Improve your nonprofit_communications_programs

How to Improve Your Nonprofit Communications Program 1
By Eric Jacobson,vice president of Media Development for Ascend Integrated Media
Executive Summary
“This report contains a wealth of never-before available information of great val-
ue to nonprofits throughout the Greater Kansas City area,” said Michelle Davis,
executive director of Nonprofit Connect, “which is why we are especially pleased to
have partnered with Ascend Integrated Media in its production.”
“In addition to answers about what’s working and what isn’t for different
types of organizations in their efforts to generate donations and connect with
constituencies, it also can help organizations plan where and how best to target
future marketing investments.
“We encourage staff, board members, volunteers and funders in Greater Kan-
sas City to read this report and ask questions, such as:
• How do our organization’s current marketing and communications budget and
channels compare to those of other organizations?
• What are other organizations planning to implement in the next two years that
we should consider?
• What resources are out there to help us?
Improve Your Nonprofit
Communications Program
How Greater Kansas City nonprofits communicate
with their donors, volunteers, clients and patrons
Nonprofit Communications & Marketing
Tools Study: Research Report from Nonprofit
Connect and Ascend Integrated Media
Table of Contents
Executive summary 1
Survey respondents profile 4
Key findings for nonprofits
with ≤ $500K annual
organization budget 4
Communications programs 6
Communicating with
different audiences 9
Social media 11
What works best 12
Future communications
channels 13

How to Improve Your Nonprofit Communications Program2
“We also hope readers of this report will share feedback with us. How was it
useful? How could it be improved? What more should the nonprofit community
of Greater Kansas City be doing to help you and your organization more effec-
tively achieve its mission through marketing and communications?”
What’s working
In an industry where the focus is helping people, it should not be too surprising
that organizations find personal visits and events the most successful ways to
generate donations and connect with volunteers. However, nonprofits use more
than 20 different types of communications channels for outreach.
• Print and electronic newsletters are more successful for connecting with volun-
teers than they are for generating donations.
• 71% are using social media, with the majority (93%) of those using Facebook.
• Few organizations are using the newest technologies of text messaging (7%)
and smartphone apps (applications) (2%).
The largest challenges
Not enough staff, limited time, and tight and small communications budgets are fore-
most among the area nonprofits’ communications challenges. Other challenges include:
• Standing out from the crowd; getting the attention of busy donors.
• Determining optimum frequency for reaching out to donors.
• Maintaining an accurate donor and prospect database.
The biggest challenges specifically pertaining to volunteers include:
• Reaching audiences that may not have email or generally prefer more costly
print communications.
• Determining how best to provide information that helps volunteers better un-
derstand the organization.
• Maintaining consistent and regular contact with volunteers.
“The long and diverse list of communications challenges cited by survey re-
spondents does not surprise us,” said Davis. “Nonprofit Connect training programs
address many of these challenges. In fact, one of the primary reasons we created
Learning Circles to supplement our educational seminars was to provide opportuni-
ties for people doing similar work to exchange knowledge and resources. We host two
Learning Circles — Communications and New Media & Technology — for anyone
interested in nonprofit communications.”
The future
• Within the next two years, text messaging and smartphone app usage as com-
munications channels will likely grow from 7% to 27%, and 2% to 15%, respec-
tively.
• E-newsletter use will likely grow from 62% to 81%, and email fundraising ap-
peals will likely increase from 51% to 68%.
• 17% of respondents plan to start using radio PSAs (public service announce-
ments) within two years.
survey KEY HIGHLIGHTS
• The average annual
communications budget
(excluding labor costs and
in-kind services) is $29,000.
• One-third of survey respondents
have annual communications
budgets of less than $5,000.
• 60% of the nonprofits don’t have
a dedicated full-time
communications/marketing
staff person.
• Current most used
communications channels
include websites, press releases,
print
informational brochures and
print fundraising appeals.
• The two most successful
vehicles for generating
donations are personal visits
and events.
• The four most successful
channels for connecting with
volunteers are personal visits,
events, phone solicitations and
electronic newsletters.
• 71% of nonprofits use social
media, most often posting
weekly updates.
• Lack of staff and time are two
of the largest challenges for
nonprofit communications
programs.
• People aged 18-34 comprise
nearly 20% of organizations’
volunteer base but only 1% of
the donor base.
• Although 62% of organizations
report that they currently have
an electronic newsletter, 19% say
they plan to add one in the
next two years, which makes
enewsletters, along with text
messaging (20%) and
e-fundraising appeals (17%), one
of the top three up-and-coming
communications vehicles.

