Marketing in non-profit organisations - exercises
Investigation
Take a look at advertising and marketing carried out by NGOs in your country. Do they use the press? Is there a public relations presence - do representatives of NGOs appear on television, radio or in the newspapers? What are their objectives? Are the materials presented professional and what emotional pressures are employed? Is celebrity endorsement a factor and who is selected to represent the cause? What attributes do these people possess to generate higher donations? Are links with private firms in evidence?
Visit the websites of Greenpeace and Oxfam and then answer the questions below:
- Define the following terms:
- 'NGO'
- Celebrity endorsement
- Explain the objectives of both Greenpeace and Oxfam
- To what extent are the marketing techniques and messages used on these websites similar to those of profit making organisations?
For a short, but concise examination on making the case for branding non-profit organisations, have a look at the video from the Columbia Business School below and then undertake the activities below:
Individual and group activity
As an individual:
Watch the CBS video and:
- Identify and summarise six key issues raised by the interview
- Identify three similarities and three potential differences between profit and non-profit organisations in the process of branding
- To what extent is branding as relevant to non-profit organisations as it is for non-profit organisations?
As a group:
- Consider each individual's six key issues and from these produce a group version of six key issues after discussing the relative importance of each issue raised.
- Produce a group presentation (possibly using PowerPoint) on 'Branding for non-profit organisations', summarising the key points raised in the video and using examples from the non-profit world to illustrate your narrative.
