Marketing strategy and customer focus in non-profit organizations

Marketing for Non-Profits

The use of advanced marketing strategies including the widespread adoption of analytics has continued to pervade many non-profit organizations, ranging from churches and charities to universities and government agencies (Mano, 2010). This has given non-profit organizations greater levels of insight, intelligence and understanding of customers than has ever been the case in the past. With this foundation of greater customer insight, non-profits are marketing their organizations and corresponding missions as brands, complete with compelling value propositions of what they stand for and what their goals are (Svensson, Wood, 2011). Non-profits using these techniques are bringing an entirely new level of focus on customer or student satisfaction in the process, increasing the quality of their services delivered.

The shift in Non-Profit Organizations to Customers First

Becoming marketing-driven as a non-profit can transform entire organizations to concentrate on the value delivered and forget about meaningless metrics of internal efficiency. A strong marketing orientation within a non-profit can literally wake the entire organization up and potentially save it from floundering by cheapening value over time. The more inward centric and myopic a business is, the greater the chance of its failure, and the same holds true for non-profits as well. This shift to a greater marketing orientation is one that brings the focus of an organization forward onto the unmet needs of whom they serve, and pushes back the secondary metrics of internal efficiency that ironically only matter when students, patients or constituents are served (Mano, 2010). Without a strong marketing orientation, any non-profit would find it hard to see the path or direction they need to go in over time. This focus on customer-driven results is a galvanizing force that moves a non-profit organization beyond just the four Ps that from the foundation of marketing. Marketing strategies invigorate every aspect of the non-profit and galvanize the focus on delivered value and results above all.

Conclusion

The most critical aspect of any customer-driven strategy or initiative in a non-profit organization is the extent to which customer expectations can be captured, evaluated and exceeded through a coordinated strategy (Mano, 2010). Using analytics to accomplish this requires non-profits to exercise a high degree of vigilance however, as the insights gained from their students, customers and constituents could have potentially damaging effects on those served. The need for oversight and ethical standards is apparent in how critical the need is for online privacy today. Being able to capture user needs and react to them while preserving their confidentiality is critical to the success of nonprofit marketing for the long-term.

Reference

Rita S. Mano. (2010). Marketing and performance evaluations in non-profit services: "Missed" targeting in communicating stakeholders' expectations. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59(6), 555-570.

Goran Svensson & Greg Wood. (2011). A model of cause-related marketing for "profit-driven" and "non-profit" organizations. European Business Review, 23(2), 203-214.