“The PSA has been a good way for people in the Kansas City community
to become informed that Horizon Academy is available for students struggling
with learning disabilities in traditional schools. Airtime on the radio has helped
students find our school especially for summer school programs,” said Sharyl
Kennedy, executive director at Horizon Academy.
Jane Blumenthal Martin, director of strategic marketing at the Jewish Federa-
tion of Greater Kansas City, said her organization has a two-part goal with PSAs:
1. to educate members of the Greater Kansas City community – Jewish and
non-Jewish – about what we do.
2. to help us show support of our partner agencies and the important work
we do together to help community members in need.
“Anecdotal evidence shows that in addition to creating greater awareness
about what we do among our donors, the PSAs have worked to further strengthen
our relationships with many of our partner agencies,” said Blumenthal Martin.
Why do the study?
“Ourcompanyrealizedtherewasn’tanycomprehensiveresearchaboutthecommunica-
tionsandmarketingprogramswithintheGreaterKansasCitynonprofitcommunity,”said
CameronBishop,CEOofAscendIntegratedMedia.“So,wepartneredwithNonprofit
Connectonthisground-breakingstudytohelporganizationslearnfromeachother.”
“Often during our Learning Circles, the discussion leads to attendees asking
each other what they are doing, and what is working for them and what isn’t,”
said Nonprofit Connect’s Davis. “So, having the opportunity to conduct research
that would help answer those questions for the entire Kansas City nonprofit com-
munity was of great interest to us,” she added.
Kansas City partnership
Nonprofit Connect partnered with Ascend Integrated Media to conduct the
research and the two organizations prepared the survey questions. Then, on
April 15, 2010, the survey was emailed by Nonprofit Connect to a list of individu-
als who interact with Nonprofit Connect and are either executive directors or
involved in marketing and communications roles, totaling 1,100. Although the
questionnaire may have reached multiple people within an organization, each
was asked to complete only one questionnaire. Prior to analysis, the data was
examined for multiple submissions from a single organization. Those identified
as duplicates were removed from the data.
On May 5, 2010, the survey was closed. After accounting for undeliverables
and by allowing only one completed survey per organization, the response rate
was 26% for a total of 289 completed questionnaires.
The reported results in this white paper are based on all 289 respondents, un-
less otherwise noted.
“The survey’s impressive 26% response rate reflects the nonprofit com-
muity’s culture of helping and sharing with one another,” said Davis. “We see
evidence of this every week when we send out our Link Weekly eNewsletter and

when we conduct online surveys. Our response rates are consistently above aver-
age. We believe this underscores respondents’ desire to interact with Nonprofit
Connect and confidence that we will listen and respond to their needs.”
Survey Respondents Profile
Organization focus
Survey respondents represent 14 different types of nonprofit organi-
zations, where:
• 33% are from Social Services/Human Services
• Nearly equal percentages are from Healthcare, Hospital, Medical
(14%), Arts & Culture (13%) and Educational Institution (11%)
Job title
• 44% of respondents are Executive Director/CEO
• 20% are Director of Development
• 17% are Director of Communications/Marketing
Location
• 69% of the organizations are in Missouri
• 31% are in Kansas
Organization budget/size
• On average, the annual organization budget is $2.6 million.
• More than a third (37%) of the organizations have an annual budget of less
than $500,000.
“This $500,000 category ties in nicely with a new category for the 2010
Philly Awards that we’re calling ‘In-House Publication,’ open only to
nonprofits with budgets under $500,000,” said Davis.
• 16% have a budget between $500,000 and $999,999.
• 19% fall in the $2 million to $5.9 million range.
• 8% have annual budgets of $10 million or more.
• The median annual budget is $800,000.
Key FIndings for nonprofits with $500,000 or less
annual organization budget
More than a third (37%) of the Greater Kansas City nonprofits have an
annual budget of less than $500,000 [Base: 106]. The profile of this large
category of the nonprofit community is:
ORGANIZATION BUDGET
More than one third
of nonprofit
organizations’
budgets are
less than
$500,000.
7%
$6 million to
$9.9 million
19%
$2.0 million to
$5.9 million
13%
$1.0 million to
$1.9 million
16%
$500,000 to
$999,999
37%
Less than
$500,000
8%
$10 million
or more
ORGANIZATION FOCUS
Survey respondents represent
14 types of nonprofit organizations.
Social and fraternal 1%
Labor 1%
International 1%
Animal support 1%
Business/professional 1%
Funding/foundation 3%
Advocacy/human rights 3%
Religious 3%
Community
economic
development
4%
11%
Other
11%
Educational
institution
13%
Arts & culture
14%
Healthcare,
hospital,
medical
33%
Social services/
human services

