Feuding Marketing and Fundraising Departments

Something has always puzzled me about the relationship between marketing and fundraising departments.

If you think of your nonprofit as a body, there’s a fundraising left arm and a marketing right arm. Can you make due with only one of the two? I guess you could, for a while. But why would you choose to do so if you didn’t have to?

There have been many times where I have been witness to the clash that occurs between these two entities. This happens when each may have a different idea of what makes up impactful messaging, what is important to specific audiences, what is urgent and time sensitive and which department has the most knowledge of “their” audience.

The problem, and it’s not a small one, is that while marketing and fundraising argue internally, the organization suffers and so do the stakeholders and future prospects. If marketing and fundraising are not working together, then donors, volunteers, and even staff will feel confused. Or, to continue the above analogy (just with a different body part) “the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.” To put it bluntly, this can  erode confidence in your organization’s effectiveness.

If this isn’t a problem at your nonprofit, that’s great! Please share your success stories after this blog. However, if your organization does struggle with harmony between the two departments, here are a few tips to help you build a better bond between marketing and fundraising:

1. Develop a content calendar at the beginning of each year. While this may take a day or more to do, it’s vital to plan out the year with key dates,  initiatives, events, etc. Everything from both departments should go into one calendar with agreed to deadlines in advance. This way, when unexpected things come up, at least there is a plan. Dates can then be adjusted. The important thing  is to work together.

2. Have co-department meetings at least once a month. Department meetings on a regular schedule can be of value to check and share stories of impact for both donors and other constituents, discover new opportunities and keep each department informed about what the other is working on.

3. You’re all brand ambassadors for the same team. It’s everyone’s job in the organization to be watching and listening for great stories of impact through their daily work.

4. Email is a great tool but get up and talk to people. Instead of constant interdepartmental emailing, sometimes it’s easier (and more efficient) to spend a few minutes actually talking with a colleague to discuss needs, issues, or feasibility of timelines instead of going back and forth with endless emails. Not only will this resolve many communication issues before they start, but it will also bolster your organization’s culture.

With the marketing and fundraising departments working together as a team, your nonprofit will foster an integrated and consistent donor experience that will go a long way to reach new audiences, cultivate deeper donor relationships and elevate impact to raise more money.