Power Tools

People who are crazy enough to think they can change the

world are the only people

who can.

Marketing Communications for Nonprofits

Steve Barnhill

Principal, Edge Creative Strategies

A Little about Edge Creative

• Twenty-five year history• Two+ years devoted to nonprofits• Nine professionals in Houston, Atlanta and Rochester• Proficiency in all communications media• Not a design firm, ad agency or PR shop• A professional communications group serving nonprofits and altruistic businesses• We serve those who serve others

Welcome to the Edge

Why Invest in Marketing Communications?

Because, for most of us, if we are to survive and prosper as organizations, we must –

1. Communicate the seriousness of the problem we seek to solve.

2. Enroll people in the idea that the problem is their problem.

3. Persuade people we have the best solution to their problem.

4. Ask people for their participation in and support of our operations.

5. Make people feel wonderful about themselves, because they support our work.

Five Ideas To Revolutionize Our Work And the Results We Produce

It’s All About Donors.

The popular belief is that you exist

to serve the populations that are mentioned in your mission.

The true fact is that, first and foremost,

you exist to serve donors. Though they’re probably not even

mentioned in your mission.

Welcome to the Edge

Be Interesting or Be Absent.

The popular belief is that peopledon’t read marketing

communications.

The true fact is that people read what interests them, and

sometimes that can be marketing communications.

-- with apologies to the late Howard Gossage

Welcome to the Edge

Actions Follow Feelings.

The popular belief is that it is of utmost importance how you

make people think about you.

The true fact is that what matters most is

how you make people feel about themselves.

Welcome to the Edge

Change Attracts Attention.

The popular belief is that people ignore you because they don’t

know you.

The true fact is that they ignore you because they think they do

know you.

Welcome to the Edge

The Challenge Is Competition.

The popular belief is suggests that you operate in a world of

scarcity.

The true fact is that you live in a world of abundance, but with

competitors.

Welcome to the Edge

Equip Yourself to Empathize.

Get to know your donors (primary customers) enough that

you can understand why they are donors.

• The real business we’re in is that of attracting, keeping and

developing donors.

If You Can Empathize, You Can Satisfy.

Based on what you know about your audience, everything you produce, write or otherwise

communicate should have value to them—

Emotional valuePractical value

Social valueSpiritual value

Entertainment valueFinancial value

Intellectual valueFiduciary importance

Only if it has value to them will it have value to you.

My Premise

A donor-focused nonprofit organization will always

outperform its recipient-focused competitor.

Key “Take-Away”

Donors might come to us because of what we do for others. But they stay

because of what we do for them, because of how we make them feel.

Change

You can change the world, if you can change the lives of

donors.

Take This Test

What feeling attracts people to you? Are you communicating it?

What feeling keeps people engaged with you?

Are you delivering it?

What feeling will draw people away from you?

Are you monitoring it?

Thank you.

ESCAPE Family Resource Center

ESCAPE

Welcome to the Edge

ESCAPE

The Women’s Home

Women’s Home

Results: The Women’s Home

Newly envisioned organizationNew communications resources

Volunteer hours up 25% ($500,000 of time)

New branded products being marketedGala income up 25%

“Newsletter gifts” up 84% Revenues up 5% despite loss of large HUD

grant

Launched $10 million campaign to build 82-apartment complex for graduates.

UH Hilton College

Hilton College

Welcome to the Edge

Hilton College

Results: UH Hilton College• High-school applications up 300%

• Applicants’ SAT average up 63 points

• Double the internships for students

• 96% have jobs at graduation

• Web site visits up from 1,000 to 6,000+ daily

• Development is reinvigoratedSet record in 2007

Endowments up from 58 to 103

Average alumni gift up from $112 to $649

7 new alumni chapters in 2007

Notable increase in first-time donors

Thank you.

Power Tools

Education

Transcript of Power Tools