Top three communications channels
• Website (82%)
• Print informational brochure (69%)
• Social media (60%)
This category of nonprofits use each of the 14 communication channels
less than nonprofits with larger annual budgets.
Top three investment areas
• Website (57%)
• Print informational brochure (36%)
• Print newsletter (32%)
These nonprofits spend a greater percentage of their communications
budget on their websites than any other sized nonprofit except for those with
an annual budget of greater than $10 million.
Top three plan to use communications channels
• Email fundraising appeal (24%)
• Electronic newsletter (23%)
• Social media (19%)
• Video (19%)
The nonprofits with budgets of $500,000 or less plan to begin using social
media to communicate with their audiences at a greater percentage than any
other sized nonprofit organization over the next two years.
Resources and influencers
Who organizations rely on
Nonprofits turn to many resources to help them increase their communications
and marketing efforts effectiveness:
• 64% rely on their Board of Directors.
• 54% turn to online resources and blogs, and Nonprofit Connect (i.e. seminars
and Learning Circles).
• 50% use their local nonprofit colleagues.
• 44% rely on contractors/vendors and consultants.
“Nonprofit professionals are expected to be skilled across many disciplines
and recognize the value of networking with as many resources as possible,”
said Amy Mulligan Kennedy, education and member services manager for
Nonprofit Connect. “It’s not unusual for Nonprofit Connect programs to see, for
example, a fundraiser for an arts organization dialoging with a communications
professional from another sector, such as education, health or social services.
People in the Greater Kansas City nonprofit community are especially supportive
of their peers.”
In addition, respondents turn to still other resources, citing that they work
Video Case Study
with Ronald McDonald
House Charities
Holly Buckendahl,
CEO/Executive Director
Why we have a video
We developed our Izzy’s Story
video as a way to share one fam-
ily’s experience with how we help
bring comfort and peace during
turbulent and unpredictable times
when childhood illness turns a
family’s world upside down. This
particular video was originally cre-
ated for a fundraising event. We
wanted to motivate our attendees
to give generously. We generally
create a fresh video annually.
Where we show our video
We use the video for group
presentations, Board meetings,
fundraising events, on Facebook
and for website posts.
Results
We find that after showing the
video to individuals and various
audiences, there is a heightened
level of understanding and em-
pathy for a family’s journey with
childhood illnesses as well as Ron-
ald McDonald House Charities.
Recommendations
Always have a family tell its story.
Decide what your audience and
purpose is. Aim for three to five
minutes that will tug at your heart.

