6 Tips to Create an Ambassador Program for Your Nonprofit

According to Bloomerang’s Mission Retainable Report, 30% of the fundraisers surveyed identified donor fatigue as a challenge they face, and 87% of donors who stop or reduce their support do so due to financial strain. What if there were a way to continuously engage donors and have them contribute meaningfully to your cause without requiring them to make additional monetary donations?

Look no further than an ambassador program. Ambassadors can take the reins during fundraising or marketing campaigns, promoting your organization to their personal networks and expanding your reach.

This form of peer-to-peer marketing is highly compelling because people are more likely to support a cause that’s recommended by someone they know and trust. Additionally, donors and other supporters can unlock another opportunity to help your cause without reaching back into their wallets.

To ensure your ambassador program gets up and running quickly and yields a high return on investment, we’ll explore top tips for developing an effective program.

1. Identify the right recruits.

Supporters often want more than just to help promote your nonprofit’s cause—they want to feel like members of your community. An ambassador program gives them an outlet to express their passion for your mission and share their enthusiasm with others.

Search for individuals who have a strong existing relationship with your organization and are particularly vocal about their love for your cause. Potential ambassadors could be:

Long-time or highly regular donors, such as monthly donors
Dedicated volunteers
Peer-to-peer fundraisers
Program beneficiaries
Social media followers

Use your nonprofit CRM to identify long-time, highly engaged supporters. Filter your database by length of involvement or number of interactions to find your top supporters. You may also look for supporters with strong community connections—such as local business owners or microinfluencers—who have built-in audiences with whom they could share your cause.

Then, personally reach out to these individuals with an invitation to join your ambassador program. Reference their past involvement to explain why you’re reaching out. For example, you might say something like:

Eliza, we are so excited to invite you to join our new ambassador program. Your passionate volunteer involvement and past peer-to-peer fundraising experience make you a perfect fit for our new program.

2. Brand your ambassador program.

People will be more likely to sign up for your ambassador program if it looks professional and matches your organization’s current branding. They’ll be confident the program belongs to your nonprofit and feel encouraged to sign up.

While you may use the same colors, visual style, and messaging as your overarching nonprofit brand, develop the following unique brand elements for your program:

Name
Logo
Tagline

Then, incorporate these brand elements into your promotional materials, such as your social media posts and personal emails to potential participants, ensuring everything matches.

For example, here’s a flyer for a fictional environmental nonprofit ambassador program with a cohesive brand:

Example ambassador program flyer for a fictional organizer called “Wildlife Warriors”

This flyer features the organization’s brand name, logo, and a QR code that potential participants can scan for more information.

You can also boost the sense of community by creating branded merchandise for your program, such as hats, T-shirts, or name tags. Offering new ambassadors matching items will help them feel like members of an exclusive team.

3. Create clear roles and expectations.

Ultimately, your ambassador program shouldn’t just provide new engagement opportunities for supporters. It should also tangibly support your marketing and fundraising efforts.

Take the following steps to ensure your ambassador program bolsters your existing strategies:

Set internal goals for your ambassadors. Determine the metrics you will track to assess your ambassador program’s effectiveness. For instance, you may track key performance indicators (KPIs) like peer-to-peer fundraising participation rates, donations that can be attributed to ambassadors’ influence, or social media engagement rates.
Define responsibilities. For example, will ambassadors promote your peer-to-peer fundraisers? Will they share social media content? Will they speak on your behalf at events or even step in to help handle some event challenges? Create clear role descriptions so potential participants understand what you’ll expect of them.
Establish guidelines for program membership. Once ambassadors enter your program, develop standards they should follow when acting on behalf of your cause. For example, establish rules regarding the type of content ambassadors can share on behalf of your organization, such as pre-approved images or messages.

When potential ambassadors understand what your program entails, you can narrow down your recruit list to just individuals who feel comfortable with the role expectations. And with clear metrics to guide your program, you can determine whether it’s a worthwhile use of your time and resources.

4. Provide proper training and resources.

Invite your ambassadors to a training session to help them get up and running in their new roles. Depending on where your ambassadors are located, you might host a virtual or in-person meeting. Reiterate the role expectations and let ambassadors get to know one another through some icebreaker activities.

Additionally, craft a training manual for ambassadors to follow while promoting your organization. Your manual should include your brand guidelines, ambassador program regulations, and marketing materials that ambassadors can use in their promotional efforts, such as:

Customized donation page links. Let ambassadors create and personalize their own donation pages with information about their connection to your cause and photos of themselves participating in your events or volunteer opportunities. Bloomerang’s donation page guide emphasizes “incorporating evergreen design trends that make your page timeless,” such as white space, strong color contrast, and large buttons, so consider passing these tips along to your ambassadors.
Custom graphics. Create branded graphics that ambassadors can use in their promotional materials, such as fundraising thermometers or infographics. Accompany these graphics with appropriate alternative text that ambassadors can embed to make their content accessible.
Messaging guidelines. Provide ambassadors with tone and brand voice guidelines. For example, suggest that they strike a friendly, approachable tone in their social media posts. Additionally, you may create message templates for social media posts or emails that they can fill in to make them their own while still adhering to your standards.

Let ambassadors know that they can come to you at any time with questions or concerns. You may even set up a mentorship or buddy program within your ambassador group to ensure each participant has at least one peer they can turn to for support.

5. Build community among ambassadors.

Fostering a strong community among your ambassadors can encourage program retention. Plus, when ambassadors have fun supporting your mission and feel engaged in your cause, their promotional efforts will be much more genuine.

Spark connections within your ambassador program by:

Offering ambassadors-only communication avenues, such as a Facebook group or group chat
Hosting ambassador meet-ups and events, such as happy hours or picnics
Enabling peer-to-peer recognition mechanisms like eCards that let ambassadors acknowledge each other’s achievements

In addition to letting ambassadors recognize each other, implement appreciation strategies like publicly shouting out ambassadors on social media and within blog posts, sending thank-you gifts, and sharing personalized messages to demonstrate your gratitude for their contributions.

6. Evaluate and adapt your program as needed.

As your ambassador program gets underway, you might find that certain strategies aren’t working out as expected. Remain flexible and adjust your program when necessary to continue offering a high-quality experience to participants and ensure that your program effectively supports your nonprofit.

Continuously evaluate your program by taking the following steps:

Survey ambassadors to ask for their feedback on your program. Ask questions about their level of satisfaction with the program, any suggestions they have for improving it, and areas where they may need additional support. Highlight any trends in their responses and incorporate their feedback as applicable.
Track metrics to assess progress made toward your goals. Monitor the key performance indicators you identified during the planning process. Note any drastic increases or decreases in your metrics, investigate potential causes, and adjust your approach accordingly.

Supporting your ambassadors every step of the way is one of the most effective ways to ensure a high ROI for your program. Take ambassadors’ feedback seriously to ensure you’re continuing to meet their needs and providing a positive experience.

An ambassador program presents a win-win situation. While your ambassadors can help you connect with new potential donors, spread awareness of your mission more effectively, and help sustain your current fundraising and marketing efforts, they also receive a fulfilling experience that allows them to meet new people and drive greater impact. Promote your ambassador program across channels, and as your program grows, collect ambassador testimonials you can use as social proof to recruit even more program participants.