Taproot-Marketing-Literacy-with-Bob-Adler-on-page 52

for the Nonprofit Sector
A joint project from
Presented by
MARKETING LITERACY
Why Marketing Professionals Make Great Board Members

THIS PROJECT WAS FUNDED BY CHEVRON.
BoardSource and the Taproot Foundation appreciate Chevron’s deep commitment to building the
capacity of the nonprofit sector through this and other projects
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marketing literacy for the nonprofit sector : why marketing professionals make
great board members / by BoardSource.
p. cm.
"A Joint Project of BoardSource and the Taproot Foundation."
ISBN 1-58686-121-2
1. Nonprofit organizations--Marketing. 2. Marketing--Social aspects. 3.
Nonprofit organizations--Manangement. 4. Social service--Marketing. I.
BoardSource (Organization) II. Taproot Foundation.
HF5415.M2196 2010
658.8--dc22
2010044458
© 2011 BoardSource and Taproot Foundation.
First Printing, November 2010
ISBN 1-58686-121-2
Published by BoardSource
1828 L Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036

TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD FROM CHEVRON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . III
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V
Aaron Hurst, President and Founder of
Taproot Foundation, and board member, BoardSource
About Marketing Literacy for the Nonprofit Sector:
Why Marketing Professionals Make Great Board Members . . . . . . . . . 1
PART ONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
For Marketing Professionals:
Introduction to Nonprofit Boards and the Nonprofit Sector
PART TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
For Boards and Chief Executives:
How Nonprofit Boards Can Benefit from Including
Marketing Professionals
APPENDIX 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Interview Subjects for This Project
APPENDIX 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Survey Methodology and Results:
The Marketing Professional and Board Service
APPENDIX 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Understanding Marketing
Appendix 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
The Strange and Wonderful Chemistry of the Boardroom
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
© 2011 BoardSource and Taproot Foundation MARKETING LITERACY FOR THE NONPROFIT SECTOR i

At Chevron, we have an unwavering commitment to being a good partner
focused on building productive, collaborative, trusting, and beneficial
relationships with governments, other companies, our customers, our
communities, and each other. That’s why we are so delighted to partner with
BoardSource and Taproot on this important project: to help connect qualified,
interested marketing professionals with nonprofit boards — the quintessential
community service.
In this handbook, you will learn about the nonprofit sector — how it exists solely
for the social benefit; how important it is to our national well-being, and how
there is so much more to be done, especially in these turbulent times. You will
learn how the boards of directors of these organizations — unpaid volunteers
who believe passionately in the mission of the organization they serve —
comprise a strategic force for good as they oversee the organization’s activities,
set direction for its future, and ensure the sufficiency of its resources.
And who are these board members? Ordinary people like you, and like us.
People who care and who want to give something back to their communities.
They do important work with limited resources. With this project, Taproot and
BoardSource have teamed up to discover how more people with needed,
professional skills might be inspired to fulfill that desire, by serving on nonprofit
boards.
It is our fond hope that, whether you are a marketing professional who is
wondering whether nonprofit board service might be a good fit for you, or a
board member or executive of a nonprofit organization seeking committed,
passionate people to serve on your board, you will find the answers in this slim
handbook, and make the connection that will help move the sector forward.
Your commitment to the betterment of society is evidenced just by picking up
this book. May it make a difference!
Thank you.
Matt Lonner
Manager, Global Partnership and Programs
Chevron
FOREWORD FROM CHEVRON
© 2011 BoardSource and Taproot Foundation MARKETING LITERACY FOR THE NONPROFIT SECTOR iii

I started the Taproot Foundation in 2001 with a vision to ensure all nonprofits
had access to the quality pro bono services they need to thrive. As a social
entrepreneur working to build an organization that could have a measurable
impact in our society, I faced many challenges. One of the greatest ones was
getting the word out about the important work I believed (and of course, still
believe) we had embarked upon.
Nearly every nonprofit thinks it is the best-kept secret. They are doing amazing
work and if only more people knew them and really understood the impact of
their work...you know the drill. The funny thing is that they are all right (well,
nearly all). The nonprofit sector collectively is America’s best kept-secret.
Far too few Americans know about the issues facing their communities and the
heroic nonprofits battling them every day. Many nonprofit boards are
mismanaging one of their greatest assets — their story. The cost to a nonprofit
for this disconnect is hard to calculate, but it surely can be counted in donations
not made, people not engaged in service, and clients not served.
But the cost is much greater to society — the “shareholders” of every nonprofit.
Here, the loss may be counted in ineffective public policy and a population that
struggles to adapt to address critical social, cultural, economic, and
environmental challenges.
For decades, nonprofit boards have worked to become financially literate and
have refined the process to govern an organization’s fiscal performance.
It is time to build the “marketing literacy” of nonprofit boards. Marketing, after all,
is not so much a business function as it is a social function. And it is time for it to
better serve the social sector.
That’s why I am proud to be partnering with BoardSource and Chevron to call
on the marketing profession to embrace board service. Every nonprofit needs a
marketing voice at the board table to ensure its story is heard, in addition to the
financial and human resources it needs to thrive.
With the leadership of the marketing profession, one day soon the story of the
nonprofit sector will be told. It will help connect Americans with their values and
aspirations for their communities, the nation, and the world. Whether you are a
marketing professional who wonders what nonprofit board service might be
about or a nonprofit board member who wonders how a marketing professional
might aid you in telling your organization’s story, I urge you to join me in
helping to make this critical connection.
MAKE IT MATTER.
Aaron Hurst
President & Founder
Taproot Foundation
INTRODUCTION
© 2011 BoardSource and Taproot Foundation MARKETING LITERACY FOR THE NONPROFIT SECTOR v

HOW TO READ THIS BOOK
TO THE MARKETING PROFESSIONAL
You have the most fascinating profession in the world. Your specialty is
communicating — a brand, an idea, a message — and making sure that the
communication is received, accepted, and even celebrated in the marketplace.
As a marketing professional, your reach is everywhere.
But is it, indeed, everywhere? With this small book, we’d like to introduce you to
the world of nonprofits and in particular, the boards of nonprofits, where your
talents and expertise will be invaluable. They need you.
Find out why in Part One, For Marketing Professionals: Introduction to
Nonprofit Boards and the Nonprofit Sector.
TO THE BOARD AND STAFF OF NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
Nobody knows better than you that nonprofits need great boards to help them
with their strategic direction, ensure they have the resources to take the
organization in that direction, and oversee their progress. Great board members
come from all areas and possess a myriad of knowledge and competencies. But
one professional skill that has been largely overlooked when boards seek new
members is MARKETING. Marketing professionals, who run the gamut from self-
employed marketing consultants to vice presidents of large corporations, all
share one thing in common: They focus on communicating the value of an
organization. These folks make engaged, focused, and knowledgeable board
members. You need them.
Find out how what marketing professionals can do in Part Two, For
Boards and Chief Executives: How Nonprofit Boards Can Benefit from
Including Marketing Professionals.
© 2011 BoardSource and Taproot Foundation MARKETING LITERACY FOR THE NONPROFIT SECTOR 1

WHY HAVE WE BROUGHT YOU TOGETHER?
The purpose of this handbook is to connect these two incredibly important
groups: leaders of nonprofit organizations who need creative, insightful board
members who understand that the mission of an organization must be artfully
articulated and communicated and its reputation carefully guarded, and
marketing professionals who live and breathe that understanding every single
day.
We believe it’s a match that’s long overdue.
Any organization, whether for-profit or nonprofit, is only as successful as its
reputation. In the nonprofit world, where resources are typically extremely
limited, messaging is often erratic, inconsistent, or nonexistent. New media
technologies require new and integrated strategies that utilize social media;
brand messaging placement; “product” placement, which in the nonprofit sector
may be “service” placement; and creative media partnerships.
Who is giving nonprofits that help? For organizations that have marketing staff,
certainly that staff is their first line of assistance. Smaller organizations that may
not have marketing staff may utilize volunteers, either board members or pro
bono volunteers who offer their assistance on large projects such as a
rebranding exercise or demographic analysis. But, these projects are by their
nature managerial and are best suited for staff. Where the board of most
organizations comes in is in an advisory capacity. Why do many, if not most,
boards think “we need a lawyer and a financial expert on our board” and
overlook other professionals like marketing? A nonprofit organization has a brand
and a reputation just like any other organization; a marketing professional on the
board will raise the vital importance of seeing through the marketing lens —
thereby raising the entire board’s level of what we’re calling “marketing literacy.”
This handbook gives an overview of the nonprofit sector and board service, and
shows, through the results of a survey and interviews with marketing
professionals, that the skills and competencies of this group comprise an ideal fit
for nonprofit boards.
Board members come to nonprofits through a variety of onramps, but especially
through volunteerism. BoardSource’s partner in this project, the Taproot

4 MARKETING LITERACY FOR THE NONPROFIT SECTOR © 2011 BoardSource and Taproot Foundation
Foundation, specializes in a particular form of volunteerism: pro bono
service. In addition to raising the level of marketing literacy for the board,
another great value of having marketing professionals on the board is to help
secure pro bono marketing resources. This book also tells you how to secure
these important resources to build marketing capacity.
It is our hope that boards will begin to recognize the value of broadening
the “literacies” on their boards, to include the critical one — marketing
literacy — which we introduce with this project, and that nonprofit
professionals will recognize that nonprofit board service is a valuable outlet
for their talents, their interests, and their altruism.
The time is now. The nonprofit sector faces challenges like never before —
with increased need for services and decreased financial resources. The
sector cannot afford not to leverage the strengths of individuals who are
talented, willing, and able to make a difference.
Marketing professionals and nonprofit boards: Come
together, right now.

