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Non-profits provide necessary services to communities in need, services that include domestic violence intervention, relief from homelessness, and donations of food and other items. At the same time, non-profits must reach a variety of community audiences to sustain their organizations, including potential volunteers, donors, funders, and clients. In my recent presentation for the Symposium on Communicating Complex Information with Suzan Flanagan, I provided a threefold approach for technical communicators who want to help non-profits build and sustain a compelling web presence in order to better interact with community audiences.
What Is Digital Content Management?
Digital content management is essentially a process of managing all your organization’s digital content. It involves building an overall content strategy or plan for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content. It also involves thinking about the people, technologies, and partnerships that can help non-profits reach the audiences they need to reach.
Why Digital Content Management for Non-Profits Matters
Fundraising has become increasingly digital. With the introduction of movements like Philanthropy 2.0 and Crowdfunding, non-profits who fail to produce and maintain an engaging web presence risk missing out on many opportunities to build relationships and secure new donations. The key to any successful web presence, however, is maintaining it. The best-looking website in the world isn’t going to bring in new funds if it contains ineffective, outdated content.
At the same time, many non-profits can’t afford to hire experienced communication and design consultants. Sometimes they have volunteers or other staff with these forms of expertise, but if they don’t, they will most likely fail to take full advantage of the digital realm. This is where technical communicators and other like-minded professionals can be a godsend to local organizations, many of who provide necessary services to our communities. Helping non-profits improve their digital communication enables them to better carry out their missions.
To learn more about digital content management for non-profits, see my presentation with Suzan Flanagan: