Building Your Organization’s Image and Membership

Building Your Organization’s Image and Membership Presented by Sandra Beckwith, author of Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth and Contributions

This morning’s agenda • Why image building is essential • Specific actions to take

Why spend time building your image? • Greater awareness of your organization and its services • Improved awareness of your value among prospects and current members • Enhanced credibility • Impressive tools to use during recruiting

Obstacles • Geography • Budget

Image-building philosophy • Show, don’t tell • Makes it easier for current members to become apostles

Specific actions you can take • Step 1: What is your image, what does it need to be? Define it • Step 2: Get the word out • Step 3: Incorporate resulting exposure into your recruitment efforts

Step 1: Defining your image • Research perceptions of members and nonmembers • Identify how their perceptions fit with your “self view” • Use differences, similarities to guide any internal changes and shape how you present the organization • Perceptions must be in sync with reality

Create single message from image I.D. process • Describes your org, supports your image • Example: “XYZ Association of Nonprofit Organizations provides affordable support and resources to charities around the state.” • Test it: Does it resonate with your target audience? Your members?

This is the core of your image-building efforts • Use in some form in all communication & marketing materials, campaigns, efforts

Exercise • Write a sentence that describes what you do. • How does it compare with your image?

Step 2: Get the word out • Develop a media relations program that positions your org as “go to source” for all news related to nonprofits • Strategy: • Take advantage of the research you have available • Become the recognized thought-leader for nonprofit topics • Keep your name out there all the time

Send press releases announcing survey, research results • Send letters of introduction, spokesperson bio to media statewide • Write op-eds, place in multiple markets • Write, distribute tip sheets • (www.sandrabeckwith.com/articles/tip-sheet.htm)

Become aggressively opportunistic, taking advantage of the day’s headlines (Gates/Buffet news a year ago) • Pitch article ideas on “mass-media” topics that illustrate your value • Save money by joining a buying group • Trends in professional development (Webinars, etc.) • Lean management

Step 2: Get the word out • Speak at local nonprofit conferences about research results, trends, the future for charities, fundraising and development, etc. • Positions you as thought-leader, builds credibility

Step 2: Get the word out • Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate • Geography solution • With member orgs (What are the big local charity topics? Can they facilitate a speaking engagement? Suggest you as a resource when they’re being interviewed by local media? Provide a local angle for your news?) • With other orgs targeting the same audience (AFP chapters, foundations, etc.) – contribute content to newsletters, present workshops

Step 2: Get the word out • What does your Web site look like? • Does it match your image? • Content = credibility • Press room • In the news

Step 3: Using results to recruit • Use clippings, citations when communicating with prospects – credibility • Load your Web site with resulting content – clips, links to interviews, press releases, white papers, articles, speaking calendar • Keep your membership informed – they’re your best sales people • Walk the talk

Other factors • Your organization’s visual look • Your staff and how they interact with members and nonmembers • What members say about you

Final thoughts • Know who you are • Share what you know • Leverage what you’ve shared • Do good work for current members

Building Your Organization’s Image and Membership