Spring 2015 - ten tips for charity marketing growth

I wanted to write a quick checklist of some of things we’ve been asked to look at with our charity clients, many of whom are consolidating what they are doing with their marketing this year. It doesn’t matter if you are half way through or at the beginning of your planning cycle, why not run through this check list?

1. Define where you think the majority of your supporters are on the ‘supporter journey’- take a day out to review where each audience is.
2. Challenge your team to generate one piece of comms a month that defines what your cause stands for (and has an insight that only you could use). Maybe that’s where this Halloween inspired idea came from for Doctors of the World?
3. Define the role of your social media and prune channels that's aren't working. Who are they for and are they adding any value? Who is responsible for them? Are they reflective of how people interact with you - on ‘broadcast’ or ‘listen’ mode?
4. Celebrate your work and thank your supporters, explain how you spent their money. Here’s a great example from Greenpeace - 2014 was BIG. Let's make 2015 even bigger.
5. Run a competition with your supporters for better ways to engage with them. Help for Heroes have amassed a whole A- Z of ideas.
6. Why not do a placement at one of your partners, maybe even better do a job swap with say P&G marketing.
7. Help find a new comms professional for your Board of Trustees by drawing up a shortlist of new skills you need (go and meet them and get their advice). Look at WWF, they have a digital expert.
8. Make your Trustee board quarterly reporting a useful part of the team reporting process, rather than an add on
9. Look for new commercial opportunities for your charity brand.
10. Make sure you write up case studies of all your campaigns and partnership work and get it on your website (and enter awards).

I do hope you have a good year and please do make the most of it.

Giles Robertson, Founder and Managing Director of Green Banana Marketing Ltd, Marketing Soc. and RSA Fellow, Charity Group chairman, Trustee of Marine Conservation Society, member of 2Degrees board of advisers and the Sustainability Growth Group. Follow him on twitter @gogreenbanana or email at [email protected].

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