Nonprofit Marketing Tips and Resources

A marketer’s job is to utilize their budget to drive as much revenue as possible, and for nonprofit marketers this need is heightened.

But for the nonprofit marketer, “driving revenue” takes on a different and more delicate aspect. The goal isn’t to sell people on an expensive product they don’t really need. It’s to show potential donors the impact their funds can make, and reassure them it’s a good place to spend their philanthropy dollars. Because nonprofits invest so heavily into the vital programs they run, their marketing budgets are limited and their expectations are high.

The resources below were collected especially for nonprofit marketers, covering a variety of overlooked opportunities, free marketing tools, and special discounts offered exclusively to nonprofits.

Internal Resources You Might Not Be Maximizing

Because nonprofits are typically on a tight budget, it’s important for nonprofit marketers to maximize the resources they already have access to.

Google Analytics

Many nonprofit websites already have Google Analytics installed – in fact, Google’s Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora was quoted in 2012 saying that more than 10 million websites worldwide do!

Most marketers have experience using Google Analytics, but fail to capitalize on the full benefit of this free software. Here are a few ways to use Google Analytics that go beyond looking at sessions and traffic sources:

1. 1. Create custom dashboards for automated reporting. Wired Impact has a few free dashboards made especially for nonprofits.
   2. Monitor site speed. Having a website that loads very quickly helps your visitors’ experience, and is beneficial for SEO. Significant changes in site speed may also indicate greater technical problems that your developer or webmaster can address. To view your site speed, go to Behavior > Site Speed in the left hand navigation and set your desired date range.
   3. Track custom goals. Setting up custom goals is a great way to track the different actions that you value. For example, you can set up goals to track newsletter subscriptions, donations, or online membership registrations. This helps you understand your conversion rate, or the percentage of users who complete a desired action.

Your Email List

Many nonprofits have email lists of current and potential donors who have expressed interest in the organization. Larger customer lists can be expensive to host and maintain, so it is important to maximize their benefit. Email lists are commonly used for sending updates, newsletters, resources, and requesting donations.

Here are a few other ways that you can use your email list:

1. Use automation sequences to reach donors at vital points in their “customer” journey. Engage new subscribers immediately by sending a welcome email series. Send automated emails to donors at regular frequencies to solicit new donations. These emails will be in addition to timely campaigns that offer current news and updates.
2. Cross-promote your social media channels and website. Reaching your donors through a variety of channels helps strengthen your brand and exposure. Encourage your email subscribers to follow your most important social media pages, and explain to them the unique value you provide on each channel. For example, you may share heartwarming volunteer stories on Facebook or re-share photos that your members tag you in on Instagram.
3. Send surveys learn more about your audience. Quantitative and qualitative surveys can help you learn more about user demographics, perceptions, behavior, and objections.

Note: Respecting your members’ data privacy is vital, especially where email is concerned. Immediately set the expectation of exactly how you will use your member’s data and the types of emails they will receive before they subscribe – this is especially important for members from EU, where GDPR (general data protection regulation) applies. Discussions around GDPR and other governmental privacy regulations are beyond the scope of this post, and deserve specific attention by your legal team.

Online Reviews

If your nonprofit is active online, chances are you’ve already garnered reviews on Facebook or Guidestar. Online reviews can provide compelling, emotional testimonials that may attract new donors and members. Consider placing testimonials on your website, or using them for social media marketing.

Note: Be sure to ask the reviewer’s permission to use their positive testimonial in your marketing materials and retain documentation of their consent. Using testimonials may not be appropriate for all nonprofits such as those serving vulnerable communities or helping with sensitive topics.

Online reviews can also provide insight into the language your donors use. Reflecting your member’s concerns and objections using the same terminology they use doesn’t just help reduce miscommunication, it also helps you connect with your audience and build rapport.

Organizational Communications

Anyone in your nonprofit in a consumer-facing role will have valuable information about the challenges and objections your donors have, as well as the language they use when they talk about your organization.

