I’ve been working with a local nonprofit. I’m learning a lot, and it’s rewarding. Here are some notes.
In general, nonprofits often struggle to spread their message and get people to take action. There are likely several reasons, which is a separate post altogether. I’m sharing today from the freelance writer/marketer position hired to help them spread an idea and prompt action.
Here are a couple of critical factors that motivate people to share ideas. People share ideas because they want to feel generous and desire to see the nonprofit succeed.
Consider the actions people take to support a non-profit. It’s important to note that taking action and spreading the word is interchangeable and valuable.
- People will donate money
- People will volunteer time
- People will share with a friend because they know it’s a helpful resource
- People will spread awareness about the cause or mission
- People will give a compliment for the work that is accomplished
Each of these actions is driven by a desire to help, to make a positive impact, and to see this nonprofit thrive.
Especially if your business or nonprofit…
- mentors young people or positively impacts them,
- offer support to someone in need,
- offers service to help a stranger with a task, or
- shares valuable knowledge and skills with others.
If you do these things, you need to highlight them so that it’s sharable in the first place. You have to serve the story to them so it’s easy to share.
Yet spreading the word about a nonprofit is more than asking for help. It’s about inspiring people to care about your cause and to feel invested in your success. When people believe in what you’re doing and see the impact of your work, they’ll naturally want to share it with others in any of those (above) methods.
Working with this local nonprofit, I’ve seen this firsthand. It starts with sharing a story in the context of the mission. Doing so offers the public a ticket to vote for your support which helps reach more people and make a more significant impact.
So if you’re looking to spread your nonprofit’s message, which can very likely apply to your for-profit cause, remember this: focus on inspiring generosity and demonstrating the impact of your work. People who feel invested in your success will be eager to share your message.
