Non-profit organizations, irrespective of their size and type of activity, play a vital role in society’s quality transformation by consolidating shared efforts and directing them to address particular public issues. In contrast to for-profit businesses distributing profits to their investors and shareholders, non-profits serve communities and traditionally deal with social causes, including humanitarian aid, education funding, research facilitation, among others. This paper aims at describing one non-profit organization, namely the Boston Foundation, and create a new non-profit, indicating its type, name, mission, target audience, and marketing methods.
The Boston Foundation
Since its establishment in 1915, the Boston Foundation has served as Boston’s principal philanthropy targeted at building and maintaining a fair and prosperous city where opportunity is available to all citizens. The institution launched by a father and son, Charles E. and Charles M. Rogerson, received its first donation from James Longley in the amount of $4 million, thereby gaining necessary resources to make grants (“Who We Are”). During the Great Depression, two World Wars, the polio epidemic, and other significant concerns, the Foundation attempted to respond to the poor immigrants’ and other struggling Bostonians’ needs. In 1960, the Boston Foundation surprisingly obtained a $20 million legacy from Boston financier Albert Stone, converting it into the central force for change (“Who We Are”). From this moment, it began funding for innovative and forward ideas and initiatives, especially by helping other non-profits, making substantial contributions to health, jobs, housing, education, and the arts.
The remarkable event related to the Boston Foundation occurred in 2001 when Paul S. Grogan became President and CEO, who transformed it into a key civilian leader. In this period, the organization has many real accomplishments, including allocating almost $2 billion grants for the state’s cultural objects and critical legislative reforms in municipal health care, housing, and public education (“Who We Are”). Furthermore, via its Understanding Boston series, the Foundation orders research embracing a broad range of issues from different universities or think tanks and delivers this information through their forums to thousands of people. For example, research and public awareness campaigns performed by the Foundation led to the reappraisal of the approach to the education system by state legislators.
A New Non-profit Organization
Inspired by the Boston Foundation’s example, I would like to establish a community foundation that would fulfill many functions and address various issues, especially those that need immediate account. I consider it reasonable to support perspective ideas and intentions from different human activity types and not focus on only one since all areas are interrelated and interdependent. Besides, this type of non-profit organization helps unify more people with different interests, values, and affiliations. The organization would be named “Common Spark,” pointing to that every real achievement and change begins with small joint deeds and personal will. In addition, the word “spark” is always associated with hope, idea, creativity, wit, initiative, and effort.
As a community foundation, the organization’s mission will be to consolidate public efforts and resources to promote the sustainable development of a specific region. While realizing this mission, the foundation will follow three main principles, namely complete equality, diverse creativity, and evidence-based innovation. The mission will also comprise three major goals, including funding non-profit organizations, cooperating with donors, and serving as a source of useful research information. In particular, my foundation would make grants to non-profit organizations and initiatives involved in resolving the community’s critical concerns. Additionally, to achieve influential and comprehensive philanthropy, I will try to enter into a close partnership with donors of all social classes. The organization will facilitate the distribution of research information and engage scientific representatives in the development of various social programs. The target population will comprise people of different occupations, employed in education, healthcare, housing and communal services, local administration, politics, and economics.
Marketing Strategies
With impressive technological progress, any establishment has numerous marketing instruments to convey its ideas and intentions to society. Thus, to generate public awareness, I would primarily focus on online marketing that assumes several main strategies. Specifically, the first aim is connected with active use of social media, including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, among others, through posting messages and videos to reach businesses and communicate with potential donors.
Additionally, it is relevant to create actual, inviting, and stimulating video and content on the website of the organization. The website may also have its blog where visitors can find useful and practical tutorials and other interesting articles. Via providing valuable information, I will manage to boost my visibility. To give value to the blog, I will use such platforms as Medium, LinkedIn, Quora, and Reddit. In this context, it is beneficial to implement search engine optimization since, currently, it is a powerful and integral tool to advance your content. Email marketing will be additional means to engage potential donors in active cooperation. With accumulating funds, I would begin organizing notable and virtual events and exhibitions because they give the opportunity for meaningful interactions and relationship-building. Flyers and posters may also take place in enhancing public awareness, especially to increase attendance at an event. Finally, diversity marketing will also be an essential tool since it facilitates embracing more people with different beliefs, views, and backgrounds overall.
Work Cited
“Who We Are.” The Boston Foundation. 2020. Web.