Public and Nonprofit Marketing
This course covers the foundations of nonprofit and public policy marketing. Students will learn how to develop marketing strategies and campaigns for nonprofit organizations and apply them to the promotion of public policy. We will explore how traditional and emerging marketing techniques, alongside theories of engagement and behavior change, can be leveraged to increase charitable donations, gain support for public issues, recruit volunteers, and achieve an organizational mission. The course will focus on building tactical campaigns across three practical pillars: funding and resource development (fundraising initiatives and corporate partnerships), strategic messaging (public communications, media relations, and digital content production), and constituent relations (grassroots mobilization and stakeholder engagement). We will explore real-world cases of mission-driven organizations and public entities, including government; health and human services; social, economic, and racial justice; education; and the environment.
Topics
- Students will examine the basics of branding, framing, and re-branding in the not-for-profit space, including the long-term effects of good/bad messaging on an organization.
- Students will differentiate between a variety of tools, approaches and methods for traditional and digital media, strategies to employ them, and metrics for measurement.
- Students will develop an effective, research-based marketing strategy for nonprofit organizations or public policy.
- Students will apply the skills and knowledge gained throughout the course to recognize, analyze, and draft effectives stories and messages that aptly portray an organization's core mission and vision.
Official roster learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027