On Monday I was discussing mission-driven companies and the promotion of their agendas, vision, and brand(s). There’s a good book on this subject, which I recommend: Mission-Based Marketing: Positioning Your Non-Profit In an Increasingly Competitive World by Peter C. Brinckerhoff. Though written for people leading and working in non-for-profits, most of its principals can be applied to the for-profit sector as well. Brinckerhoff outlines six characteristics of non-for-profits that are truly competitive in today’s open market. He also outlines what he sees are the six core steps of the marketing cycle that non-profits (or any company for that matter) must master. But his core point—woven throughout the book and supported by philosophy, case studies and practical examples—is that an organization can be Mission-Based and Market-Driven. Perhaps his most valuable contribution to this point is his discussion of a critical timeless question: which is right, the markets or the mission? Here’s a discerning passage on this:If your organization moves toward the market, if it listens to what the market wants, some day, some week, some month you will be confronted by a market want that conflicts with your mission, your organizational history, or even your personal values. What are you to do? What should be your guide? Which, in such a conflict, is “right”—the market or the mission?
Let me put this as succinctly as I can in three sentences:
1. The market is always right.
2. The market is not always right for you.
3. The mission should be your organization’s ultimate guide.
The market wants what it wants, and there is no denying it, no ignoring it, no trying to make it not so. The people that you serve want what they want, but you can and, in some cases, should only give them so much.
And here is the point: the choice is always yours as an organization. You can choose not to meet a market want whenever you feel that it is in conflict with your organization’s mission or values. …
The most important skill in this area is learning how to say “no” to a good idea , and even to a real need. Even though a market may want you to provide a service you need to back away if you can’t do it well, or if doing the service would jeopardize everything else you are doing. More and more non-for-profits are learning that they cannot be all things to all people, that they cannot solve all the problems of their community, and thus that they need to pick and choose what they do well....
Also, for those squarely in the for-profit world, check out: Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World by Matthew Bishop and Michael Green. This book on “social investors” (i.e. Bill Gates, Paul Newman, Bono, George Soros) not only offers insight into the mindset of some high-profile givers, but also illustrates how the principals of social capitalism work—and work well. The book has also been used in emersion programs by the Clinton Global Initiative to empower social responsibility among both corporate and grassroots leaders.
If you have any other favorites on this subject, I’d love to hear about them. And until then, keep marketing your mission, telling your company’s story, listening to your customers, and following your guiding star.
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