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There is a fear in the nonprofit sector about too much communication turning off your donors.

So what is the right mix to keep them engaged?

Here is a helpful calendar from January to June (July-December will be in Part Two) to give you some ideas of how you can utilize your marketing to its fullest potential. We've also included some rules of thumb to keep in mind as you plan your content strategies.

January

Start your year off by reaching out to your donors via email newsletter. Some ideas include:

• how the previous year-end campaign turned out

• videos

• a message from your Executive Director

• a calendar of upcoming volunteer opportunities

Communicate with email newsletters at least once a month throughout the year to keep your donors engaged and informed.

Don’t forget to segment your lists as part of your communication strategy and start crafting different messages. Your list segmentations might include:

• Active Donors

• Lapsed Donors

• Reactivation Campaigns

• Acquisition Campaigns

• Volunteer Outreach

Use different segments each month when you plan your messaging, but make sure you are sticking with your central theme across all platforms: direct mail, social media, and email.

Pro Tip: Include a donate button in all of your email communications. Make it easy for your donors to contribute online without having to visit your website and search for your donation page.

Send out monthly direct mail campaigns. Start the year off by encouraging them to donate and include a success story: how their contributions helped make something positive happen.

February

Keep an eye on monthly hashtag campaigns for your social media efforts and craft messaging that tells your donors how much they mean to you.

Instead of writing "we did this" and "we did that," make the message about the donor. "Thanks to you, XX happened," and so on. You want them to feel part of your mission, so using "you" language will make them feel more appreciated.

Pro Tip: To keep your donors engaged, send out an online survey to get feedback on the types of events/programming you did last year. Hearing from your donor base on what they enjoyed will help you as you plan other volunteer & fundraising activities.

March

When crafting your monthly messaging, keep these four weekly ideas in mind:

• Exposition

• Impact

• Ask

• Stewardship

Each week you should be sharing information, whether that's in a direct mail campaign, social content, blog post or email newsletter, that fall within these four categories.

April

Think of ways you can thank your donors without asking for anything in return. What would hold value to them? You want to ensure the gift doesn't come across as "too expensive," otherwise some donors may wonder how you're spending their contribution dollars.

Pro Tip: If you have a significant donor who cares strongly about your mission, see if they would be willing to film or submit a written testimonial about what your cause means to them.

May

Use this month to analyze the results of your communication efforts so far this year:

• What messages are garnering the most engagement?

• What platforms do people like to be contacted on?

• How do your donors like to donate?

By understanding your donor demographics, you can adjust your plan to increase donations. This is also a great time to start thinking about holiday time giving and showing appreciation.

June

Plan an event, such as a walk/run, to raise donations for your nonprofit. Use this month to recruit volunteers, solicit sponsors, and promote your fundraising event through direct mail, social, and email.

Pro Tip: Try to partner with small businesses who support your mission. You can encourage an in-kind sponsorship, such as showcasing a logo for a local coffee shop if they are willing to supply coffee. Working with like-minded companies, and supporting local businesses, shows that you care about the goals of your nonprofit as well as helping your community.

Join us next month as we discuss content calendar ideas for July-December. In what ways do you see yourself incorporating these concepts into your marketing strategy?

Looking for a CRM solution to keep all of your data organized? We can help with a FREE HubSpot Assessment to see how well your existing CRM is performing and ways we can help increase productivity for your nonprofit organization.