Customer service representatives, sales people, and corporate donor managers are all valuable resources that you can use to take your marketing a step further. Try this:

Sit in on sales and customer service calls

Both sales and customer service calls can be leveraged for marketing. There is often a divide between departments, but working together can truly benefit everyone in the organization.

From these calls you can learn common objections that potential donors have, and you can begin to craft communications to overcome those objections before they ever speak to a representative.

You can also record calls to review or transcribe later, but you may be required to gain the consent of the caller to do so.

Ask customer service the most common questions they hear

Understanding the questions your donors ask allows you to clarify your messaging and answer customer questions. This increases the number of users who donate, subscribe to your newsletter, or register as members. Calls like this can also mitigate and reduce demands on customer service.

Free Marketing Tools and Software for Nonprofits

In addition to internal resources that many nonprofits already have but may be under-utilizing, there are dozens of free marketing tools that nonprofits can leverage.

SEO

Screaming Frog has a free website crawling tool that can help you identify broken links, analyze metadata, and see duplicate pages.

Web Page Test allows you to test your site speed performance from multiple locations, and identify opportunities to improve your site speed.

Email

Mailchimp has one of the most robust free packages available to nonprofits. Their basic membership covers up to 2,000 subscribers, 12,000 monthly emails, and includes automation features.

Hubspot offers robust contact management software including features like Gmail integration, pop-up forms, and email templates.

Social Media

Hootsuite has one of the most robust free plans that allows you to schedule up to 30 posts to 3 accounts.

Buffer’s free plan allows you to schedule up to 10 posts at once and create custom graphics.

Followerwonk is a Twitter tool that allows you to gain insights into your Twitter following, including their locations and when they are active online.  

Website Conversion Rate Optimization

Google Optimize is a free tool that allows you to run A/B and multivariate tests on your website. It has an easy to use visual editor, and integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics.

Stock Photos

Shopify Burst is a directory of free images that can be used for personal or commercial purposes with or without attribution.

Pixabay has a free library of 1.6 million photos and videos that can be used for advertising and marketing.

Create Her Stock is a free subscription service that specializes in authentic stock photos featuring black women.

Surveys

Google Forms allows you to easily create and share free surveys and polls. Responses are easy to view or download as an Excel file.

Typeform has a basic free plan that allows you to ask up to 10 questions, and collect up to 100 responses per month.

Events

Evite allows you to send digital invitations by email or social media, and track RSVPs for your event.

 

10 Marketing Tools With Nonprofit Discounts

The following marketing software companies offer exclusive discounts with proof of nonprofit status. If you have an existing paid account with these companies but do not have a reduced rate, many of them will apply the discount to active accounts.

1. Moz – 75% off – Moz is a leading SEO software that can help you track your backlinks and important keywords.
2. Buffer – 50% off – Buffer is a tool for social media that allows you to post, review analytics, and engage with users from all social media platforms in a single location.
3. Todoist – 50% off – Todoist is an organizational tool that helps you manage tasks and projects.
4. Eventzilla – 25% off – Eventzilla is event registration software that helps you sell tickets, process payments, and survey attendees.
5. Wordstream – 25% off – Wordstream helps organizations maximize their results from multiple ad platforms including Facebook, Google Ads, Instagram, and Bing.
6. Paypal – 24% off transaction fees – Paypal is a payment processor that can be used for donations, ticket sales, and e-commerce payments.
7. Mailchimp – 15% off – Mailchimp is an email provider. They have a free plan for up to 2,000 subscribers, and offer 15% off to nonprofits for paid plans.
8. Zapier – 15% off – Zapier helps you connect and integrate different more than 1,000 softwares and apps.
9. Shopify – unknown discount – Shopify is an e-commerce website platform that allows you to build, host, and maintain an e-commerce site for your nonprofit. Contact their team for details on nonprofit pricing.
10. VWO – unknown discount – VWO is a visual editor that allows you to test design modifications with A/B and multivariate tests. Contact their team for details on nonprofit pricing.