PART ONE:
FOR MARKETING PROFESSIONALS
Introduction to Nonprofit Boards and
the Nonprofit Sector

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS...
...span a wide spectrum of mission areas, resources,
values, history, and stakeholders — from small, local
homeless shelters to large, international trade
associations; from community foundations operating
within a geographic region to educational institutions
that attract students from around the country.
Nonprofits are a vibrant, essential element of our social
landscape. They struggle to reduce poverty and bring an
end to homelessness. They strive to build safe places to
learn and play, create inspiring art and music, and
protect natural resources.
A lot of the work of nonprofits is done by volunteers,
folks from all walks of life who feel passionate about
what the nonprofit does. And there are many, many
ways to express that passion.

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT THE NONPROFIT SECTOR
1. MISSION is the motive, not money. There are no shareholders or owners
of the organizations in nonprofits.
2. Nonprofit organizations exist to serve a social purpose, a constituency, or a
cause. They are NOT prohibited from creating excess revenue over
expenses, but any surplus must be used to support the organization’s
mission.
3. Nonprofit funding may come from just a handful of sources, like a
foundation, or from an array of charitable contributions, membership
dues, grants, fees from programs and services, and more.
4. The sector goes by many names: the not-for-profit sector, the third sector,
the independent sector, the philanthropic sector, the voluntary sector, or
the social sector. Outside the United States, nonprofits are called
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or civil society organizations.
5. The sector is HUGE. In 2009, there were more than 1.7 million tax-exempt
nonprofit organizations registered with the IRS under the 501(C) tax code.
About 70 percent of those are public charities. And most of them are
nonprofit corporations also governed by state laws.
6. The tax designation for a public charity is 501(C)(3), meaning these
organizations are tax exempt; therefore, you can donate to them and take
a charitable deduction off your taxes.
7. There is accountability. Regardless of their level of revenue, all tax-exempt
organizations are required to file reports annually with the IRS.
8. Religious organizations are also public charities but they’re not required to
register with the IRS. Although, about half of the country’s estimated
350,000 religious organizations do.
9. In 2008, the nonprofit organizations in this country employed 10.5
percent of the country’s work force—close to ten million paid workers.
10. All nonprofits must have a governing board. Sometimes the board
members are called directors, sometimes trustees.
In case you didn’t notice, MISSION is the number one thing. Every nonprofit
has a mission, and everyone who works with a nonprofit —staff, volunteers,
and board of directors — needs to CARE about that mission. Passionately.

WHY DO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
NEED BOARDS?
There are legal, ethical, and practical reasons to build a board when a nonprofit
is created. These reasons shape the foundation for good governance.
LEGAL REASONS
State laws require that nonprofit corporations have a board to assume the
fiduciary role for the organization’s well-being. These laws assign overall
responsibility and liability to that board. In addition to the board’s responsibilities
as a governing body, individual board members are bound by their legal
obligations: the duties of care, loyalty, and obedience. The articles of
incorporation and bylaws define the internal authority within the nonprofit and
clarify the board’s role on top of the decision-making hierarchy.
Federal law is less specific about board structure, but it does expect the board to
serve as the gatekeeper for the organization. When applying for recognition of
tax-exempt status, board members for a nonprofit must be listed to allow the IRS
to determine whether proper oversight has been established.
ETHICAL REASONS
The board functions, in part, to assure the public and all stakeholders that the
organization is in good hands. It assumes responsibility for the organization’s
achievements or lack thereof. It goes beyond the legal requirements to ensure
that the organization not only does things right, but does the right thing.
The board acts as the agent for the organization’s constituents. Board members
are not there to benefit personally from their affiliation; during decision making
they are expected to place the interests of the organization above any other
considerations. Oversight is the board’s primary duty. It works closely with
management to ensure that goals are met and that ethical principles guide all
activities.
PRACTICAL REASONS
A board is made up of individuals who, at one time or another, dedicate their
efforts to help the organization get its work done. Detached from daily affairs,
the board is able to differentiate the trees from the forest — to look at the
organization as part of its larger sphere and not just as an office that carries out
the strategic plan. Individuals come and go, but the board as an entity remains.
When good practices are institutionalized, the changing of the guard does not
adversely affect the good work that has been accomplished.

TEN BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES
OF NONPROFIT BOARD MEMBERS
1. Determine mission and purposes. Why does the organization exist? Whom
does it serve?
2. Select the chief executive. Arguably one of the most important roles: the board
delegates management of the organization to the chief executive.
3. Support and evaluate the chief executive. Develop a strategic partnership, and
hold the executive’s feet to the fire.
4. Ensure effective planning. Is the organization on track? Where will it be next
year? In three years? Ten?
5. Monitor and strengthen programs and services. Bring your expertise to the
table. What’s working well? How is the organization delivering on its mission?
6. Ensure adequate financial resources. Examine both sides of the coin: both
earned and contributed revenue (if the organization raises money; not all do).
7. Protect assets and provide financial oversight. Make sure all the finances are in
order. Be a prudent fiduciary.
8. Build a competent board. This is an ongoing process. The board should always
be the RIGHT board for the organization it oversees, with a well-targeted range
of perspectives and competencies.
9. Ensure legal and ethical integrity. Comply with the laws and go above and
beyond in ethical standards. It will return to you, and to the organization, a
thousandfold.
10. Enhance the organization’s public standing. Be a mission ambassador. Keep
confidential matters confidential while eagerly advocating for the organization.
Source: Excerpted from Richard T. Ingram, Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, Second
Edition. BoardSource, 2009.

“GOVERNANCE” IS NOT
THE SAME AS “MANAGEMENT.”

Without a doubt, the board is accountable for what the organization does.
Board members must answer to the stakeholders the nonprofit serves, to
funders, and to the public. To carry out their governance roles to the fullest
extent, board members should do the following:
Understand the respective roles of board and staff. Distinguishing what is
strategic — the board’s role — and what is administrative — the staff’s role —
helps keep each party focused on its responsibilities. Board members who
become involved in operations tend to lose objectivity about personnel,
programs, and organizational performance. And chief executives who attempt to
control policy development through withholding of critical information or sheer
force of personality get in the way of board decision making.
Defining these boundaries sounds easier than it is. The responsibility for fund
development, for example, may rest with a staff member — but board members
are expected to play a significant role in that area. If an organization is
experiencing internal turmoil or transition, the board may exert its leadership by
implementing policy as well as developing it — but it should accept such a
hands-on role only as an interim measure.
Board oversight should not be confused with board interference. While boards
are accountable for an organization’s decisions, they are not responsible for
managing the programs or the people who carry out those decisions. To clarify
the distinction, the board and chief executive should openly discuss their roles
and agree upon where to draw the line in each case. The discussion should be
ongoing: Roles are sure to change as the organization evolves, grows, ages, and
reinvents itself.
There’s a line between governance and management. Not a bright line, but a
line nevertheless. And it’s not always easy for a board to see that line. When
boards overstep the line between governance and management, they can easily
become MICROMANAGERS.
A micromanaging board steps out of its governance role and gets caught up in
the operations of the organization. It forgets that the chief executive is
responsible for daily management according to the guidelines set by the board.
Micromanaging boards want to both set strategic direction AND actively oversee
the implementation of the details.
Boards that draw the line will do a better job at their top three roles:
• setting organizational direction
• ensuring necessary resources
• providing oversight
There is an EXCEPTION to this rule, for organizations that have no paid staff,
known as all-volunteer organizations. Boards of these organizations will act as
both volunteer managers and board members. In most nonprofits, as soon as
the situation allows, the board hires the first staff member — often a chief
executive — and delegates the daily affairs to him or her, with the necessary
support and guidance. At this point the board can devote its time to governing,
providing direction, and ensuring that the mission of the organization stays on
course.

THE NEED FOR “LITERACIES” ON THE BOARD
To help boards make the best decisions possible, they need diversity of thought,
perspective, demographics, background, experience, and most important of all,
competence. Boards seek members who have the competence they know they
need: legal expertise, perhaps; but almost always accounting or financial
expertise.
FINANCIAL LITERACY
All board members are expected to have, or obtain once on the board, “financial
literacy.” The accountant or financial expert on the board is expected to weigh in
with special authority on matters of money, and by teaching and example, raise
the level of financial literacy of the board. That individual is a fully functioning
member of the board and involved in all aspects of board work, but might, for
example, be an exceptionally fine audit committee chair, or investment
committee member, thereby utilizing his or her special expertise to full
advantage, while sharing it with the board.
INTRODUCING MARKETING LITERACY
Can anyone argue that the reputation of an organization is an asset on a par
with its financial assets? As a marketing professional, you understand the
importance of that reputation, and as a board member, would raise awareness
of it as one of the most critical organizational resources to be understood,
nurtured, and overseen by the board.
That’s why a marketing professional makes an ideal nonprofit board member: not
to perform marketing functions for the nonprofit, but to help the rest of the
board understand how important marketing is, in all its forms — reputation and
crisis management, marketing communications, organizational messaging, and
branding. To raise the level of the board’s…you guessed it…marketing literacy,
just as the financial expert raises its level of financial literacy. And why not?
Nonprofits need to market their messages just as much as any other kind of
organization. No message, no money.
Marketing literacy. You have it. Every board needs it.
Ninety-five percent of marketing professionals serving on boards said it was
important to have an opportunity to share their marketing expertise with their
organization.

