If you manage or are involved in the running and organisation of a small charity you will know how important keeping volunteers, donors and the general public is. This article looks at how small charities can use marketing without spending vast amounts to help their charity thrive even in the hardest of times.



Recent worldwide financial issues have had massive implications on the small charity and voluntary sector. In fact, many small charities have struggled to remain in existence as their ability to promote their cause and gain valuable new donations and support has been hindered.

So what can small charities actually do to make sure their important cause and message is communicated effectively and with minimal costs?

To begin with it is important to remember that your existing members and donors can be central to your success as self promotion in the form of referrals and recommendations is low cost but highly effective. In fact one of the very best ways for a small charity to use marketing with little or no budget is for them to build relationships with the local media including newspapers, television and radio stations as well as local magazines as they can be crucial in helping you spread your message.

When dealing with the media you should remember that their job is to find newsworthy stories so if you have something of interest to say that their readers, listeners or viewers might be interested in then the media will love your stories. In fact becoming a regular source of newsworthy material for the local media could well result in them actually coming to you on a regular basis which could well save you time, save you money and make sure your small charity is kept in the public eye.

The credit crunch has hit many businesses, charities and individuals including those in the voluntary sector so the media can really help you in spreading your message and news with next to no expense.

On the subject of the dealing with the media, get them involved and become their expert on all things small charity and charity related. If you are running a fundraising event pick up the telephone and call the local paper, television or radio station and tell them about it. They could very well run an article in advance of the event to help you promote it but they may also attend the event, take photos, ask questions and help with the promotion of your small charity even more so. When it comes to running and organising fund raising events for your charity, make sure your charity insurance or small charity insurance broker is aware of this so your charity insurance policy provides you and your visitors with an adequate level of insurance cover.

As many people have less readily available income the media is often filled with stories of hardship and strife but for the media this is not necessarily good news as many people will be put off of buying newspapers or watch the television if they are only reading about or watching bad news.

The truth is we have little control over what happens with the global economy but we do a certain level of control over what happens on our own doorsteps. We can use this fact to our advantage when marketing our small charity on a budget as they can turn to us for feel good and positive stories. If you become a trusted and valuable source of stories that have a positive slant on them then the media are likely to want to know about it. And if your local journalist is having a particularly slow news day they may even turn to you to see if you have anything newsworthy for them to use.

Charities and small charities make a massive difference to the world in which we live so follow these simple marketing secrets and there is every chance your charity can survive and even grow.