Category Archives: nonprofit

Mission-Driven Marketing™: Sound Bites from the SIG

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How can a nonprofit emerge from the recession better off than before?

The Chicago AMA Nonprofit SIG kicked off the year with a fresh look at what it means to be innovative in facing today’s challenges. A team of thought leaders in the nonprofit sector led a dynamic discussion about the role Mission-Driven Marketing™ must play in our organizations in order to achieve a renaissance. Below are some memorable quotes we picked up from the panel. Feel free to add some of your own.

John Davidoff
Founder & Managing Director
Davidoff Communications

  • cc-ama_davidoffWe can choose to see the recession as a gift, an opportunity for transformation that will allow us to thrive in this new world.
  • In difficult times, being authentic is about constructive transparency, being honest about our circumstances and stating how we will address it. It’s not about being a victim.

Emily Dreke
Director of Development and Communications
Chicago Foundation for Women

  • cc-ama_drekeIn the face of declining government funding and a difficult economy, more mergers in the nonprofit sector have become a reality.
  • Putting mission first meant having the courage to have difficult conversations around the mission and acting on our bigger commitment–serving the women who need our help.

Steve Ford
Executive Vice President—Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
Muscular Dystrophy Association.

  • cc-ama_fordCreating a strong and unique brand experience is key to telling a compelling story about your mission.
  • Communicating your mission is more than achieving awareness. It must be about relevance.

Otto Reinisch
Director of Organizational Development
Episcopal Charities and Community Services

  • cc-ama_reinischMarketing your mission is a great opportunity to strategically engage your board of directors.
  • Communicating need does not inspire giving. Sharing your vision of abundance does.

The purpose of Culture

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What stories about your community are being told outside of your physical boundaries? Why is it important for you to be the voice that moves the truth forward?

Your mission is your purpose. It guides how you make decisions, where you spend your resources and what goals to pursue. People will try to connect this with what you allow them to perceive. It becomes the main theme for the story they tell themselves about you.

And then there’s culture. As an organization, what you believe gives meaning to your purpose. What you share with others gives you a strong sense of place. Your story has roots that give you the courage to step outside and reveal your true identity, not to isolate yourself, but rather to invite others to discover who you really are. And to ask them the same question: “Who are you?”

“Let’s shift our collective consciousness and remember that we belong to one another.”
— Matika Wilbur, photographer, project 562

How can a nonprofit emerge from the recession better off than before?

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Planning educational programs has been a passion of mine ever since I began working with nonprofit organizations. It’s exhilarating when great minds connect to spark conversations that can bring about the next game changer.

This year, I’m active in the American Marketing Association, Chicago Chapter as Chair of their Nonprofit SIG (Special Interest Group). I’m also thrilled that Carey Kogol, Development Director at i.c.stars, joins me as Co-Chair. The SIG members recently designed the 2014 program series with Mission-Driven Marketing as its overarching theme.

cc-ama_davidoffThe series kicks off on February 6 when John Davidoff, Managing Director of Davidoff Communications, leads a dynamic discussion with other thought leaders on how a nonprofit can emerge from the recession better off than before. Participants will share insights to answer these questions from Davidoff’s article “Mission-Focused Results” in The Nonprofit Times:

1) Do you see opportunity in a crisis? 

An economic or financial crisis should prompt you to reexamine your strategy and how you operate. A change in leadership can open the door to fresh new thinking. When you let challenges push you beyond the status quo, you get to a higher level of articulating your mission.

How do you change the conversation within your organization to encourage a new way of seeing and thinking?

2) Do you tell your story in good times and in bad?

Sharing your story, even if it’s one of hardship, can stimulate empathy and even increase giving, especially if the external challenge aligns with your mission. When you make it known that the people you serve are in greater need than ever during the downturn, chances are it will resonate deeply with donors, which will motivate them to give more than they had previously.

How could reaching out to your community with an honest appeal turn your challenge into a success story?

3) Is your board invested in the success of your organization?

A strong, engaged board can be one of your greatest assets, both to help you maintain perspective on imminent or ongoing challenges and to provide practical advice for dealing with them constructively.  A highly invested board should be asking for regular updates on strategy, operations and outcomes. If your board can’t be counted on in crises or other times, it’s time to wake it up or break it up.

How well do your board members understand their roles in marketing the organization’s mission?

cc-ama_panelistsJoin Carey and me in welcoming the AMA’s esteemed panel of speakers:

Emily Dreke
Director of Development and Communications
Chicago Foundation for Women

Steve Ford
Executive Vice President—Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
Muscular Dystrophy Association

Otto Reinisch
Director of Organizational Development
Episcopal Charities and Community Services

Thursday, February 6, 2014
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM (CST)
Davidoff Communications
730 North Franklin St., Suite 601
Chicago, IL 60654

Sign up today and participate in the next game-changing dialogue for the nonprofit sector.