October 10, 2022 · Written By Eric L. Bucey
I read a humorous but honestly stated definition of marketing this week. It came across my LinkedIn feed, posted by a managed IT Services and Cybersecurity firm’s President. He said, “Marketing has always seemed something between sorcery and alchemy.” I imagine many small business owners feel similarly, having cultivated marketing and sales skills second hand out of necessity.
His definition likely resonates with both supporters and employees at nonprofit human services organizations like HOPE, Inc. The non-profit field is full of accidental marketers and fundraisers. Furthermore, marketing is something we associate more naturally with for profit products and services, as opposed to what mission-driven organizations do.
The image of the marketer as a conjurer of sorcery and alchemy is certainly entertaining and colorful. However, if we step back, giving ourselves time and space to demystify marketing in the nonprofit sector, we start to understand it better as equal parts modern art and science. That’s exactly the definition underpinning HOPE, Inc.’s shift to a modern communications and branding paradigm. The definition HOPE uses originates from The Nonprofit Marketing Manifesto.
Alysa Conrardy and Lindsay Mullen of Prosper Strategies write, “Nonprofit marketing comprises the activities, touchpoints, and messages that motivate stakeholders to take actions that advance a nonprofit’s mission and create sustainable social change.”
From The Nonprofit Marketing Manifesto by Conrardy and Mullen
The art is the craft of composing stories, images, messages, and experiences that represent a nonprofit’s mission and purpose. That craft is informed by human behavioral sciences and its academic understanding of what inspires supporters to share and advance purpose driven causes like ending hunger and homelessness.
Conrardy and Mullen advise nonprofits to begin by making 10 simple commitments and “ask others at your organization to make them with you.” During last year’s annual Stuffed Strut 5k to benefit the Open Door Café, several of HOPE, Inc.’s staff and board members took at least one of those commitments to heart.
Commitment number four says nonprofits “will treat all of our stakeholders as brand ambassadors.” This means that “we will recognize that every person our organizations interact with has the potential to amplify our brands, our missions and our impact.”
Living out that commitment was a big reason the 2021 Stuffed Strut 5k Run Walk Roll A-thon became our most impactful event ever. The event funded over 2,500 meals with total impact revenues, including registrations, merchandise sales, donations, and business gifts accelerating 220% compared to the last in person Stuffed Strut 5k.
One category in particular, donations from event participants and their peer-to-peer networks, was the key growth driver. Of the total $12,220 in donations received, sixty-three percent (63%) were directly attributable to four HOPE staff members and thirteen board members. That group, along with top individual fundraisers like Tina Repass (read more) and groups like Mrs. Fiscus’s 3rd grade class (read more), embraced and embodied nonprofit brand ambassadorship to its fullest.
Scenes from the 2021 Stuffed Strut 5k Run Walk Roll A-thon, Wytheville, VA
Now the 2022 Stuffed Strut offers an opportunity for some to renew their commitment while others are empowered to become new brand ambassadors. If this year’s event replicates similar baseline results, adding just 50 new supporters will significantly amplify the impact. Fifty new ambassadors each raising the equivalent of 10 meals means the event can exceed 3,000 total Open Door Café meals raised.
The best part is that representing meaningful nonprofit brands like the Open Door Café and HOPE, Inc. in both consistent and personal ways isn’t out of reach. As last year’s top individual ambassador Tina Repass put it, “I think it’s really visible, and it shows that you can give money to a charitable cause and have an immediate effect on people.”
This year it’s easier than ever to supercharge your impact by launching a personalized Zero Hunger campaign at www.strutwytheus.org. Along with a comprehensive campaign toolkit, visitors will find these four simple, campaign starter tips and tricks:
- Start Small and Close
Kick off your campaign with friends and family. The people closest to you are a great resource to help spread your message and make your campaign more visible. - Share Your Story
Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Creating your own campaign is an opportunity to share “your why.” Share your values and vision for the world you’re helping create. Make it personal so that others understand the why and feel inspired to join you. - Engage Your Employer and Coworkers
If you’re creating a workplace team or activating your coworkers, find out if your employer will create or has an existing matching charitable gift program. Many larger corporations do. Small business owners are often open to incentivizing your giving with workplace rewards. Don’t be afraid to ask. - Contextualize the Impact
All donations benefit the Open Door Café. Gifts of all sizes add up and make a major collective impact in the fight against hunger. Every $8 gift fully subsidizes one hot, wholesome and home made café meal.
Underlying our organizational marketing paradigm shift is an intentional and formal digital transformation project grounded in our 30th Anniversary Strategic plan. That seems fancy and complicated, but the most important lesson comes from a simple epiphany Mrs. Fiscus 3rd grade brand ambassadors shared — “You don’t have to be a grown-up to make a difference.” Put another way, you don’t have to be a professional marketer to make an impact. You also don’t have to be a conjurer of spells, tinctures, or potions. All you need to do is join the 2022 Stuffed Strut Run Walk Roll A-thon and come along on the ride as we move together from sorcerer/alchemist to social impact artist/scientist.
To learn more and join our Zero Hunger mission, visit www.strutwytheus.org.
Originally published at Feathers of Hope on medium.com.
