It’s All For A Good Cause – Marketing for Non Profits

The art of marketing for non-profit organization is a different “animal” than marketing for big corporations, services or government. That is – in part – because non profits are seeking relationships that will help them raise more for their cause. Here are five really good things to know if you represent, work with or want to start a non profit:

Target the RIGHT audience. How? RESEARCH. Please do not underestimate the power of having your target audience in a laser focus. Messages and the right method of delivery will not fit every taste, but advocacy marketing that divides or alienates even a core audience demonstrates poor understanding and awareness, too narrow a focus on message, or too heavy an emphasis on marketing at the expense of relationships.

Following your research, build a simple action plan. That plan will strengthen audience involvement in solution discussions, NOT descriptions. What makes an innovative, fresh and unique approach effective is how it gives the message buzzzzzzzz. "Why" and "how" an approach works adds substance. Acknowledging a legacy of success and failure within that field, instead of ignoring past and present experience, enhances overall credibility.

Clear goals and objectives are necessary to lead audiences to a path away from problems – real or perceived. Accessible efforts must state their ultimate purpose, not lumps of challenges, large piles of unrelated issues, or massive obstacles no group could ever overcome. A group unable to articulate success presents a cloudy vision of its future, with unanticipated hazards along the way.

Measured outcomes are also needed to gain audience respect. By themselves, neither impact nor benefit well-defined or consistently applied measures of nonprofit activity. Evaluation through pure numbers fails to capture the full scale of a nonprofit's relevance. Results combining both data AND stakeholder insights can better demonstrate effectiveness, reflect value, and position audiences to discuss areas of greater concern and opportunity.

MySpace.com, FaceBook.com and other appropriate social networking sites cannot be ignored. These sites have well over 100 million registered users each! While it has been estimated that only around 25% of those users actually return, it’s still well worth it. So, use the above tips to build a robust site with a tight, simple message and get a global return for your non profit.

For more information, contact me at MaryAnnButcher@LVRedCarpet.com

Mary Ann Butcher
Goddess of Marketing
www.LVRedCarpet.com – now in previews!




Red Carpet Marketing, LLC is a full service media, marketing, advertising, public relations and promotional services company. It targets small to medium sized companies in need of marketing expertise; specifically the companies that cannot afford a marketing department, a publicist or an agency.