Top Trends in Nonprofit Marketing in 2020

By: Jon Fee, SVP & Head of Global Marketing, Salesforce.org

Welcome to a new era of Marketing. An era defined by social distancing and the rebirth of what was once a tech cliche “digital transformation.” We have always led with digital transformation as marketers and often found ourselves waiting for others to catch-up. We were waiting because digital transformation equals change and everyone loves the idea of change until they have to do it.

Then COVID-19 hit, and EVERYTHING changed. Digital transformation changed. In fact, the term has experienced a semantic shift. No longer does it stand for using technology to solve for efficiency and speed. Today, digital transformation means hope, optimism, and a path forward. A new way of life.

We spoke to nearly 7,000 marketers and heard from them on the biggest trends transforming marketing today, unearthing many opportunities specific to nonprofit marketers. While this new study was done before COVID-19 was a pandemic, the insights from this report remain critical for how we leverage these opportunities now. After all, crisis often exaggerates what existed before.

Findings from our study include:

• Donors and volunteers come for the cause but stay for the digital experiences
• When support and funding is stretched thin, scaling your reach to find new supporters is key
• Data will drive every decision we make from messaging to content strategies to how we reach our constituents

There has never been a better time to be a marketer. Today, I am calling on all marketers to lead. Now is the moment to reassess, double down or recalibrate your online presence, rethink your communication channels, and virtual experiences. As we plan for the reopening of communities worldwide, I hope you will find this a helpful guide for a resilient new tomorrow.

Download this guide to learn what nonprofit marketers said are the top trends impacting their industry.