The Minimalist Marketer – How Nonprofits Can Do More with Less slides Julia.pdf

Marketing for nonprofits has never been more complex. With endless social media platforms, email campaigns, and digital tools, nonprofit professionals often feel overwhelmed, stretched thin, and unsure if their efforts are truly making an impact.
What if marketing didn’t have to be this complicated? The Minimalist Marketer offers a streamlined approach, helping nonprofits cut through the noise and focus on high-impact marketing strategies that save time, money, and energy.
In this 45-minute webinar, you’ll learn how to simplify your marketing, identify what truly moves the needle, and create a focused strategy that helps your nonprofit grow—without burnout.

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Website: www.JCSocialMarketing.com

3. WHAT WE WILL COVER TODAY:
The Minimalist Marketing Framework.
How to choose the most effective platforms for you and your goals.
Simplified content creation strategies and tools.
Leave with a one-page Minimalist Marketing Plan to implement immediately.
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Please download and install the Slido
app on all computers you use
What’s your biggest marketing
challenge?
ⓘ
Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.

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6. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
Randomly posting on multiple platforms with no clear goal or strategy.
Jumping on trends trends blindly without understanding if they fit the nonprofit’s
audience.
Failing to regularly analyze performance, leading to wasted effort on ineffective
strategies.
Over-reliance on automation without human engagement, making communication feel
robotic.
Ignoring audience engagement, missing opportunities to build relationships.
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7. YOU MAY HAVE IDD!
Intention Deficit Disorder
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8. “YOU DON’T NEED MORE TIME.
YOU NEED TO DECIDE.” ~ SETH GODIN
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9. ENTER MINIMALIST MARKETING!
Prioritizes high-impact activities that align your mission.
Repurposes content effectively, making the most out of every piece of
communication.
Uses automation smartly to free up time for relationship-building.
Focuses on quality over quantity—better engagement, not just more posts.
Measures what matters, tracking real results instead of vanity metrics.
Example: Instead of posting on five social media platforms with inconsistent
engagement, a minimalist marketer focuses on two platforms where their audience is
most active and creates one well-crafted weekly piece of longer-form content that is
repurposed.
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10. THE MINIMALIST MARKETING FRAMEWORK
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Step 1: Identify Your Marketing North Star -How to determine
which marketing channels and activities deserve your time.
Step 2: Streamline Content Creation –A simple way to
repurpose content and maximize time and effort.
Step 3: Measure Your Analytics to Improve –How to track the
right metrics to make smarter marketing decisions.

11. THE ONE-PAGE MINIMALIST
MARKETING PLAN
Get your copy of the Plan!

12. STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR MARKETING NORTH STAR -
HOW TO DETERMINE WHICH MARKETING
CHANNELS AND ACTIVITIES DESERVE YOUR TIME.

13. ALIGN MARKETING WITH
ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS
Choose a marketing goal that directly supports your
nonprofit’s organizational goals.
Example: If your mission is to protect the environment,
your North Star goal might be growing an email list
of advocates to support petitions and policy change.
If your organizational goal this year is increasing
revenue, your North Star might focus on donor
retention through improved email marketing.
Action Step: Write: "Our success depends on
[specific marketing outcome], which will help us
achieve [bigger mission goal]."
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14. MAKE YOUR NORTH STAR GOAL SMART (SPECIFIC,
MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, RELEVANT, TIME-BOUND)
Avoid vague goals like “increase awareness” or “raise more money.”
Instead, make them measurable:
BAD: “Grow social media.”
GOOD: “Increase Instagram engagement by 20% in 6 months to drive volunteer
sign-ups.”
BAD: “Improve fundraising.”
GOOD: “Increase monthly donors by 25% by the end of the year.”
Action Step: Turn your goal into a SMART statement with numbers and a deadline.
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15. HOW TO
DETERMINE
WHAT’S WORTH
YOUR TIME
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17. EVALUATE YOUR CURRENT PLATFORMS.
Does this platform or strategy directly contribute to our fundraising, engagement, or awareness goals?
Where is our target audience actually engaging?
Are we seeing donations, volunteer sign-ups, or event attendance from this effort?
Can our team realistically manage this platform/strategy consistently?
Can we effectively compete on this platform, or are we getting lost?
Look at industry trends and competitors:
Are other nonprofits in your space succeeding on certain platforms?
Are some channels oversaturated while others have room for growth?
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18. FINAL DECISION-MAKING CHECKLIST: WHAT
TO KEEP VS. DROP
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Drop It If…Keep It If…Criteria
Feels disconnected from your
nonprofit’s purpose.
Supports fundraising, donor
engagement, or awareness.
Mission Alignment
Your audience isn’t there or
doesn’t interact.
Your donors, supporters, and
volunteers actively engage.
Audience Presence
Generates vanity metrics (likes,
views) with no real action.
Leads to donations, email sign-
ups, event RSVPs.
Conversion Power
Requires too much effort for too
little return.
Your team can manage it
consistently with minimal stress.
Resource Efficiency
You’re lost in a crowded space
with no engagement.
Your nonprofit can stand out and
connect with your audience.
Competitive Advantage