with volunteers to help them plan, develop and execute their communications
and marketing programs. Or, they belong to professional organizations, such as
the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
National offices
The majority (72%) of nonprofits are not affiliated with a national office, and of
the 26% (75 respondents) that are an affiliate of a national office, more than half
(57%) say that office is either minimally or not involved in their communications
programs.
Communications budget
Annual communications budget
• The average budget for communications activities, excluding cost of labor, is
$29,000. The median is $7,500.
• 34% of the organizations have a budget of less than $5,000.
• 32% have budgets between $5,000 and $25,000.
• Only 5% spend $200,000 or more on their communications activities each year.
In-kind services
• Although 19% of respondents don’t receive in-kind communications materials
and services, the average pro bono donation is nearly $9,000 a year, with almost
half (45%) of the organizations receiving less than $5,000.
• A very small percent (2%) receive $100,000 or more annually.
Communications staffing
Staffing, vendors, volunteers, interns
• 60% of the organizations do not have a dedicated full-time staff member to handle
their communications and marketing, and only 21% have one person in this role.
• Only 13% have one part-time staff member exclusively devoted to communica-
tions and marketing.
• Only 8% have one or more interns working for their organization dedicated to
communications and marketing.
Communications Programs
Channels
Not surprising, nearly all (91%) of the organizations have a website. Other com-
monly used communication channels include print informational brochures,
press releases, print fundraising appeals and electronic newsletters.
Only about 8 percentage points separate those respondents who use an
electronic newsletter (62%) vs. a print newsletter (54%). This translates into 15%
more respondents using electronic vs. print.
Almost three-fourths of the respondents (71%) indicated they are using social
media as a communications channel. Respondents reported that they are primar-
ily using one or more of the following social media channels: Facebook (93%),
Donor Thank You’s
“To demonstrate to donors the val-
ue of their gifts, the best thing you
can do is to send timely ‘thank
you’ letters. Strive to send those
within 24 to 48 hours after receiv-
ing a donation or gift. But, if you
don’t have the staff or resources
to meet that standard, establish a
timely and realistic goal and then
adhere to it. Sometimes nonprofits
tell me their donors tell them it’s a
waste of a stamp to send a ‘thank
you’ letter. I don’t agree.”
— Robert F. Hartsook, , JD, EdD,
Chairman and ceo of Hartsook
Companies, Inc.and president of
hartsook institute for fundraising
Over Communicating
“In my 38 years of working with non-
profits,I’ve never seen a case where
an organization has either over-
communicated or over-recognized
its donors.That’s different from organi-
zations that have poorly maintained
databases that cause duplicate
mailings to an individual. That’s not
over-communicating;that’s poor
database management.”
— Robert F. Hartsook, Hartsook
Companies, Inc.

Twitter (46%), YouTube (34%) or LinkedIn (28%).
“Special Olympics Missouri uses its YouTube channel as part of our
overall social media plan. We recognize that our supporters, volunteers
and athletes spend a significant amount of time online and want to use
every avenue possible to reach them,” said Mandi Mueller, public rela-
tions coordinator for Special Olympics Missouri.
“Right now, we are using our videos on YouTube to engage our
consituents in an awareness campaign. We’ll post about 10 per week
for 15 weeks,” said Lauren Henson, program manager, integrated
marketing at PKD Foundation. “We decided to use social media be-
cause it gives us an untapped, highly engaged audience right at our
fingertips. And, aside from staff time, it’s cheap.”
Less than half (40%) of the survey respondents use video as a
communications channel.
Interestingly, 12% of the respondents use billboards. Some orga-
nizations reported they use newspaper advertisements, postcards,
and ads on the radio.
Few nonprofits in the Kansas City area are using two of the new-
est communications technologies – text messaging (7%) and smart-
phone apps (2%). Those using text messaging use it for generating
donations through either a Text-to-Give or a Text-to-Pledge program,
or use it for a Text-to-Volunteer program.
“We have been promoting the Text-to-Give option at Big Broth-
ers Big Sisters events for about a year and a half,” said Patrick Sallee,
development director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas
City,
“Our main focus has been on getting event attendees to further
support the agency through a one-time text donation. Our success
has been hit and miss. We are continuing to experiment with the messaging and
the location of our promotions to maximize our opportunity,” added Sallee.
Role of vendors, contractors/consultants and volunteers
72% of the nonprofits pay vendors, contractors/consultants to create or assist
with primarily their websites, print informational brochures and print newslet-
ters.
Volunteers are providing website services to 19% of the nonprofits, and a
nearly equal percentage (18%) provide social media services.
Key investment communications channels
The top three communications/marketing investment areas (excluding cost of
labor) for nonprofits are:
• Websites (52%)
• Print newsletters (40%)
• Print fundraising appeals (39%)
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
Nonprofit organizations currently use the
following communication channels or vehicles:
Website
Informational brochure (print)
Press releases
Fundraising appeal (print)
Social media (Facebook,Twitter,blogs,YouTube,etc.)
Newsletter (electronic)
Annual report
Newsletter (print)
Fundraising appeal (email)
Video
Informational brochure (electronic)
Public service announcement (radio)
Membership appeal (print)
Membership appeal (electronic)
Public service announcement (TV)
Public service announcement (print)
Billboards
Magazine (print)
Other
Text messaging (Text-to-Give,Text-to-Pledge,Text-to-Volunteer,etc.)
Smartphone application (app for mobile phone)
91%
78%
75%
72%
71%
62%
60%
54%
51%
40%
39%
27%
26%
20%
19%
15%
12%
10%
9%
7%
2%