Marketing success doesn’t have to be defined by whoever has the biggest budget. Most marketers aren’t using the full potential of their marketing tools and the teams that make up the organization. There are also a wide array of useful free programs online that can help with everything from SEO to event management. And when expensive enterprise software is inevitable, many marketing software companies offer nonprofit discounts.

Remember, as a nonprofit marketer your career offers unique rewards. Not only will you be more successful: the farther you take your budget, the greater impact your organization can have on the community you serve.

 

Nonprofit organizations are inherently unique. Spanning nearly ever sector and industry, nonprofits are driven more by a mission than simply the financial bottom line.

Most nonprofits promote a purpose that tugs at the heartstrings, giving people a reason to care—and still, many organizations struggle to use this as a foundation for their marketing efforts. While a number of the obstacles nonprofits face in their marketing efforts can be attributed to budget and staffing shortfalls, nonprofit marketing success is, by all means, possible.

By investing in tactics that provide the most value for your dollar, nonprofits of any size can create and nurture a marketing strategy that will further their organization’s purpose and build a strong community of supporters.

Use earned media to your advantage

Unlike traditional paid advertising campaigns that can quickly deplete any budget, investing in public relations and earned media is an effective way to deliver your organization’s message to your target audience without forking out loads of cash.

A major benefit to leveraging earned media is that it is an effective tool for nonprofits of all sizes. While it’s not always possible to attract national attention from the start, a regional nonprofit could pitch local media outlets for broadcast interviews during events to raise awareness of its programs and services. Once that media relationship is established, the initial coverage can be leveraged to bring in bigger media outlets.

Media coverage is a cost-effective tactic that allows your organization’s leaders to drive home the impact the organization is making through effective, personal storytelling.

Sage worked with Washington, D.C.-based Halcyon House to promote the personal stories of the fellows and the organization’s support of their work to establish several personalized stories in target media outlets.

Use email to directly engage with stakeholders

According to Campaign Monitor, personalized email marketing for nonprofits is 40 times more effective at engaging new supporters than social media. With that being said, an effective email marketing campaign allows nonprofits to build relationships with people who have already expressed interest in your cause.

For any email campaign, an organization should aim to execute the following tactics:

• Tell the organization’s story and promote the brand
• Show donors how their donations are making an impact
• Initiate a call-to-action at the end of the email

Recently, Sage worked to create a three-month, two-tier email influencer campaign to give away unique experience through an online contest to raise funds and awareness for Halcyon House through the “I am Halcyon” campaign.

Use your website to tie your campaigns together

For any nonprofit, the website should serve as a focal point for your target audience to learn about and engage with the organization. A well-designed website can be instrumental in engaging new members, raising funds and communicating with decision-makers.

A nonprofit’s website should be optimized to drive traffic to the website, connect with other marketing campaigns and intertwine with social media content.

Sage has worked with a number of Washington, D.C.-based organizations to create a website that houses the information needed to inform and engage their target audiences, including Halycon House, DC Jazz Festival and Capitol Riverfront.

Use authentic, targeted content to reach your target audiences

Cause-driven organizations have to communicate with members of their audiences in a personal and genuine manner. And unlike other industries, this means that nonprofits must generate content that is authentic and hyper-targeted to each segment of the target audience in order for it to be effective.

For nonprofit organizations, content development can make a significant positive impact on achieving their mission. In order to develop and maintain a strong pipeline of content, organizations should do the following:

• Develop a hierarchy for target audiences so that content tailored to primary stakeholders is prioritized
• Create a content calendar on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis
• Identify key themes to address throughout the year
• Publish content on a central location and share through all available channels
• Repurpose content to save time and make the most of what you’ve already created

Use social media to promote your message and engage with members of your audience

Social media marketing is a one-on-one, relationship-building tool for all organizations. By cutting through the barriers established between an organization and the average person, a nonprofit is able to reach a large audience and engage with them on an individual level.

