About Marketing in Non-Profit Organizations
The marketing strategies of non-profit organizations have to be continuously creative and innovative. The marketing department, if there is one, usually has to overcome the challenge of a limited budget and staff, and they are effective only through long-term persistence and a long enough history to build their brand recognition. The marketing structure of non-profits is generally the same as for-profit companies.
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Purpose
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According to nonprofitmarketingguide.com, "no one wants to feel like someone, especially a charity, is trying to trick or cheat them." Because of this, non-profit marketing is usually transparent and revolves around two main purposes: raising funds or furthering the non-profit’s main cause. Non-profit marketing either tries to persuade individuals or groups towards giving donations, or they aim to inform or draw volunteers to help with a specific cause (such as participating at a peace rally or taking care of pets at an animal shelter).
Techniques
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According to CharityNavigator.org, even large non-profits like Care.org, with yearly revenues of $600 million or more a year, spend less than 5 percent of their budget on marketing and fundraising (about $30 million), compared to 12 percent spent by Nike in 2008 which amounts to about $3 billion (according to BrandDunk.com). Marketing in non-profits usually involves some level of grassroots outreach effort. This may involve talking to people on the street or handing out flyers at events. A common marketing technique is to sell a product that may or may not relate to the activities of the organization but help to raise funds for the non-profit; this is called cause marketing. One good example is Girl Scout Cookies. The cookies don’t directly relate to the Girl Scouts' mission, but they effectively help to raise money for the organization.
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Effectiveness
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According to nonprofitmarketingguide.com, good non-profit marketing takes more time than money, and engaging supporters in conversation is more effective at building a community of supporters. Nonprofitmarketingguide.com also says that non-profits are better off spending more time creating and publishing their own content than trying to talk someone else into publishing it for them.
Public Perception
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The public perceives marketing in non-profits to be mostly about raising money. While this is generally true about the majority of organizations, there are many non-profit groups that use marketing to push forward an idea or a new message into the mainstream. The goal of this type of advertising is to change a behavior or thought. One good example is the Truth ads that show the harmful effects of smoking and cigarette companies. Public perception about nonprofit marketing doesn’t usually include these efforts to create new memes--or cultural ideas.
Challenges
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In terms of marketing, the biggest challenges that every non-profit faces is having sufficient funds for their operation and reaching an audience. Successful non-profits have built their base through many years, sometimes decades, of continuous communication and a slow and steady growth. According to nonprofitmarketingguide.com, “marketing and communications is what puts new people into your pool of potential new donors and what keeps current donors happy with your organization so they will give again.”
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References
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