The Art and Science of Nonprofit Branding

Marketing for charitable organizations isn’t just about carefully planned and calculated campaigns; it is a truly creative process. In an era of total digitalization, how can we give a voice to those in need? How does the psychology of donations work? What tools do marketers use to highlight important social issues and motivate people to take action? Vita Cherpak, Chief Marketing Officer at Klik Holding and Chief-Inspirer of promoting the Hope – Children of Ukraine projects both in Ukraine and abroad, shares insights on these and other aspects of non-profit marketing.

Nonprofit marketing to me is about empathy, networking, motivation and…challenge

The Hope – Children of Ukraine Foundation evolved from a much smaller initiative by Klik Solutions, started long before the full-scale invasion. Since 2020, we have offered free offline English classes for children from low-income families, providing talented kids with access to quality education. Education should be accessible to all who genuinely seek it, regardless of social or financial status. Good command of English greatly helped in my personal professional development, so I eagerly embraced this project, understanding firsthand the value of this skill.

In 2022, our small project transformed into a full-fledged charity with a wide range of activities, and this transition was genuinely challenging.

When we established Hope – Children of Ukraine in 2022, we lacked a large budget, a dedicated marketing team, and established communication channels. However, we had a strong, sincere desire to help children.

We audited the existing project, assessed what we could achieve within our limited budget, structured our processes, implemented CRM, automated tasks, developed and launched motivational programs for children, managed social media, tested and established communication channels, modernized our website, conducted email marketing for potential partners, increased the number of teachers, and recruited volunteers. Our team, led by Foundation Coordinator Iryna Lutsenko, accomplished all this in just three months!

We were fortunate to have a team of 15 motivated professionals in digital marketing and technology from the start. This allowed us to quickly develop the charity’s website and adapt it for e-commerce, create a communication strategy, and start implementing it.

80% of Standard Marketing Tools Won’t Solve Non-Profit Marketing Challenges – Remember This

Working in an information-saturated environment with numerous charities is a real challenge. Each foundation has its own programs and ambassadors actively promoting their initiatives. For us, partnerships, offline events, and collaborations with companies that provide their services for free are more effective. The volunteer efforts of our teachers are also invaluable.

We actively maintain social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and practice email marketing, but offline events and networking bring the best results. For example, the annual March Madness event, organized by Klik Holding for the IT community in Baltimore (USA), gathers a record amount of donations. Personal meetings between Klik Holding CEO Arthur Olshansky and potential partners are also powerful tools for raising awareness about the Foundation and attracting contributors. These events create real magic.

Soon, we plan to produce souvenir products featuring drawings by children participating in our projects. These souvenirs will not only remind people of the good cause but also help raise funds to support the children. This is a new stage in our foundation’s development, allowing us to expand and help even more children.

Why Hope?

Hope is always with people. The name Hope – Children of Ukraine emerged during a brainstorming session, but the idea was clear. The word “hope” best reflects the essence and mission of our project. Opportunities might come once, but hope is always with us.

I’m inspired by the scale and projects of the United 24 platform and personally by Yaroslava Hres, a well-known Ukrainian PR expert, her professionalism, and dedication. It’s a truly impressive Ukrainian project I admire. However, I don’t try to imitate them or blindly adopt their approach: Hope – Children of Ukraine has a different format and focus.

Three Tips for Marketers Working with Non-Profits

Be Prepared for Challenges: Working in the non-profit sector often involves limited resources, regulatory peculiarities, and constantly changing situations.

Focus on People and Be Empathetic: Remember, real people are behind every project. Your task is to help them.

Be Creative: In the non-profit sector, you often need to find unconventional solutions and test ideas and approaches atypical for classic marketing.