If you’re looking to build up your nonprofit’s community engagement, you’ve come to the right place! Sometimes, it’s hard to know the best way to get your surrounding community invested in your mission and energized to help out. In this article, we’ll look at three community engagement strategies you can enact to boost involvement and donations. Read on!
You’ve heard the phrase “it takes a village” referring to raising a child. Well, sometimes it also takes a village to help your nonprofit grow and affect real change in the world. That’s where nonprofit community engagement comes in.
But getting the support of your community isn’t always easy, and it doesn’t happen overnight. In this article, we’ll share three potent community engagement strategies to help you connect with people in your area on a meaningful and purposeful level.
Community engagement for nonprofits is just what it sounds like – an action or series of actions designed to get your community more involved with and passionate about your mission. The goals of nonprofit community engagement include building awareness and increasing support for your mission through donations, partnerships, sponsorships, and volunteering.
A nonprofit community engagement plan is crucial for organizations serving their surrounding area, but it can also be hugely helpful to organizations serving populations outside of this local sphere. All nonprofits can benefit from a community that feels connected to and proud of their missions.
Some strategies that help build a more engaged community include:
We’ll break down each of these in the following sections so you know exactly how to create a stronger bond with your community.
Your first strategy for generating more community engagement is to seek out mutually beneficial community partnerships. Partnerships with local businesses, schools, churches, government agencies, and other nonprofits can help you:
We love how Revitalize Downtown Stayton made it easy for businesses and individuals to become partners right through their Donorbox donation page. This is great for a community-focused organization doing work that immediately benefits the surrounding area.
Your first step to finding the best community partner is to look for one whose mission and/or goals align well with yours. For example, if you’re an organization promoting youth sports, it would make sense to partner with a sporting equipment store or a sports medicine clinic – but it would make less sense to partner with a women’s clothing store.
Ensuring this partnership is logical will allow for more mutual benefits. In the example above, the organization partnering with a sports equipment store would benefit from increased awareness of its mission. The store could see an increase in its brand value and reputation for partnering with a nonprofit.
That being said…if there’s a more creative partnership you can think of, don’t be afraid to look into it! Sometimes a partnership that goes beyond what’s expected can result in organizations connecting with new communities.
For example, let’s say an animal rescue shelter partnered with a local brewery and hosted an adoption event. The shelter benefits from more adoptions and awareness while the brewery gets a boost in reputation and beer sales for that day. It’s a win-win – and a fun way to connect with the community.
When you’re ready to pitch for partnerships, it helps to target your outreach as much as possible. Do your research about the company or organization you want to partner with and create an attractive partnership plan that appeals to your intended recipient. In addition, leveraging your existing network to make connections that will benefit your organization is more time-efficient than pursuing cold leads.
Your first partnership may not work out – and that’s okay! Ultimately, the goal of a community or corporate partnership is to find something that works for both partners. It’s better to find the right fit – which can take more time – than to rush into a partnership that won’t be as beneficial in the long run.
To raise awareness about your cause, you’ll need to leverage many different communication channels to reach your community. Consider creating outreach campaigns for the following platforms:
Pro tip: Adding easy social sharing buttons to your crowdfunding campaigns is a great way to connect with new members of your community. Encourage your existing supporters to share your campaign far and wide!
Check out how easy Tapestry made social sharing on their Donorbox crowdfunding page.
Launch Your Crowdfunding Campaign
Reaching out through the right channels is only part of the battle. Next, you need to get your messaging right.
Getting members of your community on board with your cause doesn’t require a lot of copy. In fact, shorter, snappier messaging can help you reach more people – and encourage them to learn more about your organization.
Video is a great medium to adopt to reach people, especially on social media. A short, informal video with compelling content (i.e., not just a fundraising appeal) will do a better job of engaging the public about your mission.
Bonus: Check out our guide to short donation messages for examples, tips, and more!
Watch this short video to get inspired about the power of visuals for motivating donors:
When you’re trying to reach a new audience – and engage them in your cause – telling a story and appealing to their emotions is often more powerful than listing statistics and appealing to their logic. Especially if your cause is a commonly known problem.
If you’re gearing up for a community event, think about how you can make your materials and your interactions with the community fun. For example, if your organization collects donations of school supplies for children in need, maybe you hand out pencils with your logo. Creating a positive association with your organization will keep those community members thinking about you – and your cause – for years to come.
Volunteer opportunities are another great way to engage your community and spread awareness at the same time! You’ll want your volunteer opportunities to do the following:
Bonus: Learn how easy it is to turn your volunteers into donors with the Donorbox + POINT integration!
It takes all kinds to make your nonprofit run. While you should have meaningful volunteer opportunities during an event, add some flexible options that speak to different skill sets. For example, not everyone is going to want to cook food at your soup kitchen. But someone may prefer to check your guests in or work the line passing food out. Different roles mean everyone can find themselves in your organization – which makes them more likely to come back.
It seems obvious, but the only way to have a successful, engaging volunteer event is to get the word out! This is where your community partnerships can help. Ask them to share a flyer, email, or social media post. Have local media share your event details as well. Your goal is to attract a wide audience so you can introduce them to your organization.
Corporate volunteers provide your organization with an excellent opportunity to add some energy to your volunteer event. Often, these are people who work in your community (and some who live in it) who welcome the opportunity to give back and participate in meaningful work. Your community partners can also help supply volunteers and generate interest in your organization.
Bonus: Listen to this Podcast on Volunteer Engagement:
Getting your community behind you will empower and energize your organization. Community support can result in tons of benefits for your organization, like donors, volunteers, advocates, sponsors, and members. A tide of support can transform your ability to make real change in the world.
But it isn’t always easy! Spreading awareness, making the right partners, and galvanizing volunteers are your first steps to nonprofit community engagement.
Donorbox is here to help with tools that seamlessly collect donations from your supporters. Our state-of-the-art donation form boasts a 4x faster checkout and we offer many options for collecting in-person, cashless donations, like our Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app.
For more nonprofit tips, check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive curated blog content delivered right to your inbox every month.
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
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Lindsey Baker Bower