NONPROFIT A UNIQUE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

By: Jason Redekopp – Marketing Consultant

In my experience most non-profit organizations do not lean on customer experience to enrich their brand, and it is costing them. The rules of marketing are the same for both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses (expound).

There is no question that both organizational types operate in very competitive sectors, making customer experiences even more important. Both cannot afford to neglect their customers.

So, let’s define the customer groups of not-for-profits.

Non-profits have 3 customer groups:

1. The individual being served.
2. The individual or organization providing the funding.
3. The people delivering the service.

Non-profit customer relationships and therefore the CX are quite different than those of for-profit companies. In a for-profit business, CX centers on one main group, the customer. However, in a nonprofit there are three groups, the people who use the service, people who fund the service and thirdly the people who facilitate the service. All three groups are part of the CX channel.

It is important to note that the CX of a non-profit is one defined by a positive outcome with respect to events and circumstances for humanity and the world at large. So then breaking down the CX for the three groups would look something like this:

1. The CX of the funder needs to be one where the money being spent, their money provides them with a sense of philanthropy, that is, it is having an impact of improvement or advancement on those being served.
2. The CX of the recipient at its basic is the successful realization and utilization of the support required.
3. The CX of the people delivering the service is a sense of significance and meaningfulness. These individuals are usually working as volunteers or lower paid employees. The motivation for working is not self-benefit but one of existential advancement.

In my experience most nonprofits do not lean on customer experience.

The bottom line for non-profits is delivering effective CX through walking in the shoes of all three stakeholders to gain perspective. This takes time, research, planning and empathic deployment.