Marketing and Development — they go together like peanut butter and jelly, right?

They should, but it’s not always the case for many nonprofit organizations. As marketing in the nonprofit community has evolved, many organizations have mistakenly believed that Marketing and Development should somehow exist separately.

When these two departments are siloed or one is ignored, both suffer at the organization’s expense. They need to complement one another, because when working properly, theirs is a symbiotic relationship, vital to overall organizational health.

When Marketing and Development Work Together

Marketing and Development should work hand-in-hand, with marketing helping raise awareness and attracting donors to a ministry, and development cultivating those donors into long-term relationships. Marketing is more than asking for money or a financial transaction; it helps provide the on-ramp for the opportunity to engage with a ministry in a long-term, tangible way—often, a first step in developing a new donor.   

The Marketing – Development relationship forms an infinite circle of activity. Development Departments recruit donors and raise funds that support organizational programs. Through these programs, lives are changed. Marketing then uses these stories and images of success to promote the organization. This outreach attracts more money and new donors for Development to, well, develop.  

Development and Marketing need one another. Take away one department and the other loses its efficacy, which means inevitable demise for the organization as a whole.

But, what happens when these departments actually work together? Your nonprofit will thrive by:

• Achieving organizational goals more quickly and efficiently
• Presenting a consistent message to all audiences on every communication channel, which builds credibility and trust
• Telling the story of your organization more fully (using examples from the Development side while effectively reaching new audiences, thanks to the Marketing folks)

Marketing and Development departments should be intentional about coming together on a regular basis to collaborate on shared projects, review goals, celebrate wins, and identify opportunities for improvement. Making the health of this inter-departmental relationship a priority for your organization is crucial for nonprofits that want to enjoy continued growth and viability.