Those are followed closely by print informational brochures and
annual reports.
“Our website is a wonderful tool to get our message delivered
to a large and diverse audience,” said Patrick Ayers, president/CEO,
American Stroke Foundation. “I am amazed at how effective our
website actually is and did not realize this until some problems caused
it to go down for a short period. The calls and emails I received letting
me know it was down allowed me to see the effect it actually has. Likewise, during
the time it was down, our contributions went down because our on-line donation
program was inoperable.”
Frequency for most common
communications channels/vehicles
Print newsletters
• For those nonprofits with print newsletters (Base: 157), the most common (42%)
publishing frequency is four times per year.
• 24% publish twice per year.
• Only 9% publish monthly.
Electronic newsletters
• For nonprofits with an electronic newsletter (Base: 179), the most common
(45%) publishing frequency for an electronic newsletter is monthly.
• 22% publish four times per year.
• 16% send weekly and bi-weekly messaging or use impromptu/occasional
scheduling frequencies.
Fundraising appeals
• For those with fundraising appeals (Base: 207), nearly 49% of the organizations
send out their print fundraising appeals twice per year.
• 16% use a four times per year frequency.
• Only 3% send print appeals out monthly.
• For email appeals, the most common (30%) frequency is twice per year fol-
lowed closely (21%) by four times per year (Base: 146).
Membership appeals
• By far, the most common (43%) frequency for sending out print membership
appeals is twice per year for those who send this type of appeal (Base: 75).
• The frequency is more varied for sending out email appeals, ranging from
twice per year, to four times per year, to monthly (Base: 57).
Videos
• The two most common places for presenting an organization’s video message
are its website (77%) and on YouTube (62%) for those organizations with videos
(Base: 115).
• 26% include their videos in their electronic newsletters.
• Videos also are posted on nonprofit organizations’ social media sites and are
shown during events, as part of tours, and during personal presentations.
“We produce videos as often as we can, relying entirely on volunteer interns
KEY INVESTMENTS
Response to,“What are your top three communications mar-
keting investment areas,excluding cost of labor?”:
Website
Newsletter (print)
Annual report
Video
Press releases
Magazine (print)
Billboards
Other
52%
40%
39%
33%
26%
15%
10%
9%
9%
7%
6%
5%
3%
3%
3%
3%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%

