Your Nonprofit Doesn’t Need More Marketing
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a nonprofit leader who was feeling discouraged about their marketing.
Like many startup and growing nonprofits I work with, they were trying to do a little bit of everything. They had a Facebook page, an Instagram account, a LinkedIn page, an email newsletter, and a website that needed updates. The leader read somewhere that a nonprofit had some success on TikTok, so they were seriously considering if they should be making videos. Someone else had suggested they start a podcast.
It didn't take long to realize the list of places they believed they "should" be showing up was simply unrealistic. Managing all of that is a full-time job for someone whose only responsibility is content marketing, a luxury that very few small nonprofits can afford.
As we talked, I learned that this leader had fallen victim to one of the biggest misconceptions in nonprofit marketing - that effectiveness comes from activity. If we’re on enough platforms, creating enough content, and throwing enough social media spaghetti at the wall, eventually something will stick.
That’s exhausting, and a terrible use of your time.
Every new platform promises opportunity. Every new blog post from a nonprofit coach introduces another strategy. 😬 Every marketing expert has another "must-do" tactic. Before long, nonprofit leaders are trying to imitate organizations that have communications departments, videographers, designers, writers, and advertising budgets.
Meanwhile, they're trying to accomplish all of that with one executive director, one development person who wears four other hats, and a volunteer who helps with social media when life isn't too busy.
That's simply not a sustainable model.
The reality is that marketing should never become another burden your mission has to carry. Marketing should help people understand why your nonprofit exists and how they can become part of the story, not just become another burden that you have to carry simply to check it off a weekly to-do list as “done”. When marketing becomes so complicated or time-consuming that it distracts your team from actually serving people, something has gone wrong.
If all of the social media and marketing content creation feels like it's too much, simplify your approach and focus on only these three things. .
Your email list.
I know email doesn't sound exciting anymore. It's been around for decades, and it's certainly not the newest tool available. But sometimes the oldest tools continue to work because they solve a problem that hasn't changed.
Your email list is one of the few marketing assets your organization actually owns. Think of your email list as your nonprofit's digital donor file. It's one of the few communication channels that no platform can take away from you. No one can suddenly reduce your reach because they changed an algorithm. No one decides whether your supporters are allowed to see your latest story. You have a direct line of communication with people who have already expressed interest in your mission - people that actually DO want to hear from you!
That's incredibly valuable.
And here's what many nonprofits miss. The emails don’t need to be super-fancy. You just need a consistent rhythm of thoughtful communication - storytelling, sharing updates, celebrating small ways your nonprofit is changing lives. Occasionally, give people an invite to take a next step, through a gift, or volunteering, or coming to an event.
As you do this consistently over months and years, the consistency of the rhythm builds familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. And trust is the foundation of generosity.
Set aside an hour this week and map out the next 10 to 12 emails. You don't need to write them all today. Simply deciding what you'll communicate over the next few months removes a tremendous amount of stress and makes it much more likely that you'll actually stay consistent.
One social media platform.
That advice almost always surprises people when I share it - Deep down, you may be saying, “Surely, in order for my nonprofit to be successful, we need to be everywhere.”
Truthfully, you don’t. You really just need to show up consistently where your audience already spends time.
Digital platforms come and go all the time. (Remember Vine? DailyBooth? Google +?) A platform starts buzzing, and it’s tempting to say, “we need to be there - let’s start an account and begin posting!”
The better questions to ask are,
“Where are the people we're trying to reach?”
And,
“Where can we realistically show up week after week without burning ourselves out?”
For some nonprofits, that's Facebook because their donor base already spends time there. Others may find LinkedIn is a better fit because they're connecting with business leaders, foundations, or professionals. Some visually driven organizations may naturally thrive on Instagram.
The specific platform matters less than your consistency on it.
Going viral is not a marketing strategy, and will likely never happen.
Building familiarity is a strategy. People are far more likely to trust an organization they encounter regularly than one they stumble across once in a while.
Select one social media platform, and begin posting consistently on it, at whatever rhythm you can reasonably maintain. Even if it’s only once a week, being there every week in the long run will be a win for your nonprofit.
Growing relationships.
The healthiest nonprofits I've worked with understand that every marketing effort should ultimately move people closer to real human connection. That connection is what starts to build trust - and trust leads to people asking questions, volunteering, and becoming financial partners.
If I could somehow magically bend time and give you an extra hour in your work day to be used at your discretion to grow your nonprofit, my coaching would always be to use that time to build relationships.
Make a phone call, grab coffee with a prospect, send a personal email (without an ask), write some thank you notes.
I've never seen a major donor make a transformational gift because they were impressed by someone's posting schedule. But, I have seen countless generous people give because they felt seen, valued, appreciated, and connected to a mission they believed in.
Choose to carve out a consistent time in your workday or week, to make these personal connections… and be ruthless about protecting and honoring the time.
When you step back and look at these three opportunities together, you'll notice something they all have in common. They don’t need a big budget, or for you to “catch the algorithm”... you just have to show up consistently.
I know that probably isn't the answer many nonprofit leaders hope for. We all like discovering the next big strategy or the newest platform that promises explosive growth… but trying to find that is massively time-consuming for very little return.
The next time you're tempted to add another platform, another campaign, or another marketing tactic, ask yourself a simple question:
Is this helping us become more focused, or just more busy?
The nonprofits that grow steadily over time usually aren't the ones doing the most. They're the ones doing the most important things consistently. Build your email list. Show up faithfully on one social platform. Invest deeply in relationships. It may not feel revolutionary, but those simple habits will take your organization much farther than chasing every new marketing trend ever will.
Matt Stockman is a nonprofit growth coach who helps startup, small, and growing nonprofits build stronger fundraising, marketing, leadership, operations, programs, and financial systems. He has coached hundreds of nonprofit and ministry leaders throughout North America, and around the world.