When government budgets are slashed at local, state and federal levels, it’s a triple whammy for non profits. Add to that your donor base’s reduced ability to give and you cannot escape the pressure to cut your own budget. Look for cost effective solutions to find new and retain existing donors, and you’ll weather the economic downturn, no matter how long it lasts.

Don’t stop reaching out to donors. You must replace those who fall off your rolls—and new donors will be worth even more to your organization in years to come, so get them involved now.

Direct requests for donations, rather than paid awareness campaigns, are a better use of scarce marketing dollars. But do be creative and involve the media whenever you can.  Even better, leverage the power of the Internet and Social Networking to raise awareness for your non profit. You can easily create a blog and a Facebook page for your organization—you’ll be surprised at the response! People are much more responsive to messages and donation requests when they’re delivered by their friends. And best of all, it’s free!

Review your existing marketing materials, especially your website. Do you make it easy for donors to find your website?  To donate to your cause? Ask for help in optimizing your website (Search Engine Optimization, or SEO) so search engines can easily find it. Put a “Donate” button (also known as a “widget”) front and center. Make your website work harder for you by making it easy to give.

Now is not the time to be lazy. Are you sending out regular e-newsletters? Or did you let that task slide right off your desk?  Dust off your email list and get busy again.  Keep past and future donors aware and informed, and your organization will stay top of mind.  And again—it’s free!

There are lots of online resources and tips on how to get started and be successful with online marketing for non profits.  Spend some time getting familiar with them, then get started!  It takes initiative, but you can successfully fundraise on a smaller budget.