Why marketing now more than ever for nonprofits?

Batten down the hatches.  The tsunami of economic uncertainty is not only threatening to pull under individuals and the nonprofits that serve them, but the very institutions that fund vital safety nets.  What is a nonprofit to do when funding cuts meet rising costs of doing business AND growing client needs?

Don’t – I SAY DON’T – put marketing on the back burner. If you aren’t currently marketing your organization aggressively, start now!

Here’s some wisdom from my many years in the nonprofit world. Fear is the worst driver for any enterprise.  And, every downturn creates opportunity for those who can see it and are courageous enough to act on it.  How does that relate to the nonprofit world?  Your organization may have experienced a severe cut in funding from both foundations and individual giving; but that’s temporary. Organizations that find a way to stay in the public eye and create a perception of strength and relevance are the ones that will reap the benefits when individuals and funding institutions are feeling stronger.

Don’t stick your head in the sand and wait for things to get better. Be the master of your fate, the captain of your soul (if you saw the movie Invictus, then you know that’s from the poem of the same name by William Ernest Henley that gave Nelson Mandela such hope and courage during his decades of imprisonment).

Use these days of doom and gloom to get your marketing act together. It doesn’t have to cost a great deal of money. Here are four things you can do right now to position your organization for brighter days:

• Get your marketing plan in order. Pull your plan out of the file cabinet, dust it off and meet with your management team to see if it is still relevant in the face of today’s challenges.  If you don’t have a plan, develop one – now!
• Review the state of your organization’s brand. Pull all of your materials together, spread them out and give them a good review. Include your Website, your office ambience and every point of contact that your clients and the public have with your brand. What’s the big-picture story it tells about your organization? Is it a story of relevance and strength? What changes do you need to make to create the story you want to tell?
• Develop a media campaign. You should be communicating with the media on an ongoing basis. If you are not, now is the time to begin. Position your organization as an expert in the field and help the media see that you understand their readers/viewers and can provide information and stories that will interest them.
• Call in some help. You may not have the funds to have a full-time marketing expert on staff, but you can call in a marketing consultant to help guide you through the process and turn your management team into a dynamic marketing machine. An expenditure of a few dollars will be an important investment in your organization’s future.