This is why brand marketing is so crucial, for charities that want to flourish
Based on attracting supporters with no pre-existing connection to your cause, we estimate that for every 1,000 people that you make aware of your charity and its work:
6-20 are likely to emerge as low-level supporters who can be expected to make small, one-off donations or respond to specific fundraising appeals;
A further 6-20 will become more invested and form a deeper emotional connection, and are likely to give more substantial amounts or become regular donors;
And 3-10 might, with the right nurturing, become active supporters who go on to donate through their own fundraising efforts, like sponsored events or online campaigns.
So, at best, that's 50 per 1,000 making donations - some small and one-off, others small but perhaps also regular, some larger but less frequent.
You can expect donations from the low-level supporters relatively early on in their journey, but it takes time and effort to move others along to the point where they are more committed and willing to contribute more regularly, or more in total.
In the meantime, you still need a steady flow of income that leaves you with a surplus (after fundraising costs have been recovered), which means you need to constantly be trying to attract new supporters.
The problem? If people don't know about you and your cause, it stands to reason that they can't possibly become supporters because, to them, you just don't exist.
The solution: investing in brand marketing with the starting objective of getting known about by as many people as possible, introducing them to your charity and the cause you exist for.
Then, once you've got their attention, you can focus on getting them to care, highlighting the need you address and the difference you make - because once people understand this and can see it for themselves, they're more likely to want to support you if they're able.
But it all starts with awareness raising, and it's a numbers game. You need to continually strive to reach broad, new audiences because only a small fraction will be interested in and care enough about your work to get involved - whether that's donating to an online fundraiser or signing up for events.
If you do one thing differently in 2025, make it this: focus more on brand marketing.
#CharityMarketing #Nonprofits #Fundraising #BrandMarketing
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4moGreat article 👏. Thanks for sharing