Marketing for a Good Cause: 5 Strategies for Charities Success
Trying to gain maximum publicity for a good cause while spending as little as possible is one of the biggest challenges any charity can face. It often takes a great deal of imagination, audacity and determination to achieve great results but luckily there are several creative ways to market your particular good cause.
Trying to gain maximum publicity for a good cause while spending as little as possible is one of the biggest challenges any charity can face. It often takes a great deal of imagination, audacity and determination to achieve great results but luckily there are several creative ways to market your particular good cause.
1. Enlist a Local Celebrity
It’s not easy to gain the attention of an established superstar but every area has a fledgling celebrity. Think of a part-time singer who appears at the local bar every Friday, a promising Aussie Rules star or an entrepreneur who runs a popular local business. Try to get them to donate their services by making an appearance at an event such as a Fairground Family Fun Day or a Barbecue on the Beach Party. Explain how it won’t cost them anything but their time although it could boost their career and profile while raising interest for your charity’s forthcoming special event.
2. Organize a Competition
There is a competitive edge to most people so arranging a contest is a great way to encourage interest in your fundraising. It could include any sort of board game such as chess, playing darts or even an informal volleyball tournament on the beach. The key to success is to keep everyone happy with a relaxed, fun-filled atmosphere. Your charity could benefit from both the contestants’ and spectators’ entrance fee money. Your winner can have the excitement of walking away with a small trophy as a prize. If the level of interest turns out to be amazing then you could make it into an on-going event complete with a league table.
3. Host a Lecture
There are always questions that need answering such as how to keep your garden in tip-top condition without watering it, the best way to renovate a Queenslander home or what can happen on a motorcycle trip to Uluru. You’ll need to find someone who can deliver an interesting, humorous or informative talk about a topic. Using photographs, slides or videos can add to the interest and include a questions and answers session for people keen to emulate your speaker’s achievements. It’s great if you can link the talk to what your charity is all about.
4. Create some Prize Draws
Organizing raffles or prize draws like those prize draws offered by yourtown are some of the most effective marketing strategies a charity can use. This type of campaign has a long history of gaining positive fundraising results. It creates excitement and suspense with an emphasis on everyone relying on nothing more than luck to be a success. And people often purchase several tickets at once to increase their chances of winning. It’s great if you can persuade a local business to donate a large prize but remember to include lots of smaller consolatory rewards to make as many people as possible happy.
5. Demonstrations
A cookery demonstration on how to eat well on a meagre budget can be effective but try to think of how your charity can provide the expertise. For example, if you run an animal rescue centre you can demonstrate the best way to bath a muddy dog or how to detangle his fur without stressing him out. You can organize a live event or persuade local experts such as a chef or vet to help you out by posting short videos on a YouTube channel devoted to your specific charity.