Best practices when it comes to social media include:

• Targeting your audience through tailored content and posting times
• Prioritize certain platforms based on your organizational mission (Facebook may reach more of your target audience than Twitter)
• Interact frequently with your followers
• Leverage analytics to improve and reposition your overall strategy

In addition to what organizations are doing right, we’ve all seen the negative impact mistakes can have on organizations when it comes to social media. It is important, even for nonprofits, to avoid making common mistakes on their social media accounts, including using generic messaging, failing to post regularly and ignoring individual comments.

There are numerous opportunities for nonprofits when it comes to a marketing strategy. Despite budget, staffing and other restrictions that exist, today’s expansive communication landscape has made it possible for any organization to reach their target audience with their messaging.

Nonprofits already have the upper hand when it comes to marketing—their purpose. A well-planned and executed marketing strategy can turn any nonprofit’s purpose into a major phenomenon among individuals who identify with the cause.

Telling a good cause story: It can be the biggest difference between you and your competitors. Storytelling can help set you apart in a field of similar charities and nonprofits, and it all comes down to how strong your strategies are. It isn’t enough to simply have your mission laid out on your website – and with so many avenues and creative outlets online, why would you even want to stop there?

The truth is, adept storytelling can do a number of things: It can help position your nonprofit as being both sympathetic and dynamic; it can bring in new donors while retaining current ones; it can expand your reach and establish your brand digitally. It’s the foundation of cause marketing for good reason.

Here are five ways you can strengthen your storytelling skills to help your nonprofit’s marketing:

 

1. Play to your audience’s emotions

One of the best ways to reaffirm your nonprofit’s vision is by creating a solid emotional connection between you and your potential donors. Appeal to the soft side of your audience by crafting a story that hinges around how donations can end suffering, provide help, or make the impossible possible – just think about how well those humanitarian aid commercials go right for your heart. For example, the Animal Humane Society put out a video designed to tug on the heartstrings of anyone watching – it’s easy to get caught up in the humanized voices of the animals and their pleas.

Also, don’t forget to keep up with those emotional appeals once you’ve got a solid donor base! Now that you have regular donors, keep them updated with stories of how their contributions are helping you help others. Check out the storytelling episode on the Asking For More podcast for more great ideas.

2. Social media is key

Storytelling is vital in today’s attention economy. Social media values stories, and you, as a nonprofit, clearly have plenty of amazing stories to tell – whether they’re about the goals you’re striving towards, the projects you’ve completed, or the ongoing help you’re providing to the community. You’re making a significant impact on the lives of others, and there’s no better way to communicate this than through social media.

Social media tools are the perfect avenues to share these stories and to get instant feedback, validation and confirmation of the important work you’re doing. Set up accounts on the most popular social networks – Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are good places to start – and have a set schedule for posting fresh content. Nonprofits like Doctors Without Borders use Instagram to show photos of their on-the-ground relief efforts, and the American Heart Association on Twitter utilizes its own hashtags to start conversations.

3. Try real-time communications

Your storytelling efforts don’t need to be static; in fact, if they’re happening in the moment, they’re more likely to engage more people. Think about the telethons of old – people would tune in to watch variety shows and celebrities work the phone lines as nonprofits and charities called for pledges. It’s about the in-the-moment participation with demonstrable results – and it’s easy to bring this type of strategy into modern-day marketing.

A fantastic example of this is the Keeping Up With The Kattarshians livestream video from Iceland. Broadcasting company Nutiminn capitalized on the Internet’s love for all things feline and set up a live webcam to continuously broadcast the antics of some very cute kittens (all available for adoption!). Not only are they jumping on the reality TV train for a good cause, they’re demonstrating a strong awareness of what can catch fire with online audiences.

4. Involve your donors in problem solving

Storytelling tactics are often very effective at bringing out emotion. Why not try something as simple as laying out a problem and presenting the solution your donors can be a part of? You can use this outline as an exercise in an appeal letter, a social media post, or an email.

