How Do Charities Market Themselves? 7 Marketing Ideas for Non-Profit Organisations

Not-for-profit and charity marketing can be challenging. How are you supposed to raise awareness for your cause, educate the public and convey how absolutely passionate you are about making a difference with a definite lack of funding? 

But that’s where you can use your passion to your advantage and find new and innovative ways to make your charity marketing campaign stand out. And one of the best ways to make an impact and spend less pennies all at the same time? The age-old marketing tool: print. 

We were recently lucky enough to learn more about how some of the UK’s leading charities and non-profit organisations use print marketing to propel their cause into the limelight and help people learn more about what they can do to help. Here’s what we discovered.

Why is Marketing Important for Charities and Non-Profit Organisations?

When a charity promotes its fundraising activities, speaks at a local event, asks for a donation at the end of a purchase, advertises a support group, all of this is marketing. Without marketing, charities and not-for-profits would not be able to spread the word of their cause or gather enough funds to support those affected by the cause or educate the wider public on some of the issues surrounding it.

Charities often have very limited budgets, as they don’t ‘earn’ profit as other businesses do. This means that every penny must be spent wisely to achieve their goals. Charity marketing strategies must be planned out extensively to ensure they keep to their budget.

Download our free charity calendar here for more inspiration.

Marketing for Charities Ideas

One of the best ways to keep costs low when marketing a charity is to opt for print. Not only is print a really accessible form of marketing for many donors (such as members of the public who don’t necessarily have access to the internet and the digital ads that live there), it’s also highly affordable and the most trustworthy form of marketing.

All these charity direct marketing ideas are used by real UK charities who print with instantprint.
 

1. Leaflet Distribution

   Warming Up the Homeless is a UK charity that supports homeless people by offering hot food and other supplies, as well as providing them with warm, dry clothe and shoes. They’ve found leaflets are the best way of spreading awareness of their charity, as they hand them out in the local area and at fundraising events. Here’s what they had to say about their leaflets:
   
   “Our print allows us to share extremely relevant information very quickly, and it also allows us to reach more people, making it an essential tool for spreading awareness – both for our charity and the people we’re helping.”
   
    

2. Roller Banners

   Sight Support Derbyshire work with blind and partially sighted adults and children in the local area, helping them to stay independent. As well as providing services in hospital eye clinics and rehab services at home, they also arrange social activities and provide information on ways they can help. As part of this, they use a plethora of printed products to promote their charity, including the trusty roller banner.
   
   “We use pull up banners to promote our charity when we’re out and about. Without print, we wouldn’t be able to promote our fundraising events as widely as we can, or spread awareness to so many people like we can now.”
   
    

3. Branded Business Stationery

   The International Otter Survival Fund support otter conservation through numerous projects across the globe. Print marketing is an essential part of raising awareness for this charity, and one of the ways they do that is through branded stationery. 
   
   “Whenever we send a letter, note or business card, we make sure it has all of our contact information on. Making sure your stationery shows off exactly what you stand for is so important, and it shows that we’re trustworthy and professional.”
   
    

4. Postcard Marketing

   Although as many as 1 in 1000 people in the UK are living with nystagmus, a vision impairment, charity Nystagmus Network has a staff of only two, meaning marketing can sometimes present a challenge for the passionate duo. Print plays a critical role in making sure they can fulfil their goals of providing information, raising awareness and fundraising towards research.
   
   “We print postcards to supply to eye hospitals and clinics so that people who are newly diagnosed with nystagmus can find the help and support they need. These postcards mean we can reach out to the 1 in 1000 (at least) living with the impairment despite only having 2 members of staff.”
   
    

5. Printed Guides

   Another charity that shared their print marketing tips with us was Child.org, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to designing and delivering innovative health projects to protect mothers, babies, and children in sub-Saharan Africa.
   
   “We use print in all different ways, including our health guides that are used in schools and pregnancy support groups. We also use print to promote the projects that pay for our work, like Ride Africa and the Horrible Histories tour of London.”
   
    

6. Charity Poster Prints

   Posters – arguably the most visual way of promoting your cause. At least that’s what Open Cages believe. This charity campaigns against the cruel practices of intensive chicken farms and are currently urging retailers to sign the Better Chicken Commitment to improve the chicken farming industry. 
   
   “We print posters to use for peaceful demonstrations. These print products are crucial; without them, we would be far less effective at informing consumers. Through print, we can use highly powerful visuals from factory farms.”
   
    

7. Welcome Packs

   The Big Draw is a visual literacy charity that promotes the universal language of drawing as a tool for learning, expression, and invention. They support professional and emerging artists through prizes, exhibitions, awards, and competitions. Print is key to this.
   
   “We send welcome packs out to Big Draw Festival organisers worldwide, which include booklets, stickers, certificates, and flyers to help spread the word about their event. These are used in countless museums, hospitals, and schools that take part every year. 
   
   This has had a huge impact on our charity. We’re events-based, so for us and our supporters, print is an essential part of spreading our message and making organisers feel part of the bigger picture.”
    

Ready to get a piece of the print marketing action? From flyers and leaflets to banners and posters, we’ve got everything you need to promote your charity’s cause. Check out the full range here, or browse our free design templates for easy print artwork at the touch of a button.