2010

Marketing: Principles and Practices

Contents

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Introduction..2 Name and profile of the organization.3 About Direct Relief...4 Cause of the organization.5 Primary and secondary research on the activities of Direct Relief Marketing activities.5 Fundraising activities..6 Delivery of services..7 Our suggestions on how to promote the cause of the organization Increased advertising...9 Increased transparency....10 Free clinic programs.10 Preventive health education programs11 References13
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INTRODUCTION
Our group was approached by a nonprofit oriented organization as consultants to promote its cause in the country. In order to do this we conducted a primary and secondary research on the activities of the organization and critically analyzed them and proposed strategies in which could help the organization improve. WHATS A NONPROFIT ORIENTED ORGANIZATION? A nonprofit oriented organization is one that does not dispense its finances to owners or shareholders. Its uses it finances or resources to help archive its goals example of nonprofit oriented organizations are charitable organization and non governmental agencies. Most of such organizations are known worldwide and most of them are charitable organization who reaches out to victims of disaster, war, disease plagued areas and financial aids. Notable nonprofit organizations include UNICEF, direct relief international, Red Cross, bill gates and Mandela foundation.

NAME AND PROFILE OF THE NONPROFIT ORIENTED ORGANIZATION Organization name: Direct relief international. Year founded: august 1948. Place of origin: Santa Barbara California USA Founder: William Zimdia. Cause: dedication to improvement of health accessibility and increasing the availability of health care services. Focus: improving health for people, strengthening fragile health systems, maternal and child health, primary health care clinics, HIV and AIDS, special initiatives. Area of service: Globally

About Direct Relief

Direct relief international is a nonprofit organization, its a medical and disaster relief assistance agency that was established in august 1948 as a Californian nonprofit organization by William Zimdia an immigrant from Estonia who had amassed a considerable wealth sending food, clothing, medical assistance to relatives and friends who were victims of the world war 2. After William had died in 1951 his friend and business partner Dennis karczag took over the management of the organization and changed its name to direct relief foundation in 1957 and by 1982 its name was changed to direct relief international. Direct relief international is based in Santa Barbara California since its founding in 1948 its provided assistance to various indigenously run healthcare projects and facilities supplying pharmaceuticals nutritional supplement and medical equipments, its aim is to reach out to the poor and victims of natural or manmade disasters without exception. Direct relief gets its funding from the support of private individuals, foundations, organizations and businesses that provide it with needed resources to achieve its humanitarian goals of reaching the poor and needy. Since 1950 direct relief as provided assistance related to health within Europe and beyond in 1962 it became a licensed wholesale pharmacy securing prescriptions medicine for use abroad. Its provided aid relief to countries in a state of emergency and to various refugee areas from the post war era in Europe and Greece its also been in assistance to Tibetan refugees for over 40years and the Peru earthquake of 1970; today direct relief international provides assistances in form medical equipment and resources in about 59 countries.

Cause of the organization

Direct Relief is dedicated to improvement of health accessibility and increasing the availability of health services in the many places where it operates. They focus their efforts on providing necessary equipment to health professionals in communities where there is a lack of resources. The organization also puts special focus on maternal and child health through training and proper equipment of midwives and increasing access to services such as immunization services to even emergency care. They are also involved in the provision of primary healthcare services in remote areas in many different countries. Direct Relief also focuses on HIV/AIDS with a primary focus on prevention but also with efforts in aiding treatment and care for patients.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESEARCH ON THE ACTIVITIES OF DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL

Marketing activities of Direct Relief Our research on the marketing activities of Direct Relief showed that the organization is mainly involved in marketing activities on the World Wide Web. The main medium the organization uses on the internet is its website which is well organized into different sections and is easy to browse through. Direct Relief uses the site to provide qualitative information about the organization itself, its activities and the challenges it faces. It also includes links that guide people who want to volunteer or those who want to donate to the organization. They also provide contact information and addresses of the organizations different locations and also of their partners. What this website does from a marketing perspective is let people in on the
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organization and its activities and also make them aware of its cause and how difficult meeting some of the challenges is. It also helps raise money for the organization and helps it connect with people who want to help through volunteering. Direct Relief also makes use of social media sites to market itself and its activities. The organization has a YouTube channel where subscribers are updated frequently on current activities and operations and is also used to make appeals and calls to action to possible volunteers and donors. They also have a Facebook account through which they also release updates on their current activities and also provide links to their press releases. They also make use of Twitter- another social media site. Because social media are now very popular, they have also become useful tools of marketing. The use of these kinds of media by Direct Relief shows the organizations awareness of the current potential that exists in internet and technology advertising. The organization also makes use of advertisement through Google. This is through its advertising partnership with the company. Another thing we discovered through our research was that Direct Relief is not directly involved in TV and other forms of advertising other than through the internet. In fact, the organizations total marketing and advertising expenditure was just $8000 in 2008 (Direct Relief 2008).

Fundraising activities
Direct Relief International was able to get up to $166million worth of cash and support materials and donated services. Of all the support it received, only five percent was cash (about $8.1 million). The organization receives donations in form of medical materials and equipment

mainly through its partnerships with many leading global companies, some of which are healthcare companies. It also receives donated services like transportation. In 2010, it received donations in form of transport services from FedEx after the earthquake in Haiti (FedEx 2010). The organizations fundraising expenses are less than one percent of the total support it receives (Charity navigator 2009). This is an indication of its utilization of some of its partnerships to raise funds and thus get as much as it does with just a fraction of the money it receives. Direct Relief also uses raises funds through direct mail, grant proposals, appeals on the internet and special fundraising events.

