It seems like there’s a day for every interest and cause! Whether it’s cancer, diabetes, homelessness, hunger or housing, there’s a period of time devoted to focusing on that cause. While not every observance is relevant to your specific cause, there can be real value in leveraging appropriate national awareness months and days to increase awareness of, and interest in, your organization. For example, November is Nonprofit Awareness Month. And since we love nonprofits, we wanted to take the occasion to encourage organizations to take advantage of this month and other awareness periods.
David Chatham, our Senior Marketing Consultant, says that awareness months are “a great opportunity to shine a light and really concentrate on one specific issue relevant to an organization. They can build excitement, engagement and investment in a nonprofit.”
So how should nonprofits leverage this month to raise even more awareness about the important work they’re doing? We have a handful of suggestions to help you make the most of these important touch points in the lifecycle of your organization.
Shout — Let people know you’re there! Take a seat at the table and become part of the larger, national nonprofit discussion.
Engage — Make people want to join in the fight! Invite people to learn more about you throughout the month and give them tangible ways to become a part of your work that extend beyond November.
Elevate — Honor not only the hard work that you’ve committed to but the larger nonprofit community. Shine a light on the value of nonprofits, the dedication of their employees and the way they uniquely serve their communities.
Celebrate — Closing in on the end of the year, it’s a great month to look back and celebrate all the amazing work that’s been accomplished over the course of the year. Pause, reflect and rejoice in the victories, small and big, that transpired over the year.
In order to shout, encourage, elevate and celebrate, here are a few simple tips to take advantage of (really, year-round!) but particularly during Nonprofit Awareness Month, when the spotlight is on the nonprofit sector.
- Take advantage of media opportunities like op-eds — Yes, traditional media still exists and is a fun way to get your name out in your local community! Reach out to local newspapers, magazines and broadcast groups to let them know about the work you’re doing. Write an op-ed about the issue that your nonprofit specializes in. Establish those connections with local media and use Nonprofit Awareness Month as your motivation to start building and nurturing those connections!
- Use solid content to create engagement — View Nonprofit Awareness Month as another opportunity to get your story out there. Create compelling content to share and give people a sense of urgency for joining your cause that November. During this time of year, people are already more prone to giving — so use that awareness month platform to share impactful success stories and inspiring victories from the year and invite people to join the fight.
- Utilize digital channels to increase awareness — Digital advertising is simple and cost-efficient and allows you to target people specifically interested in the issues you address. Produce a few posts throughout the month of November with strong calls-to-action for people to get involved that month. Use hashtags like #nonprofitawarenessmonth in your posts and tag other nonprofits in the fight to elevate their platforms as well. Add a simple call-out or blog post on your website sharing about Nonprofit Awareness Month and how you uniquely contribute to the nonprofit community.
So while we want you out there 365 days a year shouting from the mountaintops how awesome nonprofits are, set limits and know what makes sense for your organization! Think about how you can strategically use Nonprofit Awareness Month in a way that remains true to your voice and honors the work you do.
If you want us to be a part of that conversation and shout, engage, elevate and celebrate alongside you, reach out to us here.