Latina Marketing Leader Transfers Her Skills
Latina businesswoman with transferable marketing and strategy skills represent a boon for nonprofit businesses.
Anyone who knows my business background seems surprised to have heard about my involvement in the not for profit sector. And so, I am often asked how and why did you do it? I was fortunate to have worked for several Fortune 100 companies e.g. Citibank, Avon Products, Ingram Micro and General Motors.
I remember always being the first Hispanic, or Latina businesswoman or Spanish speaking person at every entity. They were good years, good times, during which I learned so much. Like many others, one day you are called in and advised that your division is being eliminated. I never went through an angry phase as I genuinely believe that everything happens according to God’s plan. If one door closes, there is a reason why and another door will eventually open.
Unemployment was at an all-time high during the recession and even though there are signs of improvement, if we are honest with ourselves, we would admit that we know of someone who was/is unemployed. The corporate sector seemed to be cutting positions at a rapid rate
Consider the nonprofit sector
I grew up in a family that had always served in the community; that is, we participated in church and/or community related events, we helped neighbors in need, etc. And so, it was ingrained in me early to care about others.
Hence, throughout my professional career I always found myself involved with community based and not for profit organizations. From participating in Junior Achievement, to Big Brothers Big Sisters to Hispanic related organizations to professional affiliations, I always found time to be involved. So, it was no surprise that after my departure from the corporate sector, I joined the Broward Center for the Performing Arts as Vice President of Marketing and Sales.
Yes, performing arts centers are nonprofits. I also became a member of The Soup Kitchen Board of Directors, a relationship that expanded in responsibility when I left the performing arts position.
A Growing Sector
According to the IRS, the growth of nonprofits in the United States has been 5% net year-over-year for the last five years. This means an average of nearly 100,000 new nonprofits have been started every year since 2017.
Nonprofits or not-for-profit are generally tax-exempt organizations and the IRS has identified 32 kinds. Most people think nonprofits are public charities, organizations active in the arts, education, health care, human services, and other areas to which donors can make tax-deductible contributions.
The sector, however, also includes advocacy organizations, labor unions, business and professional associations, social and recreational clubs, as well as a variety of others.
Not so Different
Most of my friends remain in the corporate sector and we find ourselves speaking about the differences between working for-profits and nonprofits. As far as I’m concerned, the only real difference between them is a financial/legal, one pays taxes and is allowed to distribute excess capital to employees and shareholders.
Colleagues would argue that non-profits also differ in culture, attitude, accountability, strategy and many other things. I would argue that these elements also exist in for profit organizations and may vary depending on size and industry. In other words, I found the culture at Citibank to be very different than Avon, than GM, etc.
I would admit that there is another difference between Nonprofits vs. For-Profits related more to being mission vs. performance driven; however, having been exposed to several organizations within the nonprofit sector, I would say that many can benefit from some performance components. For example, in the performing arts center, I was responsible for the brand, and for the marketing of over 600 events annually.
We created/executed brand guidelines ensuring our look and feel was consistently portrayed e.g. signage at the theater, promotional materials, advertising, digital, website, etc. In addition, we optimized the small budgets of the events by managing well the identification of target consumers, advertising plans, media buys, pricing, promotional materials, events, social media exposure, press releases, sales center, customer care, etc.
There was real accountability. But in addition, we were responsible for increasing the number of donors going for share of heart and growing membership.
We wore one hat which pushed product and another which created the need to bring in funding. I enjoyed my time tremendously at the Broward Center. It was exciting and I was always challenged to generate revenue from varied channels.
Benefits of Working with Nonprofits
The Soup Kitchen of Boynton Beach is also characterized as a nonprofit. It exists only through the generosity of the community as they receive no funding from local, county, state or federal governments.
While they too required branding work, their marketing efforts dealt more, again establishing a brand that connected with members of the community; consistently portraying the brand in all communication channels, developing a customer friendly website and a strong direct marketing program for fundraising. I personally believe nonprofits can benefit from employing individuals from the corporate sector. We seem to understand strategic planning/execution more and are inclined to measure results and think return on investment. Sadly, I found few that even had a five-year plan. No doubt there is an opportunity to improve operations.
From a marketing perspective both sectors have customers to reach. Obviously in the for-profit world there is the consumer, who purchases the goods or service; in the nonprofit world there is the individual who benefits from your goods or service; volunteers who you need to motivate to join your cause and donors who provide funding.
“Nearly 51% of the U.S. population age 16 and over, or 124.7 million people, informally helped their neighbors between September 2020 and 2021 at the height of the pandemic, according to the latest Volunteering and Civic Life in America research released today.
In response to a separate question, more than 23% of people in that age group, or 60.7 million, said they formally volunteered through an organization during the same period. Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, the 2021 data show trends in formal volunteering, informal helping, and other civic behaviors nationally, at the state level, and within the 12 largest metro areas.”
Whether you are employed or non-employed, I would encourage you also to volunteer. Identify a cause that you are passionate about or an organization you value and jump in. There are many benefits to volunteering. It’s a wonderful way for you to build or keep skills active, be challenged, make new friends, develop a career network, be an agent of change, build your resume, enhance your education etc.
There is also another reason to consider volunteering and/or working in a nonprofit — the opportunity you must create positive change in your community. It’s a wonderful feeling, to be part of progressing the organization’s efforts and helping members in the community.
It does not get any better than that! Knowing that what you do is making a difference.
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