We were recently asked for our input on the importance of having PR and Marketing people on a nonprofit board. Our team is involved in many different nonprofit marketing committees and events either as volunteers or as contracted service providers.
Nonprofit marketing is something that is often overlooked, and can also be a huge challenge for smaller organizations without staff. They rely on their board members for strategic planning, leadership, marketing and fundraising. A few of the top concerns for nonprofit marketing are:
- Fundraising and donor development
- How to brand or market the nonprofit and the cause
- Board recruitment and succession planning
Nonprofit boards need PR/Marketing board members to help them develop and implement marketing plans. Larger nonprofits may have staff or agency resources to do a lot of the work. Still, when you have people on the board who can articulate the goals of the organization, the board, utilize their own connections, resources and collaborate with any paid employees or agency resources it is beneficial for the organization itself.
Smaller nonprofits may only have their board to rely on for marketing and direction. Whether you’re involved in nonprofit marketing or for a business  – building your brand, awareness for your cause and moving people to take action is all done via marketing. It’s not just about the size of the board, or who the members might work for (large supporters), but the skill sets you add. Think if your nonprofit board as a business – finance, sales, marketing, pr, communications, operations, products (or outcomes) – all of those departments and people are critical to the success of your mission. The goal is to move people to take action, to volunteer, to donate, to buy, to become a brand advocate, to do something else the mission needs to stay sustainable.
Further, as the donor base ages it will continue to be important for nonprofits to to utilize digital and new media to reach new donors in unexpected and/or creative ways. Younger board members may naturally be more comfortable talking about ways to use this media to market your organization. More importantly, creating messages that mean something to donors of all types is what will open the communication and support for any nonprofit.
If you’re looking to add marketing people to your nonprofit board, reach out to area agencies and network through existing board members. They can be a great resource to help you get the right people on your board, and impact the organization. Need assistance finding the right talent mix for your nonprofit board? We can help connect you.
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