Fill in the Blanks

I still have this letter written by Thomas A. McLaughlin that appeared in the October 1, 2007 edition of The NonProfit Times. It seems relevant to the discussion of "warm or competent," so I am sharing it.

It is a well-constructed form letter for the leader of a nonprofit organization to send to the leader of a for-profit organization after having a conversation about the importance of the nonprofit organization "to act more like a business and to become more efficient."

It attempts to explain the differences between how and why for-profit and nonprofit organizations exist and operate. It can be taken at face value or somewhat tongue-in-cheek, depending on your perspective.

Image Credit: Thomas A. McLaughlin, The NonProfit Times, October 1, 2007

Thoughts on "Warm or Competent?"

This image is from the study "Non-Profits Are Seen as Warm and For Profits as Competent: Firm Stereotypes Matter" that the article "'Warm' or 'Competent?' What Happens When Consumers Stereotype Nonprofit and For-profit Firms" is based upon.

It illustrates that the perception of competence in for-profit organizations leads more directly to the willingness to buy (from) for-profit organizations. The willingness to buy (or let's say, donate to) nonprofit organizations takes a different path. The perception of warmth must be coupled with admiration for people to be willing to donate to or support nonprofit organizations.

This can lead to serious roadblocks for nonprofit organizations if not addressed.

Based on this research, the key to the coupling of warmth and admiration that translates into competence for a nonprofit organization can come with an endorsement from a highly credible outside source. Researchers used The Wall Street Journal as an example that seemed to prove this point. It could also be accomplished by linking the nonprofit organization with state-of-the-art products, "rigorous research and data-driven approaches."

One thing is clear: nonprofit organizations must act warm and appear competent to achieve their missions and attract the right mix of donors and constituents.

Image Credit: "http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/papers/download/020410_Firm_Stereotypes_Matter.pdf)

Nonprofit Seeks Cause Marketing Partners

Hoxworth Blood Center, the blood bank of the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine, is using a specially designed landing page on its website to seek cause marketing partners.

At first glimpse, it appears to be a rather simple and perhaps somewhat plain page. Upon further inspection, it becomes clear that it is a strategically crafted page that likely nets results. Here are some of the reasons why:

The tag line "Who will you save?" is prominently featured. The message suggests that the organization is "interviewing potential partners" and refers to its "nationally recognized cause marketing plan." This makes it sound discerning and credible.

It then lists five reasons that companies and organizations should consider a cause marketing partnership with the Hoxford Blood Center, which it backs up with statistics from a 2004 Cone Corporate Citizenship Study.

The landing page includes more than a dozen large and colorful logos and icons from regional and national cause marketing partners from 2009-2010. Bright colors draw attention to recognizable logos from organizations such as such as Nestle, the Cincinnati Bengals, TGI Friday's, and Toyota. Including a link to related information on cause marketing lends additional credibility and authority to this nonprofit organization.

Providing contact information to further discuss cause marketing opportunities makes it easy for interested companies and organizations to follow up.

The landing page has easily visible navigation links to access information about Hoxford Blood Center's vision and mission, its history, FAQs, and much more. Social media widgets allow access to event photos, promotional videos, maps and other ways to connect directly with constituents.

With the exception of using somewhat out-of-date research statistics (cause marketing studies from later than 2004 are available), the landing page is a practically perfect tool suited to its purpose. It should have no trouble attracting cause marketing partners.

http://www.hoxworth.org/about/cause_marketing.html

Women Make Strong Target Audience for Causes

When it comes to causes, women make a strong target audience. They use social media to show their support. They purchase products to show their support. They support companies that support causes important to them. Women feel a sense of purpose and a connection to the community by supporting causes. In fact, 80 percent of women believe that individuals can make a difference by supporting causes. This is according to a study developed by the Center for Social Impact Communication of Georgetown University and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

Here are some interesting factoids about how women engage with causes that are important to them:

• 42% donate money
• 20% volunteer
• 38% use websites as a source of information
  
• 28% use social media as a source of information
  

What are the implications for nonprofit organizations?

With more than sixty percent of women either donating money or volunteering their time as a primary means of engaging with causes, nonprofit organizations can consider women their allies. Nonprofit organizations need to know how to identify and connect with women whose beliefs align with their visions and missions.

Since women are turning to websites and social media for information, it makes sense to ensure that the key organizational messages are easily accessible.

Connecting the right audience with the right cause, using the right tools and the right message can make a difference for women, the organizations, and their clients.

Five Lessons Nonprofits Can Learn from Weinergate

These five lessons are the essence of what I learned in crisis management communications. They are not new. They are really a matter of common sense. The list I'm providing is a summary of a blog post from "Getting Attention" written by Nancy E. Schwartz, although I've rearranged and personalized it a bit.

1. "Tell it all, tell it first, and tell it fast."


2. Don't lie.


3. Don't shoot (or criticize) the messenger (or call the messenger inappropriate names).


4. Prepare talking points, and stay on message.


5. Accept responsibility where appropriate, and apologize sincerely.

The lessons apply equally well to nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, politicians, movie stars, and regular people.

Weinergate’s 5 Communications Lessons for Nonprofits

Introductory Post

I have a lot of interests and ideas but no "burning passion" as they say in the nonprofit world. When I need to choose a specific area on which to focus, such as for a project, I have a hard time deciding.

This week, I've been thinking about what communication strategies I could apply to market a graduate program at the university where I work. I'm very familiar with it, and it could use some attention. The marketing materials are somewhat out of date. There are few events that are targeted at graduate students. The website landing pages are set up, primarily, with undergraduate students in mind. In general, it could use a face lift.

To get started, I jotted down ideas that were coming to mind. I ended up with notes about steps to take to evaluate the current situation including reviewing competitors, determining stakeholder needs and possible contributions, and incorporating a variety of social media tools to re-energize the marketing of the graduate program. Next, I collected the existing marketing collateral pieces for this program. I also found various direct mail pieces I received featuring the graduate programs of other universities. I figured that this would give me enough information to decide if this was the the direction I wanted to pursue.

I did not mention that I also posted a list of blogs. The focus of some of them is higher education marketing, while most of the others focus on nonprofit marketing and communications. They will serve as great resources regardless of the project I choose.