Nonprofits – BlakSheep Creative https://blaksheepcreative.com Website Design, SEO, and Digital Marketing in Denham Springs, LA Thu, 23 Jan 2025 00:57:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://blaksheepcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/cropped-blaksheep-creative-denham-springs-web-design-SEO-agency-32x32.png Nonprofits – BlakSheep Creative https://blaksheepcreative.com 32 32 28 Blog Ideas for Your Nonprofit https://blaksheepcreative.com/digital-marketing/nonprofits/28-nonprofit-blog-post-ideas/ Sun, 04 Oct 2020 16:40:56 +0000 https://blaksheepcreative.com/?p=67419 Blog posts are an effective way to highlight your nonprofit organization’s success, build excitement around your fundraising campaigns, and provide a means to encourage dialogue with your community.

Additionally, producing quality content regularly can also improve your search engines rankings.

Two of the most challenging parts of a nonprofit’s blogging process are deciding what you want to write about and actually writing the content.

For content marketers, the worst feeling in the world is feeling uninspired. That’s why we’ve written a list of blog ideas for nonprofit organizations to help give you some inspiration to create the perfect blog content for your nonprofit organization.

Nonprofit Blog Ideas

Use the following 28 ideas to force your mind to get creative and create useful content for your audience. You can either dedicate small blocks of time to think about each idea and write freely, or you can buckle down and blast out your entire post.

Remember, these are just ideas, and this is just an exercise. If you get stuck, you can always revisit and edit your work. If you get stuck on one idea, move on to another topic.

Who knows, you may get inspired later and revisit the initial topic.

Ready? Let’s go! Here are some post ideas for your nonprofit website:

Write About the Time You Were Inspired to Make an Impact

Perhaps you were most inspired when you joined your organization. Maybe it goes beyond your organization’s mission and is based on the passion of your leadership staff.

What moved you to get involved? Was it disgust, sadness, amazement, or disappointment that moved you?

Tell your nonprofit’s story through photos.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Let your images do the talking. Use photos, videos, art, etc., to show the impact of your event, moment, or story.

Photograph a day of volunteering, a fundraising event, your organization’s supporters, the flow of funds from donors to recipients, or anything else you can think of.  

Protip: Be sure to write some content to accompany the photos for SEO boosts. Although Google and other search engines can’t crawl images (yet!), they do, however, use the text on your webpages to help rank you in the results pages.

Share about your staff.

Your staff is the backbone of your nonprofit organization. They’re the boots on the ground raising funds and seeing that everything flows smoothly.

Use your blog to highlight them. Write about staff culture, a staff retreat, spotlight individual members.

Show your website’s visitors the faces behind the day-to-day operations to earn trust from potential donors.

Highlight a volunteer/member

blog post idea volunteer highlight

Just like highlighting your staff, highlighting your volunteers and members is another way to add faces to your nonprofit. Show your appreciation to those who are giving back to your organization while creating an incentive for others to get involved.  

For example, having a “volunteer of the month” or highlight your nonprofit’s donors and supporters and makes them feel valued.

Highlight a Donor / Corporate Partner

One way to make donors feel engaged and involved with your NGO is to meet with them for a blog post.

Whether you interview them, highlight their company, or ask them questions about what got them involved, you can use this as an opportunity to show involvement and appreciation with those who donate to help your mission.

Plus, it gives your corporate partners a little free advertising, and every company loves that right.  

Think about it. I bet you can think of numerous corporations known for their support to both local and global nonprofits. Chances are, not only the company name came to mind, but the nonprofit that they support.

Here is an example from the Air Force Aid Society’s website:

donor highlight air force aid society blog post idea
donor highlight air force aid society blog post idea

Featuring your partners not only gives them a boost in visibility but creates a mutually beneficial relationship.

For example, you may be offered opportunities to write guest posts for the company on their website, positioning your organization in front of a whole new audience.

Write About Your Beneficiaries

Allow your website visitors to see where their donations go and the impact your nonprofit is making on the world. Interview (and show photos) of those who benefit from your organization’s hard work. 

