Yesterday I made the case that women, not men, have become the most vital market segment to reach, not only for consumer brands but for nonprofit organizations seeking to change the world. I also suggested ways to better market to them. In part two of this two-part post, I’ll show you where to acquire more women donors, members, activists and volunteers.
Where are the Women?
Connect with women online. The Internet affords myriad opportunities for connecting with women. According to nonprofit author Allison Fine, “Social media [in particular] fits into the lives of working women much better than traditional communications tools. You can work the night shift and respond to email in the morning. You can have four kids and read a blog during nap time.” Groups like MomsRising, CARE and Emily’s List have done an exemplary job of connecting with women online.
Connect with giving circles and encourage your members to start their own. According to Wikipedia, giving circles are a form of philanthropy consisting of groups of individuals who pool their funds and other resources to donate to their communities and seek to increase their awareness and engagement in the process of giving. A recent survey of over 160 giving circles by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers shows that 81 percent of giving circle participants are women. Check out the Forum’s Giving Circles Knowledge Center to learn more about this innovative form of giving and learn best practices for starting and tapping into giving circles.
Buddy up with women bloggers. BlogHer – a social networking site for women who blog – is a great place to find women writers who may care about your political and/or social issue. If you do a good job of connecting with these e-journalists, you may be able to garner more PR and leverage their networks for success.
Check out Care2.com. A LOT of women hang out in the Care2.com social network (75 percent of our 12 million members are women, at last count) and subscribe to Care2’s 30 email alerts. But don’t take my word for it, check out the demographics of our members. Interested in learning more about how you can get your cause in front of Care2 members? Contact us!
Summary
Based on the statistics about women’s growing economic influence in the U.S., marketing to women should be a no-brainer. But many of us still need education about women’s buying and giving patterns, how and where to best reach them. Armed with this information, smart nonprofit marketers will realize that we cannot afford to be gender blind in our outreach efforts. Instead, we must use data to define our best donors, members and advocates and find the right technologies and marketing techniques to hit the “she spot.”
*Jocelyn Harmon is the Director of NonProfit Services at Care2.com
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