Marketing is a new world for many nonprofits. In fact, if a nonprofit even acknowledges the need for marketing within their organization, it is often seen as a necessary evil rather than an invaluable tool for moving an organization forward. Many people think of marketing only as selling and advertising. And no wonder: every day we are bombarded with television commercials, newspaper ads, direct mail campaigns, and sales calls. Although they are important, selling and advertising are only two of many marketing functions.
Today, marketing must be understood not in the old sense of making a sale or obtaining a donation, but in the new sense of satisfying consumer and donor needs. If the marketer does a good job of understanding consumer needs, develops products or services that provide superior value, and prices, distributes, and promotes them effectively, these products will “sell” very easily. Thus, selling and advertising are only part of a larger “marketing mix” ‚ a set of marketing tools that work together to affect the marketplace.
Marketing doesn’t have to be confusing or complex. And it isn’t just for selling consumer products. It is not devious manipulation or high-pressure spending. And it need not, in any way, compromise your ethics, services, cause, or your budget. Marketing is necessary to help nonprofits promote their values, accomplish their missions, and develop increased resources to address a wide range of compelling concerns. Your marketing message should reflect the heart and soul of your work.
Marketing can help you and your organization:
- define your unique niche in the marketplace and ensure that you posses the right services to meet the needs of your donors and consumers;
- reach the audiences you want with a message that motivates people to respond;
- decide what you want, go after it, and become a more prosperous organization with increased resources to carry out its mission;
- stand out from the crowd and attract the kind of attention, support and enthusiasm you need and deserve;
- have a greater impact on the social welfare and agenda in your community and beyond.
Marketing Strategy and the Strategic Planning Process
There is a great deal of overlap between overall organizational strategy and marketing strategy. Marketing tools look at consumer needs and the organization’s ability to satisfy them; these same factors guide the organization’s overall mission and objectives. Marketing plays a key role in your organization’s strategic planning in several ways. First, marketing provides a guiding philosophy ‚ the marketing concept ‚ that suggests your organizational strategy should revolve around serving the needs of your important groups, i.e. consumers or donors. Secondly, marketing provides inputs to strategic planners by helping to identify attractive opportunities among those groups and by assessing your organization’s potential to take advantage of them. Finally, within individual branches of an organization, marketing designs strategies for reaching the branch’s objectives. Once the branch’s objectives are set, marketing’s task is to carry them out effectively and cost efficiently.
*Part two of this series will discuss setting marketing goals and targeting constituents.
Heidi Kelley and Tara Mahady are marketing coordinators for Campagne Associates, which offers fundraising software solutions to assist nonprofit organizations become more effective fundraisers. They can be reached at info@campagne.com.
