Printing & Marketing For Nonprofits - Colortech, Inc. Creative Solutions

If you are a part of one or more nonprofits, you know that funds are limited, especially for marketing purposes. When then is it worth investing? Of course, there is no hard and fast solution, or everyone would go about it in the same way.

With your nonprofit, your message needs to be spread, and there are many creative ways to do so. Your printing and marketing efforts will come to fruition by advertising for what your nonprofit stands for. Offer a variety of fundraising events and market them through social media, rollup banners, flyers, business cards, trifolds, postcard mailers, and so much more. Nonprofits truly have no limit for what they can do!

Here are some helpful hints and potential barriers to look out for and what we recommend you do for your messaging.

Consider Your Budget

Depending on how wide your reach is, budgetary constraints may be an issue when considering your advertising efforts. Before each fiscal year, be sure to set aside a budget to get a positive return on investment (ROI). How much you dedicate truly depends on how much funding you receive. Many of the nonprofits we work with frequently apply for grants and cheaper advertising opportunities. Some places will even offer discounts for nonprofits if you ask (politely, of course!).

Raise brand awareness

Various advertising methods allow nonprofits to reach a broader audience than word-of-mouth alone. Through compelling ads, you can connect with potential supporters and stay on the minds of existing donors. Think about unconventional methods for letting people know about your mission.

If you don’t have the time to dedicate to creating your ads, an expert such as Colortech can step in to help out. We can even simply provide guidance on potential next steps.

Direct Mail and Print Ads

While digital spaces have very much taken over in the past few decades, print is far from being dead. In fact, printed items can often outweigh the benefits offered from digital ones, especially with nonprofits. With direct mail, your active supporters and prospects receive hard copies of your current story and fundraising requests. Not only does this provide a tangible connection to your audience but also makes it easier for some populations to donate. After all, not everyone is savvy with a QR code to your website. It is also sometimes just easier to mail a physical check or insert cash into a provided envelope.

There are plenty of benefits to direct mail and print campaigns, including:

Cost-Effectiveness: Print campaigns are flexible in their approach, meaning they’re also budget-friendly.
More Action: Print is a good way to get more people interested in your cause. By having a physical item in their hands, people are more likely to read what is in front of them and take action from it.
Targeted Audiences: When you use print marketing, your audience is already chosen and targeted to those who know about your nonprofit’s initiative or live in close quarters. Depending on the type of campaign you are running, you can choose to market to those who have manually subscribed, or you can send newsletters and postcards to a wider audience for a potentially larger gain. Your budget and scale of your mission should determine the route you wish to take.

Digital Marketing

There are many ways in which nonprofits can utilize the benefits of digital marketing. While we did just write that printed items can do more good than digital ones, that’s not to say that the latter don’t have a purpose. When used together, you get the best of both types of mediums. Here’s just a few ideas on what you can do on a digital platform to optimize your outreach and maximize your impact.

Google Ad Grants: Google will advertise your nonprofit at the top of search pages to people searching for ones like yours. Every eligible nonprofit can receive up to $10,000 per month. This helps to drive awareness and attract further donations.
Email Marketing: Email can be a valuable tool for getting your message out. Create separate email lists to target specific supporters and send personalized messages that will create the strongest impact.
Social Media: Ramp up engagement by using popular social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Create visuals for your nonprofit that fully illustrate what it is that makes your organization special. Build up a community and tell your story through fun and educational content.
Mobile-Friendly Website: Give people easy access to donate on your website without them having to search for it. By ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, this keeps the process easy and allows for the most web traffic to your website.

Print and digital marketing for your nonprofit doesn’t have to be scary. Many of your options, as illustrated in this post, are affordable or even free, and they do not have to take a ton of time or effort. Show off your organization’s authenticity and stay true to yourselves and your mission. From there, the right donors and supporters will come your way.