FOUR WAYS MARKETING PROFESSIONALS CAN
HELP A NONPROFIT
In the classic movie, “Fame” (not to be confused with the 2009 remake), Irene
Cara asked the musical question: “Sometimes I wonder where I’ve been, who I am,
do I fit in?” Professionals ask themselves this question for many reasons. Maybe
they are looking for a way to “give back” to their community. Maybe they are
looking to meet new people — for personal or professional reasons. Maybe they
are looking for a way to hone their professional skills.
Enter the nonprofit sector. There are four main ways for a professional to fit into
the sector, and they are not mutually exclusive. All of the quotes are from
professionals who have worked with nonprofits in various capacities.
BOARD SERVICE The highest level of volunteer engagement; participating in the
strategic planning, oversight and development of the organization
“From a professional standpoint, my board service is giving me a look into a whole area
of business I knew nothing about — nonprofits — how they are run, what the
differences are between for-profit and nonprofit arenas. In for-profits, both parties
make money; in nonprofits, you need to appeal for the help of so many more individuals
— community, government, donors. So, learning how to make a case for the
organization and mission and convincing people to support what you need has been quite
an experience.”
PRO BONO SERVICE Using your professional skills for free for a project or on an
ongoing basis (contributing your expertise in accounting, marketing, or HR)
“Human capital is a horrible thing to waste. Too often nonprofits struggle with limited
or no access to technicians that can enable their cause.”
SKILLED VOLUNTEERISM Performing a service for the nonprofit that not everyone
could do (tutoring at an after-school program)
“Volunteering is a phenomenal way to build your career portfolio. Based on my
experience in conjunction with nonprofit volunteer work, I now have enough specific
skills on my résumé to meet the requirements of a new job position.”
HANDS-ON VOLUNTEERISM Short-term projects that don’t require specialized skills
(beach cleanup, serving food at a local shelter)
“Any kind of exposure to nonprofits we can provide to our employees is valuable;
encouraging individual employees to involve their teams here with their own volunteer
work with nonprofits is something we want to see more of.”

Taproot Foundation created this diagram for their work with corporations to
show the relationship between the various methods of service, employees
engaged, and the corresponding magnitude of impact. As an individual, this
could be useful when considering the range of volunteer activities you could
participate in, and their short and long term impact on the organization and
issue.

TEN WAYS MARKETING PROFESSIONALS
CAN DRIVE IMPACT FOR A BOARD
While all marketing professionals — from marketing generalists, market
researchers, brand managers, advertising executives — absolutely can bring the
following things to nonprofit boards, it is critical to the understanding of
nonprofit governance that no board member is ever on the board to do just one
thing — board service is not a “job.”
Board service offers board members a wealth of opportunities, and board
colleagues want and expect each other’s full commitment and intellect as the
board discusses and engages in wildly diverse topics: the strategic value of
current programs; whether or not to buy a building; the organization’s financial
position and investments; whether to merge with another nonprofit with a
similar mission; developing a fundraising policy for the board…ad infinitum. All
board members should be fully engaged in those discussions.
Of course, there are many different marketing specialties and not all marketing
professionals engage in all marketing activities. One of our survey respondents
told us, “Some people think, ‘I have a marketing person on my board; they can
do PR.’ However, the field of marketing is wide and the skill sets are different.
Make sure that your marketing person matches the gap in skills that you need on
the board.” We have generalized here, with the understanding that not all
marketing professionals can do all marketing, branding, or PR tasks. Please see
Appendix 3 to learn more about marketing professionals.
What all marketing professionals do have in common is bringing a specific and
highly valuable lens to the boardroom. Here are 10 ways a board can engage
and leverage the talents of a marketing professional. We’ve included comments
from survey respondents and interviewees about their own experiences.
Featured are quotes from marketing professionals we’ve interviewed about how
to best utilize marketing skill and expertise for a nonprofit organization.

No one knows better than you the
value of a positive reputation, nor
how easy it is to lose it. Closely
connected to the brand, a nonprofit’s
reputation is, essentially: How is the
organization delivering on that brand
in the mind of its many stakeholders
— funders, service recipients, other
nonprofits, the general public? Is there
a disconnect between the promise —
the mission — and the delivery — the
services provided, and HOW they are
provided? In today’s up-to-the-micro-
millisecond media environment, one
whiff of negativity can be repackaged,
re-Tweeted, blogged and linked and
linked again, before the organization
is even aware of the trigger incident
— a newspaper article; a lawsuit filed;
a random comment to a reporter; an
overheard conversation at a
conference.
As someone who has either studied
this phenomenon or lived it yourself,
you are less likely to be swayed by
personal feelings and biases and will
be able to encourage the organization
to maintain its messaging,
communications pieces, and
responses to media, etc., in a way that
is consistent with the organization’s
core strategy and brand.
As you’ve learned, one of the 10 basic
responsibilities of a board member is
to be an ambassador for the
organization, but the board might
need an occasional nudge. All board
members should be there because
they believe passionately in the
mission of the organization — you can
remind them that what they do, how
they act, and how they speak about
the organization reflects on the
organization and its reputation, either
positively or negatively. They say that a
reputation is what others think of us;
our character is what we really are.
You can use your influence to ensure
that the two are one and the same for
your board and organization.
“Organizational reputation is very important, especially in the nonprofit
space, where there is so much competition. Organizations are constantly
bombarding people for time, attention, and resources. A strong reputation is
essential to stand out.”
“MANAGE” THE
ORGANIZATION’S REPUTATION.
1

Key elements in meaningful,
successful, and clear strategic thinking
are the mission, vision, and values of
the organization. The mission guides
the organization today, a vision
statement reflects the impact of the
organization in the years to come,
and the values define the ethical
guidelines and standards that direct
all action.
There are particular times when it is
critical to articulate — or rearticulate
— an organization’s mission, vision,
and values — when the nonprofit is
new; when the board decides to
change the direction of the
organization; and when the message
needs to be refreshed because it has
gotten indistinct for some reason,
either through poor messaging or
mission drift.
While the messaging surrounding
these three important ideas may
collectively comprise the brand to the
outside world, internally they are very
different. The organization cannot
develop a brand without a laser-
focused mission statement. The
mission statement provides the basis
for judging the success of the
organization and its programs. It helps
to verify if the organization is on the
right track and making the right
decisions. You will bring an external or
audience lens to this discussion and
make sure that mission, vision, and
values statements appeal to, and
resonate with, all those being served
and who support the organization.
And to resonate well, the statements
have to be catchy. The ideas and final
wordsmithing may come from the
board or management — and
certainly must have buy-in from both
groups — but your skill with words
and crafting pithy statements and
taglines will come in extremely handy.
“Particularly with newer nonprofits, I see a great need to really set up a solid
mission and goals, and then have monthly reviews to ensure that they’re
following these. It’s way too easy for nonprofits to go off on different tangents
that don’t really move their organization forward. As well, having a succinct
mission makes development of a marketing plan or branding much easier and
more beneficial to the organization.”
HELP ARTICULATE AND REFRESH
THE ORGANIZATION’S MISSION,
VISION, AND VALUES.
2

Success in fundraising begins with
leadership, both from the board and
the chief executive. The board’s
fundraising responsibilities are directly
linked to the organization’s mission,
vision, and values.
Identifying and clarifying the vision
defines the agenda for the
organization’s future and justifies a
greater effort by the board. As you’ve
just learned, your expertise will be
critical in the vision-clarification
exercise, creating a foundation for a
strategic plan that will contain specific
goals and objectives to be
accomplished over a fixed period of
time.
In any situation where an organization
finds fundraising necessary, board
members should actively participate by
contributing time and effort, as well as
money, to emphasize their personal
commitment. Strong, direct evidence
of the board’s support — whether
through personal contacts, public
appearances or appeals, recognition
activities, and/or monetary
contributions — builds the case for
others to join in supporting the
organization’s mission and fulfilling its
vision. When the board demonstrates
its convictions, the public becomes
more likely to join in the effort.
As a communications professional, you
understand the importance of
compelling and appropriate
messaging and outreach for effective
resource development. If the board
has a development/fundraising
committee, your skills will be helpful
both to suggest strong, persuasive
messages that communicate your
organization’s value, as well as lending
a hand in suggesting channels to
communicate the messages and, like
all board members, connecting with
potential funders. If board members
are equipped with talking points or
scripts, they may feel more
comfortable making the “ask”; your
facility with words will be helpful here
as well.
Finally, while fundraising events
planning and management is
fundamentally a staff function, your PR
experience and media contacts can be
extremely useful and your willingness
to share them with staff well-
appreciated.
“I happen to be a ‘connector’ so I want to use my capabilities to help connect my
nonprofit with companies, individuals, and other organizations that can move
it forward.”
SERVE ON THE FUNDRAISING OR
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND/OR
HELP DEVELOP FUNDRAISING MESSAGING.
3

