Transcript Planning Guide

The Association and Nonprofit Marketing
and Communication Planning Guide
A Workbook of Models, Templates and Best Practices for
Creating Simple, Effective Marketing and
Communication Plans for Uncertain Times
Created By:
Stephen C. Carey, Ph.D., CAE
President & Lead Strategist
Association Management & Marketing Resources
www.ammr.com 301.530.9066 [email protected]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen C. Carey, Ph.D., CAE, President and CEO of Association Management and Marketing Resources, was a former
International and Regional Association CEO for 13 years and has written, published, or edited 100+ articles and several books on association
marketing, communication, governance and management topics, including the first association marketing management textbook entitled,
Marketing the Non-profit Association. His textbook, Marketing and Selling to Associations in the New Millennium, was selected for an award by Association
Trends in 1998. Dr. Carey was also selected as one of the 12 most influential association executives by the Washington Business Journal, and is
considered to be one of the industry’s leading experts on restructuring associations, program assessment and marketing and communications
management. Dr. Carey was selected for the 2002 Circle of Excellence Award from the Maryland Society of Association Executives for his
quarterly Association Marketing and Communications Management courses in the Greater Washington Area and elsewhere, through which over
1000 +association marketing and communications managers and directors have been trained. He lives and works in Bethesda, Maryland.
Information about AMMR can be found at www.ammr.com, and he may be reached at: [email protected].
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Association and Nonprofit Marketing and Communications Planning Guide was created as a direct result of the need for a simple,
comprehensive, adjustable, easy to understand and use marketing and communication planning tool for nonprofits in times as uncertain as
these. After visiting with staffs of over 1000 trade associations, professional societies and other nonprofits of all sizes and budgets, and
finding less than 10% with comprehensive, integrated planning tools in use, we thought it important to bring a simplified methodology that
all nonprofits, large and small, could use to develop easy-to-use plans that integrate the various units of the organization. This book details
mid-decade trends and issues in association management, describes the marketing and communications planning process, provides a wide
variety of planning and structural templates and best practices and details the case for quantitative value delivery for associations in the
future.
© AMMR - Association Management & Marketing Resources - ISBN 0-9666966-1-1 - www.ammr.com
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Planning Guide Contents
GUIDE SECTION
PAGE

Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………………………… 2

About the Author……………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… 6

Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………………………………. 7

Preface………………………………………………………………………………………………….….…... 8

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10

How To Use the Planning Guide…………………………………………………………………………… 12

1. Integrated Marketing and Communications Trends for Associations and Nonprofits……….. 13

2. Key Marketing and Communications Issues Mid-Decade………………………………………….. 18
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Planning Guide Contents, Cont’d
GUIDE SECTION
PAGE

3. Definitions, Benchmarks and Best Practices of Integrated Marketing and Communication
Planning……………………………………….…………………………………………………………….……………. 31

4. Integrating Marketing and Communications into the Fabric of the Organization--Marketing and
Communications Planning Operations and Priorities …………………………………………………………… 40

5. Mission, Goals and Objectives for the Marketing and Communications Program………………………. 50
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6. Departmental and Product / Program / Service Line Marketing Planning…………………………………. 56

7. Information Technology and Segmentation ………………………..…………………………………………... 66
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8. Creating and Coordinating an Integrated Marketing and Communications Structure………………….. 72
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9. Creating and Delivering Quantified Value for Messaging Products, Programs and Services………… 80
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Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 85
© AMMR - Association Management & Marketing Resources - ISBN 0-9666966-1-1 - www.ammr.com
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TABS: Planning Readings, Guides,
Models, Templates and Examples

TAB 1 — Key Governance, Marketing and Communications Planning Trends To Address
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TAB 2 — Marketing and Communications Issues to Address with the Board and Staff

