Getting Organized—Nonprofit Content Management for the Scatterbrained

Last week we focused on how you can repurpose all of your nonprofit’s content so that you get the most out of it. But as we mulled over nonprofit content management, we realized it goes way beyond repurposing it. Coming up with creative content for your blog or your nonprofit’s newsletter is hard enough. And finding ways to reuse it purposefully doesn’t come easily to most. But managing your content so that it’s consistent, timely and relevant across the board? Well, that’s a quite a task.

To help you cope, we set out to make nonprofit content management—whether online or offline—simpler. Streamline your nonprofit’s content approach with these three tips.

1. Work With What You Got

Begin your nonprofit’s content management overhaul by taking inventory of the content you have. Categorize every bit of your content in every form. Start with your website. Sift through each page to categorize all of the content. Create a spreadsheet with Excel, Google Docs or Smartsheet to track the content type (press release, pictures, survey results, etc.). Note the date it was published, the topics and keywords, the author and the link. Boring as it may be, a thorough online content inventory will help your nonprofit get its bearings as you set out to manage your communications more effectively.

After trolling your nonprofit’s website, repeat the same process for offline content. Direct mail pieces, newsletters, volunteer recruitment materials and even speeches need to catalogued.

2. Timing is EVERYTHING

Share your content management spreadsheet(s) with everyone who creates content for your nonprofit. In addition to laying out clear deadlines, include assigned articles and upcoming content-heavy events (such as fundraisers with promotional materials) so that you can track their progress.

The status update on your editorial calendar will also help you rotate content, thus extending its shelf life. Create a column for every form and location your content appears in. After your letter from the CEO is mailed to donors, publish it as a blog, or share the call to action on your homepage.

Schedule time each week to review where and how your nonprofit’s content appears. Empty columns will alert you to missed content rotation opportunities.

3. Check the Consistency

Refer to the spreadsheets you created when taking inventory as you check content for consistency. Unified messaging should be your goal. Nothing said or written online should contradict content offline, and vice versa. Facts and figures, opinions about relevant current events and even the tone of your content must be consistent throughout. When you find inconsistencies, correct them. You can update blog posts if need be, but be sure to mark the posts as such. Talk to the creators of content inconsistent with your nonprofit branding strategy, and make sure every writer communicates with each other to produce unified messaging.

How do you manage your nonprofit content?

March 8, 2012

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