunteers who make it possible ❏ Thank you campaign for donors & volunteers
20. Engage Early - Mid December Big Finish End of December Follow-Up & Gratitude January Recurring Giving February ❏ Engage during Consideration Phase ❏ 31% of all giving occurs in December; 12% of total in the last 3 days ❏ URGENCY: Compete, Remind, Compete, Make it Easy, Close ❏ Show your appreciation! Donor stewardship is key to ensure retention ❏ Capture last minute, afterthought donations ❏ Begin to analyze data and segment donors ❏ Nurture new and existing donors Ask: Why upgrading their gift to become Recurring will make the most impact in the coming year(s) Channel Application Examples • Onsite conversion design, Paid Social, YouTube & Display ◦ Gratitude content directing to updated Campaign Landing page with results and an option to still contribute Channel Application Examples • Budgets should increase, audiences should narrow to highest potential ◦ Paid Social: Conversion campaign ◦ YouTube & Display: Remarketing only ◦ Search Advertising: Emphasis on branded keywords ◦ Onsite Conversion Design: Higher Frequency, Welcome Mat, Exit-Intent Pop-ups Channel Application Examples • Year-End Facebook Event • Paid Social/ Display: Fundraising benchmarks - Where are we at? • Search Ads / Onsite CD: Create streamlined path to campaign pages
21. 1. Organization Re-Alignment Align marketing with organization mission + overall goals. • Vision / Mission - Is this still the same? • Funding / Budget- What has shifted? What are the gaps? • Team members / resources - What has changed? • Programs - What has shifted? > Identify where marketing goals align with overall initiatives.
22. These are your main initiatives the organization is aiming to achieve in 2025 to carry out your vision and mission. Ie: Fund + launch a new program, Retain more donors, raise $350,000. Organization Initiatives:
23. Gather Data On KPIs From THIS Year’s Marketing Results So Far
24. Next Steps For Aligning With Organization Initiatives • Reassess organization’s main goals and re-align them to your marketing initiatives • Gather data on this year’s performance so far > What do you want to double down on? What do you want to leave behind? • Connect with your Executive Director: Get leadership insights / buy-in on shifting strategies ◦ Specifically check in on gaps in budget, resources, and funding ◦ What do you want to test going into year-end? • Consider the Nonprofit Marketing Framework + 4 ways to grow fundraising (Acquire donors, increase gift size, increase donor retention, increase ROI)
25. 2. Re-Align and Re-Engage Your Audience Know who you’re speaking to, so your marketing efforts are most effective. This informs strategies, branding, tone, communications through the end of the year.
26. Map out the different Target audiences you’re currently marketing to aka your ideal donor to best target + craft communications. • Are these still the right audiences? • Are there any tweaks to your strategy for engaging them? (ie: shifting from TikTok investments back ton Instagram) • Can you use AI to refine or tap into new audiences? Target Audience Re-evaluation
27. Define your target audience: • Analyze your current donor base and look for any similarities in demographics. • Collect data from focus groups or your community - consider donor surveys! • Explore who similar organizations are targeting. Best Practices For Defining Your Target Audience
28. A donor persona defines the characteristics, likes and dislikes, needs, expectations, desires, motivations, demographics, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of a segmented group of donors and assigns them to a character. • Do your personas need updating? • What messaging tweaks will help messaging resonate with your audience ahead of year-end? • What additional channel investments will help us better target this persona? Persona / Messaging Re-evaluation
29. Example: A coastal preservation/restoration organization. • Persona 1: Ryan, a young active male. • Lifestyle: Ryan works remotely from his condo 15 minutes from the beach in San Diego. He gets up early to go surfing every morning before work, is single, owns a dog, and is financially stable. • Personal Background: Ryan is 27 years old, grew up in San Diego, and loves the beach. • Their Challenges/Pain Points: The coastline he loves to surf is often polluted, or off-limits due to oil spills. He wants to keep surfing every day but it is becoming dangerous. • Business Background: Has a degree in marketing and works for a tech company. He does surf photography as a side hustle. • Where They Go For Information: Ryan consistently uses social media on a daily basis but is mostly on TikTok and Instagram. He mostly uses his phone to do information searches. Persona Example
30. Invest in the Messaging That’s Already Resonated
31. Now Is The Time To Thank & Re-Engage Your Donors
32. Chat with our team of digital marketing experts to explore the ways Community Boost can help you reach + exceed your 2025 year-end goals! Need help with your plan? Book a time to chat for FREE!
33. Map out your specific 2025 year-end fundraising goals and initiatives for measurable success. Tie in overall organization goals to specific marketing goals. • Specific • Measurable • Attainable • Relevant • Time-Bound 3. Set Goals, KPIs, and Strategies
34. Translate into A Marketing Calendar
35. Following the preferred timeline, map out your specific communications for each channel, and how you’re measuring success. • Channel • Date • Audience • Description • Call To Action • Responsible • Status • KPIs for Channel • Funds Raised • Dependencies Keep in mind, each audience needs about 8 touchpoints to be effective.
36. Next Steps To Maximize Results Before Year-End
37. #1: Optimize Your Donation Page • The average donation page conversion rate is 21% • 190% increase in donations when button stands out on homepage • 58% of donors complete donations on mobile • Conversion rates increased 50% when form fields are lowered from 4 to 3 • Donors are 70% more likely to give again if they gave on a branded form. Optimizing your donation page helps you get MORE out of your marketing efforts.
