Charity marketing strategy: a practical UK guide

What a charity marketing strategy is, and what it is not

A marketing strategy answers four questions. Where is the charity trying to get to? Who needs to hear from it for that to happen? What should they hear? And how will the charity know it is working?

It is not a calendar of posts, a list of channels or a brand guidelines document. Those are useful tools that come after the strategy. A strategy is a set of choices, including the choice of what not to do.

A good one is short. Two pages is enough for most charities. If it takes twenty pages to explain, nobody will read it, and a plan nobody reads does not change what anyone does on Monday morning.

Why it matters now

Charities are working under pressure. The Charity Digital Skills Report 2026, which surveyed 807 charities between 5 March and 20 April 2026, found that squeezed finances were cited as a barrier by 63% of charities and lack of headspace and capacity by 51%.

Planning is the first thing to go when time is short. Yet only 28% of charities have a strategy in place for digital, and 44% say that developing a strategy for tech, digital, data or AI is important to them. The gap between wanting a plan and having one is wide.

There is a related gap in how decisions are made. The same report found that 42% of charities say they are excellent or good at data-driven decision making. That leaves most charities choosing where to spend limited time with less evidence than they would like.

A strategy does not fix capacity. It makes sure the capacity you have goes to the right things.

The seven parts of a charity marketing strategy

Every strategy we see work contains the same seven parts. Work through them in order. Each depends on the one before.

1. Objectives linked to income and reach

Start with the charity’s strategic plan. Pick the two or three goals that marketing can influence directly. Write each as something you can check, such as the number of regular supporters, the number of referrals or the number of people who know the service exists.

Avoid objectives that describe activity, such as “post more often”. Activity is a means. The objective is what the activity is for.

2. Audiences: supporters, beneficiaries, partners and referrers

Charities speak to more groups than commercial organisations do. Name each one separately, because what persuades one will not persuade another.

• Supporters. Individual donors, regular givers, fundraisers, volunteers and people who might become any of them.
• Beneficiaries. The people the charity exists to help, and the people around them.
• Partners and funders. Trusts, foundations, companies, statutory bodies and community partners.
• Referrers. The professionals and organisations who point people towards your service.

For each group, write one sentence about what they care about and one about what you want them to do. That is the beginning of a plan for them.

3. The proposition

Say in two sentences why the charity exists, what it does differently and why it matters now. Test it on someone outside the charity. If they cannot repeat it in their own words, rewrite it.

A proposition is not a slogan. It is the plain statement behind every email, leaflet and conversation, and it keeps a team of five people sounding like one organisation.

4. Choosing channels by audience

Choose where to speak to each group by asking where that group already pays attention. Do not begin with the tools you have. Begin with the people you need to reach.

Fewer, better channels almost always beat more, thinner ones. A charity with one part-time communicator is better served by a well-run email list and a clear website than by six accounts that are updated when time allows.

5. Capacity and calendar

Write down who does what and how many hours they have. Then cut the plan until it fits. A plan that assumes time you do not have becomes a source of guilt, not direction.

Put the calendar last. Once objectives, audiences, proposition and channels are settled, the calendar becomes the easy part.

6. Measurement

Pick a few measures that show whether the objectives are being met. Three to five is plenty. Include at least one that links to income or reach, and one that tells you something about the quality of what you do.

Agree how often they are reported, to whom and in what form. A measure nobody sees changes nothing.

7. Governance and compliance

Name the person who owns the strategy and the trustee who has oversight. Record who approves what. Set out the rules the charity follows, including the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice and data protection law.

Trustees remain responsible for how the charity raises funds and presents itself, even when work is delegated. Our trustee guide to charity marketing covers the questions to ask.

Want a second pair of eyes on your strategy?

A free 30-minute discovery call with a founder. Bring what you have and we will say what we would change first.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call

No spam. No automated phone system. Just us.

A worked example

The example below is fictional and illustrative. It shows how the seven parts fit together for a small charity, and the results are not real.

How to write it in six steps

1. Gather what exists. Collect the strategic plan, the last annual report, supporter numbers and what you currently do.
2. Choose the goals. Pick two or three that marketing can move, and write each as something you can check.
3. Define your audiences. Name each group and write what they care about and what you want them to do.
4. Draft the proposition. Two sentences. Test it with someone outside the charity.
5. Fit the plan to your capacity. List the hours, the people and the money. Cut until it fits.
6. Agree the measures and the owner. Set what you will report, to whom and how often. Name one person responsible.

Taking it to trustees

Trustees do not need the detail. They need to see that the strategy follows the charity’s plan, that the choices are reasoned and that someone is accountable. Bring a two-page strategy and a one-page summary.

Expect three questions. Does this serve the strategic plan? What will it cost, in money and in time? How will we know it is working? If the strategy answers all three on the page, approval is usually quick.

Ask the board to approve the strategy, not the activity. Trustees set direction. The team decides how to carry it out.

