Last Wednesday, John Davidoff, Founder and Managing Director of Davidoff Communications spoke at the October meeting of the Chicago Philanthropy Club. The title of his talk,“Mission-Driven Marketing for Recessionary Times,” sought to highlight some of the challenges currently facing the nonprofit community and how they can dynamically respond to them using some of Davidoff Communications’ strategies.

John emphasized that today’s economic recession provides a unique opportunity through which positive change can occur for nonprofit organizations. This change, he argues, is necessitated by uncertain economic times: to survive in the new economy and remain relevant to donors, constituents and customers organizations must evolve their old ways of thinking. “You’re either evolving and progressing to meet new demands or you’re slipping,” John stated. Even some of Davidoff’s largest and most prestigious nonprofit clients are feeling the pinch, he went on to say. “They’re feeling the pressure of newer, younger, more progressive organizations coming in.” This is where the tenets of Mission-Driven Marketing come into play – assisting nonprofits to reassess not only their marketing message, but how their entire organization approaches and utilizes the larger mission to drive new business, new donations, brand awareness, and increase overall efficiency and effectiveness in reaching their goals.

John acknowledged that transformation does not often come easy, nor does it occur without diligence and persistence. To provide attendees with some immediate action steps, he offered a road map for Mission-Driven Marketing:

1. Identify and remove internal organizational barriers to success
2. Shift your attitude: Leave the tin cup at home
3. Conduct a mission audit to find out how well your entire organization understands itself
4. Train your employees to be ambassadors for your organization
5. Know yourself
6. Know your competition
7. Play a game you can win
8. Diversify your thinking…listen to the outliers
9. Define and orient towards principal-based operations and project management (e.g. we strive to achieve excellence in every aspect of our operations)
10. Address the generation gap as the baby boomers begin to lose their dominance
11. Nurture a leadership perspective of compelling discontent
12. Position your organization as the subject matter expert
13. Don’t expect a savior. Plan to work hard and work smart.

By sharing his unique perspective – beginning with his first steps into philanthropic work at age 10 running Muscular Dystrophy Association carnivals in his back yard, based upon his successful tenure in the advertising world, and continuing on to this day with his drive to be the nationally recognized thought-leader on Mission-Driven Marketing – John delivered to attendees valuable insights on how Mission-Driven Marketing can support their organizations to create opportunity and new growth.

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