| dollar you spend on marketing means one less | | | | related to their health. |
| dollar dedicated to the awesome programs and | | | | Now imagine this organization is ready to kick off |
| services you provide. That means each precious | | | | an endowment campaign. They have a powerful |
| marketing dollar put toward web sites, brochures, | | | | tool they can use to train the development staff |
| logos, DVD’s, development materials and | | | | and volunteers, perfect donor pitches and |
| other marketing tools better count! Unfortunately, | | | | fine-tune marketing efforts. |
| planning for all that activity too often takes a | | | | How do you get to know your audience |
| back seat. Marketing plans are in short supply. | | | | members mindsets, hopes and fears? Research! It |
| We bet you like the idea of a marketing plan | | | | doesn’t need to be complicated. Simple |
| – but you don’t have the time and | | | | surveys provide a tremendous amount of good |
| energy for planning in the rush of managing | | | | data. You can also take a look back at your |
| time-consuming day-to-day operations. Too bad. | | | | database and review current donors, volunteers |
| The cold, hard truth is you can’t afford | | | | and other stakeholders. And you probably already |
| not to have a plan. The good news: strategic | | | | know a lot about each of your audiences from |
| marketing planning can – and should | | | | your experience working with them. |
| – be straightforward, results-oriented and | | | | Messages |
| easy to manage. | | | | What is the core of what you need to say? In |
| What’s in a Plan | | | | their brilliant book, Made to Stick, Chip Heath and |
| Your marketing plan determines how your clients | | | | Dan Heath write “The more we reduce |
| and donors see you. It helps prioritize your target | | | | the amount of information in an idea, the stickier |
| audiences (such as clients, donors and internal | | | | it will be.” In other words, pare down your |
| stakeholders). It details where your clients come | | | | messages to the absolute core so yor your |
| from, how to get to the gate-keepers that refer | | | | audience will remember them. |
| your clients, how you describe your services, how | | | | Example: Project Sunshine is a successful |
| you talk to donors and how you make critical | | | | nonprofit organization which offers free social, |
| budget decisions. It takes a look at your | | | | educational and recreational programming for |
| competition (and yes, you are competing for | | | | children and families with medical challenges. Their |
| those hard-earned donor dollars.) A well-designed | | | | mission: We bring sunshine to a cloudy day.sm |
| marketing plan provides a timeline of specific | | | | That’s brilliant! Why? Because you, and |
| tactics, coordinated with other internal and | | | | Project Sunshine’s employees, donors and |
| external events (program launches, changing legal | | | | clients, know exactly what that means; sunshine |
| environments, etc.), to help your organization | | | | physically makes us feel better, conjures images |
| reach its overall objectives. If it’s a good | | | | of kids, sprinklers, swimming pools and health and |
| plan, it also clearly outlines your budget and how | | | | overall makes us feel happy and healthy. |
| those valuable marketing dollars will be allocated. If | | | | Channels and Tools |
| that sounds complicated, keep reading to learn | | | | How will you send your message to your target |
| how to break it down into manageable steps. | | | | audiences? Channels are groups/people through |
| Any solid marketing plan needs to include a few | | | | whom and places where you will distribute your |
| key elements: | | | | message; tools are the materials you employ. |
| Situation Analysis | | | | Examples: |
| Start with a review of where your nonprofit | | | | Channels: Regional hospitals, social workers, |
| organization is right now. These are things you | | | | oncology offices |
| likely already know, but putting them front and | | | | Tools: t shirts, informational dvd, website |
| center in your plan serves a couple of purposes. | | | | Strategy |
| First, it gives you a benchmark of where you are. | | | | Strategies are broad approaches to |
| Second, it lets you build a plan that addresses the | | | | communicating that are linked to your measurable |
| basic organization and environmental realties you | | | | objectives. These are the big-picture approaches |
| face. | | | | you take to communication and positioning your |
| • Nonprofit Organization Mission and Vision: | | | | organization. You should look at each objective |
| What are the key values and goals of your | | | | and come up with the strategies you need to |
| organization? | | | | accomplish it. |
| • Product or Service Review: Describe | | | | Examples: |
| your basic products and services | | | | • Recruit and hire a Chief Development |
| • Client/User Drivers: What factors affect | | | | Officer who will oversee all development activities |
| the environment in which you operate? | | | | including campaigns and events. |
| • Core Competencies: What do you do | | | | • Hire an advertising agency to oversee |
| well? What do your clients /users rely on you | | | | and manage all organization advertising and |
