It’s easy to rely on the same old strategies to reach new supporters and raise money. But sticking to traditional methods might leave your mission lost in the noise. As nonprofit marketers, finding creative ways to raise cause awareness is essential.
Take the Movember Challenge, for example. Every November, the Movember organization challenges men to grow mustaches to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues. In their 2023 campaign, more than 280,000 people participated, generating revenue and sparking global conversations about men’s health.
If you’re ready to think outside the box like Movember, we have four fresh ideas to help grow awareness (not mustaches) for your mission.
1. Create nonprofit eCards.
Have you ever considered creating digital greeting cards for your mission? Using an eCard platform, you upload and create custom designs using photos, graphics, fonts, and colors that represent your mission. Then, you can either sell your eCards or offer them for free, depending on your goals and the platform’s functionality.
eCardWidget highlights these festive charity eCards from One Tail at a Time, an animal rescue organization:
For $25, donors could choose from nine eCards to support a particular program One Tail offers, such as The Gift of a Fresh Start to provide veterinary care to in-need animals or The Gift of Community Care to provide pets with food, medical care, pet ID tags, microchips, and more. Then, donors could send the eCard to friends and family.
Creative ways to use eCards for cause awareness
The best part about nonprofit eCards is that they’re versatile. Consider these creative ways to use eCards for your cause:
- Holiday and Birthday eCards: Create eCards to celebrate various occasions like major holidays and birthdays. Either sell them or use these cards to encourage custom donations. For example, a donor can give in honor of someone and send an eCard letting them know.
- Cause Awareness eCards: Design free eCards for special awareness days related to your cause (e.g., Earth Day or International Women’s Day). Then, encourage supporters to send them to others.
- Thank-You eCards: Send personalized eCards to donors, volunteers, and other supporters to show your appreciation for their contributions to your cause. This is a great way to make memorable donor thank you emails.
- Event Invites: Create eCards that supporters can send to invite their friends and families to your upcoming events.
By creatively using eCards, you can engage current supporters and strengthen relationships with new donors. eCards offer a simple yet impactful way to keep connections alive and make your supporters feel valued.
2. Launch a peer-to-peer fundraiser.
Peer-to-peer campaigns are a fundraising method in which supporters create their own fundraising pages to collect donations on behalf of your nonprofit.
The power of this method lies in social proof. When someone sees that a friend or family member supports a cause, they are more likely to do the same! In fact, 56% of people are more willing to donate to a peer-to-peer campaign if they know someone involved.
The best part of this approach is that you raise money and cause awareness simultaneously. Here are some tips to elevate your next peer-to-peer campaign:
- Encourage fundraisers to share their experiences. Ask supporters to add personal stories about their passion for your cause on their peer-to-peer page and in posts about the campaign. Invite them to upload pictures or videos from events or community service projects they’ve participated in to bring their stories to life.
- Reward participation. Offer rewards for the top fundraisers, such as free event tickets, exclusive merch, or recognition on your nonprofit’s social media. Your peer-to-peer software should make it easy to track performance and ignite competition with leaderboards.
- Pair your peer-to-peer campaigns with events. Hosting an event gives supporters a clear deadline and fosters a sense of community. Whether it’s a 5K or a virtual challenge, an event provides a deadline and celebration to motivate participation.
Peer-to-peer fundraising can attract new contributors who may not have otherwise interacted with your organization. It also drives greater loyalty among your volunteer fundraisers, who feel personally invested in their campaign’s success.
3. Collaborate with companies.
Partnerships extend your reach by tapping into companies’ networks of employees and customers. For the best results, research and find companies whose values align with your mission to ensure a natural and mutually beneficial partnership.
Cause marketing is a common type of collaboration where companies leverage their brand to support a cause. Double the Donation explains that cause marketing partnerships might involve a company lending its brand name to a specific initiative, investing in your nonprofit’s marketing efforts, or promoting products that benefit your cause.
Here are some types of partnerships that can make a real impact:
- Percentage of Sales Donations: Partner with local stores or restaurants to set up a day where the business donates a percentage of sales to your nonprofit.
- Co-Hosted Events: Organize fundraising events, such as a community festival or gala, that your nonprofit and the business promote together.
- Product Collaborations: Work with local businesses to create special products, with a portion of proceeds going to your nonprofit.
- Sponsor Matching Campaigns: Ask local companies to match donations raised during a particular campaign or event.
- Employee Volunteer Events: Not all collaborations have to be monetary. A company might encourage its employees to volunteer as a way to boost team morale and support your cause.
In exchange for support, offer businesses visibility on your website, social media, or at events to improve their reputations.
One excellent example of this is the company Fahlo, which is known for its wildlife conservation-focused products. It partners with nonprofits to create branded bracelets where a portion of the proceeds goes toward supporting wildlife protection efforts. Each bracelet allows consumers to track a real animal, creating a deeper connection to the cause. This innovative partnership has earned over $3 million for Fahlo’s nonprofit partners while raising awareness for vital conservation efforts.
4. Create and sell branded merchandise.
Imagine someone waiting in line at a grocery store checkout lane. They notice the person in front of them holding a tote bag promoting local conservation efforts. This simple act might prompt them to start a conversation or Google the organization online.
Branded merchandise is a classic way to spread cause awareness! Here are some ideas for creating effective fundraising products:
- Limited Edition and Event-Themed Merchandise: Release exclusive products tied to a specific campaign, event, or holiday (e.g., World Kindness Day) to generate buzz and urgency.
- Product Variety: Sell a range of products, so there’s something for everyone. Popular options include T-shirts, hoodies, hats, tote bags, stickers, and mugs.
- Mission-Driven Designs: Each product should reflect your nonprofit’s cause, like “Save the Ocean” T-shirts or “Feed the Hungry” mugs. Feature your nonprofit’s logo, name, or tagline, too.
- Collaborations with Local Artists: Partner with local artists to develop creative merchandise that reflects your cause, adding an artistic touch to your campaign.
Once your merchandise is ready, set up a digital store to make it easy for supporters to purchase items. With the right platform, you can track sales and manage inventory. You might even offer merchandise as a gift for donations over a certain amount (e.g., donate $50 and receive a branded T-shirt).
Each day, the competition for attention in the nonprofit world grows fiercer. Your nonprofit needs creative strategies that cut through the clutter to get noticed. Whether you’re looking to reach new supporters or retain current donors, now is the time to try something new.
Tim Badolato is the CEO of eCardWidget.com an innovative platform for digital employee recognition, donor acknowledgment, business marketing, and nonprofit marketing. He has a passion for using technology to drive positive outcomes for mission-driven businesses and nonprofits.