and an occasional donated piece. Video is a powerful tool to show potential sup-
porters what our organization is about, and we hope it will encourage people
to come out and be fans of Special Olympics,” said Mueller of Special Olympics
Missouri.
“We premiered our video at our Heart of Gold 50th Anniversary Celebra-
tion,” said Cindy Wissinger, development director, Cancer Action.
“It communicates our mission through our clients’ experiences. We have
since used it at our Annual Volunteer Awards Reception to honor the work they
do for our clients, and with a national professional organization conducting a
giving campaign on our behalf,” added Wissinger.
“Our video helps our supporters connect with our clients’ needs in a new
way, and I know it helped increase donations at the Heart of Gold
Celebration. We hope that when we begin to post portions of the
video on YouTube, it will continue educating the community about
who we are and how we can help.”
Events
The three most common types of events hosted by nonprofits are
galas/dinners, luncheons and golf tournaments. For all three types,
as well as the 11% of organizations that hold runs/walks, the most
common frequency is once per year.
Other types of events that organizations said they host include:
• Auctions and art auctions
• Casino nights and poker tournaments
• Receptions, parties and cocktail parties
• Open houses and tours
• Educational and training programs
• Wine- and food-tasting activities
• Fashion shows
• Bingo nights
• Sports tournaments (volleyball, bowling, dodge ball, disc golf)
• Plant sales
• Motorcycle rides
Communicating with Different Audiences
Donor base
• Nearly 40% of the primary donor base for Greater Kansas City
nonprofits is between the ages of 45 and 54.
• Another nearly 40% are between 55 and 64 years old.
• Therefore, together, the 45 to 64 age group comprises almost 80%
of organizations’ donor base.
Respondents told us the types of challenges they encounter in
communicating effectively with donors include:
DONOR AGE RANGES
More than three quarters of donors
are 45 to 64 years old.
39%
45 to 54 years old
0.3% 26 to 34 years old
0.7% 18 to 25 years old
8% 35 to 44 years old
37%
55 to 64 years old
8%
65 years old
and older
7%
No reply
47%
42%
25%
23%
14%
11%
2%
NONPROFIT EVENT TYPES
Nonprofit organizations host/plan the following event types
each year.
Gala or dinner
Other
Luncheon
Golf tournament
Breakfast
Run or walk
Telethon

• Standing out from the crowd
• Gaining their attention
• Reaching them electronically when not familiar with technology, particularly in
the 55- to 64-year-old age category
• Maintaining an accurate prospect database
• Having the time and staff to handle the task
• Finding prospective donors, including a younger donor base
• Demonstrating to donors the value of their gifts
• Fearing the organization will over-communicate
• Communicating with donors in meaningful ways
• Lacking enough email addresses
“Tell stories,” said Jeffrey Byrne, president and CEO, Jeffrey Byrne & As-
sociates, Inc. “Stories will pull your donor into your organization and you can
illustrate services and programs in a way that puts a face on your organization.
Watch body language of your donors. They’ll pull into you and engage your eyes
in a sincere way. Whether you tell it to one person or you write it in a blog or
newsletter, stories can be your best way of communicating.”
Volunteer base
• The primary volunteer base age ranges are more widely distributed, with
nearly one third in the 35 to 44 age range and one fourth in the 45 to 54 range.
• However, about 20% fall between the ages of 18 and 34, whereas that age range
makes up only 1% of the donor base.
Nonprofits told us the most common challenges tied to communicating with
volunteers are:
• Lacking enough email addresses
• Lacking an effective communications plan
• Reaching new, prospective volunteers
• Timing the communication to meet the need for volunteers – making contact at
the right times
• Keeping volunteers interested and engaged
• Gaining their attention
• Having the time and staff to handle the task
• Maintaining an accurate database
• Reaching them (typically the older demographic) electronically
when some aren’t electronic savvy
“Our primary method of communicating with volunteers
of all ages is email. We also use our volunteer-only website and
web-based volunteer management software called Volgistics.
Volgistics provides online scheduling, hours tracking and docu-
ment storage/viewing. It also manages our email communication
with volunteers,” said Mary Beth Sloan, manager, volunteer services
at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
“Although we don’t communicate differently with volunteers based
ENGAGING NEW AUDIENCES
“The Kansas City Symphony is
always reaching out to new,
younger and more diverse
audiences. One way to do this
is through social media, such as
Facebook and YouTube.The Sym-
phony continues to expand our
reach through these outlets, and
by exploring new technologies
such as an iPhone app. It’s also
important to not forget traditional
means of reaching out to people.
We make appearances on col-
lege campuses to promote our $8
student tickets as well as to distrib-
ute free tickets to students.We’ve
also been successful in our print
advertising.There are so many
young, extremely talented guest
artists who appear on our series
each season.We showcase these
amazing talents so that younger
audiences can see people just
like them presenting world-class
performances.”
— Jeff Barker, Director of Marketing,
Kansas City Symphony
VOLUNTEER AGE RANGES
One fifth of the volunteer base is 18 to
34 years old,while this age range makes
up 1% of the donor base.
25%
45 to 54 years old
18 to 25 years old 5%
13%
26 to 34 years old
29%
35 to 44 years old
12%
55 to 64 years old
7%
65 years old
and older
9%
No reply

