It’s the question everyone’s asking on the internet nowadays.
Okay, maybe not everyone. But a fair few who use digital tech and marketing to build their businesses.
And it’s relevant for nonprofits, too!
The key question? Is blogging dead? Better yet, should a nonprofit have a blog?
That’s what we’re talking about in this article all about nonprofit blogging 101!
Plus, we’re giving the top 8 nonprofit blogging best practices to help you make yours a success!
Should a Nonprofit Have a Blog?
But first! Let’s address this major question. Should a nonprofit have a blog? Is it worth it? What can it do for your organization?
You should know right off the bat that having a nonprofit blog does take a commitment. You’ll need to plan out and schedule your content. You’ll need to post consistently. And you’ll need to implement some on-page SEO best practices to see results from it.
But! We think nonprofit blogging can create some serious results when it comes to your organization!
If you’re looking for ways
- to diversify how your supporters find your organization
- drive more traffic to your nonprofit website
- position your organization as an authority/expert in the field
- build relationships and connections with supporters
Then it’s time to look at nonprofit blogging! Because dedicating time to posting even just once or twice a month is a fabulous way to do all of the above.
How to Start a Nonprofit Blog?
If you already have a nonprofit website hosted through a nonprofit CMS, then starting a blog for your organization is simple.
It requires creating a new page and setting that page up so it displays “posts.”
Then, every time you want to upload a new blog post, you simply click “posts,” enter your content, and hit publish!
It’s as simple as that!
How Often Should a Nonprofit Blog Post Content?
This is an age-old question. And, like most things when it comes to digital marketing or content marketing, it all depends on your nonprofit’s goals.
But we recommend launching your nonprofit blog with at least 8-10 posts already published on it. Then, once it’s launched, you can continue your nonprofit blogging endeavors by posting once or twice a month.
8 Best Practices for Nonprofit Blogging
Once you start nonprofit blogging, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. These blogging best practices will help you see the best results possible and give you the biggest ROI with your organization’s blog.
1. Determine Your Nonprofit Blogging Content Pillars
Back when blogging first became popular, everyone used it as their online diaries. But nowadays, that’s now what blogging is used for. So in that sense? Yeah, blogging is dead.
Today, blogging is used as a way to convey information and entertain readers in an industry, sector, or niche that you know about. And readers want to know exactly what they’re getting when they land on your nonprofit blog.
So before you start nonprofit blogging, you want to make sure you know what to write about. Come up with 2-5 “content pillars” that have to do with your nonprofit organization. That might look something like:
- Pillar 1: volunteer efforts and highlights
- Pillar 2: fundraising or contribution efforts and highlights
- Pillar 3: information and news about the main mission and cause
Having set content pillars for your nonprofit blog is a great way to narrow down what you’ll talk about. And that makes coming up with ideas for posts much easier!
2. Stick to a Consistent Nonprofit Blogging Schedule
With so many other ways of getting your nonprofit out to the world, consistently posting to your blog or even your social media channels can get pushed down the to-do list.
But if you want to reap the benefits of nonprofit blogging, then it’s best to come up with a schedule and stick to it! It doesn’t have to be every single day. But posting at least once a month consistently will help you see great results.
Plus, you can use your nonprofit blogging content for your other content marketing materials!
3. Set Up Google Analytics from the Get-Go
Want to know that your nonprofit blogging efforts are paying off? Then set up Google Analytics from the start!
This will show you how readers navigate your site. It’ll show you how they got to your nonprofit website, whether it was organically or from social media. It’ll show you how long they stayed on your nonprofit blog posts. And it’ll show you where they went next.
Google Analytics for nonprofits is an excellent way to monitor your entire nonprofit website, including your nonprofit blog!
4. Use SEO for Nonprofits to Help Your Blogs to Reach the Right Audience
Part of the reason to start nonprofit blogging is to bring traffic to your website. That means that people need to know your blog exists!
So to get your nonprofit blog found, blogging best practice #4 involves including SEO in every single blog post.
5. Add in Email List Opt-Ins to Your Blog Posts
Yes, it’s great for readers to land on your nonprofit blog posts. But it doesn’t have to stop there! Without something else for them to do, they’ll click right off of your nonprofit website and be on their merry way.
Why not further your other nonprofit marketing efforts by directing them to your email list. You can embed a nonprofit email list opt-in into your blog posts. Be sure to use some sort of encouragement to get them to sign up. Maybe that’s a PDF with a checklist of things they can do for your cause at home. Or maybe it’s a major nonprofit highlight you want to share with them.
Whatever it is, offer them the opportunity to sign up so they don’t miss an update from your organization!
6. Don’t Forget to Make it Visual
Nowadays, nonprofit blogging isn’t just about text. It’s also about making a more exciting, engaging reading experience for your readers. And that includes adding visual elements!
You can use Canva Pro for nonprofits to create incredible blogging infographics.
Or you can use your blogs as a way to boost your nonprofit video marketing efforts!
Either way, adding something to your nonprofit blog post for your readers to look at will keep them more engaged on your site. And an overall better experience means better results from your nonprofit blogging efforts!
7. Take Your Readers Behind the Scenes of Your Nonprofit
Your nonprofit blog is a great opportunity to showcase the wonderful things you’re doing in your organization.
And it’s a great way to build stronger relationships with your readers. Do that by giving them a sneak peek behind the scenes of your organization! Show them all of the amazing things you’re doing.
Whether that’s blogging about actual “boots on the ground” efforts you’ve done for your mission. Or it’s highlighting recent fundraising or volunteer opportunities. Either way, taking your readers behind the scenes of your nonprofit is an excellent way to cultivate relationships with your donors and put out new nonprofit blogging content.
8. Include a CTA in Your Nonprofit Blog Posts
Finally, give them something to do after they finish reading your blog post! Like we mentioned before, if you don’t tell them what to do or where to go next, there’s a great chance they’ll leave.
So encourage them to continue interacting with your nonprofit website! Maybe that’s getting them to sign up for your nonprofit newsletter, like we mentioned earlier. Or maybe it’s asking them to check out related blog posts.
No matter what it is, don’t forget to include a CTA in all of your nonprofit blog posts!
We fully believe nonprofit blogging is alive and well! And with the right blogging tools and content marketing strategy, your organization can use it for all kinds of good!
Want more related to this? Check out these posts!
Blogging for Nonprofits: Use These 19 Tools to Create a Successful Blog
Nonprofit CMS: These Are 3 of the Best Options for Your Nonprofit
Content Marketing for Nonprofits: How to Create an Easy to Use Strategy
