Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG)

Hearing about Nonprofit Marketing Guide for the first time? Training and coaching nonprofit communications professionals is all we do. We do not use webinars, courses, content, or community to upsell you on software or consulting services.?Your professional development is our only business interest. We inspire nonprofit communicators to grow through practical insights, shared expertise, and a community dedicated to constant learning and meaningful impact.??? Learn your job with confidence, lead your team with clarity, and love your work with a passion for change, all with support from Nonprofit Marketing Guide. We'd love to be your professional development home base. Your guides are Kivi Leroux Miller, Kristina Leroux, and Anysa H., along with numerous guest contributors.

Professional Development Is a Must—Not a Luxury In 2025, the most effective nonprofit communications teams are prioritizing: ?? Skills training in AI, analytics, and digital storytelling. ?? Networking with peers to share strategies and best practices. ?? Strategic planning workshops to align goals with impact. ?? How is your nonprofit investing in professional development this year? Tell us about a great training you've attended recently! P.S. Get the full 2025 Trends Report here: ?? https://npmg.us/trends

Nonprofits are rethinking their social media mix in 2025: ?? More orgs are dropping X (Twitter) after years of declining engagement. ?? Instagram & LinkedIn are gaining traction for community-building. ?? Short-form video (TikTok, Reels) is booming, but many nonprofits hesitate to invest. ?? Which social platforms are working for your nonprofit—and which ones aren’t worth the time? Let’s compare notes below! ?? ?? Get the full 2025 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report here: ?? https://npmg.us/trends

?? Why Growing Your Communications Team Matters ?? If you’re a solo communicator juggling everything from social media to fundraising emails to media relations, you already know—it’s a lot. Adding just one more person to your comms team can make a huge difference, based on data from our annual Nonprofit Communications Trends Reports, cited by year here. 1?? You’ll Get More Done—and Do It Better Solo communicators often feel like they’re constantly putting out fires. Only 37% say they feel “very” or “extremely” effective in their work, compared to 56% of larger teams (2023). Nonprofits that grow their teams are more likely to take on bigger, mission-critical projects like website redesigns and branding updates, while smaller teams remain stuck in day-to-day maintenance (2024). 2?? Your Organization Will Be in a Better Position to Grow While only 19% of solo communicators saw team expansion in 2023, 54% of large teams (4+ members) reported growing—and nearly half expected additional hires in 2024 (2024). Growth builds momentum, and once a nonprofit invests in communications, it’s much more likely to keep growing. 3?? You’ll Retain Your Best People (Including Yourself!) Burnout is real, and it’s driving many nonprofit communicators to look for new jobs. Nearly a third (29%) of solo communicators planned to leave due to lack of advancement (2023). Larger teams create career growth opportunities. 4?? You’ll Have Time to Be Strategic Instead of Just Reactive How often do you feel like you’re scrambling just to keep up? For solo communicators, time constraints are the number one challenge (48%), but as team size grows, this stress eases (2025). Our 2024 report reinforces this: nonprofits with growing teams were more likely to set and execute long-term strategic goals rather than just managing daily tasks (2024). 5?? Your Social Media and Content Will Be More Engaging Social media and content marketing take time. Solo communicators focus mostly on engagement and fundraising, while small and large teams can invest in thought leadership, brand influence, and advertising (2023). In 2024, larger teams were significantly more likely to allocate dedicated budgets to content strategy and advertising, making their campaigns more effective (2024). ?? Bottom Line: More People = Better Results Growing your comms team isn’t just about making life easier (though it definitely helps). It’s about setting your nonprofit up for long-term success. More hands mean more strategy, better retention, and greater results. If you’ve been dreaming about hiring that next person, consider this your sign to start making that case. It may take time to get the green light, but your future self—and your leadership—will thank you. ?? Want the data? You can access the full library of our annual Nonprofit Communications Trends Reports in our free community. Go to our website to join.

Nonprofits Are More Trusted Than Government & Media—But Are We Using That Power? Nonprofits are one of the most trusted sectors in society—more than government, business, and media. ?? The public believes nonprofits can help bridge national divisions—if they act with transparency. ?? Nonprofits often drive the biggest national conversations, from climate change to criminal justice reform. ?? But unclear messaging and lack of audience insights remain key challenges for communicators. ?? We've all seen what's going on so far in 2025. . . How is your nonprofit building trust and using its voice effectively so far this year? Share in the comments! ?? Download the full 2025 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report here: ?? https://npmg.us/trends

?? The 5 Most Common Nonprofit Communications Team Models—Which One Are You? The 2025 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report breaks down how nonprofit communications teams are structured. Which one sounds like yours? 1?? Centralized (38%) – Comms team sets the strategy and workload with input from others. 2?? Integrated (23%) – Comms + fundraising teams work together to share the workload. 3?? Internal Agency (17%) – Comms operates as a service department for other teams. 4?? CEO-Led (15%) – The CEO decides what gets done (often by a solo communicator). 5?? Fundraising-Led (7%) – Comms staff serve the fundraising team’s needs first. ?? What model does your nonprofit use? Would you change it if you could? Drop a comment below! ?? ?? Want the full report? Get it here: ?? https://npmg.us/trends

? 10 Years Later: What’s Changed for Nonprofit Communicators? The 2025 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report compared today’s biggest challenges to those from 2015. The verdict? Some things have improved—but not as much as we would have hoped! ?? What’s gotten worse: ?? Producing enough content is harder than ever. ?? Lack of buy-in from peers & managers makes the job more frustrating. ?? Fear of failure/inability to experiment is holding teams back. ?? Understanding target audiences is more difficult in today’s fragmented media landscape. ?? What’s gotten better: ? Unclear or unfocused messaging has improved. ? Integrating communications channels is easier thanks to better software tools. ? Knowledge & training for content creation have strengthened. Why do you think so little has improved in the last 10 years? ?? Get the full 2025 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report here: ?? https://npmg.us/trends #npmarcomms

Listen to Kivi talk to Farra about our findings in this year's Nonprofit Communications Trends Report!

Tell your story yourself and see how much of the conversation you just might be able to own. Mark Horvath and Invisible People are rock stars at this!

Nonprofit/government communicators, we want to see your Kendrick memes! We LOVE it when #npmarcomm folks do it right and do it fast. We see you on Meta, Los Angeles Public Library. ?? ?? ?? Links or screencaps in the comments, please. (Nonprofit/govt only!)