Inbound vs. Outbound MarketingWhen I was first asked about inbound vs. outbound marketing, I really had no idea what those two words actually meant.  I guessed that inbound marketing was interactive, while outbound marketing didn’t create any type… Continue Reading →

David Williamson, managing director of non-profit consulting firm Bernuth & Williamson, discussed nine critical “morals” of non-profit marketing and communications.  I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of marketing in non-profits, the differences between marketing and communications, and how to successfully market for a non-profit after reading his article “Marketing &Communications in Nonprofit Organizations”.  I chose the three morals that stood out the most to me, and here they are:

Lesson 1 – Fundraising the right way

Williamson’s moral: Fundraising is often a core component of marketing and communications, but not all fundraising collateral translates into more money raised. 

Translation please: Send the right message to your donors: don’t focus solely on glossy brochures, DVDs, and high-tech websites if they aren’t consistent with your mission, won’t reach the right audience, or be beneficial in the long-run.  

Lesson 2 – Marketing vs. Communication

Williamson’s moral: Don’t just communicate.  Market.

Translation please: There is a difference between shoving informational materials at people and drawing them in.  Obviously communicate your cause, but use emotional appeal to brand and promote yourself.

MS Research Content

MS Marketing Initiative

Lesson 3 – The Brand.

Williamson’s moral: Your brand defines your organization to the outside world.  Take the initiative and define yourself, before one of your enemies tries to define you.

Translation please: Pretty self explanatory: know who you are and own it.  Make sure everyone else knows what you stand for just as well as you, and give them a recognizable brand to connect with your cause.

Comparing and Contrasting

Wrapping Up

Continue Reading →

What Is… ABAN?ABAN is an organization dedicated to solving two problems with one unified solution.  The mission is to take  girls off the street while solving Ghana’s litter problem.  In short, ABAN sends street girls through a program… Continue Reading →

It’s an important question.  There are over one million non-profit organizations in the US alone.  (You did read that right – millions).  So how in the world does one gain loyal supporters, volunteers and donors?  I mean, there’s only so much free time and money to go around.

I wanted to get to the heart of the matter and figure out what organizations people are supporting and why.  So I surveyed several friends (this is by no means an exhaustive research attempt), and here’s what they said:

Leah supports Pro Nino, an organization dedicated to getting boys off the streets of Honduras and into a safe, enriching environment.  Caroline and Kate support autism speaks, a charity dedicated to autism research.  Julien supports Habitat for Humanity, a group which builds homes for deserving families.

Why Do My Friends Donate?

Leah supports Pro Nino because she has a personal attachment to some of the boys she’s met  during her trips to Honduras and she’s had a firsthand view of how Pro Nino has worked for these boys.  She hears their background and sees how much Pro Nino has helped them gain confidence and a safe family home they wouldn’t find elsewhere.  Pro Nino has saved them from the life they would have lived.

Caroline and Kate support Autism Speaks because it is the philanthropy their sorority supports.  Caroline personally feels like people with autism face so many challenges but bring joy to the people in their lives.  She thinks they and their families deserve support.  Kate is motivated to volunteer so Autism Speaks can raise money for research to find a cure or treatment.

Julien supports Habitat for Humanity because he has seen the difference it has made firsthand through his work building homes.  He said he is always motivated to come back and build more houses because he meets the families who get the homes and is inspired by them.

What do these brands do right?

These three brands differentiate themselves from the millions of charities out there in different ways.  Pro Nino and Habitat bring volunteers to their sites to gain service hours and personal growth.  Autism Speaks has partnered with a sorority to forge a strong personal connection with young women. 

Another thing I noticed is that my friends volunteer their time and advocacy more than their money.  This is likely because I interviewed college students- people without disposable incomes.  I think Pro Nino, Autism Speaks, and Habitat have found ways to engage this generation of progressive, service-minded college students by providing service opportunities rather than asking for money.

I think asking for money and not time would be effective for working adults with disposable income and a lack of free time.  For college students, however, the experience and the money (or lack thereof) are important.  Further, I think a college student without a lot of money to spend would be more likely to give monetary support to an organization if they have had a great experience volunteering with that org.  There has to be a connection first, and a good way to form that connection could be through volunteering.

What Would the Branding Diva Say?

Karen Post, “the Branding Diva”, discusses the power of branding in one of her posts.  She includes both for-profit and non-profit entities in the same post, driving home the point that non-profits face a lot of the same branding challenges as for-profits.

Karen asserts that brands should never rely on shortcuts.  This is crucial for non-profits.  It means you should find ways to make your own money or earn volunteers! For example, Children’s Miracle Network (my charity of choice) partners with businesses, holds special events, and works with universities to plan dance marathons that will bring in money for their local CMN hospitals.

In another post, Karen asks the question “does your brand provide real substantive differences that are important to the customer?”  I think this question applies to non-profits in the sense that a non-profit should ask itself why its particular cause is important to potential donors and customers.  What can the organization do to stand out against the other millions of causes out there?

A solid example is that Children’s Miracle Network not only puts on major events, but garners major celebrity sponsors.  Not only that, but CMN makes sure that the money raised in a certain city or state all goes to that local hospital.  It lets supporters know that their contribution directly helps their community.

Referring back to the 3 charities of choice above, each one provides an experience such as an alternative spring break, a home-building experience, or a sorority experience.

What Would Clow Say?

Clow would agree that these organizations create brand equity through their unique experiences.  He would probably say that these non-profits have built their brand’s equity through researching what it would take to stand out, engaging in continuous innovation, moving fast, and integrating new and old media.

Again, I have to say that Children’s Miracle Network is the most impressive to me in terms of its innovation, understanding of the market, and use of media.  When other non-profits were failing during the economic recession, CMN experienced huge growth, and I’d like to think it’s a result of their outstanding brand equity.

Wrapping Up

Continue Reading →