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1. Gauge community awareness of your nonprofit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The first step in a community awareness<\/a> campaign is to determine the community\u2019s current level of awareness about your nonprofit. This all starts with surveying the public to determine their perception of your organization. You can ask if they know about your organization and what you do in a single question. To keep things quick and easy, keep a running tally of the two possible responses (either they\u2019ve heard of you or they haven\u2019t). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to go the extra\nmile? Ask respondents who have<\/em> heard of your organization what they\nthink about your nonprofit and the work you do. Keep the survey anonymous so\nmembers of your community can answer honestly. Ask respondents to rate your\norganization on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Don\u2019t score respondents who haven\u2019t\nheard of your organization as they\u2019ve yet to form an opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you get survey responses? Go into the community and ask. If your organization has both a fundraising and marketing<\/a> department, team up and send employees out from both. The data you\u2019ll acquire from surveying people in your community will be valuable to both teams. If you\u2019ve got a small staff, train your volunteers to survey people in high-traffic areas alongside a staff member (get permission to do this, of course). <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019ve finished collecting data, crunch your numbers. Determine what percentage of survey respondents knew about your organization and how many hadn\u2019t heard of you. Then, determine your organization\u2019s average favorability score. <\/a>To determine your average, add the total of all the responses then divide that number by the number of respondents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if your organization asked 5 people to rate you\nand 2 respondents rated you a 3\/5 while the remaining 3 respondents rated you\n5\/5 you\u2019d add all the 5s and 3s you received together (5+5+5+3+3=21). Then\ndivide that number by five (the number of respondents) to receive an average\nrating of 4.2 out of 5. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask yourself, did those who knew about you have a good opinion of your organization or do you have to work to change public opinion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your survey responses should give you a good idea of the\npublic\u2019s overall level of awareness of your organization and their opinion of\nyou. Next, identify the areas your nonprofit needs to improve. Are you largely\nunknown? Does the public have a negative opinion of your nonprofit? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve identified opportunities to improve, develop an awareness campaign that directly addresses those needs. If you\u2019re largely unknown to your community, make a point to be at more community events. Pay for vendor tables and have brochures on hand (this can also be a great time to recruit more volunteers<\/a>). Staff the table with employees and volunteers who are comfortable talking to the public and spreading positive awareness of your organization and the work you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If public perception about your nonprofit isn\u2019t the best,\nendear yourself to your community by being more involved in community events\nand partner with businesses and organizations that are viewed more favorably\n(so long as it makes sense for your nonprofit). <\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, you could become a sponsor for local community events, children\u2019s athletic programs, or other programs your community values. This is a way to quickly gain public notice and public appreciation\u2014especially if you make a point of showing up and actively engaging in what you sponsored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to increase your visibility and change public perception of your organization is to create an ambassador program. Even if you\u2019re not the most-loved nonprofit out there, chances are people in your community like your volunteers and employees. Ask them to be your ambassadors! Equip them with knowledge and resources (like brochures, a cheat sheet of talking points, etc.) and encourage them to share why they became involved with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By just talking about your organization with their social network, your volunteers and staff can raise serious awareness<\/a> of your nonprofit. As a bonus, having your volunteers and employees talk positively about your organization helps others form positive opinions of your nonprofit and the work you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to become loved by your community is to become\npart of the very fabric of it. Unsurprisingly, traditions endure because people\nvalue them. You can either insert yourself into existing traditions such as\nbeing present at beloved community events (like county fairs, annual parades,\nand other recurring community events) or start your own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If a certain holiday resonates with your cause or is a big deal to your community, create a community event and invite the public to form a new tradition. An event-based fundraiser such as an auction<\/a> can increase awareness in your cause. Be sure not to step on any other community event\u2019s toes but offer an experience that can be repeated annually and that your public will love. Don\u2019t treat the event as a fundraising opportunity. Allow your staff to collect donations if offered, but don\u2019t ask for them. The purpose of this event isn\u2019t to raise funds, it\u2019s to raise community awareness. Stick to low-cost events you don\u2019t have to charge the public to partake in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It may seem counterintuitive to spend money without an objective of earning it back, but if you can succeed in creating an event your community values as a tradition, they\u2019ll fundraise to continue that tradition and keep your nonprofit afloat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want your community to love you, show them some love\nfirst! Send prompt, heart-felt thank-yous to your supporters, hold volunteer\nappreciation events, and publicly thank your community for their support\nwhenever you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make gratitude a regular part of what you do. After your events, post a thank-you ad in the local paper or on a billboard. Can\u2019t afford a paid thanks? Thank your supporters on social media, your website, and on free community bulletin boards. If local businesses sponsored your event, send a post-event thank-you letter<\/a> and let them know what they made possible on your behalf. Publicly thank your sponsors, volunteers<\/a>, and event attendees. Show your community how much their support means to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With these steps, you can increase community awareness and the public perception of your nonprofit. Help your community fall in love with your organization by being more involved in the local community and working to always have a positive public perception. <\/p>\n\n\nHow to use your community awareness survey data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Design your awareness campaign based on responses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Create an ambassador program<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Find ways to become engrained in your community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Show your community how much you love them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n