Nonprofit Podcasts: Should Your Organization Start One? Plus How to Do It!

Since smartphones first found their way into our pockets, we’ve had the world at our fingertips. 

And out of that? Came podcasts. The mini talk shows that people have started all over the world and across all industries. 

And that includes the nonprofit sector! So, the question is – should organizations start nonprofit podcasts? 

We’re discussing all of that, plus how to get one started in this article! 

Should Organizations Start Nonprofit Podcasts? 

Like most things when it comes to nonprofit marketing, there’s not one clear-cut answer. And we hate to say it, but it does depend on your nonprofit organization to determine whether or not it’s worth it to have a podcast! 

What Are the Benefits of Podcasts? 

There are plenty of benefits when it comes to having a podcast. It’s a great way to grow your nonprofit’s audience and build more brand awareness around your mission. 

And depending on your cause and your mission, you can use a nonprofit podcast to bring more insights into how your listeners can create change at home. But we’ll get to that in a minute! 

As far as statistics go, research suggests that one-third of all Americans have listened to a podcast at one point or another. And according to Edison Research, both audience numbers and the number of podcasts created are increasing. 

So there’s a very good chance that your nonprofit organization can reap the benefits of the popularity of podcasts! 

How to Decide if Nonprofit Podcasts Are Right for an Organization: 

Every nonprofit organization is different. So each one may have different goals and different priorities. That can skew whether or not the decision for a podcast is right for an organization. 

But, more than likely, the decision comes down to a return on investment. After all, most nonprofits run on a tight budget. And any decision towards marketing and outreach needs to have a reward. 

So, it’s a great idea to do some market research before you decide if nonprofit podcasts are right for your organization. Here’s how to do that: 

1. Do Market Research: 

First, you need to poll whether or not your ideal audience (the people who love your mission and engage with it), listen to podcasts. 

Research suggests that millennials and Gen-Z generations are more likely to listen to podcasts. Plus, these groups are steadily growing in their philanthropic efforts. 

But even if the majority of your audience is millennials or Gen-Z’s, that doesn’t mean they enjoy podcasts! 

So get on your social media platforms and create polls. Send out emails to segmented lists of donors who’ve given within the last several months. Ask them if they love to listen to podcasts. Better yet, ask them if they ever feel inspired and motivated to take action after listening to podcasts! You can also ask if they listen to any other podcasts from other nonprofit organizations. 

2. Calculate the Costs:

Once you’ve got a good idea of how your audience interacts with nonprofit podcasts, then you need to determine how much it will cost your organization.

Write down how much it will cost to gather the supplies to create your podcast episodes. Then, take down notes on who will be working on it. Are these people volunteers? Or are they staff members that are paid by the hour? 

A good rule of thumb is for every minute of a recorded podcast, you can estimate that it will take 2-4 times that amount of time to produce a quality podcast. 

3. Compare the Two: 

Based on how long it takes to record a podcast and then the amount of estimated support you’ll get from it, you can determine whether or not a nonprofit podcast is a great idea for your organization! 

How Organizations Can Use Nonprofit Podcasts to Create More Impact:

If nonprofit podcasts seem like a valuable marketing tool, then you may be wondering how you can use episodes to create impact. 

Because that’s still the goal right? No matter the kind of engagement or interaction you get from a nonprofit podcast, the end goal is still to make more of an impact. 

So here are just a few ways you can purpose your organization’s episodes: 

1. Educate Listeners On Your Cause

Of course, you can educate your listeners on your cause! Use your episodes as a platform to share insights into what’s needed for your cause. 

A lot of people have a hard time understanding things that are outside of their own bubble. For someone living in a suburb in America, they might not understand that there are developing nations that are struggling to get clean drinking water. 

You can always use your podcast for your nonprofit to continue educating your supporters. 

2. Offer Advice and Tips On How They Can Help at Home

This is on a case-by-case basis. It may pertain to some nonprofit podcasts, but not to others. 

But if it does apply to your organization, you can use your podcast episodes to offer advice and tips on how they can make a difference at home. Whether it’s for other people in their community, the environment, or even themselves, give valuable advice they can use. 

For example, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental change may share ways people can create an impact at home by switching to eco-friendly options/ 

Or, for an organization based on cancer awareness, maybe you offer advice and tips on how people at home can conduct their own personal assessments. 

Either way, providing valuable information (without always turning each episode into an “ask”) is a great way to nurture your audience. 

3. Share Nonprofit Stories and Highlights 

There are plenty of ideal donors that love to hear the success stories. They want to know that your nonprofit organization is making strides when it comes to change! 

It’s encouraging. It helps them understand that what you’re doing is working. 

So be sure to share plenty of success stories and highlights from your work in your cause. 

4. Share More Information

Think of who listens to podcasts and how they listen to them. (By the way, you can ask your audience this during your market research phase!) 

A lot of people listen to podcasts when they can’t look at their phone or laptop. Maybe they turn a podcast on when they’re driving or even flying on a plane. Maybe they listen to one while they’re going for a run or while they’re cooking in the kitchen. 

Either way, there’s one common denominator. Usually, in these instances, they can’t look at their phone for an extended period. 

So you have their attention for a longer amount of time! 

That’s not the case when someone’s scrolling on Instagram or Facebook. 

That means you can share more information that you normally can’t cram into one social media post. Use that to your advantage by sharing more information about your nonprofit!

5. Collaborate with Other Nonprofits to Make More of a Difference

Like we mentioned before, the whole goal of nonprofit podcasts is to still continue making a difference. 

That’s the end goal of any nonprofit, period, right? We’re trying to make a difference, to make a better world. 

So use your nonprofit as a collaborative tool! Instead of viewing other nonprofits (especially those that focus on the same cause you do) as competition, view them as a possible community. 

Invite them onto nonprofit podcast episodes so you can double down on the difference you’re making! 

And if you need more inspiration, be sure to check out this list of some of the most popular podcasts for nonprofits! 

Nonprofit podcasts can be an incredible marketing tool to use in your overall strategy! But whether or not they’re the right choice for your nonprofit depends on budgets and your ideal donor audience. 

Make sure it’s a logical choice for your organization. And if it is, use these suggestions to create engaging episodes that drive interactions from your audience members!

Want more related to this? Check out these articles! 

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Nonprofit Professional Development: 5 Reasons Why You Need to Keep Learning