Your marketing director’s resignation letter sits heavy on your desk—right between fundraising campaign materials and upcoming grant deadlines. The timing couldn’t be worse.
Now what?
Here’s what most executive directors don’t realize: this moment of upheaval can actually become a catalyst for stronger, more resilient marketing operations.
The challenge isn’t just about filling a vacant position—it’s about seizing this unexpected opportunity to rebuild your marketing foundation. While other organizations might stumble in similar circumstances, you’re about to discover how to transform this potential crisis into a strategic advantage.
In this guide, we’ll walk through some of our best battle-tested approaches that will keep your nonprofit’s marketing engine running smoothly, even when working with a lean team. You’ll learn how to assess your current position, prioritize high-impact activities, and leverage existing resources to maintain momentum during this critical transition.
What If You Had Half the Time or Budget?
Start by asking yourself two challenging questions:
- What would I do if I had half as much time as I need?
- What if I had half the budget?
These questions may feel uncomfortable, but they’re designed to get you focused on what’s absolutely essential. In moments like this, prioritizing impact over perfection is key.
When time and money are tight, look at what activities truly drive donations and engagement. Think about which initiatives resonate most with your audience, which communication channels have the highest return, and which donor segments typically engage most during the year-end. From here, build a streamlined action plan that targets the highest-impact efforts.
What If You Had Twice the Time or Budget?
Next, flip the scenario and ask yourself:
- What would I do if I had twice as much time?
- Twice the budget?
This feels so expansive, right?! These questions help you identify areas you’d prioritize if you had a little breathing room. It’s a way of understanding where you’d allocate resources as they become available, thereby, allowing you to see what can wait and what would be the first priority if you could add extra help or funding.
Consider this your wish list—it could be programs you’d love to promote more or additional outreach efforts you’d launch to engage your audience. While these may not be achievable right now, knowing where to expand when resources grow can guide you toward strategic decisions and smart investments later.
Assess Your Current Resources
Take an inventory of your available resources. Do you have staff in other roles who could assist temporarily? Is there a freelancer or consultant you can bring in short-term to help bridge the gap?
If you have a budget, investing in external expertise can be a wise move. Alternatively, if funds are tight, look at automating certain marketing tasks or temporarily scaling back on campaigns that don’t yield high returns.
You may also want to consider tools that can help streamline marketing processes, such as automated email sequences, scheduled social media posts, or repurposed content. The key is to make the most of what you already have without stretching yourself thin.
Prioritize Your Most Impactful Opportunities
If you’re faced with limited resources, you’ll need to focus on campaigns that offer the greatest impact. Think about what will resonate most with your audience and drive the highest engagement. Year-end giving campaigns, for example, are critical for nonprofits—make this your primary focus.
Don’t let a packed calendar tempt you into launching initiatives that might dilute your efforts; instead, choose the campaigns that will yield the best results and dedicate your time there.
Maximize Existing Content and Materials
Content repurposing can be your best friend when resources are stretched. Look through past campaigns, blog posts, donor stories, and impact reports—can any of this content be reused or updated for your current needs? A heartfelt success story or impactful data point from last quarter can be just as powerful now.
Think about turning past blog posts into social media updates, resharing successful email campaigns, or revisiting graphics that can be updated with new messaging. When time is short, repurposing content can help you maintain a steady presence without the stress of starting from scratch.
Evaluate and Adjust Regularly
As you move forward with your pared-down strategy, remember to check in on progress and adjust as needed. Evaluate what’s working, which tactics are yielding results, and where you might need to make tweaks. This continuous assessment will not only help you make the most of your current resources but will also keep you agile in case further changes are needed.
Assess What You Really Need
Before diving into hiring decisions, take a step back and assess your actual needs. Do you really need a full-time person to replace the previous staff member, or is the role too broad for one person to manage effectively? Consider whether it might actually require two or three full-time hires to cover the diverse skill set of someone who previously wore many hats.
This is where a fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can make a significant impact. Instead of making multiple full-time hires, a fractional CMO can step in to drive strategy, ensure your remaining team is performing at its best, and leverage their network of contractors to fill gaps in capacity.
By working with a fractional CMO, you gain access to seasoned expertise without the full-time financial commitment, and ensure your marketing operations remain robust and effective during this transitional period.
Shifting Your Focus to Resilience and Impact
Losing a key team member at a critical time is undoubtedly a challenge, but it doesn’t mean your marketing has to suffer. By focusing on high-impact areas, using existing resources creatively, and being transparent with your supporters, you can still meet your year-end goals. Remember, resilience is part of the nonprofit journey, and each challenge you face helps you build a stronger, more adaptable organization for the future.
Your mission doesn’t stop, and with a clear strategy and focused approach, neither will your impact.
Ready to ensure your marketing stays resilient?
Work with us and discover how we can help you navigate this transition with confidence and expertise.
Or, start a project here: https://waywardkind.com/lets-work-together/
