The world has changed — and so has the way people connect, give, and get inspired. 

Jaclyn Uloth:
Welcome to How to Market Your Nonprofit, the Counterintuity podcast featuring interviews with experts in marketing, fundraising, strategy, and leadership who offer how-tos and inspiration about how you can help your nonprofit succeed and grow during a time of chaos and change. Bringing his 25 plus years of experience in marketing, strategy, and nonprofit management, here’s our host, Lee Wochner.

Lee Wochner:

Hey everyone, welcome back to How to Market Your Nonprofit, the show where we talk about how nonprofits can stay resilient, relevant, and ready for the future through marketing and strategy. I’m glad you’re here today because we’re diving into one of the biggest questions facing nonprofit leaders right now.

Given how much has changed over the past five years in the economy, in technology, in public behavior and on and on, what changes do nonprofits need to make now in their marketing? The truth is the world that nonprofits are trying to reach—donors, funders, volunteers, partners, and the public—has changed dramatically. So in this episode, we’re going to explore what’s different, what that means for your communications and what practical steps you can take right now to build a marketing strategy that fits this new era.

With, again, I want to emphasize practical steps throughout. Let’s get started.

So what I’m calling part one—part one: the world has changed and so have people. Let’s start by acknowledging the scale of change we’ve all lived through since 2020.

Five years ago, we were still adjusting to remote work, to Zoom fatigue, and a global pandemic. And there were a lot of changes after that. Today, that pandemic may have faded from headlines, and probably like you, I’m tired of hearing about it, but its aftershocks still shape how people live, work, and give.

So one of the changes is the attention economy has fractured. People now consume media in shorter bursts across more platforms than ever before: TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, podcasts, micro-newsletters, and on and on. And the result? Attention is scarce. And donor fatigue is real.

How many times have you gotten an appeal, let’s say from a politician that you may follow or may not even follow? That old nonprofit rhythm—a few big campaigns a year and a quarterly newsletter—just doesn’t work anymore.

If you want attention now, you have to earn it, sustain it, and show up consistently. Not occasionally—consistently. If people are reading only, say, one out of every four of your emails and you send only three, then they didn’t hear from you. Every month, minimum, send an email.

Another change: trust has become the new currency. This will come as no surprise. Public trust in institutions—government, corporations, media, even science (I’m embarrassed to say, even science)—is lower than it’s been in decades. But people still trust people. They trust authenticity. They trust organizations that communicate openly, admit challenges, and show real impact.

That’s an opportunity for nonprofits because we can speak with a kind of moral and community credibility that few brands can match. But here’s the key: that trust has to be earned and re-earned every single day. Tell people what’s going on. Tell them the impact you’re making, but also the challenges you’re having, especially with funding right now. Be as transparent as you can be about as much as you can be transparent about.

If you’re honest and forthright and credible, people will trust you. Nonprofits are good at this—and they’ll be more likely to support you.

Another change: giving patterns have shifted. According to the recent GivingUSA 2025 report, which I encourage you to read if you haven’t, individual donations have had an annualized growth rate of 5.4% over the last five years. That’s pretty good. Recently, that’s ahead of inflation—so again, pretty good. That’s a welcome change. Totaling about $400 billion last year. And that represents two-thirds of total charitable giving in the United States. So again, hooray.

But the ways in which people give have changed. Yes, larger single donation asking. Yes, multiple donations throughout the year. Yes, to end-of-year campaigns. But also micro-donations—donations of $25 or $10 or even $3.

There’s a campaign recently that I was supporting and I got my feet wet at $3 and then $3 and then I got more involved. Donations through social media, donations through QR codes, donations responding to texts. Your individual requests should be constant. Ideally, they should be personalized. They should be part of a plan to build relationships over time. They should be easy to do, and they should be varied.

The same rule that applied to emails applies to donation requests. If they see only one out of four of your donation requests, and you send only three, you’re missing that donation.

And I did have a meeting just two weeks ago with a nonprofit organization, been around 30, 40 years. And what did they talk about? They talked about, “Well, we do an annual giving campaign and we do an end of year.” And when I dug into it, all of those donations have shrunk—which they were aware of—and they have huge lists that they’re just not marketing to yet. I hope to help them with that.

Finally, and this comes as no surprise, artificial intelligence has changed search marketing. Performing search engine optimization by key-wording your website—it’s still a thing, but less so every day. Artificial intelligence handles search very differently. AI is looking for the best possible results instantly so that you don’t have to click deeper.

And to have that result be you, you need more content and more authority. It’s not about keywords anymore. It’s more complicated than that. And nicely, it’s more conversational in a way than that. And this is one of the reasons that we’re booking an expert on generative search engine optimization onto this show soon to help explain this.

Lee Wochner:
So let’s talk about what these changes mean for marketing.

