What comes to mind as a small grassroots nonprofit when you think about community involvement? You may think of volunteer cleanups, school bake sales, or summer fairs. That said, for small nonprofits, community isn’t just about having fun. It’s about getting volunteers and donors to support your organization.
Community involvement is more than a buzzword or trend–it’s the lifeblood of your organization. So how can you improve it? In this article, we’ll explore ideas that you can use to encourage friends and champions to get involved—and stay involved—including in your fundraising. So, let’s see how you can become the talk of the town!
Why Community Involvement is Your Superpower
Your organization is a crucial part of your neighborhood or city. Still, as we know, the digital world is all about engagement, and it’s very challenging to cut through the noise. As a result, getting back to in-person or live-streamed activities can boost your community presence. Further, when you boost the opportunities for people to see you, it creates the following:
- It builds a meaningful relationship and increases the trust factor in your work.
- Getting the community involved helps you increase your impact with more people.
- When organizations focus on people-to-people, it provides more energy for everyone!
5 Ways to Boost Community Involvement (Without Breaking the Bank)
Most of our partners are small organizations and don’t have the extra financial margin to invest a lot of money. Still, even with few resources, standing out in your town is possible.
1. Host a Micro-Event with a Twist for Your Community
Skip the gala dinners and think of family picnics or a “Chalk the Walk” fundraising event. Getting families involved is a great way to get working parents to spend time with their kids to support a good cause (yours!). Get a couple of volunteers to plan the day, but remember: Keep it simple and family-friendly. (Bonus tip: Take lots of photos to share on social media.)
2. Create a “Neighbor Challenge”
Everyone loves a little competition, and that’s why we have our beloved sports teams. Well, use this to your advantage. For instance, create a sustainable fundraising event (yes, like a shoe drive fundraiser) and create teams. You can have schools, retailers, and other groups compete to see who is the MOST sustainable by collecting the most shoes for your event.
3. Partner with Local Heroes in the Community
All communities have heroes. It could be the firefighters, the local retailers who support good causes in town, or other nonprofit partners with whom you could align. For this idea, offer your community co-branded events. Depending on the partner, determine what could be a win/win for marketing and fundraising.
4. Turn Volunteering into a Volunteer Social Event
For many organizations, volunteers are a critical part of their work. While these nonprofits appreciate their volunteers, asking when the last time you thanked them is essential. Consider events like a volunteer happy hour, trivia night, or movie screening. If you want to keep supporters coming back, spread the love and appreciation.
5. Leverage the Power of Storytelling
Another critical idea for keeping people involved and boosting your fundraising is to tell stories. It’s vital to share the impact of your work in the community. Statistics are fine, but human stories are critical. So, share the stories as much as possible on social, emails, and in conversations. In short, inspire others!
Keep up Momentum and Build Big Community Involvement
Community involvement is essential for nonprofits, especially grassroots ones. You don’t just want people to show up once; you want them to keep coming back. The following tips will help your supporters stay with you for the long run and keep them engaged over time.
- Thank your supporters publicly—and repeatedly!
- Celebrate the small wins and the journey and not just the result.
- Stay visible in your community and attend events from other groups or organizations.
- Make participation in your community easy, from donating to volunteer sign-up.
- Keep communication open and flowing both ways and not just in one direction.
- Create traditions, including must-do events, challenges, and other opportunities.
Your Call to Action
The time for you to improve community involvement starts today. All you have to do is to take the first step. How? It’s simple. Take one of the ideas you read in this article and do it. Take the first step. Remember, your community isn’t waiting for you to be perfect. They’re waiting for you to engage them and make things better.
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