embracing a marketing orientation in nonprofit organizations 04-05-10
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Embracing a Marketing Orientation in Nonprofit Organizations
Donna Leigh Bliss, Ph.D.
Purpose
The purpose of this presentation is to help administrators/boards of nonprofit organizations to rethink their relationship with the environment in a manner that proactively allows for the accessing of a diverse array of resources the organization needs to not only survive, but to thrive
This requires a paradigm shift in thinking and acting regarding the notion of marketing your nonprofit organization
What Resources Do Nonprofit Organizations Need? Tangible
Funding Clients Staff Board members Volunteers Infrastructure
Intangible Political support Social support Sense of making a
difference Hope of sustainability
So How Do We Access These Resources Writing grants Charging for services Fundraising Recruiting Referring Buying Donations Building Creating
What is Marketing
While selling is offering something in exchange for money, marketing is a process that entails satisfying certain needs of clients or consumers through an exchange process Examine how your organization’s
mission statement addresses needs such as the need for learning new skills, the need for improved functioning, the need for increased opportunities, etc.
I Hate Selling!
People who care passionately about their nonprofit programs can also have a strong distaste for the term “marketing” because they imagine it to mean having to try to get people to give up their money
Unfortunately, this narrow view of
“marketing” can actually serve to block the flow of many kinds of non-monetary, as well as
monetary, resources a nonprofit program
needs in order to thrive
Therefore, we need to shift our perspective on marketing from one that emphasizes what we want to get from another party, to establishing a win-win relationship whereby, when we meet the needs of various audiences, they reciprocate by providing us resources
So, what then, are some of the needs an organization can try to meet that various
markets care about?
And how does meeting these needs then help to facilitate an exchange process
whereby our organization receives resources (including, but not limited to,
money) that it needs to thrive?
Hope
Peace of Mind
Social Justice
Redemption
Feeling Needed
Accountability
Compassion
Information
Services
Why is This Shift in Marketing Perspective Critically Important One hypothesis
emphasizes the interconnected nature of people and holds that all people are only separated by six degrees of separation What then, are the
implications of this, in terms of marketing?
You have no way of knowing then, how, what appears to be an apparently informal interaction or chance encounter with one person, can potentially lead to a gold mine of resources your program could use, from sources you might not normally meet or know exist
Think about taking action in order to receive potentially unlimited sources of resources rather than solely trying to find ways to get money from other sources
There are Three Tools Board Members, Administrators, and Staff of an Organization Should Have in Order to Optimize Marketing
Opportunities
1.Elevator speech
2.Business card
3.Website
Three Essential Tools
Elevator Speech
Be able to articulate clearly and simply in 30 seconds what your organization’s mission is 8 to 10 seconds is even better
Make sure to emphasize the human needs your organization meets rather than a technical description of what it does
Helps facilitate the exchange of resources that your organization needs
Business Cards
Website
So What is the Next Step?
Identification of Your Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Markets andTheir Hard and Soft Needs Need to know who your consumers or
potential consumers are and what they need and want
Don’t assume you have only one market All people aren’t the same What about other markets such as
potential volunteers, board members, donors?
Once you have identified your potential market(s) What do you know about them in terms of
their needs? What do you need to know?
Identification of the Market andIts Needs (cont.) Once you have identified your markets, learn
everything you can about them Don’t forgo market research on the
assumption you know what the market wants and needs, even if you think you are an expert on it or are a member of that market
Identifying needs is not a one shot deal Markets can change rapidly in today’s fast-paced
environment
Your Organization
?
Donors
Funders
Media
FormerRecipients
PotentialRecipients of
Services
Volunteers
Stakeholders
The Marketing Plan
Identify your target markets and describe their needs How does your story
speak to these needs? Decide what you want
to accomplish Why should the
markets care about your program
What strategies are most likely to succeed Think about
relationships
What resources do you need to implement these strategies Personnel, expertise,
money, time, etc. When do you plan to
start? How long should the
strategy go on? How will you evaluate
the effectiveness of your strategy?
Adapt, evolve, persevere!
Donna Leigh Bliss, Ph.D.
University of Georgia School of Social Work
(706) 542-2585
dlbliss@uga.edu
www.donnaleighbliss.com
Contact Information
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