Yours, Mine, Ours – The Collaboration Between Marketing and Development

In the majority of businesses or organizations, different departments have different goals, different priorities and different ways of reaching them.  Unfortunately, many times, departments are like silos – where communication and collaboration is lacking.  Working like that sets each of those departments and the organization, as a whole, up for failure.

Why not work together?  It could be lack of resources, lack of direction, lack of understanding that each department has more in common than people think. Take nonprofit marketing and development departments.  It may seem like they don’t have much in common or that they are in competition.  

After all, Marketing and Communications are all about the message, while Development is all about the money, right?

This overwhelming urge to separate the two departments is not only bound to cause miscommunication in the office, but it can prevent nonprofits from reaching their audiences effectively and efficiently.

The Departments that Work Together…

While smaller operations may have a lot of crossover between staff handling marketing and communications and those fundraising, there should be an understanding of how entwined the departments should be.

Marketing, Development and Programs need to work together.  Think of them like a tri-pod, without the full support of one of the departments, the whole thing falls down. 

Really, it’s a cycle. Development Departments raise funds that support the nonprofit’s programs. The programs provide success stories, impact, and statistics to show progress and the Marketing and Communications Department takes these stories and results and uses them to promote the organization. Marketing reaches out to the public, attracting new donors and fundraisers for Development to prospect. Etc.

Give and Take

Smart nonprofits know that when Marketing and Development work together, both departments benefit. So, here’s how these different sections of the organization can help each other out.

Have a Unified Plan

The organization as a whole should have a strategic plan and each department has its role in carrying that plan out.  Each department should have a plan as well, but they should work alongside the other departments’ plan.  It just makes sense.

For example, if Development wants to hold a pop-up, fundraising dinner how are they going to market it?  They need to work alongside Marketing to develop the best messaging and avenues to spread the word.    If people don’t know the organization or its events exist or the STORY, development will have a hard time making the ‘sale’.

Share Your Goals

The whole point of this collaboration is for both sides to achieve their goals more efficiently.  To do that, you need to be on the same page. Both departments need to know about fundraising goals, major PR opportunities, and brand awareness. Pay special attention to the areas where your goals overlap so you can work together.

Find a Common Voice

If Marketing is trying to emphasize fun and hope while Development is appealing to address an urgent need, your audience will notice the discord. Development must be privy to and have input in the overarching communications strategy to ensure donors and other supporters receive a consistent message from the organization.  Basically, the left hand needs to know what the right hand is doing and why.

Share Stories and Real Estate

Both Marketing and Development need impact stories to reach their audience and achieve their goals. This is an obvious point for collaboration. Furthermore, Development can provide exciting news for marketing when they have a successful fundraising campaign or forge a new partnership.

The Marketing Department can also give Development the exposure it needs to reach new donors, perhaps by offering some room on the organization’s homepage. While Marketing may want to devote most of its collateral to impact and powerful images, Development knows that acknowledging donors is extremely important. Think of your website and social media as something to build and grow together, not property to be divided.

Marketing and Development Departments are forever entwined. They depend on each other for success, but they will find success faster if they collaborate and support each other.

Marketing and Development must get along.

To make sure you are always on the same page, try to get both departments together once a month. That way you can plan to support and promote each other, especially when an event or initiative is on the horizon.

Need help developing a strategic plan that benefits Marketing AND Development?  Contact SK Consulting.  From Concept. To Creation. To Implementation.  We’re there with you every step of the way!