How do you transition your not-for-profit into a market-driven, yet mission-based organization? This practical book provides the knowledge and skills for building an entrepreneurial organization, focusing on marketing materials, skillful use of technology, and successful competition for funding.

The emphasis of this book is that marketing is fundamental to achieving the organization's mission. This business approach to nonprofit management may not be a priority for all nonprofit organizations. However, the author effectively argues that for a nonprofit to succeed, it needs to be market-oriented and that for many nonprofits that requires a cultural change within the organization.

The book is divided into two major areas. The first four chapters are about philosophy and techniques for moving an organization away from outdated ideas about the intersection of marketing, competition, and mission. These chapters contain the big concepts as well as some hands-on ideas for initiating change in the organization.

The remaining chapters delve into the more technical aspects of marketing and competition including the use of technology, asking methods, improving marketing materials, customer service and developing a marketing plan. This is the "how-to" section of the book, where specific ideas are offered to help you embrace the concepts provided in the initial chapters.

At its best, Mission-Based Marketing provides numerous examples to underscore its philosophy and methods. However, in reality, this belief that a nonprofit needs to sell its mission and embrace the competitive marketplace may not be appropriate or possible for all nonprofit organizations.

This edition was named "Best Nonprofit Management Book" by the Nonprofit Management Association. The book was cited by the Association as "a great overall manager and board member's guide-quite laudable in that it's eminently readable and downright enjoyable."

Author Peter C. Brinckerhoff is President of Corporate Alternatives, Inc., one of the most innovative consulting and training firms in the United States. Since 1982, Mr. Brinckerhoff has consulted with thousands of not-for-profit staff and board members. He has written more than fifty articles and two previous books, and his works are used as core texts in more than seventy graduate and undergraduate university programs in nonprofit management.

For citations to additional materials on this topic, refer to the Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject heading "Nonprofit organizations-marketing."