Nonprofits rely on community support, and people rely on nonprofits to deliver services. To keep organizations running, continuous engagement is crucial. If your organization needs help, learn how nonprofits can increase community engagement now!
Teach People About the Organization
How can you support an organization that you don’t know about? You can’t. Therefore, the first step toward increasing engagement is teaching people about your organization. Host an open house and talk about the nonprofit’s mission. Forge discussions, recruit volunteers, and gain support from local leaders. The idea is to create deeper relationships with the community and tell them why your organization matters.
Host Unique Fundraisers
Raise money while connecting with community members. Fundraisers are great opportunities to gain support from people and discuss their impact on the organization. While traditional methods like door-to-door solicitations work, they’re boring and can come across as sales pitches.
Instead, stand out with unique events! Your organization can host seasonal fundraisers that encourage community involvement. For example, movies under the stars or ice cream socials are fun summer activities to host as a fundraiser. With these fun events, people will associate your organization with festivities and have positive feelings about the nonprofit.
Participate in Local Events
Festivals, fairs, and block parties are local events in communities. Typically, these are good times for businesses to sell goods or sponsor services. However, your nonprofit can also participate in local events and raise awareness about the organization. Set up a booth at events and hand out flyers discussing the organization. An alternative is to volunteer at events and setup/cleanup stations. Either way, you’ll support community members and gain exposure!
Discuss Mutually Beneficial Opportunities
A major way nonprofits can increase community engagement is by discussing mutually beneficial opportunities. What can your organization do for communities? Maybe you connect youth to mentors or supply groceries to low-income families. Simply put, people want to know how an organization can improve their lives.
Since nonprofits thrive on private funding and in-kind donations, proving that communities want to keep your organization around is important. Encourage people to support nonprofits and use resources to help communities.
