NGO

MARKETIN

G

Introduction

Non-

governmental

Organization

(NGO) is an

agency devoted

to managing

resources and

implementing

projects with the

goal of

addressing social

problems. NGO

are of great

importance and

value for the

modern society

and hence comes

the need of

having a

marketing

strategy for the

NGO. This

would help the

NGO reach the

masses and make

the common man

aware of the

work it does.

Marketing in an

NGO usually

means attracting

human and

capital resources.

NGOs today use

various

marketing

principles and

techniques to

influence a target

audience to

voluntarily

accept, reject,

modify or

abandon

behaviour for the

benefit of

individuals,

groups or society

as a whole.

However, this is

true only in case

of some NGOs,

while most of

them are finding

great challenge

to collect funds,

in building

credibility,

getting more

people involved

and in general to

carry out its

social activities.

Non-

governmental

organization

(NGO) is a term

that has become

widely accepted

as referring to a

legally

constituted, non-

governmental

organization

created by

natural or legal

persons with no

participation or

representation of

any government.

In the cases in

which NGOs are

funded totally or

partially by

governments, the

NGO maintains

its non-

governmental

status and

excludes

government

representatives

from

membership in

the organization.

The number of

internationally

operating NGOs

is estimated at

40,000. India is

estimated to have

between 1

million and 2

million NGOs.

Peter

Drucker has said

that the growth

sector in the 21st

century will be

the non-profit

social sector,

"where

systematic,

principled,

theory-based

management can

yield the greatest

results the

fastest".

Characteristi

cs and

specialities of

NGOs

NGOs

vary in their

types. Some act

primarily as

lobbyists, while

others primarily

conduct

programs and

activities like

relief &

rehabilitation,

social &

economic

development and

empowerment.

For instance, an

NGO such as

Oxfam,

concerned with

poverty

alleviation,

might provide

needy people

with the

equipment and

skills to find

food and clean

drinking water,

whereas an NGO

like the FFDA

helps through

investigation and

documentation of

human rights

violations and

provides legal

assistance to

victims of human

rights abuses.

Others, such as

Afghanistan

Information

Management

Services, provide

specialized

technical

products and

services to

support

development

activities

implemented on

the ground by

other

organizations.

1. Voluntary:

They are formed

voluntarily. They

are built upon

commitment of a

few persons.

2. Independent &

Flexible:

NGOs are

independent in

planning and

implementatio

n of their

programmes.

They are not

bound by any

red tapism and

bureaucratic

obstacles.

3. Public

relations: Non-

governmental

organizations

need healthy

relationships

with the public to

meet their goals.

People are the

heart of the

NGOs.

Foundations and

charities use

sophisticated

public relations

campaigns to

raise funds and

employ standard

lobbying

techniques with

governments.

Interest groups

may be of

political

importance

because of their

ability to

influence social

and political

outcomes. A

code of ethics

was established

in 2002 by The

World

Association of

Non

Governmental

NGOs.

4. Non-profit

oriented & not

self-serving:

The surplus and

gains from

economic

projects, if any,

are not

distributed to the

members or the

stakeholders.

They are re-used

for development

purposes. NGOs

serve poor,

impoverished

and needy for

their upliftment.

5. Project

management:

There is an

increasing

awareness that

management

techniques are

crucial to project

success in non-

governmental

organizations.

Generally, non-

governmental

organizations

that are private

have either a

community or

environmental

focus. They

address varieties

of issues such as

religion,

emergency aid,

or humanitarian

affairs. They

mobilize public

support and

voluntary

contributions for

aid; they often

have strong links

with community

groups in

developing

countries, and

they often work

in areas where

government-to-

government aid

is not possible.

NGOs are

accepted as a

part of the

international

relations

landscape, and

while they

influence

national and

multilateral

policy-making,

increasingly they

are more directly

involved in local

action.

6. Funding: Even

though the term

"non-

governmental

organization"

implies

independence

from

governments,

most NGOs

depend heavily

on governments

for their funding.

7. Monitoring

and control:

The governments

of the countries

an NGO works

or is registered in

may require

reporting or

other monitoring

and oversight.

Funders

generally require

reporting and

assessment, such

information is

not necessarily

publicly

available. There

may also be

associations and

watchdog

organizations

that research and

publish details

on the actions of

NGOs working

in particular

geographic or

program areas. In

recent years,

many large

corporations

have increased

their corporate

social

responsibility

departments in

an attempt to

pre-empt NGO

campaigns

against certain

corporate

practices. As the

logic goes, if

corporations

work with

NGOs, NGOs

will not work

against

corporations.

8. Legal status:

The legal form of

NGOs is diverse

and depends

upon home

grown variations

in each country's

laws and

practices.

