{"id":11540,"date":"2020-10-08T15:43:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T19:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newpirdev.wpengine.com\/for-orgs\/learning-center\/resources\/mind-your-mms-five-steps-for-successful-non-profit-communication\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T01:03:59","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T05:03:59","slug":"mind-your-mms-five-steps-for-successful-non-profit-communication","status":"publish","type":"learning-center","link":"https:\/\/pir.org\/for-orgs\/learning-center\/resources\/mind-your-mms-five-steps-for-successful-non-profit-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind Your M&Ms: Five Steps for Successful Non-Profit Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tony Connor, Director of Product Marketing, PIR<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This article is part 2 of an 8-part series called “Bootcamp for Mission-Driven Organizations”.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Like the famous chocolate candy that melts in your mouth but not in your hands, your non-profit\u2019s M&Ms\u2014mission and messaging\u2014must have staying power in order to help you raise awareness and funds for your cause. We know, almost instinctively, the M&Ms for certain non-profits. <\/span>Habitat for Humanity<\/strong><\/span><\/a> helps build homes. The <\/span>American Red Cross<\/strong><\/span><\/a> is where we <\/span>can donate blood and support disaster relief. And <\/span>Color of Change<\/a><\/strong> fights for racial justice. But <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> do we know these things?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are these organizations doing right to capture the public\u2019s hearts, minds, and attention spans? As discussed in our previous post, honing a clear mission statement and creating engaging messaging to support it is the first step. This can be challenging, but at its core, effective communications about your M&Ms can help promote your organization\u2019s unique offering. According to the <\/span>Forbes Non-Profit Council<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, \u201c<\/span>All nonprofit organizations start out with a pledge to make a difference in their communities and spread awareness for their mission. It\u2019s essential to highlight that point of differentiation for your target audience.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve created and honed your mission and messaging, it\u2019s time to tell the world about them. For that, we offer five steps to best communicate your M&Ms:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Have a delectable strategy<\/b>:
    \nA solid communications plan is an essential ingredient in promoting your M&Ms. Typically, communications plans comprise your objectives, target audiences, mission and messaging, methods, and metrics to evaluate your success. If your organization has a communications team or can hire one, you can ask them to draft a plan for your review. Check out online resources specifically for non-profits, such as <\/span>    this article<\/a><\/strong> by NCVO Know How (<\/span>www.ncvo.org.uk<\/a><\/strong>) and <\/span>this piece<\/strong><\/span><\/a> by Compass (<\/span>www.thecompassforsbc.org<\/a><\/strong>) to help you get started.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Be difficult to resist<\/b>:
    \nOnce your plan is in place, create communications so persuasive your audience is compelled to consume them. Start with the elements of a good story. Captivate your audience with an attention-getting opener, like this example statistic from <\/span>    www.dosomething.org<\/strong><\/span><\/a>: \u201c<\/span>More than half of bullying situations (57%) stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied.\u201d Follow it up with a solution, like this one: \u201cOur anti-bullying education programs bring kids together to learn effective intervention techniques.\u201d And close with a call to action, such as: \u201cTo help more students make a positive difference inside and outside the classroom, please donate here.\u201d Remember to make donating easy with a donate button or quick link to donate on every communication.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Deliver some nutrition<\/b>:
    \nWhat is the \u201cwhy\u201d behind the \u201cwhat\u201d of your M&Ms? For non-profits, the why is often the effect of your work. A great way to demonstrate your why is to highlight one person (or community, or animal habitat, etc.). This principle is at work when political candidates talk about \u201c<\/span>    Joe the Plumber<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u201d or shelters show cute pictures of a dog and tell you his favorite food. Studies show people are more likely to connect and respond to personal stories. According to <\/span>this article<\/strong><\/span><\/a> on <\/span>www.npr.org<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, \u201cS<\/span>olid information in any form is good. But that’s not necessarily enough. A vivid, emotional story can give that extra push to make it feel more real or more important.\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Serving size is important<\/b>:
    \nThere can be too much of a good thing. There can also be too little. According to the \u201c<\/span>    Rule of Seven<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u201d audiences need to hear the same message seven times before they will take action. While experts may disagree on frequency, varying from 3 to 20 times before communications sink in, research indicates that people will show a preference for an idea, message or movement simply because it feels familiar. This is called the <\/span>mere-exposure effect<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, and studies of it reveal that up to 20 exposures is optimal; more than that can actually make your audience no longer hungry for your M&Ms.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Have (well-aligned) refills on hand<\/b>:
    \nLastly, it\u2019s important to replenish your supply of succinct bites of information through various communications channels. If you\u2019ve created an <\/span>    effective messaging document<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, you should have plenty of creative, cohesive language to serve up in emails, newsletters, <\/span>texts<\/a><\/strong>, phone calls, and on social media. To learn more about how to leverage different mediums, <\/span>click here<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The best part about having M&Ms is sharing them. We hope this article has given you a good start on how to share your organization\u2019s mission and message and savor the sweet success of raising funds and awareness!<\/span><\/p>\n

    Resources\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

    Hemingway is <\/span>rumored<\/a><\/strong> to have told a complete story in only six words: \u201cFor sale: baby shoes, never worn.\u201d Incredible narratives don\u2019t require a lot of verbiage\u2014you can tell your organization\u2019s story impactfully and without filler. Learning to write incisive yet inspiring copy will make your pen mightier when it comes to fighting for your cause. Here are some great resources for non-profit <\/span>copywriting<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, <\/span>grant writing<\/a><\/strong>, and <\/span>social media<\/strong><\/span><\/a> writing.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":11541,"template":"","article-type":[],"bit-type":[],"learning-center-category":[567,476,60,578],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSuccessful Non-Profit Communication Strategies - PIR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Take your non-profit communication to the next level. 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