Your outline should look something like this:

• Begin with a sharp introduction to get the reader involved, with a clear example to create a mental visual.
• Keep sentences short to help develop a sense of urgency, and repeat pronouns like “we” to make the story more personal and help the reader feel directly involved.
• State the problem and your goal in human and visual terms, making it very relatable, while referring directly to the reader, who feels like they are now a part of the story.
• Last, be sure to offer your thanks and reinforce your message.

5. Have a sense of humor

Last but certainly not least, don’t be afraid to present your story with a touch of humor. It’s possible that going too grim or dark could turn off potential donors, so consider your cause and how you might be able to lighten things up a bit. Take this commercial for Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelter – the Huffington Post called it a “low-budget masterpiece,” and it still holds up today. (Bonus: sometimes the funniest content is low on cost!)

It may seem like an extra use of resources, but trust us when we say that creative forms of storytelling can be the secret weapon you need to get even more attention for your nonprofit. Keep building on these strategies to spread the word about your cause – and before long, you might start seeing an organic increase in those who believe in you.

Reflecting on various themes and insights to discuss in an article about branding, I kept coming back to the experience I had working with John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the dramatic impact this program has produced for the college. This ignited my decision to present this program as a framework for discussing all of the issues surrounding a comprehensive branding program, from its inception through its evolution and enrichment. One of the valuable by-products of discussing the John Jay brand is the role it, and its President, have played in addressing the inflammatory issues surrounding social and criminal justice these past five years.

The Challenge

The college has been around for 50 years, founded at a time not unlike the present day when there was deep concern about the role of police and urban American issues of race, conflict and violence. When a number of national commissions recommended that police officers get a college education to better prepare for their role, John Jay was formed to serve as the police academy of the New York City Police Department. It offered courses on Shakespeare, chemistry and social sciences, as well as criminal justice and law. Fast-forward to today, John Jay is now a college of 15,000 students offering a broad range of majors. Some students still go into law enforcement, but an increasing number are moving on to medical school, law school and a wide variety of professions.

As part of the City University of New York (CUNY), the largest public urban university in the world with over 500,000 students, the college provides access to students who come from immigrant and working-class backgrounds where higher education is not typically part of the family conversation. When Jeremy Travis was appointed President over a decade ago, the institution initiated a major transformation program. They became a full four-year liberal arts college,” phased out the Associate’s Degree, and accepted baccalaureate, masters and doctoral students. This put pressure on the college to raise its profile in the world of philanthropy, corporate affairs and civic life.

Coping with this major transformation, in the words of President Travis, “brought to the surface some deep questions about our identity and our future and past and how we were going to reconcile where we wanted to be—our aspirations against our history. The notion of John Jay as a vocational school, trade school or a cop college was a drag on our identity. This limiting image got in the way of recruiting the best faculty and best students, raising money for research and new projects and positioning the college nationally and internationally.”

Purpose – The Prerequisite for a Distinctive Brand Identity

To lay the foundation for the brand platform, we emphasized that a brand identity is derived from a clearly defined purpose—your overriding reason for being, what problems you are trying to solve, and the driving force behind the college’s strategies, decisions and investments.  In other words, Your True North.  Given all the disruption and change at the college, defining a clear and upbeat purpose would provide coherence for the faculty, students, alumni, Board and donors. It could be their positioning or be the force behind a distinctive, memorable positioning.

When we work on a project of this scale, we structure our research into three areas. One, the dynamics of the market they are operating in. Two, the multiplicity of audiences that we want to engage with and support the college. And, what we believe to be the most critical consideration: Engaging all the stakeholder groups on the campus to define the culture, unique strengths and passions that provide the foundation for defining the college’s purpose, positioning and voice.

