Whether you are a newer nonprofit looking to develop an effective marketing strategy from scratch or a seasoned organization seeking to take your marketing to the next level, this is the reading list for you.

Below is a digestible list of essential nonprofit marketing resources that can guide you through the best practices of your nonprofit’s overall marketing program as well as let you delve deeper into the specifics of social media, mobile marketing and creating a powerful brand that helps you reach your fundraising goals.

Branding and Communications

Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications

Sarah Durham

Brandraising is a great resource for helping your nonprofit stand out from the crowd. Specifically catered to nonprofits, Brandraising focuses on communications, identities, and reputations that are driven by missions and result in effective fundraising.

 Mobile and Social Media

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The Networked Nonprofit

Beth Kanter and Allison Fine

Kanter and Fine have extensive knowledge and experience using social networks and online technologies to help nonprofits grow and succeed. They show how these networks can be used to enhance the impact of nonprofits and drive change for society.

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Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofit

Heather Mansfield

After 25,000 hours utilizing and analyzing social media, author Mansfield complied over 500 best practices for nonprofits using mobile and social media. She says, “Even if you can only invest 5 staff hours and a mobile and social media budget of $1,000 annually, your nonprofit must invest in mobile and social media.” In her book, she provides a step-by-step guide for how to create and maintain a successful fundraising strategy using these tools.

Marketing Campaigns

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The Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause

Kivi Leroux Miller

This book is a must have for developing an effective marketing program for your nonprofit. It offers reader-friendly advice for how your marketing program can best function day-to-day as well as tips for management and thinking about the big picture. This book is particularly catered to small and medium-sized organizations.

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Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes

Katya Andresen

Robin Hood Marketing teaches us about effective nonprofit marketing campaigns through example. The author pairs down 10 essential traits of the best marketing programs, and illustrates with example the successful strategies used to sell socks, cigarettes, and mattresses. She also gives advice for how to effectively appeal to your audience.

Check them out, read them, and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear if you have anything to add to the list, so go ahead and leave a comment!