Many nonprofits find themselves trapped on a content-creation hamster wheel, churning out a load of material that often lacks the impact and memorability needed to engage their audience.
This relentless focus on quantity over quality exhausts resources and makes it increasingly difficult to stand out—not just among peers but also against well-resourced for-profit brands targeting the same folks.
The need for creating remarkable content is more pressing now than ever.
What do I mean by remarkable?
Remarkable content is worthy of attention, distinguished by its exceptional qualities. It’s extraordinary, refreshing, and evokes strong positive reactions.
Creating remarkable content for supporters begins with understanding their needs and perspectives. So we at CauseMic advise nonprofits to step into their donors' shoes and ask:
What would make our content so compelling, so noteworthy that recipients would share it with friends and peers?
This often means developing materials that are personalized with what donors care about and how they wish to contribute.
The content should be timely and authentic, like ensuring contributions are acknowledged promptly with genuine gratitude and no upsell.
And these pieces need to be impactful and engaging, evoking strong emotions and perhaps offering interactive or hands-on experiences.
Speaking of hands-on, it's worth mentioning...
Donors often express a wish for their contributions to be used for programs or impactful initiatives, rather than being converted into swag or meaningless incentives sent back to them as thanks.
But by imaginatively tying promotions to mission and results, nonprofits can negate the perception that donations are being used to fuel self-serving gifts of gratitude. In other words, you can effectively employ material engagement with genuine purpose.
For example, here are a few standout examples from recent client workshops that illustrate this type of remarkable donor engagement:
- Art for healing:
A nonprofit helping homeless youth heal through creativity distributes custom art pieces to longtime donors, showcasing the impact of their programming and providing memorable art for recipients to cherish. - Equitable food access:
An organization dedicated to increasing access to healthful food delivers small jars of jam with educational inserts to customers, effectively communicating their mission while enlisting support for urban fruit tree care. - Prescribing joy:
A nonprofit focused on bringing joy to seriously ill children records personalized thank-you videos from staff and volunteers, preserving patient privacy while sharing with donors the challenges faced by families.
Smart and intentional materials like these can make all the difference when it comes to cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding supporters. That means not just any materials will do.
The annual report dilemma
Some pieces are sure to stifle interest, like newsletters with old or boring stories, impact reports full of statistics and unengaging narrative, brochures devoid of visual appeal, and yawn-inducing social posts.
Few pieces typify this unfortunate group like the annual report.
On average, nonprofits spend between $15,000 and $23,000 in labor costs alone to plan, produce, and distribute these printed documents.
And while they’re intended to stimulate support, educate the audience, retain current supporters and acquire new ones, most reports feature lackluster content that fails to inspire.
With this level of resource investment, how many annual reports can you remember or moved you so much you decided to share it with someone you know? If one comes to mind, please reply to this email and let me know. I’d love to hear about it!
The moral of the story: Make each piece pull its weight to drive traffic. Make it remarkable!
The case of the shrinking sweater
When facilitating remarkable donor journey workshops, we ask attendees to recall the last time they had a remarkable experience with any brand, for-profit or not. Typically, we get crickets.
So I share a personal example involving fashion retailer Everlane that underscores their commitment to timely customer service. After accidentally shrinking a wool sweater, I contacted them for advice - “anything I can do to reverse my mistake at this stage?” They promptly responded by shipping a replacement sweater, plus they sent a personalized, non-judgmental message providing care instructions and a thank-you for being a longtime customer.
This experience demonstrated how a brand can create a truly memorable interaction that feels effortless and considerate. I’m theirs for the long haul.
To become and stay relevant, nonprofits must focus on crafting remarkable content that truly resonates with their audience. So evaluate your current strategy.
By understanding what makes content extraordinary, by personalizing donor experiences, and prioritizing quality over quantity, you’ll carve out unique, positive, and lasting impact in a crowded digital landscape.
