4 Ways to Use Impact Data in Nonprofit Marketing Materials

Once your nonprofit has gotten in the habit of measuring its social impact, you can use your high-quality impact data in several ways. For instance, you might report back to your grantmaking organization about the good their funding has done for your beneficiaries. Or, you might work off of your impact insights to improve different areas of your operations, like your programs or fundraising strategy. 

Another great way to use your impact data effectively is to incorporate it into your organization’s marketing materials. This allows you to enhance your credibility by showing that you have a track record of accomplishing what you set out to do. Proving impact like this can help you engage long-time supporters and attract new ones. 

Let’s dive into four ideas for using your impact data in your nonprofit’s marketing strategy!

1. Add impact data to your nonprofit’s website. 

Your website serves as your nonprofit’s online headquarters. Here you can offer educational information about your organization’s mission, provide resources for taking action (such as a donation page), and publish regular updates about your work. 

Adding impact data to your website can help you stand out from the crowd and remind website visitors of the real-world implications of your programs and services. Here are a few ideas for weaving data into your site: 

• Create a dedicated “Our Impact” page. Building an impact-focused web page and featuring it prominently in your navigation menu will communicate that you want visitors to pay attention to your impact insights. You can make your impact data more digestible by incorporating interactive charts, real-time dashboards, and other visuals into the page. 

• Share impact stories on your blog. Your blog is an excellent place to share long-form, story-driven content about your organization. For example, you might share the story of a dedicated volunteer who played a pivotal role in completing a facility renovation project. You could include photos of the volunteer alongside impact data to make it more engaging to read. 

• Add impact insights to your donation page. Even small mentions of impact on your website can be powerful, especially on action pages like your donation page. For example, at the top of your donation page, you might tell donors, “Thanks to your support, we were able to provide 750 families with clean drinking water last year.” This statement can lead into a compelling call-to-action to donate. 

The American Cancer Society is a well-known organization dedicated to freeing the world from cancer. They created a dedicated web page to celebrate their 110th anniversary.

The page celebrates the Society’s impact by featuring: 

• A short, compelling video overview of the organization’s mission

• A timeline of significant milestones and events for the Society

• A short roundup of key impact statistics (e.g., $6.9 billion given to cancer research)

• Eye-catching donation buttons at the top and bottom of the page to empower inspired visitors to give  

2. Share beneficiary success stories and testimonials.

Let’s dig deeper into the idea of sharing impact stories. Because of your organization’s efforts, you likely have dozens (if not hundreds!) of beneficiaries who could speak to how your nonprofit has made a difference in their lives. 

A big part of effective nonprofit storytelling is learning how to properly incorporate impact data into your marketing materials. Stories have a special way of putting a human face to your cause, and balancing impressive metrics with foundational storytelling elements can boost audience engagement. In other words, numbers alone won’t fully engage your audience!

Beyond your blog, you'll want to share impact stories across multiple platforms. You might create a video that features clips from an interview with a single mom your food bank helped to put food on the table. Then, incorporate powerful statistics about your broader impact. Or, you might feature a quick impact story in your email newsletter.

Whether you’re writing up a full beneficiary success story or trimming statements from an interview to pick out compelling testimonials, you should keep these core storytelling elements in mind: 

• Character(s): This is the person or group your story is centered around. A strong character is someone your audience can relate to and root for.  

• Setting: This is where your story takes place. A story should transport your audience to your setting by using descriptive language and focusing on the five senses.

• Conflict: Conflict refers to the problems or obstacles your character faces. You’ll generally focus on one conflict in your storytelling that creates tension for your character and urges your audience to continue reading so they know how everything resolves. 

• Resolution: This is the big payoff, where your audience sees your character solve their problems and reach their goals. Every resolution you write should be satisfying and demonstrate how your organization had a hand in helping your character overcome their challenges.  

Dress for Success is a global nonprofit serving unemployed and underemployed women through career development, job skills preparedness, mentoring, financial education, and professional attire services. 

They have a “Stories” section on their website where they feature beneficiaries whose lives were changed by the organization’s work. Here’s a snippet of a story from a beneficiary named Teresa: 

This interview-style story shares Teresa’s story in her own words. It touches on Teresa’s experience with Dress for Success, her achievements since participating in their programs, and how she likes to give back now that she’s overcome her own employment challenges. 

3. Feature key impact statistics in social media graphics. 

Social media platforms empower you to share impact information quickly and in digestible ways. Plus, since sharing is an inherent part of social media, your target audience can easily pass on impact information that catches their attention. 

There are several ways you can showcase impact insights on social media, whether you want to make a short video of your executive director sharing your organization's wins, post quick text updates about specific programs and projects, or even reach out to top supporters directly to keep them updated on the long-term outcomes of their contributions. 

One effective strategy is to create visually appealing graphics that feature key impact statistics. To ensure that your graphics will stop your supporters from scrolling past them, try these tips: 

• Keep it simple. Only include one key statistic or insight per graphic. This will make your graphics stand out in a sea of posts and help you avoid visually overwhelming your audience.

• Use clear, bold fonts. Your graphics should be easy to read on mobile devices, especially if a supporter is just glancing through your profile or page. 

• Incorporate your organization’s branding. Your logo, color scheme, and usual fonts will ensure your supporters know your impact information is coming from your specific organization. Plus, if your graphics get shared elsewhere on the internet, they’ll still be connected to your organization! 

• Add relevant icons and illustrations. Simple visuals, like a leaf for a statistic related to the environment or a graduation cap for a statement about your educational program, can make your data more relatable and reinforce your message. 

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the U.S. It has an active presence on Instagram and recently shared some eye-catching graphics showing what a donation to the organization can do after a disaster.

Each graphic shows what a specific donation amount empowers the organization to do, features The American Red Cross logo, and has a related illustration. 

4. Highlight key achievements in your annual report. 

Most nonprofits create a report each year to bring their stakeholders and communities up to speed on everything they’ve accomplished and how supporters can get involved. 

Enhance your annual report by including key impact insights, such as: 

• Number of beneficiaries served

• Total funds raised through specific fundraising campaigns, events, and sustainer programs 

• Program outcomes and achievements

• How funds were allocated across different programs and projects, and the impact generated by each dollar spent

• Volunteer hours contributed and the value of volunteer efforts 

• Partnerships with other organizations, businesses, or government entities and how those partnerships have helped further your work 

• Advocacy wins like policy changes 

You can include graphs, charts, and other visuals to make these insights more understandable and engaging. 

Additionally, don’t overlook the value of being transparent with your audience about things that haven’t gone so well over the last year. Highlighting shortcomings and challenges won’t scare your supporters away. In fact, doing so will actually help you increase trust with your community and open up natural opportunities to request more support.  

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is an international NGO that works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of both people and wildlife. Its 2024 annual report uses a variety of impact insights to showcase the organization’s progress toward accomplishing its larger mission: 

Here are a few examples of insights the report shares:

• There was a 27% increase in Bhutan’s tiger population.

• 61 WWF activists from across the U.S. advocated for federal action on the plastic pollution crisis.

• WWF began collaborations with buffalo conservation groups and Native American organizations to improve the care and management of bison in the U.S.

Your nonprofit’s impact data isn’t something you should keep to yourself! Instead, share it far and wide through your marketing materials. This will not only prove that your organization is making a real difference but will also inspire further support from your community. Use the ideas and examples above to implement this new marketing strategy at your own organization.