When Marketing NGOs, Ask the Expert

Marketing and communication can be among the first activities cut when non-governmental organizations suffer budget loss. In some cases, this forces NGOs to assign communication tasks to those with insufficient expertise or abandon marketing efforts completely. Costa Rica-based Fundación Galileo aims to fill the NGO marketing gap by identifying the most up-to-date Internet-based technology and disseminating it to nonprofit groups, primarily in Latin America. Galileo also provides live video and audio coverage of events for its clients. It did just that, along with real-time blogging, when Galileo Marketing Specialist María del Mar Murrillo reported on the Encuentro Centroamericano de Microfinanzas in San Salvador, El Salvador, in September 2009. Devex spoke with del Mar Murrillo on the challenges that development organizations face in enhancing their communications and marketing techniques, and the most effective strategies for creating and implementing strategic communications, with a focus on the Internet. Before joining Galileo this year, del Mar Murillo had worked in communications and public relations for several development agencies in Latin America, including World Vision and Habitat for Humanity. She received her bachelor's degree in public relations from the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica and is currently studying for her graduate degree in strategic communication. What are the most common mistakes that NGOs make in trying to market themselves? A lot of times, it's a lack of resources. Because of this, a lot of times, they don't have someone [specifically] responsible for marketing within the organization. I was recently in a meeting with a client with a small NGO in Costa Rica, and they don't have any idea of what sort of identity they want on the Web, like their colors, design, logos, or other things that would help them be more recognized. They don't have someone to help them with these things because of a lack of economic resources. The democratization [of the Internet] has not arrived to everyone. Some organizations are still excluded because of a lack of access. There is also the tendency that some people that do marketing and communication have no training or knowledge in the area. So, it's done sometimes with a lack of professionalism. They can do the work, but the work would be better if it was done by a person [with specific training in communications]. What marketing and communication strategies are most effective for development organizations? I would say that the fundamental thing is to begin through a contact network made up of individuals or organizations. Some ways of doing this is through social networks like Facebook. But you can also create your own social network on the Web and use that to relate to and connect with others. One thing that nonprofit sites need to keep in mind is that they need to have a plan for what they want to accomplish through their Web site. You can't just have a Web site and a social network. You need to have a simple plan about what you want to achieve and communicate with the network. Sometimes, what happens is that organizations have a Web site in order to have a presence in cyberspace. But that isn't enough. You need to have a dynamic site where visitors can tell what you are doing. The Internet allows us to do that. It allows us to talk about alliances with other organizations, about events. You need to plan strategically how you are going to use this tool. Technology for [its] own sake doesn't have value. A good Web site will have a space for the press - where the press can access frequently asked questions about the organization. It will have a space where people can comment on the site, [and] a site where [the organization] can receive donations or people can express interest in volunteering. E-mail, without a doubt, is an excellent way to communicate. An electronic newsletter is also a great way for an organization to communicate. But you shouldn't have an electronic newsletter just to have it. You need to think why you want to have the newsletter; think about how it's needed. When people sign up for an electronic bulletin, it's like you have a captive audience because they have given some information about themselves in order to receive the bulletin. So, you have information through the sign-up process for the bulletin from people who are interested in your organization. Having some clear objectives is a key part of making this platform work for your organization. It's important to quantify and measure advances in your marketing and communication strategy. We have to set goals, for example, "We are going to contact five journalists per month." The communication strategy has to be integrated into the values of the organization, the goals of the organization, so that all the forces go in the same direction. What type of clients does Galileo work with? We have two groups of social clients. In the area of microfinance - which is supported by the Ford Foundation - we work with Latin American microfinance organizations through a Web site, http://microfinanzas.org/. We work with microfinance organizations a lot. We also work with the U.N. and with academic organizations. One of our main goals for the coming year is to educate our social clients, but also for the general public, about Web 2.0, about everything that is coming out, and how organizations can use these resources.