Why Strategic Direction Matters for Charities and Community Organisations
Organisations exist because they are meeting a need - or they create that need. Successful organisations continue to refine their proposition to further fulfil that need and find new ways to do it (i.e., market penetration, market development, product development). Sometimes, especially with charities, the strategic direction is set not by their intended audiences but by their volunteers. Volunteers, by definition, aren’t being paid, are rarely full-time and have other commitments to balance. They will do what they are interested in and have time to do. This can sometimes mean that the needs of some target groups might be skewed and others overlooked.
Using Gap Analysis to Improve Charity Strategy and Community Impact
We recently worked with a charity and completed a ‘gap analysis’ to help them identify how well their current services aligned with community needs. We created representative personas, where we focused on the lived experiences of individuals within their community and identified where there were unmet needs, service gaps or opportunities for new initiatives.
Creating Target Audience Personas for Better Charity Marketing
This resulted in very clear target audiences where we could map out a typical day and touchpoints (where they read their news, buy their coffee, and where they go for fun), which means the charity was able to focus its marketing in the right areas. It also meant that any new activities and services would need to meet the needs of one of the target audiences. The charity had many well-meaning offers of help, but they needed to funnel those into the areas where there was a need. This also resulted in a framework to help the charity make decisions and feel able to say yes and no to some things, without feeling ‘ungrateful’. It has also resulted in some brilliant new initiatives in their community and an increase in awareness of who they are and what they do.
Strategic Planning for Nonprofits: Turning Volunteer Time into Greater Impact
Creating a strategic direction might not sound as exciting as fundraising, but it steers the ship in the right direction and ensures that the really valuable volunteer time makes an even bigger difference.
