Giving Compass' Take:

• The author explains the most useful digital marketing tools that nonprofits should take advantage of in order to increase their online presence. 

• What makes these tools useful? How can online presence make a difference in terms of brand awareness? What are the challenges in trying to increase an organization's online marketing tactics?

• When increasing presence online or otherwise, there are trade-offs that smaller nonprofits need to consider as they try to grow. 

Donating to charity has changed for the better over the last few years. These days, pretty much everything takes place online, and giving to charity or supporting a good cause is no different. Which is why charities and nonprofits hoping to stand out had better have a robust online presence.

  • Email marketing. Email is one of the best ways to reach supporters and potential donors. Whether your goal is to boost the number of subscribers to your newsletter, keep supporters and volunteers up to date on recent developments, or kick off a fundraising campaign, email is one of the least expensive and most effective ways to do it.
  • Social media presence. Social media has changed the world — mostly for the better. It's a great tool for charities and nonprofits, not least because platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest make it easy to share all sorts of campaign materials.
  • Donation pages. Your organization's donation pages should be clear and to the point. People just don't have the time to comb through paragraphs of information and instructions — you want to make it as easy for them to donate to your organization online as it is to purchase a book or a buy pair of socks.
  • Content. The more content you put out, the more you'll be seen as an organization with something to say.
  • Regular engagement with supporters. Rule No. 1: Don't forget to say thank you. Nonprofits and charities that acknowledge every donation are much more likely to receive follow-up donations from their supporters than nonprofits and charities that don't.
  • Your website.  Your website should be as clear and easy to navigate as your email and other marketing materials.

Read the full article about digital marketing for nonprofits by Daniel Ross at PhilanTopic