Personal stories of those you serve help make them more relatable and boost your donors’ confidence that your organization is legit.

Write About the People Who Inspire You

Everyone has a list of people that they look to for inspiration. Maybe they’re active in your nonprofit’s niche today, or perhaps they’re from generations past.

Now write about what thought leaders you take inspiration from and organizations that you look up to.  

The subject of the blog post doesn’t have to be some well-known philanthropist either. Your mom may have been the one to get you inspired in feeding the hungry, or watching a schoolmate suffer from bullying may have pushed you towards social issues.

No matter who inspired you, connecting them to the work you’re doing offers valuable insight into your organization to your readers.

Give Visitors a Behind-the-Scenes Look Into Your Nonprofit

By giving your website’s visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your organization, your website becomes more than just ordinary. It allows potential donors and volunteers a chance to see what goes on backstage at your nonprofit.

behind scenes blog post idea cajun navy 2016
behind scenes blog post idea cajun navy 2016

Nonprofits tend to be more approachable and hands-on than traditional businesses. Leverage this opportunity and share photos, videos, and highlights of events from a behind-the-scenes perspective.

Although donors may be more focused on your organization’s causes, by emphasizing the hard work and dedication behind the scenes, you can boost support for your nonprofit.

Write About Day-to-Day Operations

Each day comes with new challenges. Look around your organization’s office. What’s new or unique about the day? Did you all hire a new fundraising coordinator? Adopt a new strategy? Fall short on a campaign?  

Share interesting organizational updates to keep donors and volunteers informed and interested in your organization.

Announce Company News

Your blog is a great place to post news stories about your organization. Have you reached a fundraising goal? Need to announce a new campaign? Create a post to broadcast your news items.

Protip: Use a service such as EINpresswire to send out an accompanying press release to news aggregators to help spread your news story. Sending our press releases is an excellent way to share information and gain backlinks to your news article to boost your SEO.

Give Updates From The Field

Appeal to your supporters’ curiosity by providing regular updates on what’s happening in the field.

If at all possible, give them a real-time update to show your impact. Real-time updates help legitimize your work in your donor’s eyes and can reengage anyone whose interests may have fallen off.

Have a Staff Member Write About Their Favorite Part of Their Job

Professionals from small nonprofits to global powerhouses are at the forefront of some of the most inspiring work being performed across the world.

Even if you’re not boots-on-the-ground with the people you serve, there is something about your job that brings you joy and satisfaction. How can your blot’s readers relate?

Explain why your cause is essential.

Why does your cause matter, and why should your readers care? Often, these simple questions go unanswered by nonprofit leaders.

Tell your readers and website visitors in detail why your mission is important and why they should invest in it.

Call Your Audience to Action

Give your audience and supporters simple ways to drive change within their circle of influence and community. Provide a list and challenge them to accomplish all of the items on that list.

Doing so connects your blog’s readers to your organization and allows them to get involved and donate their time and energy to your nonprofit – all the while having fun.

Protip: Turn this challenge into a social media campaign or encourage peer-to-peer fundraising either on a third-party platform or your website.  Do you need help with your social media marketing?  We’re here to help.People love a good competition. Prod them to compete among their social media platforms to reach a fundraising goal. (Not sure how to do it? Contact us, we can help.).

Write About Challenges Your Nonprofit Faces

What challenges does your nonprofit face as you advance your mission? Whether they’re big or small, consider writing about some of the obstacles that stand in your way to help your readers understand what you’re doing to overcome them.

Write About Your Programs

Your blog is a great place to share any recent developments of news about your programs. Showing your supporters tangible events and milestones can help them see the impact of their contributions and encourage them to continue their support.

Create a Blog Post About Upcoming Campaigns

Give community members a sneak peek into your next campaign.

animal cruelty nonprofit blog post campaign idea

When your campaign launches, create a blog post inviting them to participate.

You can describe the need for the campaign, how it came to fruition, or just an overview of the logistics, goals, and ways to get involved.

Reflect on Campaign Milestones

Milestones are an essential part of any goal-setting process.