In looking into the competitive educational space they were operating in we found

a profusion of noise in the marketplace.  We looked for opportunities to differentiate the college. Who’s in the space? How are they positioning their programs? What do they stand for? How is John Jay perceived? What are the misconceptions about John Jay? Do we see any leverage points—how can we move the needle, differentiate the college and opportunities to own a new and exciting brand identity.

Know Your Audience (They Know the Answer)

We had to address a vast array of audiences who have influence in any educational institution. The Provost, Deans, and Faculty will play an active role in bringing support and credibility to any brand identity program. The students were a particularly challenging audience. The student body is incredibly diverse, politically correct, financially challenged and eager to translate their education into a job. An upbeat and informed alumni is be critical to making this transformation successful. Finally, the college has an accomplished Foundation Board that plays a vital role in raising financing for special programs, research and events.

Our process for drawing out the unique character, programs, and passions at the college was highly interactive and engaging for all stakeholder groups on the campus. We made presentations to the faculty senate. We held extensive focus group sessions with students and conducted individual interviews with all of the members of the Board. We went outside the college to talk with leaders in the educational market and media and reviewed all the literature produced by the marketing and public affairs departments. And we carefully studied every speech their exceptionally articulate president had ever given.

It’s What’s Insight that Counts

All this research brought to the surface deep insights about the college’s identity and how we might reconcile where the president and his leadership team wanted to be—their aspirations against their history, their future versus their past. We had to articulate any contradictions and tensions that needed to be resolved before we could move forward. The college had already completed a market research study, which provided invaluable information about where John Jay stood in the market, how they compared to competitors, and opportunities to differentiate the college from competitors. It indicated how the students felt about the college, what they were looking for in the future and what their parents were looking for. Some of the most interesting and salient insights came from in-depth interviews with guidance counselors in high schools.

Connecting the Dots to Create a Breakthrough Brand Identity Program

All the research findings confirmed that John Jay had been transformed into the preeminent national and international leader in educating for justice—a broadly envisioned educational experience embracing social, economic, political and criminal justice. A new and exciting vision for education in justice provided its students with the skills, insights and passion to become positive agents of change.

We found that John Jay students were defined by their resilience, their passion for justice and their aspiration to public service. The college’s focus according to President Travis “… is to subject this passion to the rigors of critical thinking and analysis and to test and support their aspirations by building bridges between the world of intellect and imagination and the world of practice.”

Courage, resilience, integrity, progress and impact—the attributes of the John Jay community—was captured in a inspiring and bold PURPOSE for the college:

Fierce Advocates for Justice

It is important to emphasize that this purpose statement is not an advertising slogan. It is a standard bearer of what the college stands for, a rallying cry and a lens for making strategic decisions. It dramatically sets the college apart from its competitors. This is enhanced by the fact that President Travis is an authentic and articulate spokesperson for this proactive new direction.

The purpose statement then provided the foundation for the college’s positioning statement:

AS FIERCE ADVOCATES FOR JUSTICE, WE ARE DEDICATED TO PROVIDING A NEW VISION FOR AN EDUCATION IN JUSTICE THAT IMBUES OUR GRADUATES WITH THE SKILLS, INSIGHTS AND PASSION TO BECOME POSITIVE AGENTS OF CHANGE.

We also wanted to reinforce that John Jay looked at JUSTICE through many different lenses by developing a graphic that imbedded the many faces of justice—from criminal to religious to political and, for the English faculty, poetic—into their traditional EDUCATING FOR JUSTICE tag line.

Another critical element in this program is the brand voice—the way we speak to all of the constituents with a distinctive, clear and authentic voice across all platforms.

We felt the college’s communications should be BOLD, HUMAN, DYNAMIC and CLEAR. As fierce advocates for justice and leaders of change, we want to inspire people to stand up and take notice.

“It has given us a language. The multiple definitions of justice allow us to talk about  expression and our value proposition in an effective way. It has helped us in talking to and recruiting new students, promoting scholarships and positioning the college for the future,” according to President Travis.