However, four

main family

groups of NGOs

can be found

worldwide:

· Unincorporated

and voluntary

association

· Trusts , charities

and foundations

· Companies not

just for profit

· Entities formed

or registered

under special

NGO or non-

profit laws

The

recruitment

patterns of the

voluntary sector

have seen a

perceptible

change in its

workforce

profile, with

more

engineering and

management

graduates opting

to work in this

sector. Does this

mean that

voluntary work

has changed into

a pulsating

profession with

exciting growth

possibilities,

especially those

that are

technology-

driven? What is

the role of these

professionals in

this sector?

It has

happened

elsewhere in the

world. But the

trend is now

strengthening in

India. If you

follow the

recruitment

patterns of the

voluntary sector

in the country,

you will see a

perceptible

change in its

workforce

profile. At least

0.3-0.5 per cent

of the country's

workforce is in

this sector, and

according to

experts, there is

significant

increase in the

number of

engineering and

management

graduates opting

to work for the

not-for-profit

organisations.

This is apart

from

professional

filmmakers,

designers and

mass

communication

graduates that

constantly seek

to satisfy their

creative urges

here. Pradeep

Mehta, Secretary

General, CUTS,

a Jaipur-based

consumer

awareness

society, confirms

that the hiring

pattern has

changed both

qualitatively and

quantitatively.

He pins down

this

transformation to

the increased

flow of funds

from donors to

the voluntary

sector and the

Government and

a stronger

inclination of the

Government to

implement

projects through

NGOs.

Therefore, the

overall demand

for people in this

sector has gone

up.

On the

flip side, the

scope of work of

the voluntary

sector has also

enlarged to

include more

technical work,

thus calling for

absorption of

technical

graduates. But he

also points to one

niggling factor in

the trend: Those

NGOs that are in

a position to

afford

competitive

remuneration to

MBAs do hire

their services and

it is also true that

NGOs are hiring

MBAs to

inculcate

professionalism

as it exists in the

corporate sector.

However, he

questions the

quality of these

professionals.

"Do MBAs from

top business

schools come to

NGOs? In most

cases, they have

the degree, but

not the same

level of

expertise." At the

same time,

another

development is

taking place

simultaneously:

senior managers,

having an MBA

degree from top

business schools,

leaving their

corporate job and

opting for

voluntary work.

In India, Prabhu

says, in the past,

organisations

such as

GreenPeace

Foundation,

ActionAid, Basix

and Public

Affairs Centre

have approached

the Institute for

talent either for

summer

placement or

lateral

placements. For

instance, CRY

— which is in

the field of

consumer

marketing —

needs

professionals

with brand

building skills

and has recruited

MBAs even in

the early 1990s.

What is the role

of engineering

and management

graduates in the

voluntary sector?

The work

is primarily

managing the

affairs including

implementation

of projects.

Mehta says some

also fit well with

jobs in research

areas, depending

on their basic

education and

aptitude. Another

emerging area is

human resources

management.

NKF has the

largest fund

collecting outfits

in this part of the

world. And most

of the funds are

raised through

TV shows and

live events. In

other words, it is

managed like an

efficiently

managed

company with a

lot of fund

raising activities

"These MBAs

are expected to

put together

pretty much the

same media,

communication

and direct

marketing

plans," confirms

Prabhu. NKF is

also looking at

final placements

from IIM,

Bangalore. Balaji

E., General

Manager,

Staffing

Solutions, Ma

Foi Management

Consultants Ltd.,

a Chennai-based

manpower

consultancy says

NGOs typically

look for someone

with counselling

skills, someone

with a

psychology or

personnel

management

degree or a

masters in social

welfare. Balaji

opines that,

"Working in an

NGO is not seen

as a serious

career option yet.

It does require

people with a

different flavour

and

temperament.

Although

it involves

sacrifices — you

don't get

corporate perks

such as cars,

housing etc —

there is some

attraction. He

says there is

value seen in

working for

social causes.

Besides many

foreign-funded

NGOs (Ford

Foundation) do

pay fairly

competitive

remuneration —

and there are

other bonuses

such as

opportunity to go

abroad, attend

seminars/sympos

ia, earn media

recognition, etc.

And we are also

seeing the drying

up of funds in

the sector and

realise we cannot

depend on aid

forever.

Therefore, he

says, a career in

cause related

marketing is a

very realistic

option in the

sector. He,

however points

out that the

foundation for

this should be

laid at the

professional

colleges itself.

