The Growth of Not-for-Profit Marketing

In the past, marketing has been most widely applied in the for-profit business sector. In recent years, however, marketing also has become a major part of the strategies of many not-for-profit organizations, such as colleges, hospitals, museums, zoos, symphony orchestras, and even churches. 

The nation's not-for-profits face stiff competition for support and membership. Sound marketing can help them to attract membership and support. " Consider the marketing efforts of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital of Memphis: St. Jude is like no other pediatric research facility in the world .

Its discoveries have profoundly changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude houses some of the world's most gifted researchers, and doctors from across the world send their toughest cases there. At St. Jude, no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay. All of this comes at a very high cost, a voracious $ 1.2 million per day. So, to help fund its medical miracles, St. Jude aggressively markets its powerful mission- " Finding Cures. Saving Children. "

St. Jude's marketing efforts include everything from cutting-edge public relations and television commercials to online auctions, contests, and even merchandise licensing. St. Jude also co-sponsors innovative cause-related marketing programs with corporate partners such as Target, Williams - Sonoma, Domino's Pizza, CVS Pharmacy, Gymboree, and Stanford Financial Group. 

For example, Stanford Financial sponsors The Eagles for St. Jude program, in which Stanford donates $ 1,000 for every eagle made on the PGA tour. St. Jude invites the golfing public to follow suit with its own donations. Last year alone, Stanford Financial donated more than $ 1.7 million. Golfer Vijay Singh, PGA TOUR Ambassador for the program, was himself deeply touched by St. Jude's good works, donating $ 50,000 of his own money: " All the research, all the cures, all the misery that people face - but you get there and see the kids with their smiles, " he says. " It's just overwhelming. "

When St. Jude applies its sophisticated public relations efforts on behalf of its life-saving programs, the results can be spectacular. For example, during last year's annual Thanks and Giving campaign, some 50-75 million viewers watched weeklong St. Jude segments on NBC's Today show featuring St. Jude National Outreach Director Marlo Thomas and patient families. The Monday segment of Today showing host Meredith Vieira's tour of the hospital coincided with the highest single-day rating ever in the history of the Today show. 

Thomas also appeared on Larry King Live, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Rachael Ray, FOX and Friends, and The View. As a result, St. Jude enlisted a record 50 corporate sponsors, and millions of individual donors heeded the call. Through such strong marketing. St Jude earns tens of millions of dollars each year in donations, of which 85 percent go directly to research and treating children. "

Government agencies have also shown an increased interest in marketing. For example, the U.S. military has a marketing plan to act recruits to its different services, and various government agencies are now designing social marketing campaigns to encourage energy conservation and concern for the environment or to discourage smoking, excessive drinking, and drug use. 

Even the once-stodgy U.S. Postal Service has developed innovative marketing to sell commemorative stamps, promote its priority mail services, and lift its image As a contemporary and competitive organization. In all, the U.S. government is the nation's 29th largest advertiser, with an annual advertising budget of more than $ 1.2 billion. "