How do I Develop a Non-Profit Marketing Plan?

Marketing plans are important for every business. Non-profit businesses are in a unique position because they generally have a great deal to offer the public but very little money to set aside for expenses such as marketing. With this in mind, there are a few tactics to use when developing a non-profit marketing plan. To develop your non-profit marketing plan, decide on the message you are trying to convey, determine your ideal marketing goals, identify the assets at your disposal, create your marketing plan and keep track of your results in order to optimize the plan.

As with any marketing plan, your non-profit marketing plan starts by deciding what message or image you want to portray. Think of things that make your non-profit unique or any specifics that might be unknown to the public. These items can be used in your marketing message to grab people's attention and call them to action, which is the ultimate goal of a marketing plan. Brainstorm ways to focus your message so that it is clear and concise.

After your message has been formulated, think of the marketing plan you would implement given ideal circumstances. Although you might not have the resources to put this dream plan into place, it can really go a long way in helping you determine where you need to focus the assets you have. Not only does it provide focus, developing an ideal plan also gives you something to work toward and something for which you can set goals.

To implement a non-profit marketing plan, you should determine what assets you have at your disposal. This does not necessarily mean cash alone. In addition to fiscal assets, be sure to tap your human resources as well. Employees or volunteers might have talents that can be used to implement the marketing plan. Assessing your assets also allows you to determine what parts of your plan might have to be put on hold.

After the above steps have been completed, you are ready to write out your non-profit marketing plan. Writing out the plan provides a guide for implementation and helps ensure that all of the steps will be completed properly. In addition to taking the proper steps to put the plan into practice, you also should put measures into place that allow you to track the results of your plan. Tracking results makes it possible for you to adjust the plan if you find it to be necessary.