Given all of that, what does it mean for how nonprofits market themselves today? Here are five big shifts that every nonprofit communicator—from top to bottom, because we should all be communicating what we’re doing in our nonprofits—should be thinking about right now.

Shift number one: From campaign-based fundraising to continuous storytelling.
Old model: two or three big fundraising pushes a year.
New model: always-on storytelling.

Short, authentic content moments that show impact as it happens—behind-the-scenes updates, quick thank-you videos, real stories from the field. It’s not about posting more. It is, but it isn’t. It’s about showing up more consistently.

Marketing is no longer a one-time event. It’s an ongoing conversation. Would you take the whole day and not talk to anyone around you? Maybe that’s not the best way to do your marketing either.

Shift number two: From institutional voice to human, transparent voice.
The best nonprofit marketing today doesn’t sound like a press release. And I will tell you, a fair amount of my day, many days, is loosening up the voice of nonprofits that I am proud to work with. Just make them sound more like the people at the nonprofit.

So don’t sound like a press release—sound like a person talking to another person. That’s who people want to give to.

Instead of, “Our organization serves over 10,000 families annually, advancing equitable outcomes,” say, “Last week, Jasmine finally got her first apartment after six months of sleeping in her car—and it’s because of people like you.”

That’s connection.

One of the ways I talk about this with the Counterintuity team is I’ll say, “Let’s pull the camera in closer.” And if you look at, for instance, Steven Spielberg’s films, when he wants an emotional, sentimental moment, he pulls the camera in closely.

When you think about films with big long-distance shots, those are to show the scale of an epic—but they aren’t as emotionally moving. They pull the camera in for the emotional moments. So in your writing and speaking, pull the camera in.

People don’t want corporate polish. They want honesty, reality, connection, and human warmth. Especially now when money is tight, warmth and authenticity matter more than perfection.

Put people—individuals—at the center of your communications. Remember to tell your stories as though you’re telling them to your best friend. We know you’re warm—you’re running a nonprofit. So just be you when you tell your stories.

Shift number three: From donor-centered to community-centered.
For years, fundraisers said, “Make your donor the hero.” That’s still true, but it’s not the whole story anymore. People today want to feel like part of a movement, not just a transaction.

And yes, of course, there was some of this before, but somehow or other, the past five years have amplified this. I think this is the desire for, please, a heroism right now—heroes on the individual level and heroes on the macro level.

So tell a bigger story—not just about what you do, but why it matters right now. Your marketing goal isn’t only to raise money; it’s to build a shared identity around your mission.

That’s especially important for younger donors—millennials and Gen Zs, like my kids—who give when they feel belonging and purpose.

Most of us belong to one tribe or another. I’m in the tribe of book lovers, comic book lovers, post-punk music fans, and so forth. I’m also in the tribe that surrounds my fiancée, her family and friends, and in the tribe of certain causes I believe strongly in and donate to regularly.

What tribe can you create around what you do? What is the community—perhaps not just locally, but regionally, nationally, internationally—that cares about what you do? Talk to them.

A lot of my career has been in the performing arts, particularly with theater, but also with dance. And these folks are really good at creating tribes because there’s this sense of belonging. What is the sense of belonging that surrounds what you do that you can amplify through your marketing to create more belonging and more support?

Shift number four: From mass messaging to personalization.
Sending one email to everyone on your list can be like shouting into a crowd. And it’s okay—but people now expect personalization, even from nonprofits.

Segment your list by donor size or giving frequency, relationship, volunteer, alum, event attendee, cause interest—then tailor your message to the individual groups.

Instead of, “Please donate today,” say, “You’ve already helped 12 families this year—here’s how to help one more before winter.” Small change, big difference.

If you can find a way to identify exactly what their donation is going to solve, and what their relevant giving level is to solve that problem, you’ll be better off. There are all sorts of programs and methodologies now for doing this sort of segmentation. It takes a little thinking and a little planning, but it is well worth doing.

Shift number five: From social media dependence to owned channels.
You’re probably already on social media—and that’s great because it’s important in a million ways. It creates advertising opportunities for you. You can do organic ways to build awareness. It enables you to build connection with like-minded people. It enables you to build the audience you want, and on and on—lots of advantages.

But let’s be sure to focus on your own owned channels: your email list, your text subscribers, your podcast, your newsletter.

Social media should be your front door, not your whole house. You control what happens in your house. Again, social is important—really important—but with your own channels, you are in charge.

So while you’re adding followers on Facebook or LinkedIn, drop in content that moves them over to your website, to your email sign-up. Then move people in your storytelling from discovery to subscription to engagement to commitment. That’s how you build a base that lasts.

Okay, we’re going to take a short break here, but when we come back, we’ll be digging into how you should make best use in your marketing of these changes—a 90-day plan and beyond. In other words, practical steps you can take. Stick around.

