Successful Nonprofit Marketing With Brochures
According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are about 1.5 million nonprofit (NPO) organizations in the United States. It is easy to understand why nonprofit fund-raising is so important.
These organizations take upon themselves much of America's social needs. Therefore, it is always an important goal of any nonprofit organization’s brochure to generate as much revenue as possible for the following purposes:
- To meet the stated goals of the organization
- For self-preservation
- For expansion
- For future plans
Why Nonprofit Marketing is Crucial to the Organization
For funding an organization's needs, it may need to raise quite a bit of money each year. There are various ways to raise funds. Some are expensive but can generate large sums. Other nonprofits are small, neighborhood-based organizations that can raise modest amounts and depend on members' efforts.
Nonprofits must be creative, experienced, and intelligent to make sure that they meet the following needs at the same time:
- Bring awareness of the nonprofit to the community it serves
- Educate the public about the organization's goals
- Educate the organization's paid and volunteer staff about the goals and aims of the organization
- Continue to raise the marketing, financial and educational goals of the organization every year
Funding Methods for Nonprofits
Some organizations, such as the Junior League, have been in existence for decades. The members of the Junior League are professional and socially active women who work hard all year. They are well-known for their cookbooks and holiday gift shopping venues and are a major source of social investment in their communities.
Other groups, such as the American Cancer Society or supporting organizations for universities, are leading supporters in their fields.
On the other hand, small scouting groups, school bands, and athletic teams, usually work very hard selling candies, greeting cards and clothing. Many public schools also have to raise funds to make sure that their students and teachers have the equipment they need to give the students a decent education.
Nonprofit Brochures: Hitting All the Targets
Every nonprofit should have a professional brochure. A local organization can use a brochure that is provided by the national headquarters. However, even if the nonprofit only has 50 members and no outside support, it is certainly possible to have a well-written, designed and printed brochure.
Determining the Audience
You need to understand your organization’s audience for any brochure. In fact, it may be wise to produce several brochures, such as one for the business community and another to raise awareness for membership drives. A committee that is in charge of creating these brochures should have a smaller sub-committee to decide differing audiences.
Determining the Budget
First, any brochure campaign, whether it is for a permanent brochure to attract members or a short-term printed piece for an upcoming fund-raiser, will need to have a budget. This budget will decide what elements the brochure can include. A very creative team can come up with brochures that can get excellent results.
If the nonprofit has donors that give on a regular basis. Using their funds for brochure writing, editing, design and printing is a smart decision. Of course, it is nice to give a major sponsor a thank you on the brochure itself.
Determining the Design
The design is one of the most important elements of a nonprofit brochure. A good designer can produce a piece that has immediate impact, represents its organization extremely well, and a "life" that can last for decades. There are many things to keep in mind when designing a brochure and an experienced designer will make sure they are all considered.
Use Professionals Whenever Possible
Many professional designers, writers, editors and graphic artists are willing to work for less than their normal fee or even for free when they are passionate about an organization. Even if you need to have a fund-raiser for the money necessary to create a professional brochure, it is well worth every penny.
Editors Are Necessary
Editing services can be provided by teachers or other grammatical pros, but make sure someone with the right amount of knowledge proofs it. There is nothing worse than a brochure filled with bad grammar.
Determine the Best Distribution
There are many ways to distribute a brochure.
- EDDM: USPS will distribute them to every household in any area you’d like to target.
- Hand them out at events your organization attends.
- Willing volunteers can distribute them to friends and at their places of employments.
