How do you raise awareness and support for your programs?

As the head of a non-profit organization in New York City, there are several ways to raise awareness and support for your programs. One way is to partner with the City of New York, which partners with thousands of nonprofit organizations every year to deliver programs and services to communities throughout the five boroughs1. The City of New York offers information and resources in support of these partnerships, including programs and initiatives such as HHS Accelerator, which streamlines financial processes for providers, and PASSPort, the City’s online procurement system. It opens the door to Donate NYC and other programs that you can leverage to help grow the reach of your organization. Effectively leveraging technology has also been key

Developing a key understanding of your audience and what they’re looking for from you is key. You can do this by looking at how they have engaged with your content over time. Sending your supporters surveys is also important to understanding what they want. There are many free tools that will allow you to do this.

Your number one way to raise awareness is going to be connectivity. Who are you impacting? What is your demographic you’re trying to inspire to give? Where are they found? Social Media? If so what areas/platforms. So much time is wasted on pre written verbiage that at times we completely miss the demographic we need to target. While mission and vision are the foundation for a non-profit many times they are over complicated and honestly…..forgotten. Keeping it simple and asking for what you want keeps things clear and successful. Why are you needing it? Who needs it? Who wants to give/help? How are they going to do so?

In my twenty years of working in the nonprofit sector, I've discovered that a one-on-one approach is highly effective, especially when aiming to cultivate deeper relationships. Additionally, leveraging your Board members as ambassadors to convey your mission and crafting a compelling case for support are essential components of your strategy.

Developing a strategy based on your audience is critical to running a successful program, but testing tactics is just as important. Don’t be afraid to do things that end up failing. It’ll help you get closer and closer to what your supporters are looking for from you. I’ve been surprised many times in my career (much of it with non-profits) by what tactics work well. Exactly why testing is so important!

Strong reporting is the final piece for a successful program. Data doesn’t lie, so use it to determine what’s working and what is not. It’ll tell you almost everything you need to know about how your content is performing.

There's a saying in the nonprofit industry that if you don't report your successes, they never happened. No matter how your key performance indicators are measured, qualitatively or quantitatively, always track them so that you can craft the narrative as to why/how your program is working. Donors, stakeholders, and alums appreciate transparency when it comes to their investment of time and money. Having tools readily available to gauge these KPIs allows you to pull them as needed.

Being timely is also huge. I used to run the digital program for Oxfam. When a major emergency broke out around the world, it was hugely important to get info out to our supporters ASAP. It not only helped with fundraising, but positioned us as a org who could move quickly and provide immediate support to those who needed it. Same goes for any organization. Use major moments to raise awareness about what you’re doing. It helps get many more eyes on your content.