TAB 3 — Sample Integrated Marketing and Communications Definitions

TAB 4 — Marketing Audit Templates and Readings
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TAB 5 — Sample Goals and Objectives for the Marketing and Communications Program
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TAB 6 — Sample Product, Program and Services Marketing and Communications Planning Template
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TAB 7 — Information Technology, Segmentation and Psychographics Integration Templates
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TAB 8 — Creating Integrated Marketing and Communications Structure, Integration and Coordination
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TAB 9 — Sample Templates for Creating a Value Matrix and Product Priority Data
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TAB 10—Annotated Bibliography and Ordering Information
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Dedication
“There once was a long-awaited polar bear shipped to a popular zoo. His habitat was not quit ready, so they put him in a very
small enclosure until his home was complete. In his temporary home, he only had enough room to pace three steps in one
direction, and then turn around and pace three steps back. He did this repeatedly for two weeks until his new home was ready. On
the big dedication day, everyone crowded around as they placed him in his expansive new home, only to find that he confined his
activity to pacing three steps up and three steps back, even though he had been given one of the largest habitats in the zoo.”*
The Association and Nonprofit Marketing and Communications Planning Guide is dedicated to Samuel S. Shapiro, CAE,
association industry sage and visionary, who, long before integrated strategic marketing planning was envisioned as a tool, voiced
the need for integrated marketing and communications planning as a mechanism to bring together, harness and focus the planning
and operations of the association. Sam also saw the need for marketing “articulated value” in a more substantial and quantified
manner, as a way to lock in the concept of value-to-dues as a means of creating members for life.
Sam saw beyond the confines of polarized departmental marketing. He saw that the integration of these two concepts, integrated
marketing and communications planning and creating quantifiable value, as the two cornerstones and legacy of modern
association management to ensure that associations remained unique and essential providers long into the future.
In short, Sam preached that we must use the entire arsenal in our marketing and communications habitat.
It is with Sam’s spirit that this Planning Guide was created to help associations see clearly how they can use integrated marketing
and communications practices to assist them in marketing their products and services to the next generation of members and
stakeholders.
*Story as told by The Rev. Dr. Stephanie Nagley, Rector, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Bethesda, MD
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Acknowledgements
The author gratefully appreciates the research, writings and contributions of the many association executives,
association management consultants, societies of association executives, and hundreds of AMMR students and
their associations. These individuals, associations and companies have provided data, insights, tools and
techniques toward understanding and illuminating the realities of the association and nonprofit management
marketplace as we know it today…and endeavor daily to discover and provide the marketing and
communication vision for the association community, as we seek our realities of tomorrow.
A thank you as well to Philip Kotler and Alan R. Andreasen, authors of Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit
Organizations (6th Edition) for their guidance to the nonprofit community in strategic marketing planning for
over two decades. And finally, to Michael L. Rothschild, who pointed out in his 1979 landmark article in the
Journal of Marketing entitled, Marketing Communications in Nonbusiness Situations; or Why It’s So Hard To
Sell Brotherhood Like Soap, that marketing the non-profit message, product or service is one of the most
difficult concepts to master and execute. I have found that helping associations do this, at times, can be just as
challenging!
© Association Management & Marketing Resources
All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, disk, hard drive, photocopying, audiovisual or other without in writing permits from
the publisher. Excerpts for classroom permissions freely granted with permission.
Call AMMR for permissions and rights at 301.530.9066, or E-mail at [email protected].
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Preface
The New Association Marketing and Communication World
Our ability as organizations to forecast and react quickly to changing marketing and communicating forces and
conditions will be the future bottom-line criteria for our survival as organizations representing members, industries and
institutions. The following anonymous quote sums up the frustration at the frontier of our marketplace and sounds the
call for getting serious about marketing and communicating simply, and more effectively and efficiently:
“We used to provide continuing education… We did it well and it was a great benefit to members. Now everyone … provides ‘adult’ and
