Why Not Just Ask?

There is a lot of talk of borrowing for-profit marketing tactics to promote nonprofit causes. Not everything the corporate world does is transferable, but many organizations have benefited from applying marketing expertise in nonprofit settings. One of the most valuable and, sadly, least borrowed marketing tactic is market research. For example, Marketers Making a Difference met with Cambridge Cares About AIDS to discuss their new name. I’m not announcing any spoiler, I don’t actually know the new name. We helped them think through how to launch their new identity.

One of their chief concerns was how to choose a name that matches their current and future identity without alienating their most important historical supporters. I asked if they had asked their key supporters for input on the new name and they said they had not. What a great idea? Why not ask your most influential supporters for their opinion? You will probably end up with better ideas and you make your key supporters feel important.

I think that nonprofits overlook this kind of opportunity for input all the time. Market research can be a long, complicated, and expensive project or it can simply be making a few phone calls. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. Nonprofits have an advantage over corporations in that your constituents are much more likely to want to talk to you. You already have a head start. If you want to get some “quick and dirty” input, here are some pitfalls to avoid:

* Sample bias – don’t assume that all constituents are alike. Some input can be worse than none at all if you talk to only a few people and assume that they represent everyone. Think about who you are talking to and what segment of your constituents they do and do not represent. Use your one-on-one conversations to develop theories that you can test on a wider audience.

* Interviewer bias – the answers you get can be influenced by who’s asking the questions. It’s human nature to want to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or to look important in front of other important people. So, if you want input on your volunteer programs, you might not want your director of volunteer administration asking all the questions.

* Ignoring input – if you’re going to start asking for input, be prepared to use it. This doesn’t mean you have to do everything someone tells you to, but it does mean you have to be prepared to hear and respond to news you may not like. Also, take credit for it when you do make a change in response to constituent feedback. Make sure your supporters know you are being responsive.