Masterclass: How NGOs and Non-Profits Can Use Content Creators to Boost Their Digital Marketing Efforts
Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 6:26 am
Did you know that influencer marketing can be a powerful fundraising tool for NGOs and non-profit organisations? No? Well, that’s exactly what German agency Gallafilz has specialised in for over three years. The Munich-based agency has half a dozen non-profit clients on its roster, including one of the largest German child welfare NGOs, SOS Kinderdorf. In this interview with Kolsquare, Elisabeth Krautbauer, Head of Digital at Gallafilz, explains how influencer marketing can open doors to new audiences for NGOs and why Twitch is fertile ground for #influenceforgood.
Why is influencer marketing an important tool for NGOs and non-profit organizations?
We consult on the bigger picture for NGOs because sometimes they are not on the fast track of new and innovative content or innovative mechanisms [for digital marketing], and they don’t have as much money as big companies. We have to put it into perspective for them. We try to learn from the big players in the market and see what we can adapt to NGOs to make sure they are up to date with new digital marketing techniques. Today, we combine multi-channel marketing so they can stick to established methods like mailing or one-to-one marketing because, to be honest, the donation sector is quite old. If we talk about young target groups in the NGO world, they are between 35 and 50 years old, and the main target groups are usually 60 years old and older. They are not going to be there forever, so NGOs have to make room for those 35-year-old and younger recipients. That’s where we advise on how to reach them and develop them to become donors in the future. In this sense, content creator marketing fits perfectly.
Download our guide to responsible influence here .
What has been your initial experience in leveraging influencers for NGOs?
There are opportunities in outsourcing content production, be vp maintenance mailing lead cause for NGOs it is always a huge cost point. Content creators are a great source of experts because they know how to use the platforms and create content. They also know their community and the expectations of their audience. It saves NGOs time and money because they don’t need an agency for a brilliant campaign, and they get content that is trendy and on-trend because the influencer is interested in creating content that works. After all, it is their face.
Another big opportunity is that people want to talk to people, not faceless brands. A content creator is a great way to do this, and can really persuade people to engage with a topic. Having a face to convey messages is very important.
The other big opportunity is new target groups – not just younger ones, but also different bubbles – on social media everyone is in their own bubble, you don’t get out of it and you see a lot of the same content. But when you follow a creator who suddenly talks about supporting a children’s rights organisation, it takes the NGO out of its bubble and gives it new ways to reach other people. If the influencer posts something for us in their community, it’s a totally new audience, because they are often not followers of the NGO.
Paid ads with content creators also work well. We give them creative space to make the video how they want to – we just say: this is the message we want to tell, tell it in your own words, but use this link, this fact or this information. We use video for paid campaigns that are distributed to new audiences and it works really well. A creator ad campaign we did on Instagram [for the international blood and bone marrow cancer foundation DKMS] got 200% more conversions than the glossy campaign done by an agency.
Why is influencer marketing an important tool for NGOs and non-profit organizations?
We consult on the bigger picture for NGOs because sometimes they are not on the fast track of new and innovative content or innovative mechanisms [for digital marketing], and they don’t have as much money as big companies. We have to put it into perspective for them. We try to learn from the big players in the market and see what we can adapt to NGOs to make sure they are up to date with new digital marketing techniques. Today, we combine multi-channel marketing so they can stick to established methods like mailing or one-to-one marketing because, to be honest, the donation sector is quite old. If we talk about young target groups in the NGO world, they are between 35 and 50 years old, and the main target groups are usually 60 years old and older. They are not going to be there forever, so NGOs have to make room for those 35-year-old and younger recipients. That’s where we advise on how to reach them and develop them to become donors in the future. In this sense, content creator marketing fits perfectly.
Download our guide to responsible influence here .
What has been your initial experience in leveraging influencers for NGOs?
There are opportunities in outsourcing content production, be vp maintenance mailing lead cause for NGOs it is always a huge cost point. Content creators are a great source of experts because they know how to use the platforms and create content. They also know their community and the expectations of their audience. It saves NGOs time and money because they don’t need an agency for a brilliant campaign, and they get content that is trendy and on-trend because the influencer is interested in creating content that works. After all, it is their face.
Another big opportunity is that people want to talk to people, not faceless brands. A content creator is a great way to do this, and can really persuade people to engage with a topic. Having a face to convey messages is very important.
The other big opportunity is new target groups – not just younger ones, but also different bubbles – on social media everyone is in their own bubble, you don’t get out of it and you see a lot of the same content. But when you follow a creator who suddenly talks about supporting a children’s rights organisation, it takes the NGO out of its bubble and gives it new ways to reach other people. If the influencer posts something for us in their community, it’s a totally new audience, because they are often not followers of the NGO.
Paid ads with content creators also work well. We give them creative space to make the video how they want to – we just say: this is the message we want to tell, tell it in your own words, but use this link, this fact or this information. We use video for paid campaigns that are distributed to new audiences and it works really well. A creator ad campaign we did on Instagram [for the international blood and bone marrow cancer foundation DKMS] got 200% more conversions than the glossy campaign done by an agency.