‘career building’ seminars. They do it cheaper and often times better… plus they are often forprofit entities. How do we compete? We
provide lobbying and advocacy for the profession. But now large employers, business groups, etc. are doing the same (with often divergent
agendas). Our members don’t see the conflict, and often opt out of the profession and for them. What do we do? This is compounded even
further by some employers actively discouraging employees from joining our association… Many of us have for profit subsidiaries that sell
goods and services. How do we compete with Amazon.com on books; insurance and banking conglomerates on products and services? We
all used to have a little gravy coming in from things like credit cards, travel programs, etc. Those sources are drying up when our members
can shop online and find the best price (which often isn’t ours!). Bottom line… how do we keep ourselves relevant (and solvent) in an
increasingly competitive environment?…How do we clearly demonstrate our return on investment for our membership dues?”
The answer to these questions is by marketing and communication research, planning and execution. This guide
attempts to address these issues in a clear and simple manner and assist association executives in this mission.
© AMMR - Association Management & Marketing Resources - ISBN 0-9666966-1-1 - www.ammr.com
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Preface Cont’d
NEED FOR A SIMPLE, COMPREHENSIVE TOOL
The Association and Nonprofit Marketing and Communications Planning Guide was created as a direct result of
the need for a simple, comprehensive, adjustable, easy to understand and use marketing and communication
planning tool for nonprofits in times as uncertain as these.
After visiting with staffs of over 1000 trade associations, professional societies and other nonprofits of all sizes
and budgets, and finding less than 10% with comprehensive, integrated planning tools in use, we thought it
important to bring a simplified methodology that all nonprofits, large and small, could use to develop easy-touse plans that integrate the various units of the organization.
Some readers will have a good concept and understanding of the materials presented, while for others, it will be
the first time they have been introduced to marketing and communications concepts and operations. Thus, we
have deliberately chosen a PowerPoint format for the Planning Guide to ensure that all explanations for every
model and template are easy to understand and meaningful, passing the “simplicity” test, so that all levels of
staff will be able to use the materials. For staff new to marketing associations, we recommend our Marketing
The Association primer available through AMMR.
© AMMR - Association Management & Marketing Resources - ISBN 0-9666966-1-1 - www.ammr.com
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Introduction
The first association marketing textbook entitled Marketing the Nonprofit Association:
Marketing the Functional Areas of Trade Associations and Professional Societies, sounded the call for
developing an integrated marketing approach to marketing association products and services. This book
indicated that associations should think of members more as customers and made the case for better marketing
structures, teaching associations that promotion was a small part of marketing and not marketing itself.
The Association and Nonprofit Marketing and Communications Planning Guide, extrapolates the planning
themes from the first book and creates a simplified but effective marketing and communications planning tool
that links together the association’s programs and services and ties them to the strategic plan, budget and yearly
program of work. In short, it makes you think about all the ingredients you need to consider, and lets you tailor
your plan to your organization. The guide comes with models and templates used for creating a marketing and
communications plan for a department, product or the entire association
Also included are structural and cross-departmental team, coordinative models and templates to be used to
integrate marketing and communications planning at all levels of the organization.
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Introduction Cont’d
Additionally, a “sneak preview” methodology and template for creating quantified value statements and value
delivery vehicles are included to assist in raising the “value visibility”of the organization’s products and
programs. Value quantification and delivery are examined in more detail in our next guide entitled, ROI—
Defining and Delivering the True Value of Association and Nonprofit Products, Programs and Services: An
Association Executive and Volunteer Guide to understanding Value Articulation and Delivery.
The Planning Guide is a vital tool for ensuring the association’s product lines are clearly visible and tangible to
its constituents. Planning Guide templates, as well as the guide itself, are available on CD-ROM, e-mail, minihard drive, diskette and other electronic formats by contacting AMMR.
© AMMR - Association Management & Marketing Resources - ISBN 0-9666966-1-1 - www.ammr.com
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How to Use the Planning Guide
The Planning Guide is in the form of a workbook and is not a marketing textbook. There are nine sections to the guide, each with
a corresponding TAB. The section provides a thorough explanation of the subject matter and the TAB materials reinforce the
subject matter with templates, best practices, models and articles of importance.


