When I’m deciding which nonprofits I’d like to donate to or volunteer with, one of the first places I check is their website. How many volunteer opportunities do they have? What kind of stories can I see about the impact my dollars would have? Can I easily tell who I should contact with questions?
And maybe most importantly: Do my values align with this organization’s mission?
At Sunrise, it’s important that our nonprofit clients have stories that reflect their mission and values. This is mission-driven marketing, and it’s a crucial tool in your organization’s toolbox to draw in supporters.
But mission-driven marketing should also be part of how you choose your consultants and contracted support. Go ahead and do a quick check — do your contractors uphold your values too? In this article, you’ll find Sunrise’s values along with why we feel these are our guiding principles.
Striving for the Common Good
We craft “Common Good strategies” at Sunrise. What does that mean?
With Common Good strategies, we’ll set up your organization with ethical marketing tactics that protect the Common Good and create community. That means we don’t purchase email lists or phone numbers, and we are going to encourage you to choose long-term strategies over short-term gains.
Our strategies may mean taking a longer road, but our methods create long-term communities that build trust, accountability, and action.
Consistency is Key
Some of our clients have had past consultants ghost them — without providing the login information for websites or taking all the strategy documents with them.
You can trust that won’t ever happen with Sunrise. We’ve worked in-house at nonprofits and with agencies, and we know that consistency means everything to nonprofit organizations trying to improve the world.
So we may sometimes over-communicate with our clients — that’s because we don’t want our clients to ever wonder what comes next.
Building In Ease
As former nonprofit professionals, the Sunrise team knows that nonprofits don’t need the shiniest, newest software. Coding in that cool feature may make a portfolio look great, but if the client can’t update it on their own, is that success?
We don’t think so.
You need tools that streamline your process and build ease into your day. So that’s what we aim to provide to our clients. Simple as that.
Perpetuating Hope
During the George Floyd protests in 2020, we jumped into an anti-racist reading list, like a lot of other folks. The book that stuck out most to me at that time was We Do This ‘Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba.
She wrote, “Hope is a discipline.” To us, that means continuing to try for a better world where more of our neighbors are taken care of. Where providing for human needs like food, housing, and medical care is seen as natural.
So we aim to perpetuate hope, to nurture it, so that we can create change, and reduce harm.
Long-Term Preparation
We’re big planners. That’s why we focus on strategy instead of tactics.
With the right strategy, you can pivot easily. A well-crafted strategy can even help you answer questions as new initiatives or crises arrive. If you find your time isn’t well spent, it should be easy to redirect your energy and focus.
From annual communication planning to event marketing, we know it’s easier to do year after year when you have a framework to start from. We’ll help you prepare for the long haul with quality, individualized marketing strategies.
Dive Into Mission-Driven Marketing
Now you know what we value at Sunrise. Do you see those values reflected in our work samples, or in our own marketing? (If you don’t, send us an email so we can fix it!!)
If you review your recent marketing — social media posts, emails, fundraising appeals — are your values and mission present? Can you clearly see the link between your fundraising asks and your mission?
Reach out to us if you can’t see the link, or if you’re unsure what that would look like. We’re always here to help mission-driven organizations spread their message further and make bigger impacts!