Nonprofits are not immune from
market forces just by virtue of their
social-benefit focus. In a crowded
marketplace, the organization must
stand out to attract the attention of
the media, potential funders, and
other stakeholders. One marketing
specialist told us, “Many times you
can’t tell what a nonprofit does by
their name. What a nonprofit does
and what they stand for needs to be
crystal clear.”
Probably your first class in marketing
or advertising communications was on
determining a client’s Value
Proposition, and understanding that
all planning, messaging, and outreach
would flow from that. The nonprofit
sector is no different. Certainly the
mission comes first, and all messages
flow from that. But so often the
challenge is that the organization
wants to do everything, and without
the laser focus provided by a branding
exercise, the mission message can get
lost.
As a marketing professional on the
board, perhaps the most important
thing you can do is to take the lead in
teaching the board about the
importance of your organization’s
brand and engage other stakeholders
in the process. Once there is buy-in on
the board, you can help the
organization select paid or pro bono
professionals to work with on the
branding exercise and provide internal
expertise to help guide and steer the
process, in conjunction with internal
marketing staff and any professionals
the board may choose.
You can advocate for the branding
exercise with the board and in
particular, advocate for the
organization to devote the resources
for it. Focus groups cost money.
“Branding is not just for external reasons — it pulls the organization together
— like a North Star.”
TAKE PART IN A
BRANDING EXERCISE.
4

No one makes plans better than a
marketer. Without a detailed road
map, marketing efforts can go
seriously awry. And the exercise of
creating the plan encompasses pretty
much everything from the 50,000-foot
view of the landscape — the market
— through development of the
strategies to focus and disseminate the
brand in that market, down to the
plethora of communication tactics on
the ground.
Organizational strategic planning is
akin to a marketing plan writ large,
and your skills and experience will
make you the perfect partner on the
board to help management with the
process. One specialized area where
your marketing skills will be particularly
valuable is in the study of
demographics, the data-driven analysis
of markets. For example, you can
assist management in identifying
which data points are most important
and how to capture that information,
helping to define the organization’s
markets. A systematic approach will
help keep the board from making
decisions based on tradition or
assumption.
One dirty secret of strategic planning
is that all organizations — whether for-
profit or nonprofit — are notorious
about engaging in the exercise of
developing a strategic plan, and then
promptly forgetting about it as the
realities of organizational busy-ness set
in. As a marketing professional, you
know that monitoring and evaluation
against the plan is the most critical
step to success, and your gentle
reminder to the board to this effect
would be, like all wake-up calls, not
exactly appreciated, but certainly
effective.
“If you think of a nonprofit like any other type of organization, with the
need to attract funding, clients, and volunteers…and if you have a budget of
a certain level, you are at the scale at which marketing expertise would
be very valuable. Through a strategy lens, you review whether or not you
are engaged in the right activities, using your resources in the best possible
way, how you are aligning your mission back to the way your resources are
deployed — are they in the best places?”
PARTICIPATE IN
STRATEGIC PLANNING.
5

What if nonprofits had access to the
same marketing resources as
corporations? Imagine how helpful
these might be in reputation building,
brand management or publicity for
the organization.
As a marketing professional, you have
the ability to help assess an
organization’s marketing needs and
suggest where pro bono could be of
most value. Setting the scope for the
engagement is a critical step. You can
then leverage relationships within your
marketing network or at your
company to help your nonprofit
address their most pressing marketing
needs. Seek out an internal functional
champion and find out who’s already
doing pro bono work within your
company. Determine the right fit —
perhaps a team of professionals
dedicated to developing a strong
brand strategy or key messages for the
organization, perhaps a coach or
mentor for the marketing manager, or
maybe a loaned employee dedicated
to a large-scale marketing project.
Finally, ensure there is proper support
for the engagement.
A few words of caution. Pro bono isn’t
free — it’s an investment of time,
energy and talent. Your nonprofit
must be ready to spend the time
necessary to support their pro bono
talent, and must understand that the
project will be done in “pro bono
time,” which is almost always slower
than paid consulting. If managed
effectively, pro bono has the potential
to infuse valuable resources and long-
lasting, invaluable relationships.
Remember, the role of a board
member is to help get your
organization the resources it needs,
and pro bono is no exception. Tap
your network, help scope the project,
screen the talent, and support the pro
bono engagement — but don’t
micromanage it. Use Taproot’s tools
listed in the Resources section of this
handbook to help your organization
get the pro bono resources it needs to
thrive.
“There’s always a need for pro bono. I’ve never met a nonprofit organization
that isn’t stretched beyond full capacity. Two pieces that are needed: 1) a
compelling case made for pro bono service to be provided to the nonprofit
organization; they need to be made aware of the necessity and the potential
value of a pro bono consulting engagement, and 2) both parties need to be
clear in contracting — what are the roles each side needs to play to have a
successful outcome. Nonprofit readiness is key.”
PROVIDE ACCESS TO PRO BONO
MARKETING RESOURCES.
6

As an expert on the board, you can
be a marketing advocate and help
your board colleagues — and
sometimes staff — understand the
value of marketing and external
communications. The board will turn
to you to bring an external or
audience lens to board discussions.
There is a fine line here, of course. As
a communications specialist, you’re
used to having words at your
command and may want to jump in
and develop marketing messages right
off the bat. At the board level,
however, that skill may be best
leveraged around the board table to
help your fellow board members
develop an “elevator speech” — an
interesting and compelling
explanation, delivered in less than a
minute, of the organization’s mission
and purpose.
It is likely that you have a few horror
stories from your day job about the
unintended consequences of off-the-
cuff statements, media ambushes, and
boneheaded public relations
nightmares. Board members need to
be reminded that whatever they utter
about the organization carries great
weight, whether intended or not.
Appointing one spokesperson for the
organization, usually the CEO or the
chair, is a great idea.
“Very few of these organizations have marketing staff, and as a result, very few
have a clear understanding of what marketing is (and is not). They also do not
understand what's involved (time, resources, discipline, focus) in embarking on a
marketing effort. It is important for board members with marketing expertise to
understand and anticipate those factors. A large part of what they will have to do
is explain, persuade, and advocate for a market-driven point of view. This can be
very frustrating if it’s not expected, but ultimately very rewarding if the
marketing board member understands that that will be a large part of their task.”
LEAD BOARD
COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING.
7

No one likes to contemplate crisis or
disaster, but the events of the last
decade have convinced the for-profit
sector that crisis management plans
are an essential element of risk
management. It hasn’t caught on as
much in the nonprofit sector, but by
bringing you on the board, an
organization has taken the first step.
As someone who has dealt with the
media in a variety of ways, you
understand that you never want to be
caught off guard.
There are many kinds of crises,
surprises from nature, and surprises
from, well, humans. Plans to prepare
for the former, such as a hurricane,
flood, blizzard, or fire, are largely the
purview of management —
developing business continuity plans
during loss of everything from power
to personnel. A “human” disaster, on
the other hand, can be equally
devastating. Think scandal,
embezzlement, personnel imbroglio,
the public relations nightmares
abound. Your board needs a plan.
As a marketing professional, you may
have already helped lead your
company through a crisis and are
aware of how likely they are to occur.
Who will speak for the board in a
crisis? You will make sure there is “one
voice” of the organization. You can
build scenarios and work with the
board to think through action plans
for these scenarios. You can conduct a
postmortem of past crises and help
the board determine how it could
respond more effectively in the future.
The best way to deal with a crisis is
before it happens, by preparing for
the unexpected. Understanding that a
problem may arise, you can help the
board and chief executive to make
crisis communications planning an
integral part of the strategic
communications process.
“A crisis plan should be simple and unencumbered so that it can be activated
should a crisis occur. It must be signed off and approved by everyone, and must
be reviewed on a regular basis. You can’t simply put it on a shelf and never
review it again. I recommend a review on a quarterly basis, so that
preparedness becomes inculcated into the organization’s culture.”
DEVELOP AND REVIEW AN
ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS
MANAGEMENT PLAN.
8

The marketer tends to have a love-
hate relationship with the media. On
the one hand, the media comprise the
critical conduit of organizational
communications — the arteries that
conduct the lifeblood of advertising,
PR, and all other kinds of messages.
On the other hand, the media can be
fickle, scandal-hungry, and anti-
intellectual — and particularly
susceptible to the delights of the next
shiny object tossed their way. And of
course, extremely crowded.
While board members arrive in the
boardroom with a variety of training
and skills, knowledge of, and access
to, the media is uncommon and
highly prized. Depending on your
marketing specialty, you may have
relationships with a local newspaper
or radio or television station; you
might be a media representative
yourself, or know one or two of them
and could hook your nonprofit up.
Why do nonprofits need access to the
media? The simple fact is that much of
the nonprofit sector is doing its work
“under”: under the radar, under-
funded, under-appreciated, and often
misunderstood. While there has been
a recent resurgence of interest in
volunteerism, there continues to be a
profound lack of awareness of the
extent of the work done by nonprofits.
At the individual board level, the
marketing professional can provide the
connection to the media to allow the
organization to tell its story.
PROVIDE ACCESS TO MEDIA
THROUGH PUBLIC RELATIONS.
“A marketer needs to make sure nonprofits are representing their brand
correctly — everything from making sure sound bites are the correct ones,
to notifying the right people, etc. Sometimes folks get daunted by a “PR”
program, but it’s just a normal part of a marketing plan; for example —
rebranding? — notify the media.”
9

