Marketing objectives are the specific marketing goals of a business organization. The marketing objectives of non-profit organizations are not primarily sales and profit related, but to support good causes that will benefit the society.
Non-profit social organizations include Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and charities.
Non-profit organizations are organized on a local, national or international levels to tackle issues that support the public good. Usually, they are established by highly-committed people, strictly task-focused and made up of members sharing a common interest.
While non-profit organizations do not aim primarily to make a profit, they earn surplus. The more surplus they generate, the more they can fund their projects.
Examples of marketing objectives for non-profit businesses
Let’s take a look at the most common examples of marketing objectives for non-profit-seeking business organizations. These are long-term goals.
- Generate awareness of the good cause. In a world where everyone is inundated with information, a strong image is the key to community awareness. Marketing is an integral part of strategy to raise awareness of social causes of non-profit business organizations. Developing and maintaining a visible and credible identity through marketing will increase local support for the organization. It is natural that marketing in non-profit organizations tends to be more informative rather than persuasive as commonly used in commercial marketing.
- Improve brand recognition. Non-profit business organizations should market themselves to make sure that the audience recognizes their brands. This can be done through a logo, slogan or a mission statement. Businesses that operate in a non-profit environment such as schools, colleges or charitable institutions ought to produce advertising materials such as brochures and websites to make their brand recognizable by the target audience.
- Create positive attention. As mentioned, non-profit organizations must raise awareness of the good causes which they represent. The creation of an appropriate image to gain desirable attention is important for any organization regardless whether it exists to earn profit or do something good for the society. Effective promotion can not only help to maximize revenues and profits of firms in the private sector, but can also help charities to maximize funds raised for their client groups.
- Build membership and connect with new donors. Non-profit organizations need to ensure that the benefits of their marketing activities outweigh the costs. Only by promoting the welfare of their customers and the whole society, they will be able to raise funds from generous donors. Sometimes, even profit-making businesses are willing to support good causes as it helps them promote a socially responsible image. Hence, donors can be both wealthy individuals and well as commercial firms.
- Demonstrate the value to the society. Non-profit organizations also generate value to their local communities similar to profit-making organizations. For instance, charities may run retail outlets such as convenience stores or kiosks where they sell newspapers, snacks and books to raise funds for good causes. These are normal marketing approaches associated with selling goods and providing services that bring commercial benefits to the society. In recent years, many not-for-profit organizations have looked for additional ways of raising income such as the provision of services more commonly seen in the profit sector such as transportation or education.
One more thing is worth mentioning. While non-profit organizations remain quite amateurish in under-developed and developing countries, in developed countries in particular, the non-profit sector of the economy is quite large employing a significant number of workers.
Remember that the marketing objectives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and charities differ from those of large multinational companies. Most of the objectives of non-profit organizations are specifically focused on social, environmental or humanitarian issues. They are set up and run for the benefit of others in the society.
