6 Ways to Raise Awareness for Your Cause


Don’t be a slacktivist.

No matter what type of cause you represent – a nonprofit organization or an individual fundraiser – your primary goal is to raise awareness. People don’t always know which strategy is right for them or where they should start. Consider these six ways to raise awareness, keeping your goals and audience in mind.

Find a Cause-Related World Record You Can Set

Comb through the Guinness World Records to find one that’s (a) related to your cause and (b) possible for you (and a group of your supporters) to beat. Ask people to participate – everyone loves being part of something noteworthy – and reach out to local media to see if you can get some coverage. To make everyone who is participating feel like they’re part of a team, have everyone wear something that matches, like personalized t-shirts or customized wristbands.

Host an Educational Event That Relates to Your Cause

Host an educational event that relates to your cause. For example, let’s say your nonprofit helps women get into the workforce. You could host something like a resume building class and then talk about your cause while you’re there. Other job seekers will relate to the people your cause works with, and they may even ask to volunteer. You want to make sure the educational portion of your event is useful for the lives of the people attending, and that your audience is also going to be interested in hearing about your cause.

Create Swag That Your Supporters Can Wear

Having people wear or use items that are branded with your cause’s information will increase word-of-mouth marketing as well as recognizability. For example, if you’re participating in a sponsored race, customized wristbands can be created in your brand’s color. Things like stickers, t-shirts, buttons, notepads and tote bags will be used in public, which will attract attention to your cause. The idea behind creating branded swag is twofold: you’ll stoke the interest of your followers when you show them how important it is to you that they support your cause, and you’ll also make your cause recognizable to people who haven’t heard of it before.

Harness the Power of Social Media

Create social media accounts on a variety of platforms, and make sure to regularly post to them. If you have a small marketing budget, you can run an ad that targets a specific geographic area or other type of demographic. This is a good option if you’re trying to get people to attend an event or participate in a contest. Once you have a bit of a following, you can use your social media platforms to start conversations about topics that are relevant to your cause.

Join a Viral Challenge

Everybody remembers the popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge, and there are always new challenges like this circling online. Either get involved with a challenge that relates to your cause or start your own. While you can’t force a video or challenge to go viral, you can increase the chances of it having enormous reach by making it fun, engaging and something that your followers will simply have to share.

Participate in a Sponsored Race

Join other causes in a sponsored race. You’ll raise awareness as you recruit people to join the race. You’ll also raise awareness during the race, thanks to your branded swag and athletic apparel. People will take note of your cause and many of them may want to talk to you about it.
You can still bring awareness to a cause even if you have a limited budget. With ideas that engage and connect, you can start attracting attention before you spend a dime.


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