MARKETING FOR NGO

Market a Non-Profit Organization

Every NGO no matter how noble the cause, will need to sell itself, through various channels. Many NGO's shy away from the word Marketing, since it has words profit and corporate strongly associated with it.

But an NGO also needs to be equally effective, awareness needs to be prevalent about it's initiatives, cause and purpose. The NGO needs funds to survive, and popularity can certainly help.So here are my Seven Steps for Building a Strong Non-Profit Brand. (They are really the same as building a strong for-profit brand since the goal is the same -- to own a position in the mind.

1. The name.
This is the first and most important decision any non-profit has to make. Too many charities have generic names that are descriptive of what they do, but lack the ability to distinguish them from similar organizations in the mind.

2. The spokesperson.
Ideally the founder is the best person to take on this role. He or she has a powerful connection to the brand and can sell the story to the media, donors, volunteers and supporters.

3. The position.
The only way to get your brand into the mind is with a narrow focus.

4. The enemy.
Every strong brand needs an enemy. This is something non-profits by nature tend to avoid discussing. But strong brands are built by figuring out who the enemy is, what the enemy stands for and then building a brand that stands for the opposite.

5. PR, PR, PR.

6. A signature event.
All charities, schools, clubs and teams have endless fundraisers.

7. Color and logo.
Any brand can benefit from the use of a strong singular color they can own in the mind. Pink and Breast Cancer is the best example of this. You see pink and you know what it means. The American Heart Association uses red.