Marketing Research and Work in The Non-Profit World: Five Urban Myths

  

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Welcome to the August 2010 edition of The Marketing Dialog. This month’s guest marketing leader is Kathy Bremer. Kathy’s career has spanned advertising, public relations, marketing, fundraising and executive search.  She has held senior roles at marketing agencies (examples:  NW Ayer Advertising, Porter Novelli) and at both corporate and nonprofit client organizations (examples: Canon, CARE).   Currently, she is managing director of BoardWalk Consulting, which specializes in nonprofit leadership searches, strategy and governance.  More about BoardWalk and its nonprofit clients at Boardwalk Consulting.  Kathy’s bio here: Kathy's Bio. 

To thank our guests for their participation, Polaris will make a donation to the charity of their choice. Kathy chairs the board of CHRIS Kids, and has chosen CHRIS Kids as beneficiary of Polaris’ donation.  The organization is in the final months of a capital campaign to build supportive housing for kids 17-24 who are aging out of foster care and might otherwise be homeless.  CHRIS Kids heals children, strengthens families and builds communities.  Two challenge gifts will triple all pledges and donations to the capital campaign.  To learn about CHRIS Kids and to donate, click: CHRIS Kids.

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TMD: Kathy, we’re having some fun with the TMD blog this month.  In each post, we are talking a little bit about marketing research and then a little bit about careers in the Non-Profit world, to take full advantage of your unique background.

When has marketing research driven a difference in decision making? 

Kathy: We recently conducted customer research for a company whose growth to-date had been driven by a unique product.  The research showed that customers preferred the company’s more reliable, customer-friendly competitors and would readily switch if the unique product became available through them.  Further, we learned that customers balked at buying products beyond the one unique product from this company—thus limiting volume and profit potential.  These insights are driving multi-year planning and numerous strategic and process changes throughout the business.

TMD:  It seems that a lot of people are reaching an age where they want to give back.  But they really don’t know whether a non-profit would be a good fit or not.  What are the urban myths about working in nonprofit?  

Kathy: Here are my top 5:

1.  Working in nonprofit is a chance to slow down.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  Nonprofit staffing tends to be lean, and the combination of commitment to the mission and involvement of volunteers can make for an endless set of demands.  If you go to work at a nonprofit because you’re passionate about the cause, and you expect to work hard to advance the cause, your expectations will likely be met.
2. The nonprofit world is less advanced and disciplined than the corporate world.  Successful nonprofit executives are masters at bringing great talent, entrepreneurial thinking and sophisticated metrics to bear.  You will find corporate experience at the board and staff levels.  However, most nonprofits cannot afford the same level of investment in staff enrichment, technology and training that corporate entities can.    
3. At a nonprofit, staff members feel they’re making a difference each day.  The internal politics and stresses in many nonprofits mirror those of the corporate sector.  And because there is not a single “bottom line” in nonprofit work (e.g. profit), there can be multiple agendas operating at the same time.  On the other hand, being part of an enterprise that truly is making a difference—not just money—is exciting.  The passion in well-run, effective nonprofits is authentic and uplifting.
4. Nonprofits are flat, not hierarchical.  Larger nonprofits can become quite hierarchical, even bureaucratic, in response to the high demands on staff.  At the same time, nonprofit culture generally espouses passion and engagement, so people at all levels are encouraged to speak their mind and have their viewpoints heard.  One corporate CFO, making the switch to nonprofit, was dismayed at what he perceived as lack of respect for the CFO role.  
5. Nonprofit work is basically the same as corporate work.  While corporate experience, including marketing, can map well to nonprofit, there are fundamental differences.  These include the organization’s purpose—to provide social benefit, versus to grow and make money—and the values and cultural context of people who are attracted to nonprofit work.  Asking for business, or negotiating a transaction from which each party benefits in tangible ways, is fundamentally different from asking for charitable support.  That said there are similarities in business processes, relationship aspects and the desire to do great work.

Let us know: If you work in a non-profit, what are your “urban myths”?  What expectations do staff who have been in the corporate world have that just are not true?

Join us in next week when The Marketing Dialog with Kathy Bremer of Boardwalk Consulting continues!