Your Nonprofit Audience: Who Are They and Why do They Care About You?

Is your communications strategy taking you in the right direction? How do you know? But how do you really know?

By conducting a little research, both qualitative and quantitative, you can learn a lot about how your key stakeholders learn about your organization and its work.

Directions

Many nonprofits shy away from regular (or even initial) evaluations because they can be time consuming, costly and, if poorly designed, unhelpful. But by checking in with key stakeholders periodically, evaluations can do double-duty: not only do they help determine where your staff should be spending its time, but they also make your donors, volunteers and prospects feel invested in your organization and its mission. Plus, there’s an added bonus: setting a benchmark for future success and charting a plan to get there.

Why You Should Perform a Communications Audit

Communications audits provide a thorough analysis of your nonprofit’s internal and external communications and also let you know where you stand in relation to your peer organizations. An audit can help you learn if your messages are getting through to—and resonating with—your key audiences. It can also help you identify the most effective communications vehicle to address any gaps.

By asking the right questions of the right audiences, you can then use the information to inform your communications plan.

Audits generally are more effective if conducted by an outsider. External consultants can be more objective than longtime staff—and participants often are more comfortable speaking freely with someone not employed by the organization. Audits should especially be conducted whenever there is a major change in your organization, such as a new CEO, major affiliation or crisis. And this fall, such an audit can help you as you construct your important year-end fundraising campaign.

Step 1: Identify Your Target Audiences

Who are the key stakeholders that are most important to you? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Major individual donors (however you define it)
Mid-level/monthly donors
One-time low-level donors
Your main contact at a corporate sponsor
Foundation sponsors
People who attended an event, but are not a donor (i.e., prospects)
Volunteers
People who directly receive your services, and, if appropriate, their families
People on your email list
People who follow you on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter

Don’t be afraid of going deeper. Try to find out as much information as you can in advance about each group.

Where do they live? What part of town or time zone?
What is their religious affiliation?
How old are they?
How many are men versus women?
How much education have they received?
How much money do they make, on average?
Do they have children? How old?

These questions are just a start. This is also where keeping detailed records in your database comes in handy. You might also look at getting some of this information by acquiring a software platform like NationBuilder. Qualifying organizations can match their database against the voter file, which often includes demographic information.

By identifying your key stakeholders and better understanding who they are, you can determine what you should ask and how.

Eager for more? Download our Communications Toolkit to learn more about how you can create a winning communications strategy and help your nonprofit achieve its mission.