STEP 2

Determine the Primary Goal for Your Organization

Teams on organizations that focus on one primary goal at a time see the most success. If you need help deciding on a primary goal, here are several common nonprofit marketing goals I’ve seen organizations pursue:

  • Acquire new donors

  • Deepen community engagement 

  • Raise awareness of this worthwhile mission

  • Become a thought leader and go-to resource on an issue

  • Increase your volunteer network

  • Attract corporate sponsors and nonprofit partners

Make sure your organization’s marketing goal is tied directly to your organizational growth objectives. All organizations want to raise awareness of their good work, but what will this “raised awareness” get your organization at the end of the day? What do you hope to accomplish? 

Small nonprofits typically see the best results when they prioritize one goal per quarter. Larger organizations with a marketing department of more than one person may be able to focus on two goals. It all depends on your staff’s bandwidth.

Since nonprofit organizational priorities constantly shift, consider reviewing your nonprofit marketing plan every quarter (three months). This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to craft a new one from scratch each time. Rather, you should examine and tweak your plan so that you can continue making sufficient progress.

Marketing Plan