The Impact Issue #98: Transform Your Communications

Even though strong marketing can make a significant difference for nonprofits, many shy away from it because they assume it costs too much or will take too much time.

But in this week’s edition, we will show you how you can apply for-profit communication strategies at little cost, including tips on personalization, expert marketing insights, technology resources, and more.

Welcome to The Impact.

Don’t Miss Out!

With competition for grants increasing and funding priorities shifting, having a clear, actionable plan can make all the difference. So how do you build a grant calendar that actually works?

On February 12, join us for a hands-on workshop designed to help you prioritize opportunities and build a practical grant calendar that works for your organization.

You’ll walk away knowing how to:

• Identify the right opportunities to include in your pipeline amid increased competition
• Follow a 5-step framework to build a realistic, flexible 12-month plan
• Avoid the 5 most common planning pitfalls that slow down grant progress, especially in uncertain funding environments

👉 Save your spot!

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Pitfalls and Pointers

⚠️ Pitfall: Not Understanding Your Target Audience

Communication isn’t one-size-fits-all. Yet, so often in the nonprofit field we throw everything at the wall, hoping that something sticks.

But just like you wouldn’t send a general grant application and expect to win, you shouldn’t send out generic communications and expect big results.

Unfocused emails, random social media posts, and catch-all fundraising appeals won’t be impactful. If you’re not clear on who you’re speaking to—or what you want them to do—your communications will fall flat.

💡 Pointer: Prioritize Personalization

To communicate effectively, you have to have a deep understanding of your target audience: who they are, where they are (what channels), and what they want.

Once you’ve identified these things, you can tailor and personalize your messaging in a way that resonates.

Here are some best practices:

• Collect identifying information during the email sign-up process. Ask things like how they prefer to be contacted, their location, what areas they want to know more about, or even what they’d like to see in the future. You can even go back to your current supporters to make sure their voices are heard so you can better target your communications.
• Utilize tags in your CRM. Even simple ones can make organizing and segmenting your populations easier. Just make sure you’re consistent with the tags you’re using and communicate them across your team as a standard practice.
• Use your donors’ behaviors to guide your interactions. If you noticed someone clicked on an event link but didn’t sign up, send a follow-up email inviting them to attend. Meet them where they are, then guide them to follow through on the desired actions.
• Create a knowledge bank for each of your funders. Keep all of their information in one location so it’s easy to find. This should include your notes, key contact information, past reports, etc. Make your records so comprehensive that anyone could pick up where you left off. (Pro tip: Instrumentl is a great spot for your knowledge base.)

👉 Explore more best practices for donor relations and communication!

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Tech You Should Know

What:

Salesforce is an industry-leading customer relationship management tool, helping you capture key information to improve personalization, increase efficiency, and improve communication and program outcomes. Best of all, it integrates with Instrumentl to help you keep track of all your important funder and grant information.

How Grant Writers Can Use It:

• Automate, automate, automate. Autopopulate reports and automate repetitive tasks to free up time. You can create custom workflows, log activities, automate research, and so much more. The capabilities will help increase efficiency, allowing your team to focus on more mission-critical work.
• Conduct data analysis. Salesforce can recommend audience segments based on your communication lists, identify patterns in your data, and more. Its data-driven insights can help you make more informed decisions faster.
• Improve personalized experiences. You can quickly identify an individual's interests, engagement history, and more to help you target your communications, understand where they are on the customer journey, and scale personalization more quickly.

Keep in Mind:

Salesforce is an investment, but they offer discounts for qualifying nonprofits through the Power of Us program.

📊 See what Salesforce can offer you!

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Expert Perspectives

🏆 The Forbes Nonprofit Council on Utilizing For-profit Marketing Strategies in the Nonprofit World

The Forbes Nonprofit Council shared their top tips on how to integrate common for-profit strategies into your nonprofit marketing efforts. Their suggestions will help you amplify your messaging, reach a broader audience, and ultimately increase your ROI.

Here’s their expert advice:

• Don’t just focus on the what, sell the why. Of course, it’s important to explain what you’re doing, but many nonprofits forget to communicate why they are uniquely qualified to address the issue. Focus on why you and why the donor should care to drive better engagement.
• Volume matters. While it may feel like you’re spamming your audience, remember that it takes someone about seven or eight times of seeing or hearing a message to get it. Set a regular communication cadence to help drive consistent messaging and inspire action.
• Invest in advertising. You don’t have to have a big budget to advertise. Boost your posts on social media, leverage Google Ad grants, or take out an ad in your local paper. These small investments can increase your revenue in meaningful ways. Remember, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

💫 Read the rest of their insights for more guidance!

