Charities are spending A LOT on marketing
- Fri, December 15 2006
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
A new study from Changing Our World has some remarkable figures:
Large American nonprofits spend at least $7.6 billion per year on marketing and public relations, and may in fact spend a great deal more, according to the Changing Our World analysis of 71 nonprofits with annual revenues of $10 million or more per year. Itemized examination of IRS Form 990 Line 43, where marketing and communications expenses reside, resulted in an extrapolated estimate of $7.6 billion for the sector.
With more than 100 nonprofits forming everyday, it’s becoming a very competitive world for donor dollars. That’s driving a lot of marketing spending. And since most of us don’t have a huge marketing budget to sling around, we have to work smarter than ever. Not a relaxing thought on a Friday afternoon in the heat of fundraising season.
One way to work smarter is to get your online fundraising up and running, because it’s cheap and competitive. Network for Good (my nonprofit) can really help you in this department. Get a Donate Now button, do email outreach, and use the long tail of the web to reach people where they cluster online.
And at least this study gives you another talking point for defending your marketing budget —it’s a competitive world out there.