December 16, 2014
While the term is relatively new in the marketing field, content marketing has long been a part of nonprofit outreach efforts. The annual reports, newsletters, project updates and other similar materials that have been a staple of outreach for decades all describe the role of content marketing. Simply put, content marketing is the sharing and promotion of information related to an organization.
With the for-profit business world's adoption of content marketing as a tactic for reaching out to customers, there has been an increased focus on measurable statistics and best practices. Efforts specific to nonprofit content marketing have also been launched, such as the Content Marketing Institute's yearly benchmarks, budgets and trends report. The CMI provided some interesting information about the state of nonprofit content marketing in 2014, including a high rate of adoption by charitable organizations.
Specifically, 92 percent of nonprofits are using content marketing in some fashion and 65 percent are creating more valuable information than they did in 2014. These statistics demonstrate not only the widespread adoption of this form of outreach, but the increased effort that a majority of organizations are putting into their content marketing plans. The fact that 69 percent of nonprofits have a staff member specifically in charge of content marketing also underscores the importance of the field in general for nonprofits.
Gaining popularity in many forms
Nonprofit news and advice website npENGAGE said one of the major reasons why content marketing has raised its profile in recent years is the attitude of the general public. Although it may sound trite, npENGAGE pointed out that the current era is best described as the "information age," where donors have drastically increased their ability to access information as compared to a generation ago. Not only do people have the tools in place to find much of the world's accumulated knowledge through the Internet, they've also had years or even decades of experience learning how to search for that information.
For nonprofits, content marketing will only continue to grow in importance as potential contributors seek out information about organizations that pique their interest. An increased emphasis on such efforts will pay off for the majority of charitable organizations.
Content presented by First Nonprofit Group, the leading provider of state unemployment insurance solutions for 501(c)(3) nonprofit employers.
Ready to chat? Get in touch today to request a no-obligation savings evaluation.
We’ve been a member of First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program since 2011 and highly recommend joining. The program is terrific and allows us to earn interest on our own funds while still meeting the state’s requirements on unemployment payments. In addition, the staff are great and always helpful sorting out any questions we may have. Thank you all!
CCSCT was approached by First NonProfit to discuss its Unemployment Savings Program and ways the program could significantly reduce the amount of unemployment taxes we were paying. At the time, our agency was paying approximately $80,000 per year. First NonProfit conducted an analysis to determine if making the switch would be in our best interest, and it clearly was based on our circumstances. The first year on the program, CCSCT saw a 70% reduction in its unemployment costs and each year, continues to experience further reductions as a result of having minimal claims. Some additional benefits of the program including having a fixed annual cost, an interest-baring reserve account, professional unemployment claims management and representation at all unemployment hearings. This has been one of the best decisions we have made.
We first started using First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program when we were a small startup nonprofit. We didn’t have an HR department and needed expertise in the event that an unemployment claim was made. We knew we were eligible to be a reimbursing employer, but weren’t sure how to navigate that process. They made it easy to set things up, plan for, and then manage claims when they came at a very reasonable cost. The amount of time and stress they’ve saved us dealing with all this has been worth way more than the cost. We’ve now grown to a large nonprofit and do have an HR department but have no plans to stop using their services. I highly recommend them to every nonprofit I come into contact with!
Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
Because INCS advocates for the operating conditions that allow charter public schools to provide high quality public education, partnering with First Nonprofit was an easy decision. First Nonprofit’s unemployment programs provide our member schools two operating elements crucial to their ability to provide high quality public education: savings and budget certainty. Capable, committed teachers are the key to student success. By participating in the unemployment insurance savings plan, charter public schools gain peace of mind and are able to invest more money in their teachers.
It has been our sincere pleasure to maintain a strong, vibrant business partnership with First Nonprofit. We greatly admire their strong industry knowledge, technical expertise, constant professionalism, knowledgeable and dedicated staff. They are always extremely responsive, personable and provide us with the necessary guidance and recommendations on a numerous variety of employment scenarios.
NYCON members who use First Nonprofit’s programs enjoy enduring savings and improved efficiency. Our association knows that success, because from the beginning, we achieved the same great benefits. Great savings, seamless technology, and responsive service. NYCON highly recommends First Nonprofit’s remarkable unemployment solutions.
Visually Impaired Preschool Services has been a client of First Non-Profit since it was first offered as a benefit of VisionServe Alliance. We completed a thorough evaluation of cash savings to our agency before taking advantage of this wonderful benefit and it has been a very wise decision. Our experience with the processes from accounting to claims have been professional, expeditious and easy.