5 Keys to Make the Most of Your Nonprofit's Online Experience

“I tell other nonprofits to take a step back and ask yourself, ‘What would you do today if you were starting over with nothing?’ How would you make everything look and work and operate together?” Brown says. “Then make all those pieces work together.”

Plan ahead
Brown says one of the keys to the Hope Institute’s online turnaround and continued growth is its meticulous online planning. The organization plans its online strategy a year in advance, with room built in to make adjustments. That way, it knows what stories it will focus on each month, how that message will be communicated across channels, etc. This allows Hope Institute to map out its strategy and integrate it in every medium.

Focus on your story, not your statistics
“The content online for many nonprofits typically turns into an online brochure — it’s not designed to be a marketing and engagement piece; it’s designed to be an informational piece,” Brown says. “We focus on statistics and every in and out of the services we provide, and we forget to tell the story of the people that we serve.”