“Yes this Captures Us”

When this strategy work was presented to the president and his staff, the faculty, and the foundation board, it was approved with enthusiasm. They sensed that it captured who they were, their institutional values, educational philosophy, aspirations and distinctiveness. Unlike experiences I have had with a few other institutions, we were able to immediately move ahead to build out the program without getting distracted by layers of approvals from various committees that would disrupt and complicate things. In the words of the dean of the advertising business, David Ogilvy:

Search the parks in all your cities

You’ll find no statues of committees.

The final element we had to consider was the visual identity system. We conducted an audit of all the college’s communications. When we showed the displays of disparate and uncoordinated materials produced across the college, President Travis said, “Oh my Lord, what have we done?” 

The focal point of the new visual identity is a big, bold, powerful expression for John Jay. The design system featured upbeat photography in the print materials, elegant videos and a refreshed website. The organization’s PURPOSE was stenciled in large type on walls along with the graphic depicting the expanded definition of justice. We maintained continuity across all the publications by using JUSTICE in the names—Justice Matters is the name of the semi-annual magazine sent to all students, faculty, alumni and thought leaders in the justice field.

This was a “big, bold statement” that felt appropriate for a major New York City institution and a fierce advocate for justice.

Good Things Come in Threes

There are three programs that have been extremely effective for John Jay.

• A fundraising campaign
• The Justice Awards
• An exciting advertising program launched earlier this year to build the college’s visibility and attract the best high school seniors in the region

Justice Should be Supported

To support its first significant fundraising campaign, the college prepared a handsome, fact-filled newsprint magazine, 10 Exciting Reasons To Support The Ongoing Transformation of John Jay. It contained a comprehensive explanation of the reimagined academic programs, the revitalized faculty—including background on Pulitzer and Presidential award winners, a presentation of the major research programs, the global reach of its programs, and a listing of John Jay graduates with leadership positions in the public and private sector.  The information in this publication provided invaluable source material for proposals, presentations and other communications.

 

Justice Should be Rewarded

Every two years we provide Justice Awards to three people who are fierce advocates of justice. Elie Weisel is one of the recent awardees. Last year Gloria Steinem, Bryan Stevenson, and Anthony McGill were honored for their accomplishments in the face of injustice.

“All over the world, I hear children say two things: it’s not fair, and you’re not the boss of me!” – Gloria Steinem

“Most of us think, if theres places in our community where there is despair and neglect, stay as far away from those places as possible. I think justice means the opposite. I don’t think we can do justice until we get proximate to the places where injustice prevails.” – Bryan Stevenson, the Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative

Justice Can Be Your Vocation

Finally, the college introduced an extremely successful advertising campaign on the New York City subways. The first ad copy said, “Go To Any College To Learn To Write Code. Come Here If You Want To Learn How To Right Wrongs. There are seven ads in the campaign that were viewed by over 6 million subway riders, along with 2 million connections on a special digital version.

Program Impact

This program has been a major force in the success John Jay has experienced in the past 4 to 5 years. Here are just a few highlights:

• Annual fund raising increased 60% when the program was first introduced and has continued to grow at similar rates since. The number of alumni donors has jumped by 35%, and alumni have contributed over 50% more in recent years.
• There has been at least a 34% increase in applications since the advertising campaign was mounted.
• The foundation board has successfully recruited 12 new highly motivated and accomplished members including alumni, business leaders and not-for-profit executives.
• The college ranked #3 in the Military Times “Best Programs for Vets.”

“So let me tell you how this program fits so well with this institution and to me personally,” President Travis mentioned in his annual address. “When we welcome a new class we say—‘Welcome to a community of fierce advocates for justice.’ When we first opened our new building, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended.

When I introduced her I said: ‘Secretary Clinton, you occupy a position once held by our founding father John Jay. Welcome to John Jay. You too are a fierce advocate for justice.”

Fierce Advocates for Justice.  Those four words have given John Jay a powerful identity and a reenergized future.  Our work here is done.