on
their age, age is a factor when it comes to volunteers’ attitudes toward and
comfort with technology-based communication. In general terms, our
younger volunteers embrace Volgistics and appreciate that it gives them
more autonomy. Our older volunteers need more prompting, more training
and more troubleshooting when it comes to using Volgistics. They don’t always
see its benefits; they sometimes see it as a nuisance and some refuse to use it,”
she added.
Client/Patron Base
Communicating with an organization’s clients/patrons poses particular chal-
lenges. To the open-ended question, “What are your challenges in communicat-
ing effectively with your clients/patrons?” here are the top responses:
• Limited time, budget and staff to handle the tasks
• Giving them easy access to resources
• Overcoming language barriers
• Maintaining current contact information
• Messaging multiple programs and benefits
• Dealing with confidentiality and privacy issues
• Reaching an audience that doesn’t have easy computer access
“Every organization, whether it be a nonprofit or for profit, must
communicate effectively with its constituents to be successful and dynamic,”
said Ayers, of American Stroke Foundation.
“Additionally, the audience the nonprofit is trying to communicate with
may be very diverse. For example, the American Stroke Foundation’s audience
includes stroke survivors and their families, current or potential funders, and the
community at large. Though the gist of the message may be the same, the mecha-
nism of delivery may be different depending on the intent of the message,” he
added. “And, with the realization of limited resources to devote to marketing
and communications, the American Stroke Foundation has taken a rifle approach
as opposed to a shotgun.”
Social Media
What’s being used and how often
Of the 71% of nonprofits that use social media:
• 93% use Facebook
• 46% use Twitter
• 34% use YouTube
• 28% use LinkedIn
For the Facebook users, half update their postings weekly, while 22%
post either daily or monthly (19%). Only 7% post updates quarterly.
SOCIAL MEDIA USE
Among the 71% who use social media [Base:205},
more than 93% of those nonprofit organizations maintain
an active presence on Facebook.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
Other
No current presence but are interested in having social media presence
93%
46%
34%
28%
4%
3%

For Twitter users, over half (55%) post weekly and 27% post daily.
LinkedIn users post less frequently, with about a third posting weekly (32%),
nearly a third (30%) posting monthly, and a third (33%) posting quarterly.
“Nonprofit Connect is steadily expanding its outreach efforts through social
media,” said Trudi Galblum, communication consultant for Nonprofit Con-
nect. “One of the tools that makes it quick and easy for us to post messages on
Facebook and other social media sites is by sending one email on an application
called ‘Posterous.’”
“Social media has been a blessing that American Stroke Foundation once
resisted but now sees (and reaps) the benefits,” said Ayers. “Facebook and Twit-
ter has allowed American Stroke Foundation to get our message out effectively,
quickly, and it’s free! Though time is our biggest (and most limited) asset, the
time spent on these sources of communication brings a large return on our in-
vestment,” he added.
What Works Best
For generating donations
The five most successful (defined as successful or extremely success-
ful) communications channels for generating donations are:
1. Personal visits (82%)
2. Events (72%)
3. Other (50%)
4. Written appeals (47%)
5. Phone solicitation (47%)
Using social media has delivered mixed results for some non-
profits, with 26% reporting it to be “not successful.”
It’s likely the case that the personal visits and more traditional
written or print approaches more appropriately fit the older age
range of the donor base for nonprofits.
In addition, electronic newsletters are less successful than print
newsletters for generating donations, but that might be changing.
“Print newsletters are performing better because they are resonat-
ing with an older demographic where donations are most likely to
come. But, online and electronic giving is growing,” said Hartsook.
“Online giving can be fast and convenient for your donor. It’s a
way to instantly respond after a great news article in your electronic
newsletter. You’re going to leave out a whole generation of givers
if you pass by online opportunities to give with Gen X’ers and
Millennials,” said Byrne.
Those organizations that said they use “other” types of chan-
nels to generate donations typically do so via word of mouth, email
invitations and via grants.
82%
72%
50%
47%
47%
24%
19%
13%
11%
METHODS FOR GENERATING DONATIONS
Methods identified as“successful”or“extremely successful”
Personal visit
Events
Other
Written appeals
Phone solicitation
Print newsletter
Website
Social media
Electronic newsletter
METHODS FOR CONNECTING WITH CLIENTS
Personal visit
Other
Events
Print newsletter
Phone solicitation
Written appeals
Website
Social media
88%
83%
80%
72%
65%
62%
57%
57%
43%