19. APPLY THE “TWO-WAY TEST”
Once you have evaluated the platforms and
strategies, apply this simple test:
If a platform/strategy checks at least 3 out of 5
criteria →KEEP & DOUBLE DOWN
If it checks 2 or fewer →DROP IT & REFOCUS
YOUR ENERGY
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20. STEP 2: STREAMLINE CONTENT
CREATION –A SIMPLE WAY TO
REPURPOSE CONTENT AND
MAXIMIZE TIME AND EFFORT.
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21. YOUR JOB IS NOT TO “CREATE CONTENT”.
It’s to create CONNECTION.
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22. YOUR JOB IS NOT
TO “CREATE
REACH”.
It’s to create RESONANCE.
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24. CREATE A LIST OF CONTENT TOPICS.
Stories –staff,
donor, volunteer,
client, community
Stats and data
Behind-the-
scenes
Upcoming events
Milestones and
anniversaries
Cause and
awareness days
News stories How-to posts
Inspirational
quotes
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25. QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN CREATING AUDIENCE-
CENTRIC CONTENT:
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How does this content or story get your audience to care, like, and trust you?
What information can you give your audience that will make them think?
What education can you provide that will help them trust you?
What are the knowledge gaps around your cause that you can address?
What stories can you share that will inspire them?

26. CONTENT
CREATION MADE
SIMPLE
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What are the three most
common questions your
audience asks?
How can you turn these into
evergreen content?

27. FIRST: CHOOSE
YOUR WEEKLY CORE
CONTENT.
What is your main content piece for
the week?
Blog post
Email newsletter
Podcast episode
LinkedIn live
Event announcement
Example: For me, my weekly core
content is my Nonprofit Nation
podcast. I then repurpose that into
an email newsletter and social
media posts.
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28. SECOND:
REPURPOSE
INTO DIFFERENT
FORMATS.
Email version: Summarize the key points into an
engaging email.
Social media posts: Create bite-sized posts with key
takeaways.
Video/Reel: Record a short video explaining the topic.
Infographic: Turn stats or highlights into a visual
format.
Podcast/LinkedIn Live: Use the content as the
foundation.
FAQ Sheet: Extract key insights for an FAQ or guide.
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29. THIRD: DISTRIBUTE ACROSS
CHANNELS.
Make a Promotions Checklist that you can use
every week.
Choose where to share each version of the content:
Email: Send to your newsletter list.
Website: Publish as a blog post or resource page.
Social Media: Post graphics, quotes, or clips.
YouTube/TikTok: Upload a video version.
Live Events: Present as a workshop or discussion
topic.
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30. CHATGPT AND GENERATIVE AI
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31. HOW CAN
NONPROFITS
USE IT?
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Writer’s block
Research
Data analysis
Marketing optimization

32. NEED HELP? SET UP YOUR AI
MARKETING INTERN!
It can help you research relevant trends,
competitors, and audience insights.
It can take a first crack at drafting social posts,
emails, and blogs.
It can one content piece into five different formats.
AI can help you track performance and recommend
improvements.
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33. YOUR AI INTERN
WORKS BEST WHEN:
You give it lots of information and
context.
You give it clear instructions.
You give it examples.
You explain the audience and the
intent of the task.
You give it feedback on each draft.
I use ChatGPT, but there are lots of
generative AI tools out there –so
find one you like!
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34. WHAT YOUR AI INTERN CAN
DO:
Turn a long blog post into five bite-sized LinkedIn posts.
Write a GivingTuesdayappeal based on best practices.
Take a blog post or longer-form email/piece of content and generate:
A Bluesky thread
An LinkedIn blog summary
A infographic
Outline scripts for video explainers, nonprofit success stories, and podcast episodes.
Generate a script for a 2-minute donor thank-you video.
Suggest best posting times (based on your audience and analytics).
Research hashtags.
Turn a long-form infographic into carousel posts for Instagram.
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35. SAMPLE PROMPTS TO
ENTER INTO CHATGPT
Draft an automated thank-you email that
is sent to donors after their first gift is
made.
Come up with a list of creative ways to
promote our GivingTuesday campaign.
Write Facebook ad copy about our
campaign including a headline, the ad
body, and appropriate hashtags.
Generate a list of fun and compelling
fundraising campaigns for each cause
awareness day from now until the end of
the year.
Request ideas for subject lines to improve
open rates.
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36. AI AS A SUPPORTIVE TOOL
AI is not here to replace human creativity; it is a tool to assist and
streamline marketing efforts.
Use AI to free up time for relationship-building and strategic thinking.
Always review AI-generated content to make sure it aligns with your
nonprofit’s mission and voice.
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37. STEP 3:
MEASURE AND
ITERATE
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Minimalist Measurement means:
Knowing how to track what’s important
What metrics actually matter for you
when using a minimalist marketing
strategy
How to track success without getting
bogged down in analytics overload

