Digital marketing is just as important to the mission of a non-profit organization as it is to a big corporation. E-mail, search optimization, mobile and social media are powerful low-cost, high-return marketing tools-- a theme running strong throughout this years' 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference hosted by NTEN.

When I launched the Women in Business Industry Group for the German-American Business Association of California (GABA-CA) in 2007, we had a lot to do: communicate our message, announce our first event, and build a community as a vertical under the umbrella of the parent organization. Standing on the shoulders of the GABA brand, the first step to launching the GABA WIB group was simply smart email marketing.

The GABA WIB message was developed to target women professionals (not excluding men) within the GABA community. The first event announcement was sent to the high-volume GABA opt-in email list inviting, "GABA members and their guests in the Bay Area; women in any industry, with any role, to join us for a casual wine and cheese evening mixer" where they would hear the story of one German woman who launched a small business in Silicon Valley, and have the opportunity to share their own stories, questions and ideas during open discussion.

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Though simple, this message utilized corporate email marketing best practices:

• It sported consistent headers, a standard GABA subject-line prefix, standard GABA From line, and was consistent with the listing in the GABA event calendar;
• It was relevant, featuring a recognizable GABA tone and style, designed with the colors, logo, font and layout similar to the e-Newsletter and other organization email announcements;
• It featured another opt-in networking opportunity: inviting members to join an online community, the GABA WIB Listserv, where the conversation could continue after the event-- where members could introduce themselves, ask questions, or post news links relating to workforce topics such as equal pay for women and European acclimation to the American working environment;
• And it was viral, with quarterly events cross-posted throughout GABA's various social networks, such as on the GABA Facebook page.

A community under the GABA brand has been steadily growing, developing out of the regular events and online communications. And since that first email announcing our launch event 18 months ago, communicating the purpose of the GABA WIB group has been a success: evidenced by steady growth in event attendance, Listserv membership has quadrupled in size, and event topics and sponsors are lined up a year in advance.

For more information about digital marketing for non-profits, here are some online resources I've found useful:

• TechSoup Learning Center: Using the Internet - articles and resources to help you effectively use the Internet to further your non-profit's mission.


• Nancy Schwartz & Company: Articles - helping non-profits succeed through effective online marketing and communications.

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About the Author

Linda Cleary manages demand generation marketing programs at Lyris.

Related Resources:

• Subscribe to Inside Lyris HQ our monthly online-marketing newsletter.
• Download free online-marketing guides, tools and webinars in the Lyris Online-Marketing Resource Center.

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