In today’s global and digital world, digital marketing isn’t an option for nonprofits–it’s a necessity for success! People rely on phones, laptops, and other devices for everything from work and shopping to social gatherings.
As a nonprofit fundraiser, it’s critical to ensure you’re reaching your supporters in the spaces they use most frequently–both digitally and in real life.
The right digital tech solutions make life easier and work more fun. The great news is that there are loads of free or affordable online tools to help you connect with your audience and save you time, energy, and resources! Here are some of our favorite online marketing tools for nonprofits and organizations.
4 Critical Digital Tools for Nonprofit Marketing
In the world of online tools and resources, there are the “nice to have” tools and the “must-have” categories that are essential for long-term success. We gathered the top four critical digital tools for any nonprofit to create an effective digital marketing strategy.
1. Every nonprofit needs a donor CRM system for digital marketing
We’re not afraid to sound like a broken record when we say that every nonprofit needs some kind of system to host and maintain all your supporter information.
Some nonprofits might be very small and able to rely on a secure spreadsheet. Most nonprofits need a constituent relationship management (CRM) system to track interactions with donors and build stronger relationships. The data you gather through different touchpoints can be valuable to the long-term financial success of your nonprofit. It’s worth investing in a tool to keep those details organized and up-to-date.
We’re not shy to say that our favorite CRM system for nonprofits is Salesforce. It allows organizations to log all the relevant information about donors in one place so you can personalize your marketing messages to each person. It also has features like list segmentation and email automation.
Another critical feature that most nonprofits will find helpful is data reporting. A quality CRM system allows you to generate comprehensive reports on everything from individual donor activity to financial statements. This tool will also allow you to configure customized reports so you can track progress toward your specific marketing and fundraising goals.
It’s also critical that your CRM system integrates with other software tools you use–like your donation and event pages. Salesforce and Soapbox Engage apps are designed to integrate seamlessly to save you loads of time and energy!
2. Email marketing is critical for nonprofit success
Email marketing is one of the pillars of digital marketing success for nonprofits. Email is affordable and effective, allowing you to reach supporters individually or in large groups while maintaining a personal tone.
Whether you’re working directly in a CRM system or in a dedicated email platform, every nonprofit needs an email marketing tool that lets you segment your subscriber list. Email segmenting allows you to create targeted messages that resonate with your readers.
Our top digital tools pick: Soapbox Mailer offers all the tools you need for email marketing success. Plus, it fully integrates with other Soapbox Engage apps and Salesforce CRM systems. So, you’ll spend less time getting the data or information you need and more time engaging your supporters.
3. Save time and energy with a social media management tool
Social media is a very influential medium for digital marketing and fundraising for nonprofits–and it’s only growing. For many people, social media is practically part of every area of life now. Since there are new updates and trends practically every day, social media is also one of the most innovative and dynamic marketing platforms.
Many nonprofits rely on social media management tools to help schedule posts, assess social media analytics, and grow their audience with more targeted content.
When choosing a social media management tool for your nonprofit, one key feature to look for is the ability to manage several pages from one platform. This will save you time and energy and make your social media strategy more cohesive and unified.
You’ll also want access to reporting and monitoring tools that help you track the success of your posts based on data like engagements, mentions, and other metrics. This data will help you track progress and adjust your social media campaigns for greater effectiveness.
The option to schedule many posts in advance is another feature that nonprofits appreciate. Planning a lot of social media posts at one time helps you avoid having to dedicate time throughout the day to social media. It’s especially beneficial during major fundraising campaigns where you’re really making a strong social media appeal.
Our top digital tools pick: Two of our favorite social media management tools are Hootsuite and Buffer. They’re both practical, easy to use, and affordable options that can grow with your nonprofit.
4. Every nonprofit needs a graphic design tool for digital marketing
You and your nonprofit probably spent valuable time and resources perfecting your branding and image. That’s why you need a simple graphic design platform that allows you to create marketing materials that align with that branding!
When you think about all the different graphics and marketing materials you create throughout the year, it’s probably quite a lot! From Instagram posts to event flyers and everything in between, think of the time and energy you’ll save with the right graphic design tool. Plus, creating high-quality digital content can positively impact the outcome of your fundraising and marketing campaigns.
Our top digital tools pick: We’re big fans of Canva for creating free (or very affordable) graphic design content. There are countless templates and designs. Or, if you’re feeling creative, you can go rogue and design from scratch! The free version of Canva is quite robust, but subscription options give you additional resources.
Other graphic design platforms options include Adobe Creative Cloud Express (formerly Adobe Spark), VistaCreate, and Genially.
More Digital Tools for Nonprofits
We know development professionals are always looking for more tools and resources to streamline things and make tasks easier. Here are some more tools for productivity and creativity that can save you time, energy, and money.
Graphic design and stock images tools for nonprofits
We touched on graphic design tools earlier, but we wanted to add a few more standout tools to tuck away for potential use down the road.
Adobe Video Resizer: Most of us have found ourselves needing to resize an image or video for a project or to upload to social media. Adobe Video Resizer is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Express and makes this process a breeze. Just upload the video, choose your size, and then download! The tool even has settings for social media defaults. What a time-saver!
Remove BG: Have you ever wanted to use a photo, but something in the background tarnishes an otherwise awesome pic? Remove BG removes the background from images–that’s it! This tool is super practical for adding profile pics to your website or creating fun graphics with photos. Tuck this tool away. You might not use it often, but you’ll be glad you have it.
Unsplash: We’re big fans of Unsplash for quality images. While they do have a premium or paid option, many great stock photos are in their free file. Unsplash is a common resource for many nonprofits and businesses, so some people may recognize the images you use. But at least it will look great–and quality goes a long way in digital marketing!
Other digital marketing and communication tools for nonprofit success
There are countless tools in this category, and more are coming online every day. So, this is by no means an exhaustive list of our favorite digital marketing and communication tools that can make your job easier.
Slack: When used correctly, Slack can be an incredible communication tool for nonprofits, helping you save time and energy. While plenty of workflow tools might offer similar features, Slack really can help streamline communication and bring everyone to one central “talking space.” The Slack for Nonprofits program offers free and discounted plans to eligible organizations.
Loom: Loom videos are beautiful and unique ways to say thank you to donors. It allows you to capture your screen, record with your front-facing camera, and narrate all at once. Then you can share it with an easy link–no uploading or switching apps necessary! We’re sure you can think of loads of creative ways to use this video tool.
Google Analytics: Google Analytics is completely free and easy to use with your nonprofit’s website. It lets you see how your website performs, where your traffic is coming from, and what pages are getting the most visits. These are valuable insights as you seek to attract more visitors or improve your website functionality!
Trello: Trello is a unique project management tool that helps you organize tasks into “cards.” Then, you can place the cards on separate “boards.” This format is an easy way to brainstorm, collect ideas, and categorize tasks. It also has other interesting features like voting options, due dates, and membership management.
Trello has a free version or subscription options. We think this tool can help you plan fundraising events or organize your fundraising calendar and assign tasks accordingly throughout the year. However, there are loads of potential applications for this clever tool.
Time is a valuable commodity for development professionals. Curating a list of tools and resources to save time and boost efficiency can really help improve your overall digital marketing. Plus, with the right digital marketing resources, you’ll be well-positioned to build and expand your online audience!
Here are three more resources to help you boost your online fundraising strategies.
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