Is Not-for-Profit Marketing Different? Absolutely!
Is it different marketing non-profits? I’ve worked for non-profits for more than 20 years and I can tell you that the for-profits certainly think so. Try telling the big guys in the for-profit world about your modest budget marketing campaign and they’ll sniff in your face. “That can’t be real marketing,” they’ll tell you.
- Smaller budgets force creativity – Without the cash for a big blast, you have to think efficiency. If you can’t go network, you need to go cable. And even if you go cable, you’ve got to make a big impact on a rather modest schedule.
- You’re more focused – Not-for-profits exist for a reason beyond doling out money to stockholders. In marketing these organizations, you get to have a fairly consistent theme – helping to inspire tomorrow’s leaders, curing cancer, making the air cleaner, supporting reading programs, etc. So, the marketing message is a lot more focused than the latest hip campaign.
- Media can save the day – With a smaller budget, you’ve got to rely a lot more on getting great public relations. That’s a skill unto itself as we all know.
- It’s an internal sell as well as an external one – Those of us who work in not-for-profits know the routine. Most n-f-p’s are consensus-driven, which means a lot of “cooks” have to approve the campaign before it ever gets off the ground. Your challenge is making sure the cooks don’t dilute the soup before it’s ready to serve.
On the plus side, you’re also working for a greater good, so at the end of the day you feel a little bit better. You’ve used your creativity, strategic mind, p.r. contacts, etc. to further a worthy cause. And that’s damn good marketing.