"The courses

should be made

part of the

curriculum. They

should be made

to understand the

supply-demand

mechanisms of

the social

sector." Perhaps

Munira Sen,

Executive

Director,

Madhyam, a

Bangalore-based

NGO, has a

practical view on

the issue, "This

is an exciting

trend. What

perhaps would

be ideal is a

successful match

between the

outcome-driven

approaches of

these

professionals

with the process

driven approach

of the NGOs."

NGOs

Marketing

Not many

of the NGOs

have a marketing

department.

While some of

the NGOs

regarded this as

not a part of their

main work,

others realized

its importance

but found it

difficult to

implement.

Professionals

involved in an

NGO show the

growth prospects

and ability of

NGOs to

implement things

professionally. A

professional can

be defined as

someone who

will give the

organization a

direction and

approach in its

working vision.

e.g.: MBA,

MSW (Master’s

of Social Work),

Trainers and

Teachers.

Around 67% of

the NGOs

employ

professionals but

the professionals

are not utilized to

the fullest of

their capacity

due to the lack of

funds for

marketing.

Importance

of marketing

NGOs

Often

when we think of

“marketing,” we

think of

promotion and

advertising

products for sale.

But marketing is

much more than

that. Whenever

we are trying to

connect with a

group of people

outside our

organization, it

can be

considered

marketing.

Marketing ranges

from making

client service

more responsive,

to street theatre,

to posting

banners and

applying logos. It

is everything that

contributes to

your

organization’s

public image,

which, when

developed

effectively—and

reinforced by the

good work of the

staff—helps earn

the trust and

confidence of

beneficiaries,

local leaders and

donors. Effective

marketing can

improve

organization’s

ability to attract

funding, serve

more

beneficiaries and

help in

accomplishing

the mission. It

can help enhance

NGO's

sustainability.

Medium of

Marketing

used by

NGOs

The

medium of

marketing used

by NGOs is

divided into

brochures,

Newspapers,

Websites,

Advertisements,

and Television.

Here, we find

that although

most of the

NGOs are using

traditional

marketing

techniques like

newspapers and

brochures, they

still lack the

access to modern

marketing

mediums such as

websites,

advertising, etc.

Other

Marketing

Techniques

Fund-raising /

Marketing

Techniques

Used By

NGOs

The other

marketing

techniques give a

birds-eye view of

the NGOs

involved in fund

raising through

events and

celebrity

involvement.

The events

organized by

most of the

NGOs are on a

very small scale

and not many

people are aware

of such events.

However, some

NGOs are

involved in

organizing

events at a larger

scale. The

celebrity

involvement is

less. This

actually can be

exploited as a

tool to spread

awareness and

generate funds.

NGOs are doing

reasonably well

in the workshops

domain to attract

human as well

capital resources.

Major Sources

of Funds

The

major sources of

funds for an

NGO are the

government,

corporate and

individual

donors. The

public and

corporate are

understanding

their

responsibility

towards society

and helping in

fund generation

but the

government’s

involvement is

minimal. This is

quite surprising,

since it’s the

moral

responsibility of

the government

to help the

NGOs. One

major concern is

that although the

government is

somewhat

involved in

helping NGOs

for funds, this

help is delayed

by years.

Unique

Methods of

Marketing

used By

NGOs

The following

are some of the

unique methods

in which NGOs

are carrying out

their marketing

activities.

· Exhibitions are

usually held by

the NGOs to sell

products like

bags, folders,

pouch etc. These

products are

made of

environment

friendly material.

This helps the

NGO to generate

revenues for

their varied

projects and

showcase their

talent pool. The

exhibitions are

basically carried

out in tandem

with schools,

colleges and

corporate.

· Organizing

events like haldi

kum-kum (for

women), Sathya

Narayan puja etc.

to form an

emotional

bondage with the

Volunteers. This

helps them reach

the masses.

· Printing

calendars with

logos, vision and

mission of the

NGO. This helps

the NGO reach

the common man

and spread

awareness about

their cause.

· Mascots are used

by some NGOs

to spread

messages which

impact the

common man.

(E.g. A mascot

for spreading

awareness on

tree plantation

drives.)

Major Source

of Funding

For NGOs

· Organizing

annual functions

where volunteers

are felicitated

and are

encouraged to do

more work.

· Annual

programmes are

telecasted on

local cable

channels. This

helps them

spread their

cause in a more

effective way.

Maintaining

Database

Maintaini

ng database of

volunteers will

help the NGOs to

keep a track of

their volunteers.

This will help the

NGOs, as they

will be able to

inform the

volunteers

regarding their

upcoming

events.

Tie-Up with

the Academic

Institutes

Tie-ups

with the

academic

institutes would

help the NGOs

tap the potential

of the students of

these institutes.