Creating milestones allows a nonprofit to measure its success and motivates them to continue moving forward. Let your website’s visitors know about these milestones.

Are you close to reaching a campaign fundraising goal?

Posting about campaign milestones will help develop a sense of urgency and let your visitors know you need just a little more support.

Answer Frequently Asked Questions

Do you keep getting the same (or similar) questions from your supporters or would-be supporters?

nonprofit frequently asked question faq post

Create a frequently asked questions (FAQ) post to answer them.

Provide in-depth answers to common questions. Then, the next time you’re asked them, you can refer people to your blog to find the answers.

Protip: Make sure to have your website developer add FAQ schema to your frequently asked questions blog post to let search engines know what the page content is, and help you gain a much-coveted rich snippet in Google search engines results pages.

Learn more about Schema and SEO For Nonprofits and Small Businesses in our recent blog post.

Show Where Donations Go

Nonprofit supporters love transparency. Show them where their donations go. Create a blog post explaining how funds and material donations are dispersed. Consider attaching appropriate nonprofit financials to show administrative expenses to donation disbursement amounts.

Write About the Impact of Donations

Give your audience examples of what their donation means for your cause. Show your readers what a $10 donation would do for your beneficiaries. What impact would $100 have? What impact would a recurring gift of $20 per month?  

Provide detailed examples to empower readers to give.

Write to Say Thanks

Brainstorm some creative ways to thank your donors on your blog. Thanking your donors is an often-overlooked common courtesy. However, it’s an essential part of your donor stewardship strategy.

nonprofit thank you blog post idea
nonprofit thank you blog post idea

Create a thank you video, letter, or another fun way to express your gratitude.

Create a Video or Podcast

While we’re on the topic of videos, consider creating and using alternative media forms for your posts.

Outline a short script and create a video thanking your donors, volunteers, and/or advocates.  

Here’s an example from Afya Foundations blog post to recruit volunteers.

You can use this video in individual blog posts, or make it its very own post.

Consider creating a Podcast or Vodcast to allow subscribers to stay up-to-date with your organization.

Protip: Much like FAQ posts, make sure that your web developer adds Video Schema to posts that contain videos. Include a video sitemap for your website to let web crawlers know the location of all of the video elements on your website to increase your chance of landing a Rich Snippet in the SERPs.

Highlight NGO Industry News

Write a blog article about current news in the nonprofit industry. If there are events that directly impact your industry or organization, share news articles describing the impact they will have on your organization.

Keeping your audience informed on news that impacts your organization can reinforce the need to support your programs and increase donations.

What current trends impact your nonprofit’s daily operations? How is your organization continuing to be innovative? Are you new technologies and methods being created that could help your nonprofit streamline its processes?

Use a blog post as an opportunity to inform your readers about hot topics across the NGO sectors.

Write About Your Events

What events are coming up for your organization? Are you hosting a fundraising gala? An upcoming workday for volunteers at your warehouse?

nonprofit walk for life cancer blog post idea

Before the event, outline it in your blog. Explain the details of the event by creating a post for your blog.  

After the event, provide a recap of the event, what was accomplished, and its impacts on your organization and its mission.

How did the event go? What did people miss out on if they didn’t attend?  

Events are an easy source of content because they are often fun and quick to write about while remaining interesting for website visitors.

Write to Create a Dialogue

Write a blog post to encourage discussions. Ask your readers direct questions about events, fundraising, your events, or anything you think may be of value and allow them to provide feedback in the post’s comments section.

Protip: Consider adding these questions to your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) blog posts or pages to save you time answering them later on.

