For charities, the marketing team must be capable and able to adapt to the ever-changing and advancing technologies. After all, it is in marketing that the charity depends on to get the support it needs to keep its programs and advocacies going, may it be in terms of donations or volunteers.

In this day and age, traditional marketing efforts are mostly obsolete and ineffective. Gone are the days when charities could rely on non-digital methods to get their message across effectively. Digital marketing is, by far, the most effective way to go now for charities and organisations alike. With digital marketing, the reach and scope of efforts are much bigger and can reach target audiences faster than ever before. The potential for engagement and response is also much bigger.

For your charity to be effective at digital marketing, your goals should be crystal clear from the very beginning. Say maybe you want to involve more people and increase the number of volunteers you would like to tap, or maybe your charity needs a boost in the donations it is receiving? It is very important that your charity is clear with the marketing goals it has in mind. Should you have more than one goal, try to create a list so you know what marketing strategy to do with which.

Once you are clear on your goals, the second task to do is to take note of what marketing strategies or programs are already in place and what resources are available to you. Try to see what systems are already in place and if they are effective. If not, maybe it is time to make an effort to update or upgrade systems to adapt to the changing times.

Lastly, create content that will do three very important things:

• Teach – create content that will help the audience know about you and what you are all about.
• Talk – content should encourage conversation. It is great when your audience engages and is paying attention
• Touch – the goal of your content is to touch people and make them want to take action.

At the end of the day, the goal of digital marketing for charities is to increase both awareness and action.

Moving on to another equally important factor to successful digital marketing for charities is the tools and programs used. They should be able to handle the needs of the charity and be able to deliver. As marketing is constantly changing, it is important that the charity’s digital tools adapt as well to the advancements of technology. A lot of thought must be made with regards to what tools to use, especially since there are many marketing tools that offer great deals (sometimes even free use!) to charities.

Let’s take a look at some of them that are widely used by charities:

• Canva – Using this, it is easy to create an array of graphics and social media easily. What is even better is that Canva offers Canva for Non Profits so that Charities can use the premium version free of charge.
• Slack – This is a great tool for digital marketing companies to always be on the same page. This communication platform allows teams to coordinate and collaborate on projects easily. This is a must-have for any digital marketing team as it also integrates with other tools like Google Drive, Trello, Google Calendar, Dropbox and many more. An even bigger advantage is that Slack is free to use. The paid version is also inexpensive, and they offer discounts for eligible organisations and non-profits.
• Hootsuite – This is a social media management tool for both scheduling and getting data and analysis on the performance. It is a great tool for teams and Hootsuite offers discounts for eligible non-profits.
• Mailchimp – this is a great email marketing tool that charities can use. The great thing about it too is capability-wise, the free version can accommodate the email marketing needs of small charities.

Digital Marketing is a must for charities now. You need the right strategies and you need the right tools to be effective at it. Having both at hand and having a well-equipped marketing team can really help the digital marketing efforts of charities.

-This article was written by Abby Villarica from Green Box

We all love stories.  It has been ingrained in us as humans from the time of our ancestors, where the elders used to tell their tales to explain and influence and impart knowledge.  Stories are a reminder to us that we are connected, that we share common things and common experiences.  Stories make our lives richer and they make us connect with others on a deeper level that compels a change in thought or a move to act. It is because of these that it would be a compelling argument that Charities utilize storytelling in their marketing efforts.

With so many charities around, and even more coming up every day, being able to stand out and reach your audience and compel them to act is a big feat–especially for small charities that do not have the funding for big marketing campaigns.  It is here that storytelling as a marketing tool will be a help in engaging with their target audience and create opportunities for action.  Digital storytelling is also a great tool to utilize because just about everyone can do it, uniquely and in their own way.  As humans, we love stories—we love to tell it and we love to hear about them.  Charities would be wise to utilise this in trying to further their programs and advocacies.

Here are some of the reasons why Charities need to learn the art of digital storytelling:

Digital storytelling makes your charity more relatable

Charities can sometimes come across as stiff and all business, especially if your charity is for rare or uncommon medical conditions or lesser talked about issues.  Having a strong digital storytelling marketing campaign can help in making a shift from the condition itself to the stories of the people living with and suffering because of it.  It makes your charity and what you are striving for something audiences can relate to.

Digital storytelling puts a face for your charity.  It makes the goals of your charity more real and relatability is very important to reach your audiences and make your charity efforts more effective.

Digital storytelling communicates how your charity impacts your advocacies

Digital storytelling is your opportunity to show your audiences how their help and their donations impact your charity’s beneficiaries.  It is a chance to let your audiences have a peek at what you are doing and how your charity affects change.

More and more stories of this kind can boost your charity’s moral.  They are “feel good” messages that confirm to your audience that their actions and their support has an effect. It can really make a change and encourage your audiences that being both active and supportive of your charity by volunteering or by donating is worthwhile.

Digital Storytelling compels audiences to act

As mentioned in the beginning, we all love stories.  It is interesting to know about how a charity is really making efforts and touching others’ lives with the programs and the actions it undertakes.  It is in these stories, and the emotions they bring up, that charities can use to compel audiences to act and to share.

Digital Storytelling is a very powerful tool that charities can utilise in marketing their programs and strengthening their advocacies. With so many tools to further enrich the storytelling experience–may it be by the use of pictures, videos or even data and facts; as well as 1^st hand stories from those touched by charities themselves, it is a very good idea for charities to use this in their marketing campaigns.  It not only is a way to share the goals and programs of the charity, but it is also a way to reach more and more people because interest is raised.

We all love stories.  They are raw and they are candid, and they are real. It is important that charities know how important and powerful a tool digital storytelling is and find ways to use it to their advantage.

-This article was written by Abby Villarica from Green Box