Tips for Nonprofit Marketers from the 2021 Salesforce State of Nonprofit Marketing Report - Heller Consulting
Heller Consulting|Salesforce|Tips for Nonprofit Marketers from the 2021 Salesforce State of Nonprofit Marketing Report

Tips for Nonprofit Marketers from the 2021 Salesforce State of Nonprofit Marketing Report

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2021 was another year of rapid adaptation for nonprofit marketers. While the pandemic accelerated the need for digital transformation in 2020, nonprofit marketing teams have continued to be under pressure to keep up their use of digital tools and transform data insights into relevant and personalized messaging. Salesforce sought to understand the challenges and goals of nonprofit marketers and recently released the Salesforce State of Nonprofit Marketing report.

Here are 3 of our key takeaways:

1. Nonprofit marketers know they must evolve to stay relevant and competitive

As the world has changed in the past couple of years, most nonprofit marketers are adapting and innovating:

    • 83% say that people’s preferences are changing their digital strategies.
    • 89% have already changed their digital engagement strategy in the past year.
    • 84% of CMOs say that their marketing must transform in order to be competitive.

2. Nonprofit marketers are aiming to be more data-driven, but still have work to do

Nonprofit marketers understand the value of data for their efforts. However, managing data is becoming more complex:

  • 71% of nonprofit marketers say their engagement is data-driven.
  • Nonprofit marketers expect an average of four new data sources by 2022, whereas corporations expect only three.
  • Only 33% of nonprofit marketers are completely satisfied with their ability to use data to create more relevant experiences.
  • Only 37% of nonprofit marketers are completely satisfied with the timeliness of their data.

3. Nonprofit marketers are adopting new collaboration techniques to adapt to a changing work environment

With fewer people working in the office these days, nonprofit marketers recognize the need to change how they collaborate:

    • 68% say it’s harder to collaborate now than before the pandemic.
    • 75% say the pandemic has permanently changed how they collaborate and communicate at work.
    • 77% have already adopted new work collaboration technology.

The power of a strong technology foundation for nonprofit marketers

These key takeaways align with what we’ve seen at Heller Consulting: Nonprofits with a strong technology foundation when the COVID-19 pandemic hit have been able to not only quickly recognize the need for change, but also adapt quickly to:

  • Scaling up marketing and fundraising
  • Engaging with donors and constituents in new ways
  • Changing operational processes
  • Working from home

For many of those organizations, their technology foundation includes a strong CRM system, like Salesforce, that helps them put data to work across their organization.


A real-world example of a nonprofit marketing team tapping into the power of Salesforce

Here’s an example from one of our clients using Salesforce, Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV). The organization worked with the Heller Consulting team on a technology roadmap, solution selection, and solution implementation to replace their previous CRM and online marketing solutions that weren’t keeping up with HSSV’s goals for constituent engagement. The result was an ecosystem of connected technologies, including Salesforce for CRM, Springboard for online donations and event registration, and Pardot for marketing automation.

Having the right solutions and an overall strategic technology plan in place has given HSSV a complete view of their constituent data, the ability to create personalized experiences based on constituents’ engagements with the organization, and a way to streamline processes and improve the effectiveness of their marketing and fundraising efforts. For instance, HSSV now:

  • Uses a 360-degree view of data in Salesforce CRM to create personalized constituent and donor communications based on their engagement with the organization.
  • Delivers highly personalized engagement journeys with pet adopters that mention pets by name, provide specific tips, and encourage deeper engagement with HSSV.
  • Uses Pardot to streamline processes and communications.

Learn more about how HSSV is putting technology to work for marketing, fundraising, and more: Read the case study

 

Having a strong technology foundation that supports your marketing goals

If there’s one thing that the past couple of years have shown us, it’s that putting the right technology foundation in place will help your entire organization adapt to our changing times.

Our team is ready to help you develop a vision for your technology ecosystem and build a detailed tech strategy that serves you now and helps you stay resilient no matter what the future brings.

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