This month, I’ve been discussing how nonprofits and faith-based organizations need a cohesive and credible brand to be competitive and impactful in this fast-paced world.
Why?
Because, building an identity as a mission-driven organization committed to addressing a specific need can strongly connect your organization with your target audience, fostering engagement from both those seeking assistance and those eager to join your cause.
The Brand Pyramid
I introduced a brand framework that outlines the elements needed for a strong brand. This framework is in the shape of a pyramid, meaning that each element builds on each other to create a brand that is deeply ingrained in every aspect of the organization. The foundation of the pyramid is made up of the organization’s mission, vision, purpose, and values. You can read more about these foundational elements in last week’s post and in my latest Content Marketing Musings newsletter.
Target Audience Personas
Above the foundation of mission, purpose, vision, and values are your target audience personas. These are detailed and semi-fictional profiles of any person your organization engages with, including:
- Donors
- Employees
- Clients
- Volunteers
- Board members
- Community Leaders
- Corporate Donors/ Funders
Each persona serves as a reference point for decision-making, so that all activities align with the needs and preferences of your intended audiences.
Why Are Personas Important?
When you identify a target persona, you understand their language, needs, fears, passions, and pain points. Armed with this information, you can create a stronger connection with them through your messaging and brand identity. Your audiences are more likely to resonate with your words, engage with your organization, and become loyal stakeholders. Targeting a specific audience also helps you stand out in a crowded world, where donors, volunteers, and others are constantly seeking organizations speaks directly to their passions and concerns.
The Elements of a Persona
A target persona encompasses demographic information, interests, motivations, and challenges relevant to the nonprofit’s mission. They are often written as the profile of a specific person, including their name, age, and other personal information. For example, a nonprofit focused on providing education in underserved communities might have a target client persona named “Eva,” a 35-year-old teacher passionate about equal educational opportunities, residing in an economically disadvantaged area. Developing such personas helps your internal stakeholders feel a connection to “Eva” and tailor their messaging and outreach strategies to better resonate with her.
Every target persona is unique to the organization and the purpose of their engagement. Specific elements of a persona could include:
- Name
- Summary
- Demographic details (age, location, income, family status, education, ethnicity/race, gender, profession and more)
- Personal goals
- Personal challenges or pain points
- Personal values
- Personality and motivations
- Communication preferences
- Key messages
Here is a downloadable example of a target persona for a faith-based organization.
Building a target persona for a nonprofit or faith-based organization involves gathering and analyzing information about your ideal supporters or beneficiaries through surveys, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, industry research, competitor research, census data, and more. It can be a time-consuming process but it’s well worth the effort. With solid target personas, you will know how to engage with your important stakeholders on a deeper level than other organizations. This engagement could lead to life-long support for your organization.
Building target personas is an ongoing process that requires adaptation as your nonprofit evolves and as you gain more insights into your audience.
If you’d like a template to create your own organization’s target persona or help in doing the research and creation, please contact me today.