38. HOW TO TRACK
WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Identify your primary marketing goal
(awareness, fundraising, engagement).
Choose 2-3 key metrics that directly
relate to your goal.
Avoid vanity metrics that just look good
but don't necessarily lead to action; focus
on actions that lead to results.
Set up a simple tracking system (Google
spreadsheet or free analytics tools).
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39. SAMPLE METRICS (YOURS MAY VARY)
For Engagement:For Awareness:
Social media comments & shares (not just likes!)
Email open & click-through rates
Event registrations or volunteer sign-ups
Website traffic (Google Analytics)
Social media reach (Meta, LinkedIn, X analytics)
New email subscribers
For Fundraising:
Donation conversion rate
Number of recurring donors
Cost per donor acquisition
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40. HOW TO TRACK SUCCESS
WITHOUT GETTING BOGGED
DOWN
Keep it simple: Track only one metric
per marketing goal.
Use free, automated tools like
Google Analytics, Meta Insights, and
Mailchimp reports.
Set a monthly check-in (not daily!) to
review and adjust strategy.
Focus on trends over time, not one-off
spikes or dips.
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41. THE PARETO PRINCIPLE
The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, suggests that 80% of your results come from
20% of your efforts.
This means:
A small number of marketing activities are responsible for the majority of your
donor engagement, volunteer sign-ups, or fundraising success.
The rest is likely low-impact work that eats up time without meaningful results.
Ask: Which 20% of our marketing efforts are driving 80% of our results?
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42. THE IMPACT-EFFORT MATRIX
Action to TakeExamplesDefinitionQuadrant
DO MORE OF THIS
Sending automated
thank-you emails,
repurposing content
Easy wins that drive big
results
High Impact, Low Effort
Plan & schedule
strategically
Major donor campaigns,
annual reports,
partnerships
Valuable but time-
intensive strategies
High Impact, High
Effort
Do only if extra time
Posting on low-
engagement platforms,
vanity metrics
Nice-to-have but not
game-changers
Low Impact, Low Effort
ELIMINATE
Chasing trends, over-
customizing designs,
unused reports
Time-wasters with little
return
Low Impact, High Effort
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43. THE ONE-PAGE MINIMALIST
MARKETING PLAN
Get your copy of the Plan!

44. ADDRESSING
COMMON
CONCERNS
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How can nonprofits overcome
fear of “missing out” by focusing
on fewer platforms or tactics?
How do they manage board or
donor expectations when
adopting a minimalist approach?
What should they do when faced
with pressure to add more to
their marketing efforts?

45. THE POWER OF SAYING “NO” STRATEGICALLY
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How to Say No EffectivelyWhat to Ask Before Saying YesScenario
"We’re focusing on platforms that
are already working for us right
now."
Does our audience use this? Do we
have time to manage it well?
A new social media platform is
trending
"That’s a great idea! Right now,
we’re prioritizing strategies with
proven impact."
Does this align with our North Star
goal? Do we have resources?
A board member suggests a big
campaign idea
"We track key metrics monthly—
let’s focus on what’s actionable."
Does this data actually help
decision-making?
Someone asks for extra
marketing reports
"We’re shifting to a quality-over-
quantity approach to maximize
impact."
Is this effort leading to real
engagement or conversions?
Posting daily on every platform

46. THE MINIMALIST MARKETING
TOOLKIT
Hootsuite(scheduling, analytics)
Metricool(scheduling, analytics)
Canva(graphic design, video creation)
CapCut(video editor)
Unfold(great for Reels, Tikokvideos, Stories)
Linktreefor charities (link sharing)
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47. MY BEST ADVICE FOR BUSY
NONPROFIT MARKETERS
Don’t get overwhelmed.
Trends, platforms, shiny new tools
come and go.
Focus on your strategy.
Focus on building a real community
that will follow you no matter where
you set up shop.
Done is better than perfect.
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48. WHAT IS THE ONE ACTION YOU ARE GOING
TO TAKE THIS WEEK?
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49. I’D LOVE TO
CONNECT!
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliacampbell/
Subscribe to the Nonprofit Nation Podcast in
your favorite podcast app.
www.pod.link/nonprofitnation
My website: www.jcsocialmarketing.com
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