Measuring what matters

Measurement tempts charities to count what is easy. Followers, impressions and posts are easy. They rarely show whether the charity is closer to its goals.

Choose measures that follow the objectives. Where you need to show the value of the change you create, social return on investment is one approach used across the sector. It gives a structured way to show impact to funders and trustees, though it needs good evidence behind it.

Making the strategy work in a busy year

A strategy only matters if it survives contact with the working week. Three habits keep it alive.

• A short monthly check. Thirty minutes to look at the measures, note what has changed and decide the next step. Put it in the diary now.
• A visible one-page summary. Keep the objectives, audiences and proposition on one page where the whole team can see them. People make better daily choices when they remember what the plan is for.
• A standing question. When a new idea arrives, ask which objective it serves and what we would stop to make room. Most ideas fail that test, and the ones that pass are worth doing well.

Expect the plan to change. New funding, a staff departure or a shift in the sector will all force choices. A strategy that is reviewed and adjusted is doing its job. One that is defended against every change is not.

What to do when a funder wants something different

Funders sometimes ask for activity that does not sit neatly in the plan. Before saying yes, check whether it serves one of your objectives. If it does, fit it in.

If it does not, ask whether the funding justifies a change of direction, and take that question to the board. A decision made openly is easier to explain than a drift nobody chose.

What to do when the team changes

A strategy written down survives a departure. One that lives in a single head does not. Keep the plan, the supporter list and the measures where more than one person can find them, and brief any new starter on the proposition in their first week.

Staying within the rules

The Fundraising Regulator publishes the Code of Fundraising Practice and guidance on communications and advertising. The regulator’s guidance says communications should be sensitive to their audiences and give donors clear information.

Build the rules into the strategy, not into a last-minute check. Name who reviews copy, how consent for contact is recorded and how supporters can change their preferences. It is easier to build trust than to repair it.

Common mistakes

• Starting with channels. Choosing platforms before knowing who you need to reach.
• Trying to speak to everyone. A message for every audience persuades none of them.
• Measuring activity. Counting posts and sends in place of progress towards goals.
• Planning beyond capacity. A plan that needs twice the available hours fails quietly.
• No owner. A strategy that belongs to everyone belongs to no one.
• Never reviewing it. A strategy is a working document. Revisit it quarterly.

Where to get help

If you have no one to lead the work, a fractional marketing lead can write and own the strategy and report on it to your board. If you already have a strategic plan and want marketing to follow it, strategy alignment closes the gap.

If you have a small team and little time, start with marketing for small charities. It sets out what to do first when capacity is tight.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a charity marketing strategy be?

Two pages is enough for most charities. It should state the objectives, the audiences, the proposition, the channels, the capacity, the measures and the owner. If it needs more space than that, the choices have probably not been made.

Who should write it?

The person who will own it, with input from the chief executive and, where possible, a trustee. An outside adviser can help shape it, but a strategy written for the charity and not by it rarely survives the first busy month.

What is the difference between a marketing strategy and a fundraising strategy?

A fundraising strategy sets how the charity raises income. A marketing strategy covers how the charity reaches and engages all its audiences, including donors, beneficiaries, partners and referrers. The two should agree, and the marketing strategy usually supports fundraising goals.

How often should we review it?

Quarterly for progress against the measures, and once a year for the strategy itself. Review sooner if funding changes, a new strategic plan is approved or the team changes. A strategy that is never reviewed becomes out of date.

Do we need a strategy if we only have one member of staff?

Yes, and probably more than larger charities do. With limited hours, every choice matters. A one-page strategy tells one person what to do first and gives trustees a basis for supporting them.

Where can a small charity find free help?

Media Trust runs free online marketing workshops for charities, and the Fundraising Regulator publishes free guidance. Both are good starting points. Tailored help makes sense once you need advice specific to your charity.

Should the strategy cover social media?

It should cover every place you speak to supporters, including social accounts, but only as part of the plan for each audience. Decide which audiences use them and what you want them to do, then choose whether a platform earns a place.

What should a trustee look for in a marketing strategy?

Look for links to the charity’s strategic plan, a small number of clear objectives, realistic use of time and money, measures the board can read and a named owner. Ask what would be dropped if capacity fell.

Sources

1. Charity Digital Skills Report 2026, Charity Digital Skills Report. Published July 2026. Survey 5 March to 20 April 2026, 807 responses. Read 5 October 2026. charitydigitalskills.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Charity-Digital-Skills-Report-2026.pdf
2. Communications and advertising, Fundraising Regulator. Read 5 October 2026. www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/about-fundraising/topics/communications-and-advertising
3. Trustees, Fundraising Regulator. Read 5 October 2026. www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/about-fundraising/topics/trustees
4. Marketing for Charities: Free training, Media Trust. Read 5 October 2026. mediatrust.org/communications-support/training-courses/marketing-for-charities-training/