While everyone who hasn’t lived on
an island (and maybe they, too)
knows that social networks like
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as
well as blogs, have revolutionized
communication, not everyone knows
how to leverage them for success.
Although use of social media is not
limited to the young, board members
of all ages need awareness and
training in these channels.
As someone who understands social
media, you know that the
phenomenon has not yet come close
to its potential. But you also know it is
not magic and does not — and
should not — completely replace
traditional marketing channels, at least
for the foreseeable future. However,
you can help your board understand
the value of social media as part of
your organization’s overall
communications strategy. Through
your professional channels, you might
have access to data on how effective
new technology has been for other
similar organizations or for similar
purposes, which you can share with
the board.
In fact, the nice thing about having
you on the board is you already have
to stay current in this field to remain
relevant in your professional career, so
you can continually share the latest
developments with your colleagues
and help the board and organization
think through how emerging
technology might be most useful in
meeting their goals.
“Nonprofits need more integrated marketing strategies that utilize social media,
new media, product placement, and creative media partnerships. I would advise
that they move beyond traditional methods and explore innovative ways of
marketing and communicating their brand to a broader audience.”
INCREASE ORGANIZATIONAL
AWARENESS OF EMERGING
NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY.
10

TOP THREE REASONS TO SERVE ON A
NONPROFIT BOARD
• NETWORKING
“Workplaces are the social network to learn about
opportunities, not church or community groups any longer.”
• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
“It’s incredibly valuable for alternate skills development. It
brings a new challenge, instead of a myopic view of your own
company’s brand.”
• MISSION FULFILLMENT
“I was driven by my own personal desire to be involved. I
realized that there was a need, and I got recommendations
from others where I could be of use.”

REAL PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE
ON REAL NONPROFIT BOARDS
Professionals find different reasons to serve on boards.
The top reasons marketing professionals chose to serve
on nonprofit boards are because they wanted to use
their skills to help nonprofits; they had a positive
experience with pro bono or volunteer service at the
organization and wanted to do more; and they were
interested in professional networking and professional
skill development.
Here are two of their stories...

PRO BONO SERVICE TO BOARD SERVICE
Tamara Brown is the marketing director at Technicolor and has over 15 years of
experience as a marketing executive and creative manager in PR for Disney,
Nickelodeon, and ESPN, among others. Through Taproot, she participated in a
pro bono “Key Messages and Brand Strategy” project for Los Angeles nonprofit
LA Commons. Its mission is to engage communities in artistic and cultural
expression that tells their unique stories and serves as a basis for dialogue,
interaction, and a better understanding of Los Angeles.
Once the pro bono engagement had ended, LA Commons’ Executive Director
Karen Mack approached Tammy about serving on the board. Karen and the rest
of the board were looking for someone to keep them on a clear
marketing/messaging path. It was an easy decision for Tammy: “I just knew
exactly what Karen was looking for. They wanted somebody who lived and
breathed their new marketing strategy, really giving the rest of the board a
repository of knowledge.”
Tammy has found her board service to be both personally and professionally
rewarding. From a personal standpoint, she has valued working in the arts and
culture world, an area that often suffers through budget cuts in hard economic
times. She said, “Through LA Commons, the ethnic diversity of LA and the art of
each culture is showcased. The cause drew me in.”
It’s a working board. Unlike at larger nonprofits, the organization’s small staff of
three depends on the board to provide both oversight and professional services.
Tammy is right in the thick of it; as the only marketing professional on the board,
the rest of the organization looks to her for her expertise, and she knows they
appreciate her: “Marketing is the one thing people think they can do, but they
can’t. Most nonprofits would kill for marketing experts to be on their board to
guide the perception of the organization and build PR strategy; it’s just a matter
of making the marketing professionals aware of the need.”
Wondering why more of her professional colleagues don’t take advantage of the
opportunity to serve on nonprofit boards, she figured it was a lack of awareness:
“They don’t know what they don’t know, but there’s a huge need on the
nonprofit side. We just have to find a way to make marketing professionals
aware of the need.”

TIPS FROM A MARKETING PRO
Toni Midderhoff has worked in marketing for over 14 years, choosing the field
because she likes the breadth of topics it touches: sales, marketing, profit and
loss, financial analysis, and development, among many others. She has served
on four nonprofit boards, including two in education, one professional woman’s
organization, and the Art of Makin’ Music Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to
enhancing the positive impact of music on young people by giving them
opportunities to create, perform, and produce, under the guidance of
professionals.
From the vantage point of having served on four boards, Toni’s in a great
position to understand what a marketer can do, once on a board. She said,
“First, you make sure there’s strategic alignment. Then, the marketing professional
can help the organization look at themselves and define their brand, then take
that information and help them figure out how to leverage it.”
As an inveterate marketing professional, she offered some tips on how the board
could improve its role in reputation assessment and management: “Google
yourself. Find out what people are saying about your organization and
understand why they’re saying it. Then, interact with your constituents, and not
just when you’re doing fundraising. At least twice a year, the organization should
engage them — have touch points — call them, ask them how you’re doing as
an organization.”
Like most nonprofit board members, Toni’s primary motivation for serving is to
give something back to her community, but she is clear that her marketing
expertise can and should be leveraged by the organization. In her opinion, it is
the joint responsibility of the nonprofit and the board member to articulate and
carry out expectations for the board member’s role: “They ask you at your
interview what your expectations are, and you talk about what you can bring to
the table. Jointly, the individual and the board need to make sure you have the
opportunities to enact and use your skills.”
Toni believes there is great interest among her marketing peers to help
nonprofits, and continues to seek ways to use her own skills in the sector; her
board service has been a fascinating and often rewarding journey. Case in point:
After a long, tough stretch with a legal issue on one of her boards, she said, “As
a marketer, I was able to get the organization to approach the issue from a
different perspective, really getting to the root of the problem.”
Thanks for the tips, Toni.

Okay!
I’m convinced!
What do I do now?

Ask yourself:
1. What causes do I care about most? Board service is serious work; you’ll do
your best where you feel the greatest passion. No amount of networking and
professional development will make up for serving at an organization you don’t
care deeply about.
2. What type of organization and board will best match my personal interests
and working style? That first question was actually a soft ball; you can probably
identify the issues that interest you without difficulty. Think also about the style of
board where you will be most effective, and ask the nonprofit questions about its
style of operation. New organizations or those undergoing great change often
need more hands-on help from board members; you are most likely to be doing
marketing and communications projects at this type of organization. As
organizations mature, the work of the board becomes more strategic.
Once you have decided where your interests lie, what size and type of
organization you might want to join, and what you are expecting from board
participation, you will be ready to find a nonprofit that is a good match for you.
The next question is: what board, and how do I find it?
STEP ONE
Decide Where You Want to Get Involved

1. Your business may have a formal or informal program that helps locate nonprofits
looking for board members.
2. If your business has a corporate foundation, it is likely to have relationships with a
number of nonprofits. The foundation may be interested in having corporate
employees sit on the boards of its grantees; however, some foundations do not
want to risk the appearance that they are trying to scrutinize their grantees at the
close range of board participation. Even if you represent the interests of your
corporate foundation on a nonprofit board, your obligation as a board member
is to act in the best interests of the nonprofit.
3. There may be a matching service in your community. Try the local United Way or
your local community foundation.
4. Look online. BoardSource and Bridgespan have a board matching service,
www.bridgespan.org, as does All for Good, the volunteer-matching arm of the
Corporation for National and Community Service, www.allforgood.org. Check
online search engines to find other matching services.
5. Ask people you know who are involved in the nonprofit sector. Referrals from
trusted friends or colleagues can be extremely helpful, but remember to do your
homework to make sure that you are satisfied with your choice.
6. Still not sure? Try pro bono service at a nonprofit that interests you, as it often is a
great way to “date” before “marriage.” Visit www.taprootfoundation.org for
information on how pro bono works.
STEP TWO
Find an Organization That Feels Right

You’ve identified an organization, but finding the right board is kind of like
finding the right employer. To determine whether you have the right things to
offer each other, find out everything you can about the organization. If you have
already been identified as a candidate for a board position, you can go directly
to the board or chief executive for information, but if you are in the “just
looking” stage, you may need to rely on search engines and social networking
sites for information. Visit the organization’s Web site and sign up for newsletter
or blog updates, if available.
Now, check out www.guidestar.org. If the organization is large enough to file a
Form 990 with the IRS, Guidestar will have a record of its most recently filed
return. The information you find may not be from the most current year, but it
will give you an idea of the organization’s financial situation.
STEP THREE
Do Your Due Diligence

