Nonprofit Marketing
How to Segment Audiences as a Non-Profit Organization
February 4, 2021
The short answer: Nonprofits segment their audiences by sorting supporters into smaller groups so each message fits the people reading it. The three groups worth tracking are demographic (age, income, education, location), psychological (why someone gives and what they value), and behavioral (donation frequency, lapsed or at-risk donors, gift size). With those segments in place, your email, social media, and other outreach all perform better because you're speaking to the right people instead of everyone at once.
Frequently asked questions
How do you segment your audience as a nonprofit?
Start with what you already know about your supporters, then group them along three lines: demographics, psychology, and behavior. Many nonprofits begin with a broad campaign, watch how different groups respond, and use a CRM or connected system to sort people based on that engagement. From there you fine-tune your outreach for each group.
What are the main types of audience segmentation for nonprofits?
There are three practical buckets. Demographic segmentation covers age, gender, income, education, and location. Psychological segmentation looks at why donors give and which values match your cause. Behavioral segmentation tracks how people act, such as donation frequency, lapsed or at-risk donors, and individual gift amounts.
Why does segmenting audiences matter for a nonprofit?
Because it works. Segmenting improves outreach and engagement, tightens your workflow, and gets more from every campaign. When you know exactly who you're addressing, your email and social media can be personalized instead of generic, which raises your results.
What is behavioral segmentation for donors?
Behavioral segmentation groups supporters by what they do rather than who they are. Common splits include regular versus irregular donors, lapsed or at-risk donors, and individual gift amounts. This lets you treat each group differently, since regular donors may respond to direct asks while occasional givers may need more of a reason to act.
How does audience segmentation improve email campaigns?
Email is one of the most direct ways to ask supporters for donations, and personalization makes it stronger. Segmenting lets you pinpoint exactly who each email is for and shape the message to fit them. The same note sent to everyone tends to do worse than versions tailored to each group.
What software do you need to segment nonprofit audiences?
A CRM or all-in-one platform built for nonprofits, like Argenta, can apply segmentation criteria automatically using your interaction records. It pulls donation history, engagement, and contact details together so you can build and update segments without sorting spreadsheets by hand. Any connected system that stores your supporter data will let you act on these groups.
In the increasingly competitive digital
marketing landscape, non-profit organizations (NPOs) find themselves in a
unique position. On the one hand, research finds they enjoy more goodwill and
trust than most businesses and media. However, they also need to rely on tried-and-tested
digital marketing tactics for practically similar reasons. Consider, for
example, the relatively recent advent of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
and other software NPOs need. Such prominent solutions highlight an
undisputable reality; that one needs to optimize and segment audiences as a
non-profit organization. With this in mind, let us explore why that practice is
vital and how to approach it.
The Importance of Segmenting Audiences as a Nonprofit Organization
The short answer to why segmenting audiences is vital is that, simply, it works. It improves outreach and engagement, optimizes one’s workflow, and maximizes results. This is the simple foundation to which a plethora of such software owes its success.
The long answer may be more interesting, however. Segmenting audiences, as a non-profit organization or otherwise, has a profound impact on other strategies. Consider the following examples.
Email Campaigns
Email campaigns are among the most direct ways to ask your constituents for donations. Regardless of your goals, however, email campaigns are still a form of marketing that personalization can perfect. Thus, segmenting your audiences will allow you to pinpoint exactly who you’re addressing with each campaign and then optimize accordingly.
The short answer to why segmenting audiences is vital is that, simply, it works. It improves outreach and engagement, optimizes one’s workflow, and maximizes results. This is the simple foundation to which a plethora of such software owes its success.
The long answer may be more interesting, however. Segmenting audiences, as a non-profit organization or otherwise, has a profound impact on other strategies. Consider the following examples.
Email Campaigns
Email campaigns are among the most direct ways to ask your constituents for donations. Regardless of your goals, however, email campaigns are still a form of marketing that personalization can perfect. Thus, segmenting your audiences will allow you to pinpoint exactly who you’re addressing with each campaign and then optimize accordingly.
Social Media Campaigns
Similarly, social media marketing has seen widespread use by both non-profit and for-profit organizations. The simple reason for this is that social media platforms boast massive, active, and engaged audiences. Still, while social media users tend to be younger on average, each platform’s demographics still differ substantially from the next. As such, using Twitter or other platforms of choice effectively depends on segmentation.
Similarly, social media marketing has seen widespread use by both non-profit and for-profit organizations. The simple reason for this is that social media platforms boast massive, active, and engaged audiences. Still, while social media users tend to be younger on average, each platform’s demographics still differ substantially from the next. As such, using Twitter or other platforms of choice effectively depends on segmentation.
Backlinks
Finally, a solid backlink strategy is arguably a staple for any successful marketing effort, which also partly relies on segmentation. Backlinks help generate organic traffic, raise awareness, and eventually build trust, among other benefits. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies now hinge on backlinks, which in turn gave rise to professional link-building companies. As such, if your marketing scope extends that far, you may consider this option for your NPO.
Finally, a solid backlink strategy is arguably a staple for any successful marketing effort, which also partly relies on segmentation. Backlinks help generate organic traffic, raise awareness, and eventually build trust, among other benefits. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies now hinge on backlinks, which in turn gave rise to professional link-building companies. As such, if your marketing scope extends that far, you may consider this option for your NPO.
