Strategy isn’t simply about setting up a My Cause account and waiting for donations to roll in. It’s about, well, strategy. It’s about targeting; it’s about having a purpose and a plan; and it’s about using your marketing to achieve your goals.

Over the years, I’ve come across a number of not-for-profit (NFP) organisations that have struggled with the concept of marketing strategy. For them, marketing conjures up images of sales and profit – the very opposite of what they strive to achieve.

But what they fail to see is its ability to be used for very noble causes, uncovering stakeholders’ opinions to help better meet their needs and in turn, provide mutually beneficial value. So when you ask, “is it inappropriate to apply marketing strategy to NFPs?” I say, definitely not. And here’s why.

All organisations, whether for-profit or NFP, compete for a share of voice in the increasingly cluttered, volatile and unpredictable media environment. While NFP organisations may hold an advantage over their corporate peers due to their perceived inherent credibility, the further we progress into the information age, the savvier donors have become and the greater the “return” they expect to see on their charitable investments. As such, it’s become essential for NFP organisations to tell their stories and learn how to articulate their causes, objectives and the impact they can make on the community. If an organisation is unable to do this and resonate with its audience consistently and strategically, it will fall on deaf ears – no matter how noble its mission.

Engaging in a well-planned marketing strategy not only helps build awareness for a cause, but also ignites the passion of the public, so they can incite viable action on the organisation’s behalf.

So how exactly can you achieve this success? Here are my top eight tips to help you establish and implement a proactive marketing strategy for your NFP organisation:

1. Perform an organisational self-assessment. Take a step back and discover what’s actually occurring – or not occurring – by analysing your current strategy and evaluate your marketing efforts in the context of wider organisational objectives.

What has worked well, and what hasn’t worked as well as you hoped? Do you have a coherent message? Are you caught up in what everyone else is doing? Who are your audiences, and how well are you communicating with them? Are your messages effective and consistent? Getting a grip on your current situation will make it easier for you to identify areas you need to address.

2. Understand what your target audience already knows about your cause and the perceptions they have of your organisation. Why should I care? So what if this issue is a problem? What’s in it for me? Asking yourself these questions from a potential supporter’s point of view can give you an insight into existing knowledge and perspectives. This will help you prepare strategies and messages that overcome potential objections or misconceptions.

3. Set realistic goals. The best way to waste your time and effort is to bounce around aimlessly. Make sure you know exactly what your organisation’s purpose is by taking a look at its vision and mission. Is your goal to raise a certain amount of money to fund community development? Is it to increase the number of regular volunteers by 500? Is it to gain awareness of your cause or to increase the amount of followers you have on Facebook by 20 per cent? Whatever your goal is, make sure you can identify it.

4. Think long-term. All too often many organisations conduct a series of loosely connected communications activities to drive immediate goals. While this approach can work if you’re looking to achieve short-term success, it’s far more effective to execute an overarching marketing strategy that maintains the consistency of your message and creates a distinctive, enduring reputation for your organisation, achieving your long-term objectives. When planning events and other marketing activities, keep your decision-making focused on your organisation’s mission and vision.

5. Determine your unique value. Your point of differentiation is the foundation of your fundraising messaging and nonprofit outreach. Ask yourself what makes your NFP the only one of its kind? Think about what happens at the intersection of what’s important to your audience, what your organisation is good at and, what you’re doing that nobody else is, and use this to position yourself away from everyone else.

6. Craft a clear message that promotes your purpose and value. Most people are tuned into what matters to them, caring primarily about messages that speak to their needs. When crafting messages as part of your marketing outreach, make sure you focus on the audience, rather than yourself. Your messages should be memorable and must draw a connection to topics your audience cares about. They should also have a clear, feasible and specific call to action, and identify a compelling reward for taking that action (Essentially, what’s in it for them?).

7. Choose your tactics/tools wisely. There’s no single recipe for success when it comes to determining a Not-For-Profit marketing mix. It will depend on what makes the most sense for your audiences, including constituents, donors, volunteers, and advocates. To stay audience-centric, gather information about your audience’s communication preferences. You might think most of your supporters are strictly offline (or exclusively online), but rather than assume, get to know them!

8. Track and measure your results. A marketing strategy that sits on the shelf is not particularly useful. Regularly review your results to verify that your goals have been met or to determine if a new strategy is in order. How you evaluate your efforts depends on your goals.