Not-for-profit marketing.

Not-for-profit organisations, charities and for-purpose organisations are well positioned to lead the way with modern marketing. In fact, some are doing an awesome job.

At the core of most modern marketing and brand positioning are values and demonstration of how these values are used. This is commonly showcased effectively through storytelling, and not-for-profits are full of wonderful stories to tell. 

As humans we crave stories. Think about movies, books, songs, yarns and memories, most often it's through story that we share experiences and relate to each other. Using story telling in modern marketing is a very effective communication tool.

When working with not-for-profit organisations, charities and for-purpose organisations, we often find that it is more powerful to demonstrate a value, rather than talk about it. 

As an example, if an organisation had a value of 'giving', rather than say we have 12 volunteers working on the food donation program, your audience is far more likely to be engaged with a story about Sally, the volunteer who gives 30 mins of her time each day before she drops her son off to the local school. Not only does Sally feel good about doing good during covid, she also has had a great time connecting with other volunteer parents from the school. 

If you are wanting to look for more volunteers, or show how 'giving' is lived in real life in your operations, someone is far more likely to relate to Sally the person rather than to a boring request for 'more volunteers needed'.

Of course, there are often times privacy needs to be respected and anonymity maintained. This can be done with name changes, de-identifying people and using models or photo angles that don't show faces if necessary. 

The long and the short of it is that story telling = winning.

Demonstrating values = winning.

Not-for-profits, charities and for-purpose organisations are full of great stories. And values can be so much more than just a list of nice words on the wall. 

How can you weave one of your values into your next story?