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Readers should first go through the section readings and then review TAB materials.
Some sections have self-examinations to assist the reader in evaluating their own association in relation to the text. Take the
exams and apply learning to changing your marketing and communications environment—Remember, the board, CEO and
senior staff must buy-in to the concepts presented in the guide, in order for necessary “change buy-in” to occur.
Use the templates to create your own customized planning tools, following the instructions in the text. We strongly
recommend that you try the planning tools out by creating one or two plans for individual products or services to see the
degree of effort it will take to bring up the entire organization. Then, create plans for all products and link them to each
other, the strategic plan, budget and the yearly program of work.
Although we have placed appropriate reading materials at the TABs, we strongly recommend the annotated marketing and
communications readings list at TAB 10 for all staff involved in marketing and communicating the organization.
We hope that you are pleasantly surprised with the content of the workbook, and use it for all the purposes, for which it is
intended. Call us anytime, at no charge, to review or determine how best to apply any of the materials presented to your
organization.
© AMMR - Association Management & Marketing Resources - ISBN 0-9666966-1-1 - www.ammr.com
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Stephen C. Carey, Ph.D., CAE, President and
Lead Strategist of Association Management and Marketing Resources,
was a former International and Regional Association CEO for 13 years
and has written, published, or edited 100+ articles and several books on
association marketing, communication, governance and management
topics, including the first association marketing management textbook
entitled, Marketing the Non-profit Association.
His textbook, Marketing and Selling to Associations in the New Millennium, was
selected for an award by Association Trends in 1998. Dr. Carey was also
selected as one of the 12 most influential association executives by the
Washington Business Journal, and is considered to be one of the industry’s
leading experts on restructuring associations, program assessment and
marketing and communications management..
Dr. Carey, a charter class Fellow of the American Society of Association
Executives, was selected for the 2002 Circle of Excellence Award from
the Maryland Society of Association Executives for his quarterly
Association Marketing and Communications Management courses in the
Greater Washington Area and elsewhere, through which over 2000 +
association marketing and communications managers and directors have
been trained. He lives and works in the Greater Washington area.
Information about AMMR can be found at www.ammr.com, and he may
be reached at: [email protected].
© AMMR - Association Management & Marketing Resources - ISBN 0-9666966-1-1 - www.ammr.com
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Publications Order Form
_____Purchase one copy of the Marketing and Communications Planning Guide ($92.50) .____ With CDROM add $35. _____With 1.4 Floppy Disk add
$35. ____With Mini-hard Drive add $85 . ____Add’l hard copies for staff and volunteers @ $72.50 =_____.
_____Purchase one copy of the Marketing the Nonprofit Association: A Guide to Marketing the Functional Areas of Trade Associations and
Professional Societies ($58.50) . Additional copies _____@ $52.50 = _________. Call for multiple discounts.
_____Purchase both publications above (Guide and MNPA) for a DISCOUNTED price of $135.50.
_____E-mail me a copy of the M & C Planning Guide templates in WORD so that I can easily customize the templates for my association (Add $37.50)
(Sold only with purchase of the Planning Guide).
_____Register me for an annual subscription with quarterly updates to the Planning Guide models and templates based on changing marketing and
communications trends and practices ($42.50 subscription) .
ORDER CD’S OR E-MAIL VERSIONS OF THE GUIDE FOR YOUR CHAPTERS OR AFFILIATES
_____Electronic versions available for download to affiliates and chapters—license fees start at $35 per copy for minimum of 10 copies. Send me
____CD’s for my affiliates. ______Send me an e-mail download version for____of my affiliates.
Add $13.50 for shipping and handling (For Overnight Delivery add $28). Check must accompany order.
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