Nonprofit needs ideas for marketing training programs

Deborah,

The majority of my clients are nonprofits, so I understand many of your challenges. First let me say that I really like your mission – I’m partial to charities that foster entrepreneurship and strong leadership.

Few ideas for you:

– Suggest you add a blog to your website. You can have a combo of static pages and a blog on the same site and this is what I’m referring to. Strive for 2-3 posts per week. This will help with organic traffic.

– Your charity is over 10 years old so I assume you have success stories of women who have started businesses and are earning income from them. Sprinkle these success stories in with other blog posts on the core skills you teach. Also encourage these women to speak at Chamber of Commerce events. I would expect the Chamber would welcome start-up success stories, and this is a way to spread news about your charity.

– Of course, you can also speak. Even joining Toastmasters gives you a chance to talk on numerous subjects with mentions here and there of your charity. This enhances word-of-mouth marketing on your behalf.

– There are some free press release services, but I’m not a fan of those and I expect Joan Stewart has thoughts on them as well. Although not free, strive to send out a quality press release that features a success story from your charity at least once a quarter as a start.

– Are there businesses you can team up with? From reading your services training includes a LOT of people skills. Very few people join the work force (regardless of age) with strong people skills. So there are surely corporations eager to find people with this training that may sponsor your charity. And their own publicity of how they’re helping a good cause will benefit you too.

– Find blogs and forums (quality ones) in leadership, entrepreneurial training, and helping professional women. Find a dozen or so and set up a schedule where you comment on each once a week and ADD VALUE. Do this right and it should only take an hour or two each week at the outside. I know that’s still a chunk of time but your site also gains back links for more successful SEO while increasing awareness of your charity far and wide.

– Encourage your board members to speak publicly. Whatever the venue or topic of their speech, strive to include a few examples from your charity. And hopefully their bio also mentions Virtuous Enterprises.

– Write articles in article directories, and trade journals. Resource box always has URL and note about your charity.

– Follow people on Twitter that share your target audience. Start conversations with them, Retweet, and add your own helpful tips in tweets. Being able to link back to your blog on occasion would be a huge help with this endeavor.

– Do you have a LinkedIn profile? And if yes, how complete is it? Participate in conversations and group discussions. Go outside the nonprofit arena and seek people in businesses who again, need the skill sets your mission beneficiaries acquire.

– Know anyone who could write an OP-ED for you and submit it to the local papers?

– Try BlogTalkRadio. With a computer and a phone you can have your own radio show for FREE.

That’s what comes to mind off the top of my head. Good luck!

Deborah

Networking with some of the organizations serving the DC area may be helpful. There is a group out of Oakton, VA called Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. Also, the National Association of Women Business Owners is based there in DC. I am sure the DC and Maryland Better Business Bureau and Chambers of Commerce would assist in gettng the word out. Hope this helps.

Doug Smith

Hi Deborah,
I have a question — what is your target promotion goal? Do you want more program partcipants, donations, leadership mentors, volunteers?

Participants: Create a simple and attractive one sheet, with basic program and contact information. Locate a print partner (local corporation) who will print them free for you. Distribute to agencies in your area who serve your targeted participants. Their staff members can hand out to clients they serve that will be a good match for your program.
Require discussion and relationship building. Write a press release/eblast about their involvement.

In-Kind Donations: Make a list of most-needed program items and then make a list of local suppliers of those items — see if any of the names are companies you already purchase from (Vendors). Create a Wish List One Sheet and pitch your need to those companies. Write a press release/eblast about Vendors getting involved and giving back.

Leadership Mentors: Create a one sheet of program topics for the year. Match local leaders to the topics — teachers, Executive Directors, politicians, media personnel, etc. Ask them to guest lecture for the course (30 mins.) and publicize their participation in their newsletters, blogs or email blasts. Write a press release/eblast about the community involvement in your program.

Volunteers: If you have a relationship with your local university or community college, or know some of their faculty members, have a discussion with them about their students participating in your program as volunteers for class credits. The secret is the course topic will need to link to your program topics. Write a press
release/eblast about new ways the university is promoting education and students benefit from volunteering.

Best wishes – it sounds like a terrific program!
Diana

Just one phrase to suggest: Contact the Junior League. I think they would LOVE to help. Other non-profits can be just what you’re looking for! Good luck to my hometown girls!