| for? Why do donors contribute to your cause? | | | | creative. Agency should have experience in |
| • Competitive Review: Who are your key | | | | nonprofit sector and be willing to donate a |
| competitors? How is the competitive landscape | | | | percentage of their time. |
| changing? | | | | Tactics |
| Measurable Objectives or Outcomes | | | | The tactics are the specific tasks and activities |
| What do you want to accomplish this year? And | | | | needed to accomplish your strategies. These |
| how will you measure the results? Measurable | | | | should be very specific. |
| goals allow you to formulate strategies and tactics | | | | Example: |
| that will get you there. Basic, but many people | | | | • Develop comprehensive job description |
| don’t think through a set of realistic | | | | for Chief Development Officer |
| objectives. | | | | Timeline by Tactic |
| We can’t tell you how many times we | | | | Prioritize your tactics, and then develop specific |
| have heard from nonprofit executives that their | | | | deadlines for each one. You’ll also want to |
| number one goal is to “raise awareness of | | | | note which staff members or outside resources |
| our cause in the general community.” | | | | will be used to complete the tactics. |
| Sorry, that’s not a measurable objective. | | | | Here's an Example: |
| So let’s make it work: Launch a | | | | Develop comprehensive job for Chief |
| comprehensive communications campaign within | | | | Development Officer |
| service area in order to increase number of | | | | Responsibility Katie Sternberg |
| clients we serve by 35% over the course of the | | | | Due 3/5/2007 |
| next three years (2009). Wow! Now you know | | | | Status |
| what you need to accomplish, where, in what | | | | Evaluation |
| time frame and by how much! What a difference. | | | | Your evaluation methods may be formal, like a |
| Audiences | | | | research study or survey. But they might also be |
| Make a list of your key audiences. You have | | | | more informal, like reports on funding increases, |
| more target audiences than you think – | | | | feedback from clients or input from staff. The |
| the people you serve day in and day out, your | | | | most important idea here is to do some kind of |
| volunteers, your stakeholders (board of directors), | | | | measurement so you know if your strategies are |
| staff members, donors and major donors | | | | working. Your objectives and strategies should be |
| – and we bet there are more! When | | | | so specific that you should be able to measure |
| defining your target audiences, consider | | | | each and every one. |
| demographics as well as psychographics. That is | | | | Examples: |
| not only where they live and how old they are, | | | | • Percent increase in referrals from clinics |
| but also how each audience thinks and feels. | | | | over last year for the months May – |
| For example, we know that our average planned | | | | August. |
| giving donor is male, 65 years of age – or | | | | • Percent increase in number of hits on |
| older, is married, is a home owner, has a house | | | | web site increased since re-launch |
| hold income of more than $200,000 per year, is | | | | Budget |
| married, has grown children, is registered as a | | | | The marketing budget shouldn’t be |
| Republican, is concerned about the war, healthcare | | | | whatever is left over at the end of the month or |
| and education. We also know that he has a | | | | quarter. And it shouldn’t be unlimited, |
| connection to cancer; either he or someone in his | | | | either. Go back through your strategies and |
| family has been affected by cancer. | | | | tactics and assign some general budget amounts |
| The goal here is to really understand the people | | | | to each one. Is the number you come up with |
| you are talking to. One tip: once you know your | | | | realistic? If not, go back and review your tactics |
| demographics and psychographics, write stories | | | | and determine where you can make changes. You |
| around them. It will help you better identify you | | | | need to allocate money to achieve your key |
| audiences’ needs. So take those same | | | | objectives. If you spend too much on one |
| demographics and psychographics, but this time | | | | strategy, you won’t have enough to |
| let’s tell a story. | | | | accomplish the others. |
| Dan Kennedy is 65 years old. He is a successful | | | | Still Skeptical About Planning? |
| entrepreneur. He and his wife Tess have | | | | You may be getting short-term results with a |
| consistently contributed to Cancer Services | | | | fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach. But there |
| campaign since 1995. Mr. Kennedy’s | | | | is a downside. This kind of makeshift marketing |
| mother died of cancer and in 1995 Tess | | | | often does nothing to further the strategic goals |
| underwent surgery and radiation following a | | | | of the company and frequently fails to look to |
| diagnosis of breast cancer. Mr. Kennedy and his | | | | the future. And that is a very dangerous place to |
| family have never needed our services, but he is | | | | be. Even a little planning can help you decrease |
| passionate about the idea that all people deserve | | | | your marketing risk and improve your results. |
| quality care and the education to make decisions | | | | |