Every charity or nonprofit that seeks money (or members, visitors, clients or customers) — and every consultant or agency serving nonprofits — faces competition.
It can be direct — EDF vs NRDC, Duke vs Stanford, Convio vs Blackbaud, Save the Children vs Worldvision — between organizations doing essentially the same thing in the same way.
Or it can be indirect — the local performing arts center vs the museum, the local food bank vs the homeless shelter, the cancer group vs the heart group.
There are two critically important things to do vis-a-vis your competition — differentiate from them and learn from them.
The Agitator has written plenty about differentiating. Here’s one example and another, but Search "differentiate" and you’ll find plenty more.
Today, I’m emphasizing the learning part. I’m inspired by this accolade given by Bill Gates to arch-rival Steve Jobs on a recent CNBC special.
Here’s a suggestion … identify your most effective competitor, and study the hell out of them. You can bet that Gates studies Jobs, and vice versa.
The point isn’t simply to copy from them, although by all means, if you see them doing something more successfully than you are, figure out how that practice, tactic or approach might work for you (what Roger calls "shamelessly stealing"). It always pays to leverage what your competitors have already learned.
Incidentally, as you study your competitor closely, you should also identify the key point(s) of differentiation between your organization and theirs. Hopefully, yours offer some comparative advantage. Hone in on those. Make sure you both practice and communicate them clearly and consistently.
Learn and differentiate … they go hand in hand.
Tom
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Tom, thanks for making this very important point. All too often, I find nonprofit organizations stuck in a long-gone world where organizations are perceived as non-competitors.
The fact is, although many causes are good ones, all organizations are competing for attention, time, donations, volunteer time and program participation. Most individuals have to make a choice on the organizations(s) to get involved with. That’s reality, and that’s where clear and meaningful differentiation has a powerful role.
Best,
Nancy
So very true. However one must make sure that the differentiation is not in promotion but in practice. So many of us know the differences and agencies market them but it seems that following them becomes a bit more problematic. “Say what you do and do what you say.”
My comment isn’t on today’s Agitator…it’s on a piece of direct mail. I just got a direct mail piece from “The Resource Alliance Development House” — for the next IFC conference. I am quite sure I was targeted because I am a fundraising and communication professional — so — I think I’m in their target audience.
The package is really embarassing–absolutely cheesy artwork (like a pirate’s map), an impossible to read “pirate-y” font, and, yes, as if all of that wasn’t enough, I figured it had to be in the piece somewhere — the letter ends with a pirate noise “Gar!!!”
One of the worst parts — a cheap compass and a pirate eye patch came on a separate card in the package (which was very beaten up in the US mail). Quadriga Art designed and manufactured the package — so — I am quite sure that this is supposed to be a “sales” piece for them.
The IFC must have agreed to this and signed off on it — boy-oh-boy it cheapens my view of them. In my eyes, right now, I’ve got the IFC and their international conference “walking the plank…”
Lisa Bonds
VP, External Relations
LWR
Tom, I’m in full agreement with my two sector colleagues, Nancy Schwartz and Jim McLachlan, on the points they made. I, too, think you raised an important issue here, and I also agree with your premise and the viewpoints covered in your cited sources.
To paraphrase Jim’s final assertion, correctly, I believe: you must walk the walk, and not just talk the talk!
However, I would suggest another important dimension to be considered in all of this truth. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE (CONSTITUENCY) WELL! Speak truthfully and particularly clearly to the core of your constituency — those who know you best, are most loyal to your mission, and are the most generous donors to your cause — and be certain to differentiate yourself in words and deeds from your competition in the eyes of that core group.
Most individuals have their own preferences and inclinations in terms of the types of causes toward which they will gravitate and which they will support. While all organizations want to get the attention and promote the interest and potential support of the larger audience, it’s those who are your most faithful advocates that always matter most.