A different take on NFP marketing + volunteering (featuring Frances from Mackay Community Foundation)
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This week’s episode of Marketing + Margaritas revisits the topic from one of our more popular episodes, marketing for not-for-profits (NFP’s). This time, we’re joined by Frances Easton from Mackay Community Foundation (MCF).
When did you start off with MCF?
Frances has been with MCF from the beginning (it started in 2003), after being exposed to the project through Scott Alman + Steve Lowry. She's always been a big fan of what they do but with a busy professional life, she wasn't able to volunteer her time easily. Now that she’s retired, Frances sits on the board for the Foundation + helps steer it towards their goal of long term, sustainable community investment!
Why is MCF important? What makes it different to most not for profits?
When you donate to the Mackay Community Foundation, that money gets invested (after going through the proper governance obvs). Only the income generated by these investments is distributed to the community or other not-for-profits in the form of grants.
Ultimately, they want to aim for a total of $10 million in the fund by 2040. When achieved, this would allow for a bare minimum yearly grant allowance of $500k for our community here in Mackay.
What are some of the projects that MCF has been able to help recently?
A grant was provided to the Australian Sleep Aide Project for their PINK sleep busses. A sleep bus will provide a safe place for women + children who are experiencing homelessness to sleep at night. While a short term solution, the housing crisis is a complicated issue + it takes a combined effort on many fronts to help out!
They also donated money that helped buy a new car for the Kidney Support Network. This car helps transport patients to + from the hospital for dialysis appointments each week.
We could go on, but frankly we’d be here all day gushing about the awesome work they’ve been able to do. If you want to know more about the people MCF has helped, you can check their website here.
What are some of the key lessons Frances has learned over the years?
Know your strengths + lean into them. The MCF team knows they're not event planners. But they've been able to network + connect with a bunch of people over the years who are that way inclined. This has allowed them to reach people who they might not have been able to otherwise, by attending these events.
Regardless of what your strengths are, it’s important to identify them + mitigate your weaknesses. Especially in a not-for-profit where you need make the most out of your money, taking steps to attract volunteers with a wide variety of different skills will help you maximise your impact.
Any takeaways for marketing in the NFP space?
Learn to deliver your value proposition. Your marketing plan can be awesome but if you don't have a meaningful point of difference or if you keep failing to hit the goals you set, it's not going to be very effective. Especially for NFP’s, you need to make sure you deliver on what you set out to do. People donate money to you + expect to see results. For MCF, they set goals, they continually provide grants to organisations doing awesome work in the community + that speaks volumes. All of their marketing materials feed into that message. The videos, the banners, the event appearances, it all links back to that core message of ‘give where you live’.
Secondly, keep your scope manageable. Focusing solely on 2-3 projects + doing them well is wayyyy better than half assing 10 projects. Treat your not-for-profit like a business. If you don't have that business know-how, then get advice from someone who does (or even better, get them on the board!).
And for our wrap up tip…
Without volunteers, there is no community. If people can band together + work as a team, you can do a lot more than you can solo. The Japanese word Ikigai "To live with purpose" fits nicely with this. Find a cause you’re passionate about + donate (whether that be time or money).
Btw, the book that Frances got Jade is pretty cool, definitely recommend you pick it up if you’re interested!
Thanks again to Frances for coming on for this one. If you want to keep up with the Mackay Community Foundation, you can follow their Facebook here, or their website here. If you’re in a position where you can donate to the Foundation, they have a few ways to do so on their website here.