Putting Persuasion in to Perspective

Ever tried to persuade someone to do something because it’s ‘what’s best for them?’ Maybe you think they should quit smoking or take classes to get their GED. Nonprofit marketers are faced with selling changes in behavior like this everyday.

Nonprofits are often left to address challenges that for-profit businesses would normally run away from. After all, it’s a lot simpler to convince someone to eat a nice, juicy burger or play a new video game than it is to get them to exercise.

If you work for a nonprofit, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking: ‘This is what’s good for people, so of course they’ll come to us for help.’ If only it were that simple!

It doesn’t matter how altruistic your organization’s mission is; if you’re not prepared to invest in persuading people, you will not be able to sustain your mission.

Moral of the story? When you’re trying to create real change, marketing it isn’t as easy as you might think. But it’s a challenge worth accepting.