Retailers have been aggressively planning their holiday marketing strategies for months. In these stressful economic times, it is more important than ever to build messages that resonate with your audience. Like retailers, nonprofits should be thinking about how they can tell their story and leverage the holiday season. In this article, we'll discuss some techniques that nonprofits can use to bolster revenue and solicit support from members through email and online tactics. more

The MarketingProfs Book Club is back! "Robin Hood Marketing" shows how to sell your cause as successfully as the great marketers of corporate America sell their brands and products. Here's how nonprofits can "steal" tactics from the big brands. more

As one of the 4 Ps of marketing, pricing is the most direct way of communicating value to customers. It has the most direct impact on bottom-line performance. At the same time, price as a marketing instrument is tricky. Here's the basics of pricing from both a strategic and tactical angle. more

No matter how you feel about PETA, as an entity or a cause, you probably know its marketing. Even those don't admire it, in other words, are likely aware of it. Pointed, outrageous, admired and criticized, PETA's messaging is the type that makes the audience sit up and take notice. more

The precedent-setting commitment of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to charitable work is bringing corporate philanthropy to the forefront. After many years of corporate scandals and Sarbanes-Oxley news, the tipping point has arrived. Corporate philanthropy is good—both for business and the nonprofits that benefit from it. And the better news is... you don't have to be in big business to do it. more

If you run a nonprofit, you know that marketing is essential to your mission. To many nonprofit managers, marketing equals fundraising and nothing more. But your organization exists for more than just bringing in donations. By using social marketing methods, you can boost the effectiveness of programs and activities that are the reason your organization exists in the first place—to make a difference. more

Consumers want to align themselves with brands, employers and even investments that stand for something we believe in and that we can feel good about. Here's how smart companies are responding (and how your organization can, too). more

Taking the time to create a written Marketing Plan is the icing on your Business Plan cake. Without it, it's difficult to achieve your business goals. Having a solid Business and Marketing Plan in tow enables you to evaluate any new opportunities to see whether they fit into your plan and live your mission. What's more, a Marketing Plan will also give your nonprofit a business-oriented approach to its operations. Generating revenue is growing increasingly competitive and challenging. When your organization adopts a business focus to blend with its charitable or nonprofit mission, you increase your chances for success and longevity. more

In the nonprofit sector, many organizations operate without a strategy or written annual plan. Even some small-to-midsize businesses have avoided the task of developing written plans, focusing instead on generating revenue and simply staying alive in their markets. But going through this exercise is an important step in developing a business paradigm to operating nonprofit organizations. With increased opportunities to expand corporate philanthropy, and the need to show greater accountability to stakeholders, the outcome will help identify the organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks. Being proactive in this approach is not only strategic, it is imperative in today's growing nonprofit sector. more

When corporate America participates in cause-related marketing programs, it enhances its image, customers show greater loyalty, the public recognizes companies as good corporate citizens, and the companies gain a competitive advantage in staff recruitment and retention. But does corporate America really care? more

How well do you understand the "customers" of your university, and what do you know of their lifestyles and buying behaviors? more

Are you working for a nonprofit or promoting a social cause? Many of the for-profit rules about marketing strategy apply there, too. more

Tig's back with another installment of his Dear Abby for Marketers. This week, do offline sales cannibalize online sales? Also -- who "owns” advertising? The agency, or the client who inspired the work? more

Here's what non-profits need to know (and what for-profits can learn) about branding. more

Want to put passion into your marketing plan? Learn how the best non-profits do it. more