We understand that staying positive can be tough with all the uncertainty going on right now. It’s completely normal to feel worried about changes in government, the struggling economy, and events happening around the world. But, here’s some good news: your data is a powerful tool that can help as you navigate these changes. By looking at the information you already have from your social media, website, and other communications, you can make strategic decisions that will guide you through these tough times and set your nonprofit up for future success.
While working with data might seem intimidating, let’s break it down into simple steps so you can understand how your content has been performing and how you may need to change your communication strategy.
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Is your nonprofit struggling with fundraising, getting volunteers, or connecting with the community? The first step is to ask the right questions. Think about what you want to learn from your data. For example, you might ask, “What can we do to raise money during these tough times?” or “How can we get more volunteers during a crisis?” These questions will help you pinpoint where to look.
LOOK TO THE PAST
Having data from the past few years is a huge advantage (but if you don’t have that much, don’t worry—use what you’ve got). Go back and look at your past marketing and communication efforts. Think about questions like, “Did our newsletter help us reach volunteers?” or “How did our social media posts engage with the community?” If you’re trying to improve donor engagement, ask, “How can we ensure our donors are aware and involved?” Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions, like, “What did we miss when trying to recruit volunteers?” or “Why did we lose donors?”
COLLECT AND EVALUATE
Your questions will guide you to the data you need. You might find information in places you didn’t expect. For example, to learn about volunteer retention, check your social media analytics, look at email performance, review volunteer sign-in sheets, and even go through your phone logs from conversations with volunteers. For donor engagement, you can look at data from your social media platforms, your website, email open rates, and past research on your donors.
Most social media platforms give you useful insights. For example, Facebook and Instagram show you which posts are doing the best. Find what stands out about your best-performing posts compared to the ones that didn’t do as well. Then, take a look at your email analytics. Which emails had high open rates (i.e., viewed the most)? Did certain subject lines or the timing of your emails make a difference?
If you keep track of phone calls with volunteers or donors, use that information to see what people are concerned about. Did they have similar issues? What was the average number of phone calls it took to resolve any issue? If you don’t have a phone log, start today! Simple records of phone calls are often overlooked gauges of your support.
CONNECT THE DOTS
As you look at your data, try to find patterns. For example, did your social media engagement go up after you sent out a certain newsletter? Did a particular post make more volunteers call you? Or did a media release bring more people to your website? These connections will help you understand what your community, volunteers, and donors respond to the most.
MOVE FORWARD
Once you’ve found these patterns, think about how you can use them in the future. For example, did volunteers respond better when you highlighted their efforts in newsletters, or when they felt a personal connection through social media? Include more volunteer recognition and storytelling in your future social media posts. Did your phone support or media relations help create better engagement? You could emphasize the helpfulness of your staff in your media strategy. After you try out new ideas, keep testing and learning from the results.
By following these steps, you can unlock the power of your data and create a plan that helps your nonprofit through challenges and prepares you for a brighter future.
If you’re ready to improve your communications, the team at Lyndeau is here to help. We can throughly analyze your data, provide detailed and in-depth reports, and help create a communication strategy that will make a real impact. Let’s inspire change. Strategically.