Ways To Segment Audiences as a Nonprofit Organization
Now, having discussed
the importance of segmenting audiences as a non-profit organization, let us
explore just how to do it. Traditional definitions of segmentation will
frequently present such characteristics as these:
- Age and gender
- Education, profession and income
- Race, ethnicity and religion
- Location
- Behavioral patterns and engagement history
Naturally, depending on your
marketing scope, goals, and resources, you may prioritize any of these
identifiers. However, both for the sake of text economy and overall
convenience, I’d like to divide them into three manageable subgroups.
#1 Demographic Segmentation
The most frequent means
of segmentation is, of course, demographics. Here, you may find the most
fundamental audience characteristics:
- Age and gender
- Education, profession and income
- Race, ethnicity and religion
This is an excellent means of segmenting
audiences, especially for starting NPOs. Luckily, non-profit marketing lends itself perfectly to this approach since
different causes often appeal to different demographics.
There are as many ways to apply this means of segmentation as
there are organizations. For example, you may start with a broad campaign that
doesn’t focus on a specific, ideal audience. Afterward, you may employ CRM-type
software to segment your audiences based on how different demographics engaged
with your campaign. You can then use this data to fine-tune your email
marketing or other outreach material based on your findings. Notably, this is
commonly also the first step toward such practices as building buyer personas
and customer journey mapping.
#2 Psychological Segmentation
A less common but still reasonably prevalent
means of segmentation is psychological segmentation. Here, you may depart from
basic characteristics and begin to explore psychological factors:
- Why do donors donate?
- What levels of personal investment incite more engagement?
- Which interests and values best align with your cause?
These may seem like less useful identifiers,
but they are equally important. Data from the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer best highlights how psychological factors
affect trust, and thus engagement. Among many profound findings, consider the
following:
- NGOs are the only ones seen as ethical
- NGOs have the lowest trust gap (-2) between serving the interests of the few and of everyone
- Ethics are 3 times as likely as perceived competence to drive trust
Such findings, and others, highlight just how significant psychological factors are to engagement and trust. You may thus conduct surveys – which audiences are increasingly more likely to welcome – and identify audience subgroups. A portion of your audience may, for example, donate to help drive social change, while another may simply do so due to peer pressure. Segmenting those two groups allows you to personalize your content for each and thus maximize your marketing efficiency.
#3 Behavioral Segmentation
Finally, an equally
potent way to segment audiences as a non-profit organization is behavioral
segmentation. Instead of innate characteristics or psychological factors,
behavioral segmentation gauges patterns of behavior:
- Regular and irregular donors – donation frequency
- Lapsed and at-risk donors
- Individual donation amounts
This means of segmentation is just as easy to
implement; any relevant software can apply such criteria through interaction
records. To effectively segment audiences as a non-profit organization, you
will undoubtedly need to keep such characteristics in mind. That’s simply
because creating content for different audiences needs to account for
such differences. For example, regular donors may require more direct language,
while irregular ones may need more psychological incentives. Similarly,
retaining existing customers costs much less than acquiring new ones – and
donors are no different in this regard. Lastly, you may wish to adjust any
loyalty programs according to this data. Thus, you should approach donors
differently depending on their behavioral patterns and history, and behavioral
segmentation is the perfect tool.
Conclusion
To summarize, audience segmentation
is an invaluable tool for all businesses, and non-profit organizations are no
exception. Segmenting customers based on demographics, psychology, and behavior
can help inform your marketing strategies. From social media surveys to
specialized software, there are many ways to segment audiences as a non-profit
organization – and just as many reasons for it.
How do you segment your audience as a nonprofit?
Start with what you already know about your supporters, then group them along three lines: demographics, psychology, and behavior. Many nonprofits begin with a broad campaign, watch how different groups respond, and use a CRM or connected system to sort people based on that engagement. From there you fine-tune your outreach for each group.
What are the main types of audience segmentation for nonprofits?
There are three practical buckets. Demographic segmentation covers age, gender, income, education, and location. Psychological segmentation looks at why donors give and which values match your cause. Behavioral segmentation tracks how people act, such as donation frequency, lapsed or at-risk donors, and individual gift amounts.
Why does segmenting audiences matter for a nonprofit?
Because it works. Segmenting improves outreach and engagement, tightens your workflow, and gets more from every campaign. When you know exactly who you're addressing, your email and social media can be personalized instead of generic, which raises your results.
What is behavioral segmentation for donors?
Behavioral segmentation groups supporters by what they do rather than who they are. Common splits include regular versus irregular donors, lapsed or at-risk donors, and individual gift amounts. This lets you treat each group differently, since regular donors may respond to direct asks while occasional givers may need more of a reason to act.
How does audience segmentation improve email campaigns?
Email is one of the most direct ways to ask supporters for donations, and personalization makes it stronger. Segmenting lets you pinpoint exactly who each email is for and shape the message to fit them. The same note sent to everyone tends to do worse than versions tailored to each group.
What software do you need to segment nonprofit audiences?
A CRM or all-in-one platform built for nonprofits, like Argenta, can apply segmentation criteria automatically using your interaction records. It pulls donation history, engagement, and contact details together so you can build and update segments without sorting spreadsheets by hand. Any connected system that stores your supporter data will let you act on these groups.