Invite a Guest Blogger

Invite industry professionals, volunteers, donors, or any other author to submit entries to provide your audience with a fresh perspective. Some of the other benefits of having guest blog posts on your website are:

  • Diverse content – New authors can provide fresh perspectives and ideas. Another author (or authors) can breathe life into an otherwise stale blog.
  • Access new audiences – Guest posters will bring a new audience with them. While it may not be a new audience, every new reader is a potential donor or volunteer.
  • Increased networking – Perhaps your guest authors are up and coming NGO professionals. New professionals trying to create a name for themself will almost always submit articles to gain exposure and build their authority in the nonprofit world.
  • More experts on board – Although you may already be considered an expert in your field, it never hurts to add more. Every expert who writes an article for your blog adds to your authority with readers (and search engines).
  • The feel of a professional publication – By having a stream of guest posters, your blog will appear more official. A rotation of authors on your blog will make it seem less like a blog and more like a magazine.
  • Easy content creation – Frequently updated content is a cornerstone of any content marketing strategy. By having guest bloggers on your nonprofit’s website, you save time crafting content. Sure, you’ll have to proofread it for typos and grammar, but the hard work is already done.

Conclusion

Use this list of nonprofit blog post ideas to help generate new and engaging content for your blog. You don’t have to use just one idea per post. Feel free to combine any of the list items mentioned above to craft the perfect blog for your nonprofit.

We’d love to hear (and read) any posts that use this article to craft. Drop us a link in the comments below.

If your nonprofit needs help with their digital marketing, content marketing, website development, or SEO, feel free to drop complete the form below, and let’s increase your donors and volunteers today.

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2020 Digital Marketing guide for NGOs and Nonprofits https://blaksheepcreative.com/digital-marketing/nonprofits/2020-digital-marketing-guide-for-ngos-and-nonprofits/ Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:22:42 +0000 https://blaksheepcreative.com/?p=64695 When someone mentions the term “digital marketing,” chances are the first thing that pops in your mind is a small business or large corporation.

However, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and churches need a solid digital marketing plan just as much (if not more!) 

Online marketing for a nonprofit just works towards a different goal than a business does.

  • Government agencies want to disseminate valuable information to their citizens.
  • Churches aim to attract members to their ministry or raise funds for a cause.
  • Nonprofits want to recruit volunteers or solicit donations.

Here are some tools that your nonprofit or NGO can use in 2020 to launch highly successful digital marketing campaigns:

Blogging

One of the best ways for a nonprofit to increase donations and recruit volunteers is by creating (and consistently updating) a blog.

Blog posts enable your organization to inform people of what you are doing and why they should partner with you.

Blogs and newsletters are not only a great and easy way to keep your current members and donors informed, but they are also a great way to attract potential donors and volunteers to your site.

Blogging regularly shows that you are an expert, provides valuable information, and gives search engines an idea of what your organization’s website is all about.

Here are 28 Blog Ideas For Your Nonprofit to use today.

Newsletters are beneficial after a fundraising event to thank those involved and tell how much money was raised. You could take information in a newsletter and put it in a blog, and get two for the price of one.

Invest in a professional website developer. Please don’t rely on someone to do it pro bono. We’ve learned that it just doesn’t work well.

Have Questions about Digital Marketing for your Nonprofit or NGO?

Send us a message, and let’s develop a personalized digital marketing plan for your organization.

Historically, nonprofits used email to call for volunteers or confirm an online donation, but that’s not enough.

Email marketing is a highly effective marketing resource that nonprofits should add to put on the top of their digital marketing strategies.

Why?

It’s personal and powerful.

And it’s free.

Here are a few ways that your organization can leverage the power of the email marketing campaign to reach your audiences

  • Send a weekly newsletter with your newest content, updates about your organization, industry data, and volunteer needs.
  • Send monthly emails with donation needs and opportunities.
  • Set up an email sequence for new subscribers thanking them for joining and educating them on your organization.
  • Set up an email sequence for new donors thanking them for their contribution and sharing how else they can support your organization.

Be sure to put calls to action on your website that shows visitors how they can subscribe to your newsletter or email list.

Social Media

Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are perfect tools for marketing your nonprofit organization. 

  • You can post pictures and videos from events. 
  • You can target a younger audience. 
  • You can post messages that you want to get to the general public. 
screenshot of afya foundation global nonprofit social media campaign

Nonprofit organizations often get comments and shares on the posts because people are interested in them. 

Create engaging content, and your followers will share your content, and your reach can expand exponentially.

Unfortunately, in 2020, much of your social media reach will depend on your organization’s willingness to spend money to boost posts or pay for ads.

