5 Ways Your Nonprofit Can Show Impact Year Round
How often do you share stories of impact with your audience?
Undoubtedly, the best way to drive donations is to demonstrate your nonprofit’s impact. And yet, so many organizations wait until their annual report to compile and share information about the incredible work they’re doing.
In this post, I’m sharing five ways to share stories of impact throughout the year. When your audience is consistently shown that your nonprofit is thriving in its mission, they will be more willing to act on your big asks.
Before we dig in, here are a few types of impact stories. Mix it up as you develop your impact campaigns and communications.
Tell client stories: share stories of real people whose lives changed for the better through your organization.
Create Infographics: pull up impactful data and show it visually. Infographics are a great way to both inform your audience about the problem you’re solving and how exactly you’re solving it. Read this article with 10 inspiring nonprofit infographics.
Share testimonials: This might be one of the most straightforward ways to show impact. Words straight from those your serve carries a lot of weight.
Use images and video: catch your impact in the act. Make sure to capture high-quality photos and videos of your work in the field. When it comes to stories of impact, stock photos rarely cut it.
5 Ways Your Nonprofit Can Show Impact Year-Round
1. Quarterly Impact Reports
Annual reports are a lot of work. Consider creating quarterly mini impact reports that show your nonprofit’s activity and impact every quarter. These mini-reports do not have to be complicated or time-consuming, but rather a showcase of your most high impact activities.
2. Impact Blog Series
Blogs are a great platform to share long-form communications. This is the space to write in-depth client stories, and informative posts about your issue and why your programs matter. Once you have put in the time to develop blog posts, you have content you can repurpose on the rest of your platforms, including linking in other web pages, social media, and email.
3. Impact Web page
Every nonprofit website should have a web page dedicated to showing its impact. It’s easy to focus on getting the basics on your site: about us, program information, and a donate page. When someone is looking to invest in your organization, they’re going to go to your site to learn where funds go, and if their programs are services are thriving. Be sure you have a page for them to go to.
Need some inspiration? Here are 8 impact pages to learn from.
4. Email Communications
Every email you send is an opportunity to share your impact. Try having a testimonial section of your newsletter, and be sure to share your impact blog posts on this channel.
5. Social Media Impact Series
Have you ever tried to create content buckets when planning social media content? Content buckets are categories of content, and they ensure your posts are diverse and engaging.
If you do, include an impact bucket. Share snippets of blog posts and parts of the infographics you created. Try to post an impact story monthly, if not weekly, on social media.
Sharing impact frequently is an essential nonprofit communications habit to form. When it comes down to it, these are the kinds of messages that your audience members want and enjoy the most.
Show me your impact stories! I would love to see what you’re working on. Drop the links in the comments.