Marketing, Communications and Fundraising of NGO

Marketing, Communications and Fundraising of NGO Chikondi Mbewe Introduction Urban Promise Wilmington is a Christian organization focusing on serving at-risk children and youths in Delaware State. It was founded in 1998 by Rob Prestowitz. The vision of the organization came into existence when the founder volunteered in Camden. The city of Wilmington is still known as one of the most unsafe cities in America due to violence and drug abuse. The violence and drug abuse does not only affect the communities but also in the lives of young people who have a future. Urban Promise is raising a generation of hope of Christian leaders on the East side of Wilmington where there are shootings going on observed Miller, (dalawareonline.com Sunday News Journal A17, 2010). In 1999, the organization started running afterschool program, targeting elementary children at St Joseph Catholic Church. From 2001, the organization extended its program to some three new sites: Camp Promise, Camp Freedom, Camp Hope, and own an elementary school. Other two middle school Camps were also o pened to reach out at-risk youths. In 2010, the organization embarked on another big project of opening urban Promise Academy high school. The Mission Statement The mission of Urban Promise is to equip children and young adults with the skills necessary for spiritual growth, academic achievement, life management and Christiana leadership. The vision is to be a community in Christ of transformational and servant leadership, seeking a full life for all involved, urban youths and families, volunteers and staff in the neighborhood our city Wilmington. Market Mix Marketing mix refers to a unique blend of product, place (distribution), promotion, and pricing strategies designed to produce mutually satisfying exchanges with a target market (Lamb, 2009 p.47). Product, place, promotion and price are the major elements that determine the market. How does the product affect the market or the needs of the customers? Product Products refer to tangible goods, series, places, and ideas which customers buy, lease, rent, or use to meet their needs and wants (Wood, 2011 p. 97). Any company or nonprofit organization before it goes on the market, there are a number of questions needs to be answered. What are we really selling? What are the features of our product or services? What are the benefits of our products or services to the customers? Who is our target audience primary, secondary or tertiary? As an organization, answering such questions can help to be focused on what it wants to deliver to the customer needs with quality and satisfaction. Urban Promise Wilmington does not produce tangible goods but rather services As such our services are programs that we offer such as Afterschool program in six sites, Urban Promise Elementary school program, Urban Promise High school Academy, Summer Camp, Trekkers Program, Street Leader job Training program, and Intern Program. The features of our services are the quality of the programs offers to the communities, children, and youths that are Christ centered. The benefits of our services look beyond current challenges to see a future of hope and purpose. Such benefits include educational performance, spiritual enhancement, life skills management and behavior change management for young people. The programs enrich kids in a safe, positive environment during high-risk hours. More personalized assessment and focused intervention. Motivational programs such as speech contest, spelling and math bees, college trips, UK speaking tour as we train the minds and disciple the hearts. Price Price is that which is given up in an exchange to acquire a good or service (Lamb, 2009 p. 559). Price can easily determine the value of the product or vice-versa. if customers perceive the price to be too high in relation to the benefits, they simply wont buy, which helps to lower demand; if they perceive the price to be too low, for the expected benefits or quality, demand also will suffer (Wood, 2011 p. 115). This suggests that the price is the deciding factor to create more demand for the service or supply. But in most cases, customers focus on the benefits of the service or product. Time also affect price especially in times of low inflation, business can increase profit margins only by increasing efficiency (Lamb, p 86 bright space article chapter 3) In this case, Urban Promise Wilmington, it offers free Afterschool program but there is still an element of price for some services. The free Afterschool program is one of the strategies to achieve its mission and against competitors. For example, College trips, children, and youths pay $10, summer camp each kid pay $25 which is used to buy summer T-shirt, and the field trip every Friday for six weeks. But parents are given options either to pay or not. To the customers who are parents, in this case, it might sound almost free when they consider the benefits. The price makes the services more valuable to the customers. On the other, the price is the essential weapon that can easily change the market system of the product easily (Lam, 2009). Though Urban Promise offers free services, but that does not really free as an organization. The organization suffers a lot to make sure it is working hard to fundraise in order to cover other costs that go for free to the customers. In fact, Urban Promise understands that families whom they work could not manage to pay for services if offer. Again its goal was to penetrate into the community with the gospel. Afterschool was indirectly