Nonprofit messaging often focuses on presenting the societal needs that an organization is working to meet. It highlights the struggles of communities affected by natural disasters, families lacking financial empowerment, or individuals needing guidance in times of anxiety or uncertainty.
While this messaging can be extremely effective in communicating the need, it can fail to achieve the desired results if it doesn’t include a strong call to action. Both prospective supporters and those already on board must be given a clear pathway for responding.
A compelling call to action can not only map out the steps supporters can take to ensure needs are met but also drive donor engagement, increase volunteer participation, and rally community support. The following are some key factors nonprofits should consider when crafting calls to action.
Audience-specific messaging removes barriers to action
In addition to communicating its mission in a compelling way, nonprofits must also acknowledge the challenges stakeholders face as they consider getting involved. Some may face time constraints, while others may feel they lack the financial resources to make a difference or believe that certain skills are necessary to contribute effectively.
Audience-specific messaging considers all those issues and a host of others that can discourage prospective supporters from getting involved. It reassures the audience, showing them that the nonprofit understands their concerns and has taken steps to address them. It often involves taking steps to voice the fears prospective supporters may have and to show how they can be overcome.
For example, a shelter providing services to those experiencing homelessness could craft messages specifically for prospective volunteers who are unsure about their abilities to contribute. The call to action could invite them to an in-person orientation, direct them to a webpage that explains the tasks they’ll be asked to perform, or simply communicate that they’ll receive all the necessary training to make an impact before being introduced to those the shelter serves.
Testimonies from current stakeholders are an effective element of audience-specific messaging. By highlighting the positive experiences of specific target groups, such as retirees, high-income earners, or individuals with particular skill sets, nonprofits can motivate prospective supporters within these groups to engage. Following a testimony with a call to action, such as “Join other seniors in your community in making a difference by signing up for a serving opportunity,” can increase its effectiveness.
Presenting tiered giving opportunities is another way to utilize an audience-specific call to action. Nonprofits launching a giving campaign can break up the financial goal into a certain number of units at different giving levels. By demonstrating that giving at all levels is necessary to achieve the goal, the organization communicates to givers with fewer resources that their gift is just as important as those from more affluent donors.
Tracking the impact of calls to action reveals winning strategies
While a strong call to action can typically be counted on to improve the results of nonprofit promotional campaigns, it doesn’t guarantee success. There are a wide variety of variables that can affect its impact. Tracking impact and tweaking elements when results are less than expected is critical for optimizing campaigns.
For example, nonprofits will often provide a call to action to financial donors as the end of the calendar year approaches. While receiving donations by December 31 ensures that giving will qualify for a tax deduction that year, finding the perfect time to send the message—not too early that donors will ignore it and not too late that they will have already committed funds elsewhere—can be tricky. Tracking the impact of such a campaign can help nonprofits determine the optimal time to deliver a call to action.
Seeking supporter feedback is an effective way to track the impact of messaging and the calls to action it uses. Anonymous surveys can be used to ask questions about what drew supporters to the organizations, what hesitation they had about getting involved, and what motivated them to give their support. The patterns that start to emerge can provide valuable intel for fine-tuning calls to action to make them more impactful.
A call to action is a critical component of nonprofit messaging. It allows the audience to translate the emotions they feel into action, breaking down barriers to involvement and streamlining the process that converts prospective supporters into committed stakeholders. Leveraging audience-specific messaging and tracking the impact of their efforts on audiences are two key ways nonprofits can improve the effectiveness of calls to action.
Charlie Walker is a public relations specialist at Otter PR, excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate with target audiences, and building strong media relationships. Since joining Otter PR, Charlie has secured significant media placements for clients across diverse sectors, including lifestyle, non-profit, and LGBTQIA+ organizations.
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