Do you want to boost donations to your nonprofit? Of course you do! Every nonprofit organization could use additional funds, whether it’s to launch new programs, serve more clients, increase their service area, or hire more help (or give their existing hard-working staff the pay raise they deserve). But boosting donations is easier said than done. Or is it?
Beeline, a nonprofit marketing agency serving Tampa, says that there’s one simple thing nonprofits can do to boost donations: craft a clear value proposition and put it in front of their potential donors.
What is a value proposition? It’s a clear, concise statement that summarizes the unique benefit(s) your organization provides. It tells potential donors what you do, why it’s important, and why they should support your cause. People have endless options when it comes to ways to spend or give their hard-earned money. You need to provide them with a compelling reason to give it to you!
If your nonprofit doesn’t already have a stated value proposition, it’s time to craft one. Here is some advice to get you started:
Ask Questions to Find Your Nonprofit’s Value Proposition
You, as a nonprofit leader, may think you know your value proposition, but it always helps to get other perspectives. You can ask your clients, your staff and volunteers, as well as current donors for their thoughts.
You can ask your clients questions like:
- In what ways have our services impacted your life?
- What specific needs have our organization addressed?
Of your staff and volunteers, you can ask:
- What part of your work do you see as having the greatest impact?
- What type of help do our clients ask for the most?
You can ask your existing donors questions like these:
- What caused you to give to our nonprofit in the first place?
- What do you value most about the work we are doing?
Once you have gathered answers to your questions, start to look for common words and themes. You might be surprised by what you find. What your clients and supporters value the most may not be the things you assumed they would. For example, if you were running an organization that provides meals for the homeless population in your community, you might assume that the most valuable thing you are providing is free food for those in need. However, the answers to your questions might reveal that the most important service you are providing is kindness and a listening ear to those who are often invisible to the rest of society. In this case, your organization’s value proposition should be about more than just feeding the homeless. It should include language about caring for them, and about connecting with them on an emotional level.
Keep it Simple
Your nonprofit’s value proposition doesn’t have to be complex or cleverly worded. It does, however, need to be clearly stated.
Here’s the advice a nonprofit marketing agency in Tampa gave to nonprofit leaders in one of their recent blog posts: “Clever marketing campaigns and complex messaging appeal to the campaign creator. They make the creator feel productive and clever. The creator goes home at night and feels valuable. But such campaigns often fail to resonate meaningfully with their audience. Focus instead on simplifying your value proposition…using language that is easy to understand and emotionally resonant. And short. As short as possible.”
Simple. Easy to understand. Short. It sounds like it should be easy to create a value proposition like this, but it might be more challenging than you anticipate, especially if no one on your team is particularly gifted in this type of messaging. You may need to partner with a nonprofit marketing agency in Tampa to help you come up with a value proposition that will be true to your organization, but also resonate with potential donors.
Once you’ve determined your organization’s value proposition, put it everywhere: on your website’s home page; on your donation page; on any “leave-behind” pieces you give to potential donors; in emails; in newsletters…you get the idea.