PART TWO:
FOR BOARDS AND CHIEF EXECUTIVES
How Nonprofit Boards Can Benefit from Including
Marketing Professionals

MARKETING LITERACY
As part of their mutual commitment to building the capacity of the nonprofit
sector to achieve its overall mission of creating a better society, BoardSource and
the Taproot Foundation teamed up to investigate how the skills and talents of
professionals in the private sector might be leveraged for the nonprofit sector. In
particular, we wondered why more organizations don’t seek out marketing
professionals for their boards. We interviewed and surveyed marketing
professionals — those who serve on nonprofit boards and those who do not —
to learn about their experiences with board service and their attitudes towards it.
Those marketing professionals who serve on nonprofit boards told us that they
believed that marketing skills are critically needed on boards. They pointed to the
proliferation of nonprofits in recent years: It has created a cacophony of
messages and the organization that breaks out of the clutter by building
awareness, brand, and positive reputation — the purview of the marketing
professional — will be in the best position to “compete” for the attention of
funders and other critical stakeholders.
We found out that while many of these professionals are interested in board
service, they didn’t know how to go about finding a board to serve on. They
believe their marketing skills would make them great board members. One
interviewee said, “There is a HUGE need from the nonprofit side, and a huge
desire from the for-profit marketing side. Marketing is the one thing people think
they can do, but they can’t…. Most nonprofits would kill for marketing experts to
be on their board to guide the perception of the organization; build PR
strategy...you really have to seek it out.”
YOU NEED THEM
To help your board make the best decisions possible, you need diversity of
thought, perspective, demographics, background, experience, and most
important of all, competence. Like all boards, you seek members who have the
competence you know you need: legal expertise, perhaps; but almost always
financial expertise.

FINANCIAL LITERACY — YOU ALREADY KNOW
ABOUT THIS ONE
All board members are expected to have, or obtain once on the board, “financial
literacy.” The accountant or financial expert on the board is expected to weigh in
with especial authority on matters of money, and by teaching and example, raise
the level of financial literacy of the board. That individual is a fully functioning
member of the board and involved in all aspects of board work, but might, for
example, be an exceptionally fine audit committee chair, or investment
committee member, thereby utilizing his or her special expertise to full
advantage, while sharing it with the board.
INTRODUCING MARKETING LITERACY
Can anyone argue that the reputation of an organization is an asset on a par
with its financial assets? The marketing professional understands the importance
of that reputation as one of the most critical organizational resources to be
understood, nurtured, and overseen by the board.
That’s why the marketing professional makes an ideal nonprofit board member.
Not to perform marketing functions for the nonprofit, but to help the rest of the
board understand how important marketing is, in all its forms — reputation and
crisis management; marketing communications; organizational messaging and
branding. To raise the level of the board’s…you guessed it…marketing literacy,
just as the financial expert raises its level of financial literacy. And why not?
Nonprofits need to market their messages just as much as any other kind of
organization. No message, no money, no mission.
Marketing literacy. Every board needs it.
Ninety-five percent of marketing professionals serving on boards said it was
important to have an opportunity to share their marketing expertise with their
organization.

TEN WAYS MARKETING PROFESSIONALS
CAN DRIVE IMPACT FOR A BOARD
There are many different marketing specialties and not all marketing professionals
engage in all marketing activities. One of our survey respondents told us, “Some
people think, ‘I have a marketing person on my board; they can do PR.’
However, the field of marketing is wide and the skill sets are different. Make sure
that your marketing person matches the gap in skills that you need on the
board.” We have generalized here, with the understanding that not all marketing
professionals can do all marketing, PR, and communications tasks.
What all marketing professionals do have in common is bringing a specific and
highly valuable lens to the boardroom. Here are 10 ways your board can
engage and leverage the talents of a marketing professional. We’ve included
comments from survey respondents and interviewees about their own
experiences.

No one knows better than the
marketing professional the value of a
positive reputation, nor how easy it is
to lose it. Closely connected to the
brand, a nonprofit’s reputation is,
essentially: How is the organization
delivering on that brand in the mind
of its many stakeholders — funders,
service recipients, other nonprofits, the
general public? Is there a disconnect
between the promise—the mission —
and the delivery — the services
provided, and HOW they are
provided? In today’s up-to-the-micro-
millisecond media environment, one
whiff of negativity can be repackaged,
re-tweeted, blogged, and linked and
linked again, before the organization
is even aware of the trigger incident
— a newspaper article; a lawsuit filed;
a random comment to a reporter; an
overheard conversation at a
conference.
As professionals who have either
studied this phenomenon or lived it
themselves, marketing experts are less
likely to be swayed by personal
feelings and biases and will be able to
encourage the organization to
maintain its messaging,
communications pieces, and
responses to media, etc., in a way that
is consistent with the organization’s
core strategy and brand.
As you know, one of the 10 basic
responsibilities of a board member is
to be an ambassador for the
organization, but the board might
need an occasional nudge. All board
members should be there because
they believe passionately in the
mission of the organization — this
professional can serve as a good
reminder that what you do, how you
act, and how you speak about the
organization reflects on the
organization and its reputation, either
positively or negatively. They say that a
reputation is what others think of us;
our character is what we really are.
You need help to ensure that the two
are one and the same for your board
and organization.
“Organizational reputation is very important, especially in the nonprofit
space, where there is so much competition. Organizations are constantly
bombarding people for time, attention, and resources. A strong reputation is
essential to stand out.”
“MANAGE” THE
ORGANIZATION’S REPUTATION.
1

Key elements in meaningful,
successful, and clear strategic thinking
are the mission, vision, and values of
the organization. The mission guides
the organization today, a vision
statement reflects the impact of the
organization in the years to come,
and the values define the ethical
guidelines and standards that direct all
action.
There are particular times when it is
critical to articulate — or rearticulate
— an organization’s mission, vision,
and values — when the nonprofit is
new; when the board decides to
change the direction of the
organization; and when the message
needs to be refreshed because it has
gotten indistinct for some reason,
either through poor messaging or
mission drift.
While the messaging surrounding
these three important ideas may
collectively comprise the brand to the
outside world, internally they are very
different. The organization cannot
develop a brand without a laser-
focused mission statement. The
mission statement provides the basis
for judging the success of the
organization and its programs. It helps
to verify if the organization is on the
right track and making the right
decisions. The marketing professional
will bring an external or audience lens
to this discussion and make sure that
mission, vision, and values statements
appeal to, and resonate with, all those
being served and who support the
organization.
And to resonate well, the statements
have to be catchy. The ideas and final
wordsmithing may come from the
board or management — and
certainly must have buy-in from both
groups — and adding a board
member who has great skills with
words and crafting pithy statements
and taglines will come in extremely
handy.
“Particularly with newer nonprofits, I see a great need to really set up a solid
mission and goals, and then have monthly reviews to ensure that they’re
following these. It's way too easy for nonprofits to go off on different tangents
that don't really move their organization forward. As well, having a succinct
mission makes development of a marketing plan or branding much easier and
more beneficial to the organization.”
HELP ARTICULATE AND REFRESH
THE ORGANIZATION’S MISSION,
VISION, AND VALUES.
2

Success in fundraising begins with
leadership, both from the board and
the chief executive. The board’s
fundraising responsibilities are directly
linked to the organization’s mission,
vision, and values.
Identifying and clarifying the vision
defines the agenda for the
organization’s future and justifies a
greater effort by the board. A vision-
clarification exercise, mentioned
above, will create a foundation for a
strategic plan that will contain specific
goals and objectives to be
accomplished over a fixed period of
time.
In any situation where an organization
finds fundraising necessary, board
members should actively participate by
contributing time and effort, as well as
money, to emphasize their personal
commitment. Strong, direct evidence
of the board’s support — whether
through personal contacts, public
appearances or appeals, recognition
activities, and/or monetary
contributions — builds the case for
others to join in supporting the
organization’s mission and fulfilling its
vision. When the board demonstrates
its convictions, the public becomes
more likely to join in the effort.
A communications professional will
help your board members understand
the importance of compelling and
appropriate messaging and outreach
for effective resource development. If
your board has a development/
fundraising committee, a marketing
professional will be helpful both to
suggest strong, persuasive messages
that communicate your organization’s
value, as well as lending a hand in
suggesting channels to communicate
the messages and, like all board
members, connecting with potential
funders. If board members are
equipped with talking points or
scripts, they may feel more
comfortable making the “ask”; the
professional’s facility with words will be
helpful here as well.
Finally, while fundraising events
planning and management is
fundamentally a staff function, PR
experience and media contacts can be
extremely useful.
“I happen to be a ‘connector’ so I want to use my capabilities to help connect
my nonprofit with companies, individuals, and other organizations that can move
it forward.”
SERVE ON THE FUNDRAISING OR
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND/OR
HELP DEVELOP FUNDRAISING MESSAGING.
3

