Alignable: a new tool to tap small to mid-sized businesses for fundraising and marketing

I hate to break it to you, but there is one more social platform to put on your radar as a fundraising and marketing opportunity for your nonprofit. I’ll be honest, I am still in the ‘lurking’ phase, but I can see some powerful opportunities for charities on Alignable. Especially nonprofits looking to expand their reach with small to mid-sized businesses.

Alignable is similar to LinkedIn but designed for small business networking.?According to Alignable, they have been steadily growing since their inception in 2014. They have over 7 million members, with millions of connections across more than 35,000 local communities.

Members use Alignable to get answers to questions, connect with other businesses, attend events, run promotions, and increase buzz for their business, to name a few. The platform is free, but there are premium features.

So, how can charities take advantage of Alignable?

Nonprofits can use Alignable to connect with individuals and businesses in the community who may be interested in volunteering or supporting the organization. By creating a profile and connecting with people on Alignable, nonprofits can increase their visibility and reach potential supporters who may not be aware of the organization.

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Alignable Promotions are a great way to share upcoming events, fundraising campaigns, or announcements with your Alignable community and extended Alignable network.??

When a promotion is posted, it is automatically listed on your Alignable Calendar. Your Alignable connections will also be notified, allowing them to like and refer to their respective networks, helping your event reach more people. Promotions are also added to your connection's Referral Activity feeds, which members visit daily.

Alignable's Groups feature is a great way to connect with others who are passionate about similar issues or causes. You can join a group or start a group. Joining or hosting an Alignable Group can allow you to gain valuable connections and knowledge in your respective field.?

Alignable's Events feature is a great way to host live or virtual events such as discussions, fundraisers, meet our clients/team, expert panels, and much more. The possibilities are endless.?

Ask Advice is a fantastic feature to find advice or give advice. Got a question about how to make your website SEO friendly, ask an expert! Alignable is a community of professionals that are always happy to share their knowledge and skills.??

Some tips… based on my mistakes:

• Profile – I suggest doing this before?you connect to people or invite people to join you on Alignable and ensure that it is filled out completely.
• Connections - If you received an email from me about Alignable, I didn’t see the "deselect all" button before I accidentally spammed thousands of people ??
• Learn the platform - Take a little time to learn how the system works. There are many helpful videos and articles, some of which I have linked to in this article.
• Recommendations - Look at your connections and identify the people that you know and would happily recommend to people for products or services. Your recommendations don’t need to be more than a couple of sentences.
• Engage - Scroll through the feed to see what questions you could answer.?Like or comment on posts or refer other members to other organizations that might be helpful. Post your own questions, updates, promotions, events, and more.
• Commit to it - Like any social media tool, make a plan and use it consistently. I always give a new platform a few months before I decide to bring it on board or ditch it.

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Alignable is a powerful tool that nonprofits can use to reach their fundraising and marketing goals. By creating a profile, connecting with businesses in their community, and utilizing Alignable's Events and Groups features, nonprofits can easily promote their work and find potential donors. If you're looking for an easy way to increase awareness of your nonprofit and its work, consider using Alignable. And be sure to connect with us, The Cause Specialists.