The Nonprofit Communications Calendar: What Should You Actually Be Talking About?

Encouraging donations, registration for fundraising events, and other calls to action are a vital part of nonprofit communications. However, these shouldn’t be the only times you connect with your audience. Overwhelming your supporters with constant promotions and solicitations can easily backfire, leading to lost trust, lower returns, and overall reduced engagement. 

A balanced, effective nonprofit communications calendar incorporates storytelling, program highlights, and strategic contribution reminders to keep your donors, volunteers, and stakeholders informed and connected with your mission.

How Storytelling Drives Online Engagement for Your Nonprofit 

Storytelling is the most powerful, but often underutilized tool in any nonprofit organization’s toolkit. Your organization’s story has the power to bring strangers together to support a common goal, like community enrichment projects, at-risk youth programs, cancer research, or animal welfare advocacy. 

By connecting with your audience on an emotional level, you can drive more support for organizational initiatives like fundraisers and community events. But what does using storytelling to drive engagement look like? The answer may vary by channel.

On social media, storytelling can take the form of testimonials, behind-the-scenes videos, and interviews with key stakeholders in your organization. This content should focus on showing the real impact your efforts have on the communities you serve. Use Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok to spotlight new and ongoing initiatives, answer common questions, and educate your followers. Link strategically to donation platforms and relevant webpages for visitors looking for more information about how to support your mission.  

Email campaigns and newsletters are a great way to provide updates to your supporters and share interesting and educational insights. Use infographics, embedded videos, and written content to give your emails variety and visual interest while delivering your message in accessible, easy to consume formats.

Focusing on producing intriguing, enriching content centered around storytelling drives organic support, so your audience is ready and willing to rally behind initiatives when they arise. 

Storytelling Doesn't Mean No Promotion

Shifting from a promotion-forward approach to nonprofit marketing doesn't mean you should abandon all calls to action. Providing the story without clear next steps for supporting your cause is leaving money on the table. 

The key is being strategic with when and how you direct your readers and viewers to the desired action. The right cadence will look different from organization to organization, but here are a few general guidelines:

• Less is More: avoid overwhelming your audience with constant requests for donations. On social media, list your donation link clearly on your profile, but don't include it in every post. Limit donation buttons to once per email. 

• Use the Sandwich Method: position posts and emails seeking monetary support between high value content that educates and inspires. Show your audience what their money is going toward, and why you're the right organization to support.

• Always Follow Up: make sure you have a system in place for thanking your donors, volunteers, and other stakeholders for their continued support. Automated ‘thank you’ emails should include curated content highlighting your mission and inviting them to learn more about your organization and the initiatives they're supporting. 

How Jali Creatives Supports Nonprofits

Jali Creatives brings more than a decade of marketing experience to our clients, including nonprofit organizations. We're experts in strategic storytelling to help enterprises of all sizes reach and connect with their ideal audience. In the nonprofit sector, we have helped leaders humanize their foundations by centering real voices and the positive impact of their work in the communities they serve.

We'd love to see how Jali Creatives can help serve you and your mission. Connect with our team today to discuss your goals and how we can help.