How Your Nonprofit is Just Like a Hot Internet Startup.

There are more similarities than you might expect.

By Ben Delaney © 2007

People frequently ask me how I went from high-tech marketing to the nonprofit world. In fact, I don’t see that much difference between the two environments. They actually have a lot in common. High-tech companies and nonprofit organizations share many characteristics and face similar challenges. That means that a good marketer, after learning the important aspects of an organization, like programs/products, services, and culture, can handle a nonprofit’s needs as easily as those of a high-tech startup.

Here are a few of the things that nonprofits and high-tech companies have in common:

Mission driven: Have you noticed how often high-tech marketers are called “guru” or “evangelist”? That’s because, just like nonprofits, high-tech startups are driven by the compulsion to get their message out – a message of new hope and opportunities presented by new technologies. Nonprofits are driven by similar goals – to ensure that the right people hear their messages of need and hope. This is a basic factor in communications for both constituencies. And many of the same techniques, carefully tailored to the needs of the organization and the expectations of the audience, will work in either type of organization.

Led by a brilliant, inspired leader: The engineer who invented the technology still leads the company, but everybody knows he really isn’t much of a manager. The Executive Director, brilliant in her understanding of the issues, people, and connections that form the crux of the cause, gets buried in minutiae and looses the reins of the organization. It’s called “founders syndrome.” High-tech and non-profits are led by really smart people, but nobody can do everything, especially during times of rapid growth. Both types of organizations need strong Marketing/Communications (MarCom) leadership.

Limited funds: Even the hottest venture-capital (VC) funded tech startups have to make money, or they end up dumping all those cool Aeron chairs on EBay. Nonprofits are chronically under-funded. There are many smart, low-cost marketing techniques that can quickly help the bottom line. A lot.

Need for strong branding: Every organization needs a strong brand. Brands help establish a family-like relationship. Think about the Girl Scouts, Nike, The American Cancer Society, Google, or the Salvation Army. Each of those brands hold meaning for a lot of people, and because of that familiarity half of the communications job is already done. New company – new cause; both need the same thing: a strong brand that elicits warm feelings in the heart of the organization’s constituency.

Unsure of the value of marketing: Limited funds means that not every good idea can be followed up. Some projects get done today, some are put off, some are canceled. Often the first casualty of financial constraints is the MarCom budget line. That is a huge mistake. When an organization is small, or is dealing with a setback, or has a great new opportunity, marketing helps make it happen. Marketing doesn’t have to cost a lot, and it should be treated as an investment, with goals and milestones.

Need for accountability in marketing: Finally, every organization needs to keep its eyes on the ball of accountability. Marketing results can and should be measured. How many people responded to a mailing? Were they the people we were hoping to hear from? Did our ad bring in X number of inquiries? Does our website provide good quality leads? Those kinds of questions matter in every organization.

So, you see, moving to the nonprofit world was easy for me. I get to use my time-tested marketing tools (constantly upgraded as technology changes) to help an organization that is trying to make the world better. While the objectives of a high-tech company will be completely different from those of a nonprofit, the same tools work to get the message out. An advertisement can sell disc drives or encourage donors. A press release can announce the latest version of the Gizmotron, or let people know that the millionth child has been saved. I can do either. But after decades of selling Gizmotrons, it feels really good to be working to educate children, save the environment, stamp out poverty and disease, or bring peace. I highly recommend it.