FUTURE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
Of channels/vehicles not currently being used,nonprofit
organizations plan to use the following communication
channels or vehicles within the next two years:
Video
Annual report
Other
Billboards
Press releases
Newsletter (print)
Magazine (print)
Website
20%
19%
17%
17%
16%
16%
15%
13%
13%
12%
10%
9%
8%
8%
8%
7%
6%
6%
5%
4%
4%
For connecting with clients/patrons
For reaching clients/patrons, there is a broader array of communications
vehicles that achieve success for organizations. And although personal
visits and events are the most successful, electronic newsletters and print
newsletters more often than not are successful or extremely successful.
For connecting with volunteers
To communicate with volunteers, organizations use nearly every
type of communications channel available to them, including
personal visits, electronic and print newsletters, events and phone
solicitations.
Respondents also said they use the website VolunteerMatch.org
and press releases to publicize their volunteer opportunities.
“A mixed media strategy is the best route to take for effectively and success-
fully reaching a volunteer audience, which our research shows is constantly and
rapidly adopting new mediums for information and education,” said Barbara
Kay, president, Ascend Integrated Media.
Future Communications Channels
Nonprofits plan to start using these five main communications chan-
nels/vehicles within the next two years:
• Text messaging (20%)
• Electronic newsletters (19%)
• Email fundraising appeals (17%)
• Public service announcements (radio) (17%)
• Electronic informational brochures (16%)
“Research we’ve seen tells us that people aged 42 and younger
text more than they talk on their mobile phones,” said Kay. “In fact,
the single most-used feature of a mobile phone is now texting. There-
fore, nonprofits should not ignore this trend and should employ a
broad communications strategy,” added Kay.
“One key takeaway from our research is even though those aged
18 to 34 may not have the bank account to support nonprofits right
now, they sure do have the heart for them. So, keep those volunteers
engaged so that when their incomes mature, they are able to also
support nonprofits financially. We have to remember to nurture our
future market while meeting the needs of our current market,” said
Ascend’s Bishop.
“Also, these are the people who are on Facebook with
their grandparents. Encourage those younger aged volunteers
to “like” your organization’s Facebook page and their parents/
grandparents/aunts/uncles will see that and might make a
donation,” he added.
73%
69%
62%
61%
60%
50%
49%
48%
39%
METHODS FOR CONNECTING WITHVOLUNTEERS
Personal visit
Events
Phone solicitation
Print newsletter
Other
Social media
Website
Written appeals

About Ascend Integrated Media
Ascend Integrated
Media is a custom
content company,
established in 1982
in Overland Park,KS.
Ascend works with nonprofit organizations
and businesses throughout the U.S.to
develop and produce brand-enhancing
communications products that strengthen
volunteer,donor and client/patron and cus-
tomer engagement.Ascend’s suite of fully
integrated products and services include
print and digital publications,brochures,
annual reports,newsletters,websites,smart-
phone apps,as well as targeted text and
messaging services.Visit Ascend at:www.
ascendintegratedmedia.com
About Nonprofit Connect
Nonprofit
Connect links
the nonprofit
community to
education, resources and networking
so organizations can more effectively
achieve their missions. Nonprofit
Connect is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt
organization.Visit Nonprofit Connect at:
www.npconnect.org
Survey detail
The survey was administered by Kristin Letourneau, who has been conducting
research for over 20 years, in both corporate and academic settings. Letourneau
holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology, with an emphasis in Quantitative Methods.
Her work has been published in several business-to-business publications,
as well as the academic journals Group Dynamics and European Journal of Social
Psychology.
More information
For questions regarding this research white paper, please contact Eric Jacobson
at Ascend Integrated Media at 913-344-1436. This white paper also is available
via Ascend Integrated Media (www.ascendintegratedmedia.com) and Nonprofit
Connect (www.npconnect.org).

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