Students could

help the NGOs at

the base level by

acting as

volunteers. They

could then act as

prospective

volunteers. By

these means the

NGOs will be

able to solve

their problem of

getting human

resource. NGOs

can make use of

this by:

· Organizing

lectures,

seminars,

workshops and

presentations

regarding the

various social

issues for the

students. This

would sensitize

the students and

hence help the

students in

understanding

the cause of the

NGOs.

· Advertising in

the annual

festivals

organised by

schools and

colleges. This

would give the

NGOs the

visibility that

they want.

(Putting up

banners, stalls

and distributing

brochures,

leaflets)

· During the

annual parent-

teacher meets the

NGO could

make

presentations

regarding their

objectives and

cause to all the

students and

their parents.

This would help

the NGOs reach

the masses on a

wider scale.

· Rewarding the

students by

giving

certificates to

them and

appreciating their

contribution.

· From the

analysis we see

that most of the

NGOs’ don’t

have website.

For solving this

problem the

NGOs could tie

up with

academic

institutes

specially the

technical ones

which can help

them design a

good website.

Approaching

Corporate

The Corporate

today are

increasingly

becoming aware

of their

responsibility

towards the

society. The

NGOs can

approach the

corporate for

their cause. This

would help the

NGOs solve their

problem of

human as well

capital resources.

· The corporate

could work in

tandem with a

particular NGO

and help them

carry out all their

activities in a

better and

organized way.

· The corporate

could purchase

all the items

made by the

NGOs and sell

them during their

cultural events.

This would help

the NGO get

more funds and

can be done on a

quarterly basis.

· Students can

help in making a

professional

presentation

Some distinct

ways to

market the

cause

The NGOs could

also look at these

ways to market

their cause.

· Road Shows

and Street Plays

can be organized

on regular

intervals to make

the masses aware

of their cause.

This gives them

more visibility as

well volunteers.

These plays can

be conducted at

different malls or

public places.

· NGOs can tie up

with most of the

housing societies

which can lend

them their extra

space to conduct

events. This

helps them target

house-wives who

can lend the

NGO a helping

hand during their

free time.

· Creating a

distinctive logo,

vision and

mission of the

NGO. This could

then be printed

on t-shirts. This

helps them reach

people and

leaves an impact

on people’s

mind.

· Tying up with

Newspaper

agencies for

distributing

pamphlets along

with newspapers.

This will again

help them reach

the masses and

get help in form

of volunteers.

· Using the audio-

visual medium to

propagate their

cause. The

audio-visual

medium could be

the radio or

cinema houses.

· Motivating the

youth to join

hands with the

NGOs by urging

the NGOs to tie-

up with the youth

wings of

different clubs

(like the Rotract

club Youth

wing).This

would help the

NGOs to get the

young blood and

get newer and

fresher

perspectives.

Conclusion

Commerc

ial marketing and

non-commercial

marketing have a

lot in common

but at the same

time they have

some essential

distinctions,

which depend on

type, mission and

goals of an

organisation.

Marketing a non-

profit

organization

takes the need

for being

innovative and

strategic in

identifying ways

and avenues to

market it. It is

also important

for NGOs to not

only satisfy their

target group but

also the donor’s

needs. Most of

the NGOs

depend on the

traditional

methods, like

donations, to

market

themselves.

NGOs must learn

to devise newer

and better ways

to market

themselves, like

associating with

Academic

Institutes and

using the

potential of

students, house-

wives,

professionals and

celebrities as

volunteers.

MARKETIN

G

STRATEGIE

S followed by

some of the

NGOs

1 Childs Rights

and Children

Welfare:

Separate

marketing

department. Use

of brochure,

newspapers,

website,

advertisement,

television as well

as radio

Celebrities and

workshops

2 Apang Maitree

Physically

Handicap: Use of

book-marks,

local news

papers, posters

and television,

workshops

3 Aasara Curb

Suicidal Deaths:

Use of brochure,

newspapers and

local T.V

channels,

workshops

4 Toxics Link

Environmental

Issues: Separate

marketing

department .Use

of brochure,

newspapers,

website,

advertisement,

television as well

as radio,

Celebrities

5 Path Health

Welfare among

the Slums: Use

of brouchers,

workshops

6 Task Anti-

Smoking: Local

newspapers

7 Red Cross

Calamity Relief

Work: Mouth

publicity and

Celebrities

8 Behana

Rehabilitation of

Street Dogs : Use

of brochure and

newspapers

9 Annapurna

Women

Empowerrment :

Use of

newspapers

10 Senior Citizen

Association

Elderly People:

Use of brochure,

newspapers and

local T.V

channels,

workshops

11 Shiv Shakti

Mentally

retarded Children

: Local news

papers

12 Aarambh

Slum Children:

Use of brochure,

newspapers and

website,

Celebrities and

workshops