3 Leadership Marketing Strategies to Help Your Biomedical Nonprofit Gain Public Trust

Biomedical Nonprofits are regularly challenged to translate their scientific missions into something the general public—and potential donors—can understand. Hosting community activities, lectures and other educational events can help demystify your institution’s work and turn passive interest into active support.

To inspire you, here are 3 marketing tactics that can help you show leadership and get more people involved with your institution:

Donor-Hosted Events
Hosting events for the public is a great way to build support in the community. Involving current donors in those efforts will make them even more impactful. When avid supporters of your institution participate in or host an event, it shows potential donors a level of loyalty and passion that is impressive in its authenticity.

How to do it:

• Host a non-ask, donor-run event or ask a supporter to hold a fundraising event in his or her home.
• Invite the general public and/or ask donors to invite their own friends and colleagues.
• Ask donors to give a short but heartfelt presentation about their motivations for supporting your institution.
• Have a representative of your Biomedical Nonprofit there to thank supporters.
• Find a creative way to collect contact information for everyone who attends, and then follow up with cultivation efforts later.

Open Discussions and Debates
Get people talking by hosting an open-forum discussion led by one of your Biomedical Nonprofit’s thought leaders. Science Cafés are a great example. Create a Science Café that highlights a particular area of your research by having one of your scientists give a short presentation in everyday language about his or her progress, and then open the floor up for discussion or questions.

How to do it:

• Invite the general public to come and learn about a topic related to your institution’s research. Consider hosting a themed event in order to keep the conversation focused.
• Provide a comfortable, inviting environment and refreshments to encourage creative thinking and collaboration.
• Be sure the scientist leading the event is able to interject with facts, but also willing to sit back and listen.
• Encourage lively, respectful debate.
• Ask participants to follow up with your institution and learn more about your work.

Connecting with Kids
Children may not be able to support your Biomedical Nonprofit with funds, but they can help build community-wide enthusiasm for your work. The Whitehead Institute’s forensic camp for kids offers a wonderful example of how to engage kids by making science fun. Here are some things we can learn from their program:

Tips:

• Create a fun program that showcases your Biomedical Nonprofit’s scientific capabilities.
• Ensure that the program or workshop is interactive.
• Set up a series of real-world challenges so that participants can put their newfound knowledge to work.
• Give kids a chance to present what they’ve learned to their parents.

If you’ve found other fun or effective ways to get the general public excited about your Biomedical Nonprofit and its work, please comment here or email me, so I can share your ideas in a future post. I may also feature your institution in an upcoming issue of my newsletter, Leadership Marketing at Work.

Contact me, Karan Cushman, by calling 866-960-9220 or by emailing karan@cushmancreative.com.