In a few months I will celebrate my six year anniversary as an Account Manager at Imagebox. During my tenure I have had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients, some great, while others not so much. One thing I have found during my experience is that there’s one client ‘type’ that always seems to be a great partner to work with, and that’s nonprofits. Here are a few of the reasons why nonprofits are such good clients, and why I love working with them:
Nonprofits Know What they Want
As an Account Manager I field calls/emails from prospects on a regular basis from a wide variety of people. Some know what they are looking, while others just know they need ‘marketing help.’ Working with the latter can sometimes be a challenge because while we want to be able to help everyone, we don’t have the resources to do so and it’s my job to determine who we should. Nonprofits, at least from my experience, know what they want.
Often times when I meet with a representative from a nonprofit, they come prepared with a detailed list of deliverables that have been well thought out and developed after one or more internal discussions. Coming prepared not only helps us understand their ‘needs’, but also paints a larger picture of marketing initiatives, which allows us to do a better job planning for the long-term.
Nonprofits Look for Strategic Partnerships
Like most companies, nonprofits don’t have unlimited marketing budgets. Therefore, they look for companies, like us, to partner with who can act as an extension of their team. Don’t get me wrong, short-term projects (like redoing a website) can be great projects for our team to work on, but our best efforts come when we work closely with an organization over an extended period of time. This is because as we learn more about the nonprofit’s needs/wants/goals, we are able to tailor our solutions, which helps to increase their effectiveness over time.
Nonprofit’s Trust
Working on projects for clients who trust us is what we live for. Instead of constantly spending time explaining what we’ve done and why we’ve done it, we use our time implementing programs that we know work. Yes, we fully expect to have to explain the ‘why’ at some point, but when there’s a high level of trust between companies, things often go smoothly and get done faster.
Nonprofits are Passionate
There’s something to be said about working for clients who care about their organization and not just the bottom line. While partnering with nonprofits, we meet people who truly want to make a difference in the world and their enthusiasm can be contagious. We do our best work when we can get behind their mission. We want to be their biggest fan and it’s easy for us to support those who are passionate about their mission.
Nonprofits are Realistic
As previously mentioned, many nonprofits we work with come to us prepared with a strong understanding of what they are looking for. That said, they’re realistic about what is feasible and what may not be given certain budget parameters. They understand that even though not everything is doable, we may still be able to offer a simplified solution that is within their budget. This is especially great for me as an account manager whose primary goal is to provide a proposal that includes most, if not all, of their wishlist items within their budget.
At the end of the day, we love our clients. Whether they are just getting started or have been around for a while and are looking to take their marketing to the next level, our experience and expertise enables us to help them grow. If you work for a nonprofit and think we may be able to help, give us a call. We would love to hear from you!