|
Knowing all there is to know about your organisation will not help your fundraising - unless you communicate information about your work and needs to your target audiences and the general public in an effective way.
This is where Marketing and PR are so important.
Fundraisers realise that without a 'climate of awareness' they cannot be effective. There is a continuing debate in management circles over who should have responsibility for marketing and PR. Some organisations employ a Marketing or PR person to fulfil this function. But all too often it is expected that the fundraiser will undertake this role along with their other duties, even if it is not part of their job description. While most fundraisers rise to the challenge very well, this important area of work can be under-resourced and given less prominence that it deserves.
Marketing can broadly be described as the process of finding out what people need or want, and finding ways to fulfil this need.
For existing organisations, especially charities, the service or product that is provided has often grown out of a need. A marketing approach can help the organisation to know if the service they provide is still relevant, and help the development of new products or services for new groups.
In fundraising terms, marketing can help define which audiences are relevant to the organisation, how they can be reached, what messages will interest them, and what they might support.
Public relations (PR) is an important part of a marketing strategy, as it aims to influence the way the public see an organisation: by helping to create a 'brand'; by influencing the actions by which an organisation communicates in 'non-verbal' ways (e.g. how the telephone is answered, how the receptionist greets people, how complaints are dealt with etc).
PR is also about communicating with different audiences through appropriate media, using appropriate messages.
This section also explores different types of media, how to contact them, how to get your messages across, and how to produce your own resources.
|
