Tip #6: Raise Your Profile
Kindly provided by Kerri Tilby-Price from Exult (helping non-profits grow).
Raising your profile goes hand in hand with raising more funds. After all, if you want people or organisations to support you, they first need to know that you exist! To build your profile effectively, you need to be consistent in your message and use several avenues to spread the word. Building your profile takes time, but repetition builds reputation, so stick with it.
If you’re a small organisation with next-to-no budget for marketing, don’t panic. There are lots of ways you can raise your profile without spending a lot of money. While no single activity will be the silver bullet, the sum of all the activities combined will have a measurable impact. Raising your profile on a limited budget means doing lots of little things, all of the time.
Some activities you may want to consider include
- Writing regular press releases
- Having an up-to-date website
- Ensuring staff and volunteers have branded t-shirts and name badges
- Having signage at your office or centre
- Signwriting your vehicle or using a removable ‘car magnet’
- Having an active Facebook page
- Attending regular networking events
- Being a guest speaker for service clubs
- Having window displays in local shops or businesses
- Having a stall at community expos and events
- Running traditional community based fundraising activities eg. sausage sizzles
- Entering awards
- Getting your story told in national magazines
- Hosting an Open Day
- Using community notices on radio and in newspapers
- Staging a publicity stunt
To be successful in raising your profile it’s a good idea to prepare a marketing calendar, so that you can plan activities and ensure that you are consistently doing something to stay front-of-mind. Raising your profile takes time and perseverance, but it definitely pays off in the long run.
ENM on Facebook