used to offer other services to the young people. How is the program promoted in the inner city? Promotion Promotion is also called consumer-influencer strategies. Lamb (2009) defines promotions as communication by marketers that informs, persuades, and reminds potential buyers or customers of a product in order to influence their opinion or elicit a response (p.471). Product or service, price, and distribution can literally get into the market points or distribution but the questions still remain. How will the customer know about your products or, your newly established brand and organizations? This is the role of promotions which includes advertising; public relations which help people know you or the products and services (Levens, 2010). How does Urban Promise Wilmington inform, persuades, remind, and educates the customers? Urban Promise uses several ways to educate and inform its customers. In the first place, it uses annual events like Banquet. The Banquet serves three main important roles: fundraise, sell the programs, and invite people for partnership. The event each year brings together more than six hundred people from the different world of the corporate world and nonprofit. Secondly, Urban Promise partners with different churches. Churches have been a powerful tool in informing the mass about the programs offered by organizations. Thirdly, each year Urban Promise go for recruiting in Colleges around the world in its intern program. The organization has people from Finland, Scotland, Chile, and Africa and within states. People who have served with Urban Promise have promoted the organization to the height. Lastly, it also uses internet such as website (www.urbanpromisewilmington.org), blogs, press release, magazines, flyers, and Face book. Multiple ways of promotion in the organization, suggest that customers usually feel, sense, and taste differently on the same product. Promotion strategy is closely related to the process of communication. As human we assign meaning to feelings, ideas, facts, attitudes and emotions (Lamb, p.400 Marketing and communication article, bright space) Place or distribution Place or distribution is an essential part of marketing because without it, products arent available for customers to buy and profit is lost (Levens, 2010 p.152). Further, Levens define distribution as the process of delivering products and services to customers (p.150). We cannot discuss product without considering where the product will be distributed or shared with the customer. Any customer accesses our services through distribution points that are strategically defined. The Afterschool program at Urban Promise Wilmington targets Church-owned facilities as key points of distribution service. Why? The churches in the City of Wilmington are the main partners of Urban Promise which have more customers to buy our services. The Afterschool program is offered in the way that meets the mission of Urban Promise by making the bible the center for counseling. Free Afterschool program and considering the bible as the center for counseling distinguish Urban Promise from its competitors. Urban Promise serves 600 children and youths each year through Afterschool and summer programs. The organization understands that the needs for educational excellence for less privileged families. The programs are offered at the most critical hours from 2:30 pm up to 6:30 pm of which most parents at work. The main competitors are The YMCA, Simply Equal Education, Literacy Delaware, and Jewish Community Center of Delaware, Inc. The stated nonprofits also run similar programs in the same locations. The only different with Urban Promise is the free Afterschool program and focuses on sharing gospel message to the young people and grooms them to become reliable citizens of their families and communities at large. Conclusion The elements of the Market mix are interconnected and missing one can easily affect both the organization and customers. The market mix helps the organization to achieve its mission through well-coordinated market activities such as product, price, promotion, and place or distribution. Products or services are supposed to add good value to the customers. Products or services determine the market. Good product that meets customers needs and satisfaction are likely to fetch high demand. Sometimes the quality of products or services affects price either positive or negative. Customers are accustomed to knowing the benefits of products before they even consider the price. In addition, the products, and price are also determined by the place or distribution. The same products or services can be charged differently depending on the status of the place. Furthermore, the product, price, and place require promotion to inform and persuade the customer to buy the services. Therefore, the goal of the market mix is to meet the needs and satisfaction of the customer. References Lamb, C.W, Hair, J.F McDaniel (2009) Essential of marketing; South-Western, Cengage Learning, United States Levens, M (2010) Marketing: defined, explained, applied. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States Wood, M. B (2011, 4thEd) The Marketing plan; handbook, Pearson Prentice Hall, upper Saddle River, New Jersey www.urbanpromisewilmington.org Lamb, e-chapter13, (2009) Marketing and Advertising article https://eastern.brightspace.com/d2l/le/content/23621/viewContent/613432/View Lamb, e-chapter 3, (2009) Social responsibility, Ethics, Marketing and Environment article https://eastern.brightspace.com/d2l/le/content/23621/viewContent/613429/View