Nonprofits are not immune from
market forces just by virtue of their
social-benefit focus. In a crowded
marketplace, the organization must
stand out to attract the attention of
the media, potential funders, and
other stakeholders. One marketing
specialist told us, “Many times you
can’t tell what a nonprofit does by
their name. What a nonprofit does
and what they stand for needs to be
crystal clear.”
Marketing professionals learn early on
that the fundamental exercise in
marketing or advertising
communications is determining a
client’s Value Proposition, and
understanding that all planning,
messaging, and outreach flow from
that. The nonprofit sector is no
different. Certainly the mission comes
first, and all messages flow from that.
But so often the challenge is that the
organization wants to do everything,
and without the laser focus provided
by a branding exercise, the mission
message can get lost.
A marketing professional on the board
can take the lead in teaching the
board about the importance of your
organization’s brand and engage
other stakeholders in the process.
Once there is buy-in on the board, the
organization will be well-advised to
select paid or pro bono professionals
to work with on the branding exercise
and provide internal expertise to help
guide and steer the process, in
conjunction with internal marketing
staff and any professionals the board
may choose.
The professional will advocate for the
branding exercise with the board and
in particular, advocate for the
organization to devote the resources
for it. Focus groups cost money.
“I got a list of 32 things that the organization did, but they needed to
identify three things in order to get their message out. Nonprofits can be very
unfocused; that’s a branding issue.”
TAKE PART IN A
BRANDING EXERCISE.
4

No one makes plans more than a
marketer. Without a detailed road
map, marketing efforts can go
seriously awry. And the exercise of
creating the plan encompasses pretty
much everything from the 50,000-foot
view of the landscape — the market
— through development of the
strategies to focus and disseminate the
brand in that market, down to the
plethora of communication tactics on
the ground.
Organizational strategic planning is
akin to a marketing plan writ large,
and marketing skills and experience
will focus your board on ways to help
management with the process. One
specialized area where marketing skills
are particularly valuable is in the study
of demographics, the data-driven
analysis of markets. For example, the
professional can assist management in
identifying which data points are most
important and how to capture that
information, helping to define the
organization’s markets. A systematic
approach will help keep the board
from making decisions based on
tradition or assumption.
One dirty secret of strategic planning
is that all organizations — whether for-
profit or nonprofit — are notorious
about engaging in the exercise of
developing a strategic plan, and then
promptly forgetting about it as the
realities of organizational busy-ness set
in. A marketing professional knows
that that monitoring and evaluation
against the plan is the most critical
step to success, and his or her gentle
reminder to the board to this effect
will be, like all wake-up calls, not
exactly appreciated, but certainly
effective.
“If you think of a nonprofit like any other type of organization, with the need
to attract funding, clients, and volunteers…and if you have a budget of a
certain level, you are at the scale at which marketing expertise would be
very valuable. Through a strategy lens, you review whether or not you are
engaged in the right activities, using your resources in the best possible way,
how you are aligning your mission back to the way your resources are deployed
— are they in the best places?”
PARTICIPATE IN
STRATEGIC PLANNING.
5

What if nonprofits had access to the
same marketing resources as
corporations? Imagine how helpful
these might be in reputation building,
brand management, or publicity for
the organization.
A marketing professional can help
assess your organization’s marketing
needs and suggest where pro bono
could be of most value. Setting the
scope for the engagement is a critical
step. The professional will then
leverage relationships within his or her
marketing network or company to
help your nonprofit address its most
pressing marketing needs. One
strategy is to seek out an internal
functional champion and find out
who’s already doing pro bono work
within your company. Determine the
right fit — perhaps a team of
professionals dedicated to developing
a strong brand strategy or key
messages for the organization,
perhaps a coach or mentor for the
marketing manager, or maybe a
loaned employee dedicated to a large-
scale marketing project. Finally, ensure
there is proper support for the
engagement.
A few words of caution. Pro bono isn’t
free — it’s an investment of time,
energy and talent. Your nonprofit
must be ready to spend the time
necessary to support their pro bono
talent, and must understand that the
project will be done in “pro bono
time,” which is almost always slower
than paid consulting. If managed
effectively, pro bono has the potential
to infuse valuable resources and long-
lasting, invaluable relationships.
Remember, the role of a board
member is to help get your
organization the resources it needs,
and pro bono is no exception. The
marketing professional will tap his or
her network, help scope the project,
screen the talent, and support the pro
bono engagement, but like any board
function, should not micromanage it.
Use Taproot’s tools listed in the
Resources section of this handbook to
help your organization get the pro
bono resources it needs to thrive.
“There’s always a need for pro bono. I’ve never met a nonprofit organization
that isn’t stretched beyond full capacity. Two pieces that are needed: (1) a
compelling case made for pro bono service to be provided to the nonprofit
organization; they need to be made aware of the necessity and the potential
value of a pro bono consulting engagement, and (2) both parties need to be
clear in contracting — what are the roles each side needs to play to have a
successful outcome. Nonprofit readiness is key.”
PROVIDE ACCESS TO PRO BONO
MARKETING RESOURCES.
6

A marketing advocate will help your
board colleagues — and sometimes
staff — understand the value of
marketing and external
communications. You will feel
comfortable turning to the
professional to bring an external or
audience lens to board discussions.
There is a fine line here, of course. A
communications specialist is used to
having words at their command and
may want to jump in and develop
marketing messages right off the bat.
At the board level, however, that skill
may be best leveraged around the
board table to help fellow board
members develop an “elevator
speech” — an interesting and
compelling explanation, delivered in
less than a minute, of the
organization’s mission and purpose.
It is likely that the marketing
professional will have a few horror
stories from the day job about the
unintended consequences of off-the-
cuff statements, media ambushes, and
boneheaded public relations
nightmares. Board members need to
be reminded that whatever they utter
about the organization carries great
weight, whether intended or not.
Appointing one spokesperson for the
organization, usually the CEO or the
chair, is a great idea.
“Very few of these organizations have marketing staff, and as a result, very few
have a clear understanding of what marketing is (and is not). They also do not
understand what’s involved (time, resources, discipline, focus) in embarking on a
marketing effort. It is important for board members with marketing expertise to
understand and anticipate those factors. A large part of what they will have to do
is explain, persuade, and advocate for a market-driven point of view. This can be
very frustrating if it's not expected, but ultimately very rewarding if the
marketing board member understands that that will be a large part of their task.”
LEAD BOARD
COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING.
7

No one likes to contemplate crisis or
disaster, but the events of the last
decade have convinced the for-profit
sector that crisis management plans
are an essential element of risk
management. It hasn’t caught on as
much in the nonprofit sector, but by
bringing a marketing professional on
the board, your organization will be
taking the first step. As someone who
has dealt with the media in a variety
of ways, the professional will help the
board understand that you never
want to be caught off guard.
There are many kinds of crises,
surprises from nature and surprises
from, well, humans. Plans to prepare
for the former, such as a hurricane,
flood, blizzard, or fire, are largely the
purview of management —
developing business continuity plans
during loss of everything from power
to personnel. A “human” disaster, on
the other hand, can be equally
devastating. Think scandal,
embezzlement, personnel imbroglio,
the public relations nightmares
abound. Your board needs a plan.
The marketing professional may have
helped lead his or her company
through a crisis and will be aware of
how likely they are to occur. Who will
speak for the board in a crisis? The
professional will ensure there is “one
voice” of the organization. Together,
you can build scenarios, think through
action plans for these scenarios, and
can even conduct a postmortem of
past crises and help determine how
the board could respond more
effectively in the future.
The best way to deal with a crisis is
before it happens, by preparing for
the unexpected. Understanding that a
problem may arise, the marketing
professional will help ensure that crisis
communications planning is an
integral part of the strategic
communications process.
“A crisis plan should be simple and unencumbered so that it can be activated
should a crisis occur. It must be signed off and approved by everyone, and must
be reviewed on a regular basis. You can’t simply put it on a shelf and never
review it again. I recommend a review on a quarterly basis, so that
preparedness becomes inculcated into the organization’s culture.”
DEVELOP AND REVIEW AN
ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS
MANAGEMENT PLAN.
8

The marketer tends to have a love-
hate relationship with the media. On
the one hand, the media comprise the
critical conduit of organizational
communications — the arteries that
conduct the lifeblood of advertising,
PR, and all other kinds of messages.
On the other hand, the media can be
fickle, scandal-hungry, and anti-
intellectual — and particularly
susceptible to the delights of the next
shiny object tossed their way. And of
course, extremely crowded.
While board members arrive in the
boardroom with a variety of training
and skills, knowledge of, and access
to, the media is uncommon and
highly prized. Depending on his or
her marketing specialty, the
professional may have relationships
with a local newspaper or radio or
television station, or may know media
representatives and could provide a
conduit to your board.
Why do nonprofits need access to the
media? The simple fact is that much of
the nonprofit sector is doing its work
“under”: under the radar, under-
funded, under-appreciated, and often
misunderstood. While there has been
a recent resurgence of interest in
volunteerism, there continues to be a
profound lack of awareness of the
extent of the work done by nonprofits.
At the individual board level, the
marketing or PR professional can
provide the connection to the media
to allow the organization to tell its
story.
“A marketer needs to make sure nonprofits are representing their brand
correctly — everything from making sure sound bites are the correct ones, to
notifying the right people, etc. Sometimes folks get daunted by a “PR”
program, but it’s just a normal part of a marketing plan; for example —
rebranding? — notify the media.”
PROVIDE ACCESS TO MEDIA
THROUGH PUBLIC RELATIONS.
9

While everyone who hasn’t lived on
an island (and probably they, too)
knows that social networks like
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as
well as blogs, have revolutionized
communication, not everyone knows
how to leverage them for success.
Although use of social media is not
limited to the young, board members
of all ages need awareness and
training in these channels.
As someone who understands social
media, the marketing professional
understands that the phenomenon
has not yet come close to its potential.
But everyone needs to also
understand: It is not magic and does
not — and should not — completely
replace traditional marketing channels,
at least for the foreseeable future.
However, the professional can help
your board understand the value of
social media as part of your
organization’s overall communications
strategy. Through professional
channels, he or she might have access
to data on how effective new
technology has been for other similar
organizations or for similar purposes,
which can be shared with the board.
One of the good things about having
a marketing professional on the board
is he or she will need to stay current
in this field to remain relevant in his or
her professional career, and will
continually share the latest
developments with the board and
help you and the organization think
through how emerging technology
might be most useful in meeting your
goals.
“Nonprofits need more integrated marketing strategies that utilize social media,
new media, product placement, and creative media partnerships. I would advise
that they move beyond traditional methods and explore innovative ways of
marketing and communicating their brand to a broader audience.”
INCREASE ORGANIZATIONAL
AWARENESS OF EMERGING
NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY.
10

Okay!
I’m convinced!
How can I find a
marketing professional
for my board?

