3 Steps to Start Creating Marketing Content for Nonprofits

A key goal of the marketing content you create for your nonprofit is to share your organization's story with the world. Before you begin broadcasting that story, it’s important to take several behind-the-scenes steps.

Everyone on your team—not just the marketing or communications team —should understand what your brand means and what it stands for. A clear articulation of your mission and reason for being will drive everything about your nonprofit marketing strategy including the traditional elements of collateral.

Before you create your collateral, here are some internal tools to help you understand and define your organization's brand.

1. Brand platform

Your brand platform isn’t a tagline or slogan; it’s the collection of beliefs, goals, and values that defines not just what you do, but why, and how you express that both internally and externally.

The brand platform includes:

• Mission statement
• Brand statement
• Core brand messages
• Core values
• Brand voice
• Vision & audible identity

2. Internal marketing campaign

Anyone with experience in communications can attest that it doesn’t matter how amazing your organization is if no one knows you exist, or doesn't quite understand what it stands for. 

Same with your brand platform: If your colleagues don’t know about it, they can’t help your nonprofit transform it from words into action. And team action is what it takes to enact successful marketing strategies for your nonprofit organization. 

Do:

• Build an internal marketing campaign around your brand platform.
• Develop marketing collateral templates with the brand platform baked in for everyone to use.
• Provide a framework while encouraging people on staff to talk about the brand platform in their own words.

Don’t:

• Assume that the brand platform is already part of your organiztaion’s culture.
• Make the brand platform only something that only the communications team talks about. Give everyone a sense of ownership.
• Forget anyone—you need advocates for the brand across the company.

3. Collateral development

Once you’ve created a strong brand platform and spread the word across the company, you’re ready to continue working on the assets that make up a complete marketing collateral checklist. Look beyond traditional marketing collateral to make sure you've got the collateral you'll need to develop a strong digital presence for your nonprofit.