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The Latest Numbers

Nonprofit Tech for Good recently released their “2026 Email Marketing Statistics for Nonprofits.” Here are some highlights:

• On average, nonprofits send about 62 emails to their subscribers annually.
• Personalized calls to action (ie, adding a person’s name) converted 202% better than default calls to action.
• About 81% of nonprofits are using AI to help them generate their email content. Of those, 85% report that it has helped improve their overall email quality.

The post also explores email engagement, fundraising, and design statistics that can help guide your digital marketing plans.

📨 Check out the full stats here!

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Opportunities Spotlight

🌟 The Standard’s Corporate Giving Program

Who It’s For: U.S.-based organizations focused on healthy communities, disability and empowerment, cultural development, or education and advancement

Next Deadline: Rolling

Grant Amount: $500-$25,000

The Details:

The Standard Charitable Foundation strives to make a positive difference in the communities they serve, especially when it comes to helping individuals overcome hardships and empowering them to achieve success. Their grants fund various types of support, including general operating, programming, capital, event sponsorship, exhibitions, and performance/production.

👉 Apply Here!

🌿 The FairWays Foundation Grant

Who It’s For: Organizations focused on environmental conservation, stewardship, and education

Next Deadline: April 30, 2026 (expected)

Grant Amount: $1,000-$25,000

The Details:

The FairWays Foundation funds local and global projects that advance the conservation of our natural resources, preserving our environments while furthering education. They fund projects that commit to reducing ecological footprints, increase boundaries of standard husbandry, benefit communities, and protect existing natural resources.

👉 Apply Here!

🔍 Find even more grant opportunities!

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Networking Nook

💻 Webinar: How I Use ChatGPT as a Grant Assistant (and Why It Will Never Replace a Grant Writer)

Tuesday, February 10, 2026 | 1:15 PM EST

Curious about using ChatGPT in grant work without losing the human element? In this practical webinar, grant writing expert Melanie Lambert will share how she and her team use ChatGPT as a grant assistant — ​​​​​​​not a grant writer — to streamline research, reduce overwhelm, and support better strategy, while keeping judgment, writing, and relationships firmly human-led.

Don’t miss out!

✅ Register now!

📅 Conference: Nonprofit Culture Fest 2026

April 10 | Lawrenceville, GA

Learn how to build a healthy culture at the 2026 Nonprofit Culture Fest! At this conference, you’ll learn how to build trust, communicate, and foster well-being with your team. The Nonprofit Culture Fest will help you create a healthy foundation that fuels your work.

Don’t miss out!

✅ Register Now!

⛰️ Retreat: The Grant Writers Gathering

April 9-12, 2026 | Bend, Oregon

This April, grant writers from across the country are gathering in Bend, Oregon for The Grant Writers Gathering—an all-inclusive, immersive retreat designed for learning, connection, and recalibration amid the uncertainty so many of us are navigating right now. It's going to be a space for everyone to come together, learn, and re-center on what it looks like to succeed as a grant writer in the midst of the unprecedented uncertainty we've all faced in our work.

Bonus: We have a special Instrumentl discount available for those who are interested in attending. Use code “TL-Gather” for $150 off registration.

Hurry - spots are filling quickly!

✅ Register Now!

To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.

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In Case You Missed It

📼 Video: Align to Win: What Funders Really Want

In this workshop, grant expert Chermain Jennings explores the ultimate question of grant writing: What funders really want. She shares actionable tips to help transform how you approach funder fit, capacity, and credibility to win more grants.

👉 Watch the Master Class!

🎙️Podcast: How Instrumentl and Grant Writing Unicorns Are Transforming Nonprofit Funding Strategies

In this episode of the Grant Writing Unicorn’s podcast, you’ll learn how Instrumentl has helped transform nonprofit operations to win more grants. You’ll hear actual testimonials from real users about why Instrumentl is the grant writer’s tool of choice. 

👉 Listen to the Episode!

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Knock Your Grant Proposals Out of the Park

You know your nonprofit’s needs like the back of your hand.

Take that and pair it with the funder’s needs to write a grant proposal that shines.

Instrumentl’s robust database can provide giving insights on more than 400,000 funders to help get you started!

🎉 Try Instrumentl for free for 14 days today!