Don’t worry; there are still steps you can take to create a consistent voice and meaningful presence without a big budget. 

However, each social media platform is different. Make sure that you adapt your approach to each. 

Facebook’s lack of character count means you can tell more of your story in your post, while you’ll have to be more concise on Twitter; instead, you should focus on getting people to click through to your website.

Hashtags are also useful for participating in timely and relevant topics. 

Take time to learn which hashtags your peers use and which are trending to help you get seen by more people. Consider using branded hashtags for all of your organization’s posts, such as #yourcompanyname, #yourcampaignname, etc.

Respond to questions and comments on your organization’s posts and join relevant groups on Facebook and LinkedIn to contribute your expert knowledge.

Suggestion from our experts: Social media analytics and marketing can help guide your strategy. We recommend collecting and examining the data consistently. You can learn what content and topics resonate with your audience and build your future posts based on what’s already working. While the built-in analytics for tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are a good place to start, social listening platforms can offer even more insight.

Your Website

We probably don’t have to remind you of the importance of having an awesome yet functional website for your nonprofit.

If you don’t have a website, we can help you with that! Contact us to learn how we can create an affordable website for you to start getting the donations you need.

Your website’s design should allow for easy navigation and provide a top-notch user experience.

There are a few things that you can do to maximize lead generation and donation revenues, such as:

Adding popups – These are a good way to encourage visitors to subscribe to your newsletters. The benefit is twofold – they stay informed, and you grow your email list. You never know; these visitors may become volunteers or donors down the road.

Creating donation pages – Remember to make your website donor-friendly. Create individual pages for your campaigns, and make them easily accessible. You can link to these pages from your menu, or (if you’re using WordPress, you can insert a widget on any post or page you want).

These donation pages should be clear and to the point. The easier it is for your visitors to donate, the more likely they will. Create individual pages for your campaigns, and make them easily accessible. You can link to these pages from your menu, or (if you’re using WordPress, you can insert a widget on any post or page you want).

Make sure you also provide a recurring donation option for people willing to commit smaller amounts monthly. They’re not likely to notice the extra $5 or $10 out of their budget every month, but over time, your charity or nonprofit will. 

Making it easy for supporters to donate to your organization regularly also helps keep supporters connected to your organization and cause over the longer term.

Lastly, don’t forget to make it easy for others to share your donation page with friends, family members, and social networks.

Video Marketing

One of the best ways to reach your awareness and fundraising goals is to leverage video marketing as a primary channel. 

Video engagement makes up an enormous part of all web traffic (roughly 80%), and according to one study, 57% of online donors make a gift after watching an inspirational fundraising video

For nonprofits, video marketing is particularly valuable because this type of storytelling around your organization can help your viewers feel that they’re part of your mission and see how their involvement is directly making a difference.

Many nonprofits fail to implement video marketing because they think it’s too expensive. That’s simply not the case.

Just about anyone with a smartphone can shoot a decent video that can help you reach your marketing goals. You can:

  • Create a YouTube video.
  • Go live on Facebook.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be polished and look like a Stephen Spielberg production. Just get your message across!

Google’s Free Tools for Nonprofits

Because Google loves nonprofits, they offer a multitude of resources available to your organization for free.

Their Google for Nonprofits platform will provide your organization with:

  • G Suite for nonprofits – “Help your nonprofit collaborate more effectively with smart, secure business apps like Gmail, Docs, Calendar, Drive, and Hangouts Meet, so you can focus on what matters.”
  • Google Grants – “Attract donors, raise awareness for your organization, and recruit volunteers with in-kind advertising on Google Search.”
  • YouTube Nonprofit Program – “Unlock the power of video storytelling, so you can reach a global audience and amplify your cause. Plus, make it easy for supporters to give with YouTube Giving features (currently available in the U.S.).”
  • Google Earth and Maps – “Develop compelling data visualizations to track and share your organization’s impact. Plus, use Google Maps Platform to help people locate community programs and resources closest to them.”

