Substance and Style

Most nonprofit organizations share good intentions and a mission of making the world a better place. However, many, if not most, are also underfunded and understaffed. Often, employees fill multiple roles that aren’t in line with their training or expertise. In small nonprofits, marketing tends to be done on a shoestring budget by people who lack experience. This can lead to tone deaf campaigns where every person featured in the materials is very similar to the person who designed them. If your organization has tasked non-marketing professionals with creating marketing materials, you’ll want to make sure they understand that your marketing materials should be inclusive. In general, they should be:

1. Representative of the people you serve. It’s important that your marketing materials reflect your mission. If your organization serves people with disabilities, for example, the people on your brochure and website should have disabilities. One way to achieve this is to use photographs of your actual clients and staff (make sure to get model releases from everyone who is featured in marketing materials or on social media). Sometimes, this will not be possible. Many organizations serve the victims of abuse or other crimes. Posting their photographs could compromise their safety. Some organizations serve children, or people whose health status could affect their employment or insurance. There are many cases where using photographs of actual clients is a bad idea. In these cases, you will likely use stock photographs. Please make sure that they reflect the diversity of the population you serve. 
2. Representative of the demographics of your field and area of service. In addition to representing the people you serve, you will want your materials to represent your field and location, especially if you are choosing stock images. Make sure you are checking on your own unconscious biases, particularly when representing marginalized communities or when serving people that society sometimes judges harshly. Additionally, photos should reflect the geographic location and community the nonprofit serves. When choosing photographs of people experiencing hardship as well as of people trying to help, make sure both of those groups are diverse.
3. Accessible to as many people as possible. Make the materials themselves accessible. Use easily read fonts, high contrast, a lot of negative space, and clear language. Design websites with accessibility in mind (see a more detailed post here). 
4. Not exploitative. Lastly, make sure your materials are not “inspiration porn.” While it is important to tell stories of struggle and success, especially when you’re in the business of attracting donors, you must prioritize the needs of the people you serve over the needs of the nonprofit itself. Obviously, the need for funding in the nonprofit sector is paramount. However, the dignity and agency of the people you serve is even more important. There is a fine line. Find it and don’t cross it.