Ugh, marketing, amirite?
As a busy ED, marketing is probably like the millionth thing on your list right after troubleshooting the computers and ordering more toilet paper for the office (am I just projecting again?)
Why do we do it?
Simply this: good marketing helps to build trust with our audience. The more they trust us, the more likely they are to support us.
Trust in our government, our leaders, our economy, our media, our technology and, yes, even our nonprofits are at all time lows.
And yet…as humans we want something to believe in. We want to be inspired. We want hope. We want community.
Therein lies the opportunity.
As ambassadors of your organization, you can make the choice to show up authentically and to seek to build trust and provide value to your community.
You do that via channels like your email newsletter, your social media and your word-of-mouth evangelists (board members, staff members, clients, donors).
Only after you have done the hard work of building trust and providing value to your community have you earned the right to ask for their financial support.
It’s about reciprocity, not extraction.
Long-term relationships, not hit it and quit it transactions.
What have you done to earn some trust today?