38. • Easy to navigate: must be fast, easy to use donate. • Mobile-optimized year-end landing page. • As many payment options as possible: Venmo, Apple + Google Pay, etc, • Optimized for conversion: Few form fields, easy to give, incorporates social proof, branded for year-end. • Defaulted gift amounts to drive up average gift size. • Optimized for recurring options. Update Your Donation Software NOW
39. #2: Modern Video Wins Short Form Videos Perform Best • HubSpot’s Marketing Industry Survey revealed that short-form videos are the most effective social media format in terms of ROI. The survey also found that 30% of marketers plan to increase their budget for short-form videos. • According to a Google survey, 57% of people who watch a video for a nonprofit go on to make a donation. Video Ads Win & they Win BIG • On Meta, video ads continue to outperform almost all ad types, especially at scale. • YouTube is the second most visited site in the world - and YouTube remarketing ads are an incredible way to build brand and stay top of mind during the giving season.
40. #3: Write Copy that Moves People Tell Individual Stories in Your Copy • Copy that tells a story of one individual beneficiary does extremely well. • Your copy does not need to give the full name, a picture and first name are ideal. • Ie. “Help more people experience the hope that Kevin did.” “Matching” Campaign Copy Increases Conversion Rates • “Your Donation Doubled” & “Your Gift Doubled” - best performing cBC match headlines. Simple and clear. Emotional Appeals Drive Urgency • Late in Dec especially, emotional appeals drive further urgency. • “Too many people die from cancer each year. Donate to give a future to more families this holiday season.”
41. #4: Leverage Free Ad Spend: Google Ad Grant • $10K/mo in Free Search Ads • Receive $329/day to run • Consistent Traffic w/ Search Intent • Send thousands of qualified visitors to your site every single month. • Get Approved in Less Than a Week • This is not your average grant. Get digital ads up and running quickly. Remember - Ad Grants can drive donations but also (often more so) fills the top of our marketing funnel. 59% of the fastest growing nonprofits are planning to use the Google Ad Grant. Timeline: Nov 1, 2021 to Dec 31, 2021 Accounts: 305 Ad Grant Free Spend: $3,960,341 Impressions: 29,400,122 Clicks: 1,227,460 Conversions: 277,822 Conv. Rate: 11.85% Conv. Value: $1,060,190 The Google Ad Grant At Community Boost
42. #5: Meta Ads Year Round Ad + Audience Momentum = Increase in YE Giving • Run Meta ads continuously to build momentum and build on your retargetable engagement. • 3X ROAS is possible and what cBC averages. Personalize Your Messaging Changes have limited interest targeting, so use relevant messaging w/ refined targeting & personalization. Keep Users on Platform There is a lot of benefit to run ads in platform to create audiences we can more easily retarget and convert.
43. #6: Invest In Digital Ads: Google + Youtube Paid Google Search Ads are a Must Test at YE • Ad Grants show up for estimated 10% of searches, vs. Paid Google search shows up estimated 60% of the time • 1 + 1 = 3. Ad Grants + Paid Google Search ads are better together. • Move your highest ROI keywords to paid search ads. YouTube Ads Are Great for Staying Top of Mind • Video is king & YouTube is the 2nd most visited site in the world • Only pay if someone watches at least 30 seconds, even then you typically pay less than $0.10 per view. Utilize the Google Display Network for Remarketing • Half the battle during year end is staying top of mind. Remarketing on the Google display network is an affordable way to do that. • Impressions on the display network are typically less than a penny for new audiences and just over a penny for remarketing audiences
44. “The best and most effective promotional tactics we use are posts that involve patient stories that come from the patients themselves. They’re telling their story in their own words with quotes directly from them. Then we can say ‘here’s how our organization can help them.’" Nick Hudson Director of Development (Former) Stupid Cancer “The best and most effective promotional tactics we use are posts that involve patient stories that come from the patients themselves. They’re telling their story in their own words with quotes directly from them. Then we can say ‘here’s how our organization can help them.’" - Nick Hudson, Director of Development (Former), Stupid Cancer
45. The second half of the year is where momentum meets intention. Let’s not just coast into year-end—let’s create with clarity, connect with purpose, and close out 2025 stronger than ever.
46. Suggested Channels To Consider Heading Into Year-End • Website Conversion Rate Optimization • Email Marketing • Multi-channel short form video (TikTok, Reels, Video on Facebook, Emails, etc) • Social media (organic) • Paid Social Ads (Facebook, Instagram are most effective) • Google Ad Grant • Remarketing With Youtube + Display Ads • Microsoft Ads (+ Grant reopening) • Digital Audio Ads • SMS (mass texting) • TikTok ads (if available)
47. Event & Auction TO DO list right now • Review last event data • Timelines • Save the date • Sponsorships are now open for sale • Tickets and tables • Schedule emails and social media • AI usage
48. Put Your Marketing Plan Into Action! Book a time to chat for FREE! Chat with our team of digital marketing experts to explore the ways Community Boost can help you reach + exceed your 2025 year-end goals!
49. THANK YOU