Conclusion

Nonprofit digital marketing is really just traditional marketing with a twist. Of course, all of the usual marketing tactics and tools still apply (SEOcontent marketing, etc.) But, we hope this gives you a general overview of tools and tactics that you can incorporate into your marketing plan to help your organization meet and exceed its’ goals.

If we managed to lose you or have more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we’ll be glad to answer them.

And, if your nonprofit or NGO doesn’t have the staff or resources to tackle your nonprofit’s marketing, give Baton Rouge’s leading nonprofit digital agency a shot. 

We specialize in churches and nonprofits.

Related Articles.

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Nonprofit Website Giveaway https://blaksheepcreative.com/digital-marketing/nonprofits/nonprofit-website-giveaway/ Mon, 25 Feb 2019 23:15:20 +0000 https://www.clintsanchez.com/?p=52254 We’re committed to making a difference

We place priority on giving back to our communities, both locally and across the U.S., and we believe that organizations can only be successful when they are engaged in making the world a better place.

Because of this belief, we give back to others through teaching, mentoring, volunteering, and donating our time and talents to, “leave this place better than we found it.”

Even though we learned some tough lessons about doing pro bono web design, we’ll still occasionally take on a project.

Nominate your favorite nonprofit to win a free website.

We meet organizations every day who are making an incredible impact but don’t have the budget to truly showcase their work.

Your nonprofit NEEDS a website!

Some incredible organizations don’t have the budget for custom website design or to hire an expert WordPress developer.

It is not unusual to encounter organizations that are dramatically changing the world for the better but don’t yet have a web presence to match their local impact and efforts.

We made a commitment to do whatever we could to help nonprofit organizations develop a professional online presence that helps them spread their mission, get more volunteers, and hopefully even bring in more donations.

We do this through our across-the-board discounts on all products and services for 501(c)(3) nonprofits.  But beyond that,

We have decided to give away a complete website design and development package to a nonprofit organization located in our home state of Louisiana.

What’s included.

Design.

Just like every website we create – All aspects of the website will respond to and conform to any device screen size.

Customization.

A pre-design consultation where we talk about your branding and the goals for your Web Site.

Content management system training.

We will provide backend access and train you on how to update your organization’s content.

Social Media management crash course.

We can show you best practices and easy ways to manage all of your social media channels to ensure your message is heard.

Hosting and maintenance.

Free hosting and maintenance and our assistance for one year after the site is launched.

Access to our creatives

We’ll help you design graphics, videos, and anything else you may require to be successful.

SEO & Analytics

We will give you the tools to make sure your site can be found, and how you can view the data.

Eligible Organizations:  

To be eligible to win, organizations must be based in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area and must have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

 Organizations must offer worthwhile opportunities for service, volunteering, or learning on a community level; political candidates, government agencies, and organizations whose sole or primary purpose is promoting specific religious beliefs are not eligible.

  • The awarded non-profit will be responsible for supplying the content for their site.
  • After the contest, the awarded website will be featured on our website, email, social media, and other marketing materials and press releases.
  • The awarded website offered will contain a footer link to the our website.
  • The awarded website offered will be hosted and maintained by BlakSheep Creative, however the winning organization will be responsible for securing a domain and SSL Certificate (we can help you with that.)
  • The awarded website will be subject to our standard project terms and conditions.
  • Any premium child themes, plugins, or integrations will be at the cost of the winning organization.

Organizations should have a non-discrimination policy and should not engage in discrimination based upon race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Organization may have an existing website that is in need of a complete redesign so long as that is noted on the application form.

How a Winner is Chosen: 

Following receipt of the application, BlakSheep Creative will verify the organization’s nonprofit status, that the organization is interested in winning a new website from BlakSheep Creative, and that the organization meets all other criteria listed above.  BlakSheep Creative reserves the right to exclude an organization from the contest at any time.

The deadline for nominations is Sunday, March 31st, 2019 at 11:55 PM central time.  A winner will be randomly chosen, and the winner will be announced Tuesday, April 2, 2019, via Facebook and on our website.  The winner will also be notified via email.

Nominate your favorite nonprofit now!

If you’re not a nonprofit and would like to learn how we can help your company or organization, let’s discuss how we can make your brand known.

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