Four ways ABM Can help nonprofits

The more we work with and learn from nonprofit leaders, the more confident we are that account-based marketing (ABM) can help nonprofits achieve their goals and accelerate positive change.

ABM for nonprofits is not about transactional fundraising or aggressive marketing. It’s about building ethical, mission-aligned, strategic partnerships that create shared, long-term value for communities, organizations, and corporate partners alike.

ABM is also not a substitute for existing development and communication programs. But it can be a vital complement that increases efficiency and effectiveness with high-potential existing and prospective partners.

As we look ahead to our next set of projects, we see at least four ways ABM can help nonprofits succeed:

• Strategic focus

• Structured process

• Partner-first messaging

• Organization-wide engagement

1)    Strategic focus
Traditional nonprofit fundraising and communications often take a broad-brush approach to reach the widest possible audience to build awareness and generate donations. While targeted outreach to large donors and sponsors is often part of the mix, this outreach frequently relies on personal connections (such as board relationships), opportunism (e.g., (foundation deadlines), or relatively basic research (e.g., identifying the largest companies in the area).

ABM helps nonprofits formalize their focus on high-value, long-term relationships with specific corporate partners, foundations, government agencies, and high-potential individual supporters – and makes this focus a strategic priority across the organization.

2)    Structured process
Rather than relying on ad hoc or reactive outreach, ABM provides a disciplined, research-based methodology to:

• Identify the highest-potential and best-fit partners

• Understand their priorities, decision making processes, and measures of success

• Build personalized engagement plans that strengthen long-term, mutually beneficial relationships

By adapting proven ABM tools and templates from the business world, nonprofits can structure and simplify this process – making it more accessible and easier to adopt, even in resource-constrained organizations.

3)    Partner-first messaging

Instead of leading with the importance of the cause or the organization’s accomplishments, ABM starts with the partner’s perspective:

• What does the partner look for when they consider nonprofit support?

• Who is involved in the decision and how does that process work?

• How do decision makers define success (or return on investment) for nonprofit partnerships?

• Why should they support your organization over many other worthy opportunities?

This outside-in approach enables nonprofits to craft more relevant, resonant value propositions and messaging for its most important prospective partners.      

4)    Organization-wide engagement
Finally, ABM provides a powerful framework for engaging the full organization in building and sustaining strategic relationships. Rather than relying primarily on the development team (and periodic support from leadership and the communications teams), ABM helps align goals and roles across leadership, board members, program teams and partners, and support staff.

This can include initiatives such as:

• Structuring leader-to-leader relationship building

• Leveraging specific programs to fostering employee engagement for corporate sponsors

• Collaborating with program leaders to design customized offerings for priority partners.

Bringing the whole organization into the ABM effort can unlock capabilities that are often underutilized.

The end result isn’t more outreach, it’s clearer priorities, more focused investment, stronger relationships, and more sustainable, high value partnerships.

Want to learn more?

Whether you’re exploring new partnership strategies, looking to strengthen existing relationships, or simply curious about ABM for nonprofits, we’d love to talk.