Synopsis:

People are looking for community connection. Your charity needs community support to thrive. Partnering with a local business, hosting a volunteer drive, and promoting yourself through virtual town-halls are just a few of the ways your Nonprofit can engage a thriving community of supporters.

In a ‘normal’ year, charities are often faced with challenges. It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has been no different and has added an extra layer of complexity to the Nonprofit world.

In a 2018 survey, Nonprofits reported that fundraising and growth were top concern, citing “increasing competition for donor and member money creating perpetual risk and opportunity” as a major challenge. It’s fair to say that COVID-19 has been a major risk that no one was prepared for.

One way to combat the COVID-19 blues, and perpetual competition as a charity is to engage your social community.  Giving back is good for communities, and having an engaged community is good for your Nonprofit revenue! Need we say more? 

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: partnering with a local business in your community is a great way to connect socially and has several benefits.  Not only will your Nonprofit gain more awareness through your business partners’ customers, the small business will benefit as well. Seventy-five per cent of businesses use cause marketing, meaning they support charity, and market to their customers. This makes the small business look trustworthy in the consumers eye, but also begins to increase awareness of your Nonprofit!

Partnering with a local business is not the only way to increase community engagement but is an important first step. Once you have your partnership set up, consider these strategies:

• Host a volunteer drive. If you’re in a position to operate safely with COVID-19 protocols in place, ask volunteers to support your cause in groups. Whether you need some extra hands to set up a food drive, a few people to drive supplies around town, or have some administrative tasks to check off, there are people waiting to support you! Volunteering gives people a sense of purpose and community. It also has many social and health benefits.
• Ask your supporters to tell their family and friends about your organization. While charities may hesitate at this idea, people connected to your cause will gladly spread the word. Additionally, people love to help their friends and family. If you’re not already asking your most loyal supporters to spread the word on your organizations behalf, you may be leaving money on the table. Supporting the same cause together connects people to each other, and to your Nonprofit! 
• Host an online town hall. If you have any updates to share on campaigns or programs your non-profit is working on, an email or social media update is usually the go-to. In 2020 we are starved for human connection and real-time community support. Get your supporters together virtually to connect on updates, upcoming campaigns and have them brainstorm more ways to collaborate! Again, your supporters want to help, especially during this tough year. Putting a human face in front of your donors is sure to spark that community connection we’re all looking for.

These are just a few ideas to get the ball rolling but the sky is the limit! There are many ways you can engage your community of supporters, volunteers, and business partnerships. Don’t underestimate the power of social media to bring people together as well.

Don’t forget to thank your supporters regularly (as a general rule, thank more than you ask). Provide regular updates on how their support has impacted the organization. Your donors and volunteers want to hear from you, to help feel like they are a part of something. Remember, you are engaging a community, but also creating a community of like-minded supporters!