Jaclyn Uloth:

According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the shelf life of a website is two years and seven months. So if your website is three years old or older, it probably needs a tune-up or a complete overhaul so that you can stay current and engaging. A website refresh provides design and content improvements to drive donations and new technology to save you on time.

A website refresh provides design and content improvements to drive donations and new technology to save you time on tedious tasks while keeping your website safe from hackers. a free assessment of your website, contact us through our own website at counterintuity.com or email lee at lee@counterintuity.com. We’re ready to help. And now back to our show.

Lee Wochner:

And we are back talking about some of the changes that nonprofit organizations have been dealing with over the past five years and how to make the most of those changes now. So let’s talk about practical steps for the next 90 days. Let’s get practical. What can you actually do over the next three months, prepping you for early next year, to modernize your marketing approach?

So here are six quick wins.

Number one: Audit your message and channels.
Take a fresh look at all of your communications—your websites, your emails, your social posts, even flyers if you have them—and ask yourself: Does this sound human or institutional? Are we showing real results? Is it clear what we want people to do with this? And is it clear why this matters right now?

You don’t need a full rebrand, probably. You just need a tone alignment.

Ask some people you know if they’ll take a look. Ask them if your materials sound like you. This, by the way, is one of the functions and results of the thing I’m gonna recommend as the big thing you should absolutely do, which is gonna be number six in just a moment. But yes, take a look at your own materials and then test them outside your bubble—with some friends, with some other people—and listen for what they say.

Number two: Reinvest in storytelling.
You already have incredible stories. I’m sure of it. The work that nonprofits do is amazing, and so are the results they achieve. You just need a way to capture and share these stories.

Encourage your team, your volunteers, your board, your whole extended universe of people within the organization to note moments of impact—a client success, a touching thank you, a win in the community—and then record them on video or audio.

A 30-second clip of gratitude beats a 10-page report any day.

At Counterintuity, we set up all sorts of ways for clients to collect stories: a separate email address where they can share, a phone number where they can record a message, or a landing page where they can fill in copy—long or short. They can also email short videos.

Over the past 20-plus years (because we started this practice even before we started this agency), we’ve captured amazing stories and ideas. Take what you get—the stories that inspire you and that will inspire others to support you—and polish them up a bit if needed, then send them out.

How many dog videos have you seen that have made you click? Maybe it’s just me. I love the dog videos. I’m a lover of all dogs. I’m a total sucker for dogs. I’m a sucker for those heartbreaking, heart-filling videos of dogs rescued and turned around and running around happily. Just telling you this makes me well up. I just so love these dogs.

So this proves my point: emotion drives action.

Number three: Build an email-first strategy.
Email remains your most powerful fundraising and engagement tool. And let me say that again, because I’m astounded sometimes to learn how infrequently some nonprofits send an email: Email remains your most powerful fundraising and engagement tool.

Use social media to build your list—not just your likes. Yes, I already said this, but now I’m doubling down. Build your email list, then deliver consistent value—short updates, impact notes, thank-yous, appeals (of course), and all of the things that paint a picture of what’s going on and your impact.

Think of your email subscribers as your inner circle, your true believers. You want to be in touch.

Number four: Test small, learn fast.
One of the things I say to clients is, “Make your mistakes on paper.” This is one of the reasons I’m a huge advocate of planning.

When Amy Kramer and I were starting this agency, we spent a few weeks just writing it up on paper, on a wall. And hey—we’re still kicking ass 20 years later.

So if we had just run off and done things, who knows what might have happened? I do believe in testing and thinking things out. So in this case, test small, learn fast.

You don’t need a big budget to innovate. Try micro-experiments: a new story format, a mini video series, or a donor appreciation text.

We’ve done a fair amount of print collateral over the years—holiday cards, business cards—and they’ve not all been great. But we tested them. We did little runs. Some have been great, some not so great, but all of it beats doing nothing.

Do something, measure what works, learn from it, and scale the winners. Small tests. Don’t get too picky—which translates into becoming slower. Just get out there with micro experiments. Curiosity beats perfection every time.

Number five: Communicate your financial reality.
This flows out of discussions I’ve had with too many nonprofits lately. In most cases, when I really listen to the situation—and it can be heartbreaking—I’ve said, “You’ll be okay,” because they will.

But in the moment, it can feel pretty bad if, for instance, you’ve been providing services for months and still haven’t been paid by your federal, state, or local government.

So communicate your financial reality to your supporters so they can help you. Government payments delayed, grants shrinking, costs rising—we’ve heard all of those and more from clients and friends.

And what do we tell them? Tell your supporters about it. Tell them the truth. Ask them to help. People respect honesty, and they’ll rally when they understand the stakes.

Frame it like this: “We’re adapting, we’re resilient, and your support bridges the gap.” Transparency builds empathy and drives action.

Make people feel something, and they’ll get more involved. Just tell them the deal, and they’ll do what they can to help you.

