Does the size of your organization affect which communications tools you’ll use? Turns out, not that much, according to our 2013 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report.

The order of importance of the most popular communications tools doesn’t vary significantly based on budget size, with a few minor exceptions. When looking at the “very” important rankings by nonprofits with budgets over $1 million, you’ll see that “mobile apps or texting” ranks higher than paid advertising, phone calls/phone banks and photo sharing.

Most Important Nonprofit Communications Tools in 2013 - By Budget Size

The biggest differences come in just how important smaller versus larger organizations say the tools are.

Nonprofits with organizational budgets under $1 million:

  • Less likely to have written marketing plans in place than larger organizations
  • More likely than larger organizations to focus on participant and volunteer acquisition
  • More likely to rank email marketing and in-person events as very important compared to larger organizations
  • More likely to say they will spend more time producing event marketing and presentations to be delivered in person than larger organizations

Nonprofits with organizational budgets over $1 million

  • More likely to have written marketing plans in place, especially in organizations with budgets over $5 million
  • More likely than smaller organizations to focus on donor acquisition and retention
  • More likely to rank websites, media relations/PR and print marketing as more important compared to smaller organizations
  • More likely to say they will spend more time on website articles, press releases, and annual reports than smaller organizations

Download the 2013 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report Now.