Marketing professionals, like all potential board members, are to be found in a
variety of places. One of your board members or staff may know someone, or
you can begin a more targeted search. Here are some suggestions:
Corporations
Many corporations have volunteer service and matching programs. Some offer
governance or other preparatory training for their employees, then seek to place
them on nonprofit boards. Call corporations in your area to find out if they have
such a program and discuss your interest in placing a marketing professional on
your board. (If they don’t have a board training or matching program, tell them
nonprofit board service is a great way to connect their employees with their
communities.)
Board Matching Web Sites
Some volunteer-match Web sites include board positions as a form of
volunteerism. For free, or a very nominal fee, your organization can post a
position and specify your interest in a marketing professional for your board.
Examples are the Corporation for National and Community Service,
www.serve.gov and www.allforgood.org; and VolunteerMatch
www.volunteermatch.org. Some focus on the nonprofit sector in general, and
include both board listings and paid, nonprofit positions, like Idealist,
www.idealist.org, and Bridgespan, www.bridgespan.org.
Bridgespan is also a search firm, which focuses on the nonprofit sector, as is The
360 Group, www.the360group.us. These fee-based options may be appropriate
for board positions of large, or national, nonprofits.
STEP TWO
Find the Marketing Professional for Your Board.
As we’ve written, there are many different marketing specialties and not all
marketing professionals engage in all marketing activities. What kind of help do
you need? See Appendix 3 for a detailed list of marketing specialties and decide
what competencies will best suit your board’s needs.
STEP ONE
Determine the Type of Marketing Firepower
You Need.

Professional Associations
Like most professionals, marketers have their own associations for networking
and professional development. While these organizations are not likely to
match their members with boards per se, they have conferences and
educational programs that might present opportunities for you to connect
with potential board members. Consider calling the membership department
to determine whether they provide volunteer information for their members.
Examples of associations of marketers include
American Marketing Association (AMA) www.marketingpower.com
Business Marketing Association (BMA) www.marketing.org
Marketing Research Association (MRA) www.mra-net.org
Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) www.pmalink.org
Professionals of all kinds (not necessarily marketers, however) often join
groups organized around their particular demographic group, for example:
National Association of Professional and Executive Women (NAPEW)
www.napew.com
National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) www.nbmbaa.org
National Hispanic Professional Organization (NHPO) www.nhpo.us
Once you have identified one or more candidates,, begin the recruitment
process. Discuss the candidates with the board, and assign a board member to
contact the individual to gauge interest. If he or she is interested, invite the
professional to an informal meeting, over a meal, for example to determine
whether it’s a good fit.
For more information on recruitment and onboarding, see the list of resources at
the end of this book, especially The Board Building Cycle; Navigating the
Organizational Lifecycle: A Capacity-Building Guide for Nonprofit Leaders.
STEP THREE

APPENDIX 1
INTERVIEW SUBJECTS FOR THIS PROJECT
BoardSource and the Taproot Foundation are grateful to the following
individuals for consenting to be interviewed for this project. We deeply
appreciate their time, their insights, and their commitment to helping us
make this important connection.
Tamara Brown Senior Director, Marketing, Technicolor
Bob Byrne SVP Marketing, Wells Fargo
Sarah Gravitt-Baese VP, Brand Direct Marketing,
Capital One Financial
Karen Mack Founder and Executive Director, LA Commons
Katherine Maynard Senior Advisor, Spectrum Communications
Marc Mentry Managing VP, Advertising and Media,
Capital One Financial
Brittany Metz Marketing Manager, Commerce Corporation
Toni Midderhoff Independent Consultant, Inhanss, LLC
Paul Omps Presenter Writer, Red Peg Marketing
Urmila Raghavan SVP/Strategic Planning Manager, Enterprise
Marketing at Wells Fargo
Wendi Sturgis Vice President, Partner Management Group
at Right Media/Yahoo!

APPENDIX 2
SURVEY METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS
THE MARKETING PROFESSIONAL AND BOARD SERVICE
To inform this report, BoardSource and the Taproot Foundation surveyed 159
marketing professionals to determine their attitudes and experience regarding
board service. Fifty-five of the respondents serve or had served on a nonprofit
board; 104 had not.
MARKETING PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE SERVED ON NONPROFIT BOARDS
Most of the marketing professionals (50%) have served on a board for 1–3 years,
with another 35 percent having served for over four years. Sixty percent have
only served on one board, with 34 percent more serving on 2–3 boards.
Forty-one percent of the organizations on whose boards they serve did not have
dedicated marketing staff. An additional 28 percent reported that few of the
organizations they served had dedicated marketing staff. Most respondents
became board members as a result of positive experiences as volunteers. Fifteen
percent had performed pro bono service and 13 percent had been donors.
Interestingly enough, 33 percent had no prior connection to the organization.
Most respondents (60%) believed they were recruited for their marketing
background.
WHY JOIN A BOARD
We asked these professionals what their primary reasons were for choosing to
serve on nonprofit boards, beyond supporting the mission of the organization.
Because of the nature of nonprofit board service — unpaid and often with
expectations of providing financial support — we assumed they supported the
mission. They could choose up to three reasons. The most common reason
selected, at 63 percent, was to contribute their other skills to help the
organization. Thirty-nine percent had a positive experience with pro bono or
volunteer service at the organization, and wanted to do more. There was a tie
for third most popular response — 31 percent were looking for professional
networking opportunities, and 31 percent wanted opportunities for professional
skill development.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY JOINED?
A full 95 percent of these professionals reported that it was important to share
their marketing expertise with the organization. When asked how their
marketing skills and expertise are leveraged by the nonprofit boards they’ve
served on, a full 76 percent reported being tapped for opinions about the
organization’s marketing and branding efforts. Forty-three percent were asked to
lead a board committee focusing on marketing and/or brand management.
More than a quarter (28%) worked directly with a staff counterpart to provide
guidance and feedback on marketing and about the same number (26%) were
asked to provide pro bono marketing services to the organization as part of their
financial support of the organization. Fifteen percent reported that they did not
used their marketing expertise, beyond the general engagement similar to other
board members without such expertise.
THE “ROLE” OF THE MARKETING PROFESSIONAL ON THE BOARD
We asked these marketing professionals about what they thought the “role” of a
marketing professional should be relative to board service. We asked this
question in an advisory capacity, to determine how boards might better engage
marketing professionals by leveraging their unique skills, with the understanding
that all board members are equals and there is no “marketing role” per se. The
respondents selected as most important (1) playing a role in the strategic
planning process, (2) pro bono marketing or PR resource generation, and (3)
setting brand strategy and clarifying messaging. Articulating and refreshing the
mission, vision and values ranked fourth, and there was a tie for 5th place
among the following skill areas: leading board communications training and
proactively managing the organization’s reputation.
HOW HAS IT BEEN?
Finally, we asked the marketing professionals about their satisfaction with their
board service; 84 percent of the marketing professionals surveyed were pleased
with their board service experiences. Thirty-three percent of that “satisfied” group,
however, said they would have like to have had their marketing skills and talents
better leveraged by the organization.
MARKETING PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE NOT SERVED ON NONPROFIT
BOARDS
Ninety-two percent of this group expressed at least some interest in serving on a
nonprofit board; only one respondent reported zero interest. The others reported
they didn’t know enough about nonprofit board service to answer one way or
the other. When asked what kept them from joining (and they could select all
that apply), the number one response was they didn’t know where to start or
whom to approach, at 53 percent. Next, at 33 percent, was the time
commitment, and third, at 29 percent, was a reluctance to take on the
fundraising responsibilities sometimes associated with a board position, and
fourth were the 17 percent who didn’t know what role they could play on a
board. Only 22 percent of these marketing professionals had ever been invited
to serve on a nonprofit board. However, fully 91 percent of them had provided
professional services or expertise, pro bono, to a nonprofit organization.

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