Communications, Marketing and Public Relations for Nonprofits
Your nonprofit needs to reach people who can benefit from its work, show supporters what their involvement makes possible and give leadership a clear view of the results. Each audience needs different information and a clear next step.
For nearly 20 years, The Harbinger Group has developed and managed communications that turn programs, expertise, results and personal experiences into campaigns people can understand and respond to.
Participants
need to understand what your programs offer, whether they qualify and how to take the next step.
Supporters
need credible evidence of what their contributions and partnerships make possible.
Leadership and Boards
need to understand how communications support the mission and how the budget is being used.
The Real Problem
Awareness does not automatically lead to applications, participation, donations or continued support.
Each audience needs a different reason to act.
Prospective participants, donors, funders, volunteers, community partners and journalists each approach your organization with different questions. Your communications need to give every audience relevant information while keeping the organization’s purpose consistent.
Developing those communications often requires input from program staff, subject-matter experts, leadership, partners and board members—placing another significant responsibility on a lean internal team.
Challenges Unique To Nonprofits
- Reaching people who can benefit from programs
- Explaining eligibility and application processes
- Showing supporters what their investment makes possible
- Finding and developing credible stories
- Turning awareness into measurable action
- Reporting results to leadership, boards and funders
Communications Support for Nonprofits
What We Can Take Off Your Team’s Plate
A program may need to be explained differently to a prospective participant, donor, journalist or community partner.
We develop organization-wide messaging, audience-specific messages, program descriptions, campaign copy, website content and leadership talking points. Each audience receives the information it needs without losing the organization’s purpose or voice.
A strong program cannot fulfill its purpose if the right people do not know about it, understand whether they qualify or know how to participate.
We research priority audiences, identify what may prevent them from acting and develop messages that address their questions. We then use search, email, digital advertising, social media and website content to reach them.
Initial interest does not always lead to a completed application, registration or inquiry. Questions about qualifications, cost, time, benefits and the process can stop strong candidates from acting.
We review the path from initial awareness through completion, improve application and landing-page content and develop follow-up communications that answer questions, address concerns and reinforce important deadlines.
Nonprofits have stories within participant experiences, applications, nominations, partnerships, staff expertise and program results. Those stories may remain unused because internal teams do not have time to find and develop them.
We interview staff, participants and partners, review program materials and prepare stories for media outreach, websites, email, video and social media.
Donors, funders and community partners need to see how their support contributes to the organization’s work.
We develop impact stories, program updates, annual reports, videos, website content and supporter communications that connect funding and partnerships with participant experiences and measurable results.
Media coverage, video, email and social media can introduce people to your organization. The value increases when audiences also have a clear way to apply, register, volunteer, donate, download a resource or remain connected.
We connect stories and campaigns with relevant website content, applications, donation opportunities, resources and follow-up communications.
Nonprofit leaders, boards and funders need reporting that answers practical questions:
- Did we reach the people our programs are intended to serve?
- Did qualified applicants respond and complete the process?
- Did media coverage communicate the right message?
- Did audiences use our information and resources?
- Did supporters engage with our stories?
- Did the work support organizational priorities and stay on budget?
We establish those measures at the beginning and report the results in language leadership, boards and funders can use
Built for Teams With Limited Capacity
The Harbinger Group can manage the full marketing and public relations effort or support selected priorities. We coordinate the strategy, content, campaigns, approvals, deadlines, spending and reporting so internal staff do not have to manage every detail.
Planning & Messaging
Audience and organizational research; Organization, program and impact messaging; Campaign and editorial planning
Public Relations & Storytelling
Story discovery, media relations and research promotion; Participant, partner and leadership stories; Spokesperson preparation, contributed articles and video
Audience Development
Program and participant recruitment; Email, search, social media and digital advertising; Website content, resources and participant follow-up
Measurement & Reporting
Applicant, inquiry and contact tracking; Media, email, website and campaign performance; Budget, leadership, board and funder reporting
Results of Our Work
From Increasing Qualified Applicants to Building Statewide Awareness
Client since 2008. The Harbinger Group functions as in-house marketing team for all programming. Earned media coverage has increased 25% annually. Recruitment marketing has helped programs double in size in the last five years.
Golden Apple is an Illinois nonprofit that recruits, prepares, mentors and supports educators. For more than a decade, The Harbinger Group has helped it reach prospective teachers, highlight educator excellence and build awareness of its role in addressing the teacher shortage.
Golden Apple needed to engage high school students, college students and career changers interested in its teacher preparation programs, each with different questions about eligibility, tuition support, careers and the application process.
We created audience-specific messaging delivered through segmented email, digital ads, social media and campaign landing pages, with follow-up content guiding qualified candidates to apply.
We also leveraged Golden Apple’s educator awards to build statewide awareness by developing stories from nominations, conducting media outreach and supporting announcements and school visits, extending earned coverage through email, video and social media.
96%
Increase in year-over-year applicants
700%
Increase in website landing page visits
385
Earned media stories secured in three months
650,000
Social media engagements
68,110
Shares of earned media coverage on social media
Who Does Your Nonprofit Need to Reach—and What Should They Do Next?
Schedule a conversation with our team to discuss your programs, audiences and organizational priorities. We can identify where additional communications support would make the greatest difference.