Number six: Do open-book, open-minded, open-hearted planning with professionals.
This is the big one—the thing you should start with. Bring in experts to look over what you do with you in a friendly way—to facilitate a one-day or two-day session with you and your leadership team. Bring your open minds, your open hearts, your smarts, resilience, determination, and passion to help you make decisions about:

• Paths best taken
• Paths best avoided
• Things to do more of
• Things to stop doing
• Ways to build the support you need to grow and do even more for people

Things have changed, and this kind of short-term reassessment will really help you adapt to the new future for your nonprofit. Sometimes it takes convincing people to do this, but afterward, they’re always glad they did.

Doing a short planning session sets the stage for today and for the days to come.

This is the number one thing I’m recommending to you. Thoughtful time invested in this now will help keep you out of what I call “the hallway of 37 doors.”

The hallway of 37 doors is that tragic place where good people get stuck weighing every option, slightly opening each door to look inside—but never leaving the hallway.

On the other hand, a short-term planning engagement—total, one month—writes a recipe for action and results. And you’re not stuck in a hallway trying to decide which way to go.

Lee Wochner:

Okay. To sum this up, let’s take a look back for a moment and look at what’s really happening underneath all of these trends.

In a way, marketing is always about responding to market opportunity. And right now, people want solutions, and people want the truth. That we have so much doubt about the truth right now—it’s appalling. And I understand why.

So in a world where trust is fragile and attention is fleeting, authenticity and consistency have become your most powerful marketing tools.

Nonprofit marketing isn’t just about raising money anymore—it’s about creating belonging.

You see this with some leaders right now—you’re naming some in your head—leaders who create belonging. And then others, who may be in the news every day, but nobody’s really listening to them because they’re not creating belonging in the same way.

Belonging helps people believe that in a chaotic world, their time and money still make a difference—and of course, we know it does. If your marketing can make someone feel they matter, you’ve done more than fundraise—you’ve built faith.

Now’s a good time to help build faith in the future. I have it. I’m sure you have it. More people need it. This is the marketing opportunity for you and other nonprofits: help build faith in solutions and in the future.

Okay, so I want to wrap up by looking ahead briefly.

It’s funny—I’m also a playwright, as you may know, and I’ve been looking at a couple of my older plays, thinking about sending them out. More than once, I’ve been right about some trends that later came true. I’m sure I’ve been wrong a lot too—maybe I’ve just made so many predictions I got lucky.

But here’s where I think the next three big forces will play a role in nonprofit marketing.

AI and personalization. Those who use AI ethically will tell smarter, more personal stories. That smarter, more personal, and honest coalition is where we want to be. Resisting AI will get none of us anywhere.

Using AI as a tool will help you. Trying to stand against it won’t work. I’m not aware of any instance of turning back technology.

Hybrid engagement. Blending digital storytelling with real-world experiences is clearly the way to go. Quite a while ago—five or ten years ago—I gave a speech at a university about multi-phasic existence.

I shared with them that last night I was playing a game—Skyrim. I was mixing potions and doing whatever. Then in real life, I was also on my phone, handling emails. That’s three phases of reality—three stages of existence.

So think about your storytelling moving forward and how you can blend digital with real-world experiences. None of us exist purely in the physical realm anymore. Make the most of these other realms.

And this may be too deep of a new thought to wrap up with, but I thought I’d throw it in.

Values alignment. Everyone working with, for, or at nonprofits has values in their purpose-driven work. Donors—especially younger ones—will give to organizations that reflect their beliefs, not just serve their causes.

You see this in politics and culture. People want to belong to a cause through and through. So find the people who align with you and stay true to that.

We’ve seen organizations step outside their values alignment, and it hasn’t gone well. Values alignment is going to become even stronger. The organizations that thrive won’t necessarily be the biggest—but they’ll be the clearest, most authentic, and most adaptable. The ones that communicate the best, and the most.

So what changes do nonprofits need to make now in their marketing? They need to tell truer stories. They need to sound more human. They need to build direct relationships. And above all, they need to remind people that hope and community are still powerful currencies—and we can achieve a better future.

Because in uncertain times, people search for meaning. And nonprofits—we’re in the meaning business. That’s the business we are in. We’re in the business of meaningful life and supporting a meaningful future.

Lee Wochner:

Thank you for listening to this episode of How to Market Your Nonprofit. If today’s episode sparked an idea, please share it with a colleague or your board chair. Let’s spread these ideas. Let’s spread our belief in the future and what we can do about it.

And remember, even small shifts in your message can and will lead to big shifts in connection.

Until next time, keep leading with purpose—and keep telling the stories that move people to take action. Thank you for joining me today.

Jaclyn Uloth:

Thanks for listening. How to Market Your Nonprofit is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Please like and follow the show. Visit counterintuity.com to learn more.