Mission Based Marketing: An Essential for Charities and Churches

When consulting nonprofit administrators, I have found that many individuals involved in nonprofit operations, especially those in small grassroots organizations, carry the belief that their organization is not a business. I suppose the term “business” lends a for-profit connotation, and makes many nonprofit leaders feel that it violates their charitable mission. It has been my goal to make these emerging leaders aware that increased organizational capacity can only be generated if they begin to undertake administrative tasks that were once found only within for-profit entities. With the increased competition that is becoming apparent within the sector, one such critical task is adequate marketing of the organization. Market-driven nonprofit organizations are implementing a variety of market strategies in order to fulfill their mission, meet their programmatic goals, and achieve long-term financial stability.

In the nonprofit sector, marketing incorporates focusing on the needs of your constituents and planning to satisfy those needs over time. Program services to clients are the primary reason that nonprofit organizations exist. Therefore, it is critical to know how to plan and market programs. To become highly effective, begin with understanding your program’s target markets. You’ll need to identify what groups of potential clients exist, what their needs are, what groups you’d prefer to serve, and what programs you might develop to meet their needs.

Plan your market strategy. This, again, may involve “for-profity” (my fave new term) techniques. This strategy may involve undertaking the creation of :

· Business Plans
· Market Research
· SWOT Analysis
· Strategic Plans
· Web Marketing (A must in today’s technology-driven world!)
· Corporate Branding

Keep in mind that an essential aspect of marketing is continuously developing a positive self-image for the organization. The relationship between price and perceived value is nowhere more evident than in the nonprofit sector. Thus every organization must find ways to make clients believe your programs or services have the most value.

Careful market planning allows a nonprofit organization to position itself best to compete for all kinds of support, including funds, by looking systematically at mission, image, constituents, competitors, resources, strengths, and weaknesses, and then devise strategies to gain more favorable position in the competitive marketplace. Ultimately, adequate marketing will help your organization to meet its strategic goals, whether they be to increase revenue, expand your client base, or promote your organization in a new market.