Nonprofits face unique challenges when it comes to building awareness, gaining supporters, and driving donations. With limited budgets, resources, and a crowded online space everyone’s vying for — the key is to create an effective, smart, and impactful digital PR campaign.
Creating a digital PR campaign for nonprofits doesn’t have to be daunting. Let’s break it down so it’s easy to understand and implement. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, think of this checklist as your go-to for sharing your nonprofit’s mission in a meaningful way.
Checklist: 10 Essentials for a Nonprofit Digital PR Campaign
Before we get started, here’s a quick checklist to make sure you have the basics covered:
- Clear mission and messaging. Be sure your mission statement and messaging are strong and consistent across all platforms.
- Target audience. Identify and understand your key audience, donors, volunteers, sponsors, etc.
- Compelling storytelling. Develop a narrative that captures your nonprofit’s heart and purpose.
- Strategic goals. Outline your digital PR goals, brand awareness, donations, volunteer recruitment, community engagement.
- Content calendar. Plan your content for press releases, blogs, videos, interviews, social media posts.
- Partnerships and influencers. Research potential partnerships with influencers, media outlets, or other organizations to share your story.
- Call to action (CTA). Make sure your nonprofit PR campaign has strong, clear CTAs in all content to drive action.
- Metrics and KPIs. Establish key performance indicators to measure success.
- Email list. Build or refine your email list to stay in touch with your supporters, partners, donors, sponsors.
- Media kit. Prepare a media kit with key assets like logos, fact sheets, press releases, and high-quality photos.
What is a Digital PR Campaign for Nonprofits?
Digital PR for nonprofit organizations isn’t just about sending out press releases. It’s about creating an integrated strategy that builds your online reputation, engages your audience, and helps you grow your impact. With the right campaign, nonprofits can increase awareness of their cause, donations, and expand their network of supporters—all while amplifying their mission across multiple channels.
How to Build a Public Relations Plan for Your Nonprofit
When building your campaign, design it to reflect your nonprofit’s values, showcase your unique story, and create lasting relationships with both media outlets and your community.
- Define Your Campaign’s Purpose and Goals
- Understand Your Nonprofit’s Audience
- Craft Your Nonprofit’s Story
- Develop Your Content Strategy
- Leverage Media Outreach for PR
- Partner with Influencers and Ambassadors
- Measure The Success of Your Nonprofit PR Campaign
Step 1 – Define Your Campaign’s Purpose and Goals
A successful digital PR campaign starts with a clear purpose. What do you want to achieve? Are you looking to promote a specific event, raise funds for a campaign, or boost your nonprofit’s visibility? Defining your goals is the first step.
Key Considerations in Your Digital PR Campaign
- What’s most important on your agenda? To increase awareness, donations, or connect with your community?
- Do you have a specific time frame for your campaign? Is it short-term (one day, six weeks) or for a full year?
- How will you measure success? Are you looking for media coverage, to drive website traffic, or a 25% increase in sponsorship dollars?
Define SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—so you have a clear direction from the outset. For example, instead of saying, “We want to raise awareness,” try something like, “We want to increase social media followers by 20% within six months.”
Step 2 – Understand Your Nonprofit’s Audience
Randomly throwing darts at a wall isn’t going to get you results. To really make an impact, tailor your campaign to your audience. Nonprofit organizations often have a mix of stakeholders, from donors and volunteers to sponsors and program participants. By segmenting these groups and understanding what drives them, you can create messaging that connects with both your nonprofit’s mission and their goals.
Tips for Audience Research
- Survey your audience. Use simple online surveys or polls to gather insights about their needs, values, and how they prefer to engage.
- Analyze website and social media data. Tools like Google Analytics (check out their online classes here) or Facebook Insights can help you understand your audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors.
- Build personas. Create detailed audience personas to tailor your messages to each group’s unique preferences and motivations.
Step 3 – Craft Your Nonprofit’s Story
When it comes to digital PR, storytelling is everything. It’s what connects people to your cause and makes them want to take action. Your nonprofit’s story should be authentic, emotionally compelling, and mission driven. It should pull at their heartstrings and motivate them to get involved.
Tips for Crafting a Strong Story
- Highlight impact. Focus on the real-world difference your nonprofit is making. Use statistics, success stories, and testimonials to show how you’re changing lives.
