Nonprofits 'Sell' Mission Moments

Growing competition in the nonprofit sector demands that nonprofits know what they are 'selling' in order to capture donations, grants, volunteers, sponsors, staff, etc. Those who seek to translate 'corporate marketing' into the nonprofit world can become too focused on trying to differentiate the experience of giving. There are certainly nuances but the baseline reasons are typically the same. Think instead about whom you are trying to influence. Then, think about the mission moments that will connect them to your organization. Create a file that captures the connection with a funder, with a sponsor, with an employee, with a volunteer. Service recipient stories and impact statements are great supporting detail as well, but remember that your stakeholders are a diverse bunch bound together by some unifying belief in your purpose. So, seek to find the ways in which you can connect their deep beliefs with your cause, reinforce it by sharing the different kinds of connections that have been made. Help them scratch their itch. Lose sight of how you deliver on your mission, it becomes blurry for others as to how they can be part of it.