Full disclosure: I am an employee of the Red Cross chapter in Birmingham... the media training and interview coaching is a side business.
That said, there are two points I would make toward that article (and that's me making the points, not my employer.)
1 - ARC is involved in a number of different programs and initiatives on a daily basis. It's not just blood and disaster relief. Yes, there is a big budget for some of those items, but each is channeled separately. You can't pretend that blood is "turning a profit" and wonder why that money isn't going to disaster aid. Put in total, $500,000 is not a great percentage, particularly when you look at what it has done for donations.
2 - Donor intent is sacrosanct. I've been with ARC two years, and in that time every donation gets "queried" several times. At the time of the gift, the donor has a chance to specify a program or service. Acknowledgment letters are specifically phrased and worded to reflect the donor's wish. If the donor was misunderstood or just changes their mind, they can order us to re-direct that donation.
At the end of the day, we have to be accountable for the amount given for specific causes. Many non-profits will never have a half-million around for any purpose. Given the size and scope of the Red Cross, it is easy to imagine that there would be enough general funds to keep the lights on, equip the volunteers, and enhance worthwhile efforts.
It's a matter of scale.
John, thanks for the kind words, and the opportunity to put this issue in a proper context.
Ike:
Thanks for your comments ... I hope I didn't put you on the spot.
Your comments are instructive because there are definitely limits to what a non-profit can spend -- or appear to spend -- on marketing. I failed to include that caveat in my original post, and it was a big oversight.
The key here is perception, and of course that differs from donor to donor. I think most people realize that basic marketing and PR is important, and that a portion of the non-profit's revenues should be directed to that effort (versus begging for pro bono assistance).
Keeping that amount to a figure that is appropriate requires checks and balances throughout the budget cycle. But that's no different than the processs for budgeting salaries, equipment, etc.
It's up to the non-profit's chief marketing officer or development officer to make sure that spending is in line with the donors' and funders' expectations.
Tell it like it is John.
My connection with non-profits has been with the arts groups, who compete with everyone else for patron time and money. Marketing is as essential as the leading lady, if you want an audience.
Of course, marketing budgets are going to be lean and that can generate some good, low-cost promotional ideas. Opt-in e-mail campaigns are an obvious example.
Looking for new promotional ideas, I nose around the Internet looking for conversation about various arts. What I'm finding so far is that there's very little. Good opportunities in pop music. Some opportunities in art. Almost no opportunity in theater. Are you seeing any conversation about the arts?
John,
Trevor Cook has a post about non-profits getting into podcasting. Thought you might be interested: http://trevorcook.typepad.com/
we...sting_for_.html
Harry ... I haven't seen much about the arts, but then my work is more on the social service side of non-profits. I would think that arts groups are hurting more than others due to the aging of their population. Do young people go to the theater or ballet anymore??
Andrea ... thanks for the link.
John:
Thanks for linking to my post in your article. I noticed that the link is broken (because of a problem on my side). I've changed the url slightly to avoid this problem. You can find the article re: non-profit branding here: non-profit-marketing-5-reasons-why-branding-cant-
wait.
Thanks again,
Fard
John:
I'm sorry. Let's try that URL again. http://fardj.prblogs.org/2006/01...ding-cant-wait/
Fard:
Thanks for catching that broken link ... it's fixed now!
Thanks John!
Fard
Young people are shut out of theater and ballet because of the ticket price. There is a legacy crowd. Many kids participate in drama in high school and college and figure out a way to see a play. Young women have done ballet and figure out a way to see ballet.
Young people in droves pay a lot more to see pop music concerts. So there is a lot of competition.
Of course we both say, "Ah hah! theater and ballet are a niche!" And we'd be right. But with respect to theater, I haven't found anyway to work in the niche online. I've been looking on behalf of a young and talented theater group in Tampa.
Perhaps help is on the way. In a postyesterday I referred to an article that noted that this year's graduate school graduates have had the Internet since high school and are big users for both information and communication. As more and more young people come into the work force, the number of conversations will grow.
Harry:
How about a blog for the theater, featuring different folks posting about their experiences?
You might be able to create an online community with conversations between the actors/crew and those interested in the performances.
Thanks, John. That's a good idea. What has kept me from jumping in is the lack of existing conversation, making it harder to find others to converse with.
On the other hand these kids are young, energetic and computer savvy. Maybe they can start something just with their personal connections.
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