- Use multimedia. Videos, reels, photos, and infographics can make your story more engaging and shareable.
- Be human. Introduce the people behind your organization—it could be your team, volunteers, or the community you serve.
- Create urgency. If you’re fundraising, explain why immediate action is needed and what the impact of their support will be.
Step 4 – Develop Your Content Strategy
Once your story is clear, it’s time to build a content strategy that widens the reach of your message. In digital PR, content is the vehicle that drives your campaign forward.
Digital PR Ideas for Nonprofits
- Press releases. Announce new programs, partnerships, leadership, or events.
- Blog posts. Share stories about your work, volunteers, or news related to your cause.
- Social media posts. Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to engage your audience and build a community.
- Videos. Create short, powerful videos that convey your nonprofit’s message in a way your audience responds to.
- Infographics: Use visuals to present data or tell a story in an easily digestible format.
Build a content calendar to plan out your messaging and focus on key dates (like Giving Tuesday). Align your content across all social platforms, noting when your audience is online.
Step 5 – Leverage Media Outreach for PR
Now that you have a strong story and content plan, it’s time to get the word out through media outreach. Media coverage can help you reach a broader audience and enhance your nonprofit’s credibility. And the Art of Digital PR can be learned.
How to Reach the Media
Build a media list. Identify national and local PR contacts, journalists, bloggers, and influencers who cover topics related to your cause. Don’t forget about niche outlets that focus on nonprofit work or your specific mission.
- Pitch your story. Tailor your pitches to each media outlet, emphasizing why your nonprofit’s story matters to their audience.
- Follow up. Journalists are busy, so don’t be afraid to follow up if you don’t hear back. Keep your follow-ups short and friendly.
- Engage with the media on social. Comment on or share posts from reporters and outlets you’d like to connect with. Building relationships before you pitch can increase your chances of coverage.
Step 6 – Partner with Influencers and Ambassadors
Influencers aren’t just for big brands. Micro influencers can also help nonprofits gain exposure and credibility. Look for individuals who are passionate about your cause and have an engaged following, whether they’re local celebrities, community leaders, or social media influencers.
How to Build Influencer Relationships
- Identify the right influencers. Look for influencers who share your values and have a connection to your cause. Micro-influencers (with 10,000–100,000 followers) can often be more effective than larger influencers.
- Offer value. Whether it’s through exclusive access to events, a special recognition, or a personal connection to your mission, offer something in return for their support.
- Co-create content. Partner with influencers to create authentic content that they can share with their audience. Make it a win-win proposition.
Step 7 – Measure The Success of Your Nonprofit PR Campaign
No digital PR campaign is complete without measuring results. Establishing clear KPIs at the start will help you track your success and tweak your strategy as needed.
Key Metrics for Nonprofit Campaigns
- Media mentions. Track how many media outlets covered your campaign and who they were. Were they from your top list, or a secondary one?
- Social media engagement. Monitor likes, shares, comments, and overall growth on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
- Website traffic. Use Google Analytics to track how many people visit your site from media coverage or social posts. Data will guide what to do next.
- Donations or sign-ups. Look at spikes in donations or volunteer sign-ups during your campaign. What was happening at that time?
- Email list growth. Monitor how many new subscribers you gain as a result of your campaign. Did you direct them to a separate landing page or your main website?
By regularly reviewing these metrics, you can assess what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve future campaigns for even greater success.
Bottom Line: How Your Nonprofit Can Use Digital PR
Creating a successful digital PR campaign for your nonprofit doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By following these steps, you’ll be able to create a campaign that tells your story, reaches the right audience, and drives a specific call to action. Remember to focus on your mission, use the power of storytelling, and leverage the resources you have—whether through media, influencers, or your own community.
Now that you know how to create a digital PR campaign for your nonprofit, it’s time to get started. Need help along the way? Let’s talk about how we can amplify your nonprofit’s voice and make a bigger impact online. Your organization deserves the attention that you’ve worked so hard for. And if a small business grant pays for PR training? All the better.
Robin Samora is a Boston-based Marketing and PR expert helping small business owners and nonprofits exceed their goals. Her straightforward approach to problem solving and high energy make working with her both engaging and incredibly productive.
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