For those of us who studied marketing in college, we know marketing is a broad term that encompasses all activities related to promoting and “selling” products or services.  These activities include market research, strategic planning of all marketing functions, sales (or in the nonprofit world, development), communications, and advertising. To try and separate sales (development) from marketing is misguided. Both seek to build relationships and communicate aspects of the organizations and its activities to satisfy the customers’, or in the case of nonprofits, the constituents’, desires. If done well, both create opportunities to move people further into the marketing funnel towards the highest level of engagement – a champion for your organization.

Having said that, the skills related to the strategic planning of marketing activities, development and communications are very different. Rarely can one person do two of these well, much less all three.

Marketing

Marketing is best thought of as an umbrella for all activities related to satisfying constituent desire. The marketing plan is built to achieve the goals of the organization’s business plan. Marketing plans how to reach constituents (which channels), the messaging, the appearance and cadence. Research helps marketing define not only how people come into the funnel and the engagement levels, but the most effective messaging and call-to-actions in order to advance the relationships.

Development

According to Kay Sprinkel Grace, author of seven books on philanthropic practices and board engagement, “Development is ‘the process of uncovering shared values.’ It is about cultivating meaningful relationships and then providing opportunities for people to invest in areas that are important to them.” As such, development is the “boots on the ground,” relational, qualitative process of understanding the heart of the donor in order to help them make the most impact with their gifts.

Communications

In contrast, communication’s role is much more quantitative — it seeks to reach a broader audience with meaningful and actionable messaging to pull people through the marketing funnel. Communications uses such channels as social media platforms, email, direct mail and events to deliver stories of impact that resonate with constituents.

In Unison

Alignment in focus and messaging is critical for success. If communications and development are targeting the same constituents and there is always significant overlap, yet each choose a different message, we’re in trouble. Communications and development must have coherence, otherwise the result is confusion for constituents.

In addition, both development and communications need to fall under the same strategic plan with unified goals to reach the organization’s business goals. Only by working together is this done well.

“Separate goals for communications and fundraising departments create division and competition,” says Janine Scolpino, Associate Vice President of individual giving for Save the Children. “When you have shared goals, you’re making decisions in the best interest of the agency,” she says. But it’s more than just deciding upon a common goal; a climate of collaboration comes from the top down.”

Tactically, marketing takes the lead here with an annual calendar of events and needs. This, combined with impact stories and messaging at each engagement level, creates a synergy across the entire marketing/development/communications team to effect higher engagement and donations. When shared with the board, CEO and program directors, the nonprofit has one voice that rings loudly.

The expectation here is that we’re working holistically with constituents, not in silos. Splitting the development and communications plans, and ultimately the directions of the functions, only weakens the impact of the organization. But when combined under a single plan with well-defined goals and tactics, all constituents feel valued, no matter which level of the funnel they fall into, and open to new opportunities to engage further.

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