Delivery of services
Strengthening fragile health systems

direct relief international puts focus on strengthen of the existing health systems in very poor communities who dont have access to medical health care facilities or cant afford to pay for treatment, providing them with resources which would help the efforts of health workers on ground tackle the needs of the people. The medical assistance provided by direct relief international equips the health professional working in poor communities to meet the challenges of treating and caring for the people without any form of discrimination. Maternal and child health

From our research we found out that in conjunction with the united nations millennium development goals direct relief supports over 130 partners globally who help in improving of health care services for both women and children, safe delivery for pregnant women family
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planning and admittance of basic medicine, they also support programs that train midwives responsible for the safe delivery for pregnant women, helping with training and equipment for a safe delivery. HIV and AIDS

Direct relief international works with both nongovernment organization and ministry of health in over 60 countries providing access to medical supplies for HIV and AIDS testing, drug for treatment and educating on the prevention and spread. In support of the preventing the spread of HIV direct relief in 2010 carried out over 3million HIV test which focus on the prevention of mother to child transmission of the disease. Emergency response

Direct relief international has certain ways in which they respond to emergencies which is stated in their principle of emergency response. Direct relief approach to emergency is to support the immediate needs of victims of disasters by collaborating with local partners that are best positioned to determine the amount of damages, respond and get ready for the long term recovery process. Their response to emergence based on local information and condition, they collaborate with local, national, international organization and government authorities to ensure that resources are used efficiently. In 2010 for example, it donated $5million worth of badly needed medical materials to the victims of the floods in Pakistan (Philanthropy Journal 2010). All the above activities form the greatest part of the organizations expenses. In 2008, 98% of Direct Reliefs total expenses went to its programs in all of the above areas of its delivery of service (Better Business Bureau 2008). This shows that the organization is highly focused on its programs and initiatives and is also using almost all of it resources on those programs. The
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efficiency with which the organization delivers services was one of the main reasons why it received an A- rating from the American institute of philanthropy (2010).

Our suggestions on how direct Relief can further promote its cause
In order for direct relief to further promote its cause, we suggest they take the following steps:Increased Advertising Direct Relief International is already doing internet advertising. We suggest that they should increase their ways of advertisements by introducing in more methods, i.e. TV, mobiles, public relations and the radio. Mobile advertisement is not costly and therefore wont cost much for Direct Relief International. Nowadays its one of the most effectual ways of advertisement, because a message on the phone is usually not ignored. They should send messages to attract more potential customers. Public relations advertisement is an advertisement method that is often used by company these days. They do it to keep in contact with their customers, employees and investors as well. Direct Relief International should maintain and develop public relations with their clients and employees because it will help sustain their identity. TV advertisement is another effective way of advertising. Direct Relief International should advertise on the TV to attract more potential customers as many people watch it these days and they can collaborate with any media outlet so as that outlet can offer their services as donations to them.

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Direct Relief International should also use radio advertisements in order to get their messages to a large, extensive market. Its very cheap compared to TV advertisements. They should do it in a way that their target customers will be aware or it renders no welfares. Increased transparency Direct relief can build on its image as a credible non-profit organization by increasing the level of transparency of its activities and operations. This would involve making relevant information about their day-to-day activities and all of their programs more easily available and accessible. They should use their website and social media to publish information on a regular basis about each and every one of their program. This should include a regular update on how much of the organizations resources have been used on each of the programs and operations and also an evaluation of the impact of those operations and programs on the health problems towards which they are targeted. This would help improve the good image the organization already has. This is important for a non-profit organization because donors and the public would trust an organization more when they feel they know about it and its activities. It assures donors that the contributions they make are making a difference and reassures the general public that the organization is doing its best to help tackle the problems it says it is trying to help tackle. Increased transparency is certainly going to help improve Direct Reliefs already good public image and will increase its credibility in the eyes of all stakeholders.

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Free health service programs In order for direct relief international to promote their cause we suggest that the organization should run free health clinic programs in poor communities where people cannot get access to medical services, there are a lot of such poor communities were the people cant afford to pay medical bills or dont have enough medical practitioners on ground to cater for their needs as such most of them die of the easiest curable diseases. Direct relief in accordance with its focus on improving health for people can reach out to such communities running free clinic services, providing services such as free medical treatment of minor illnesses, provision of medications such as vaccines for children and medical check-ups. Direct relief can get volunteering physicians, nurses and doctors to help with the program through their already large network of volunteering medical practitioners who will be ready to attend to patients without charge. They would set up these clinics for a few days in each of the vulnerable areas they select. This free health service will go a long way to improving the health of such communities and promote the cause of direct relief international in the process.

EDUCATION ON PREVENTIVE HEALTH MEASURES

Talking about health education on preventive health measures Direct Relief should try make use of different methods like counseling, public information ,treatment and prevention of drug abuse. People should at least have access to appropriate testing ensure that they are aware of their health status. Others are exposed to infections because of different problems like lack of proper hygiene. They should be educated at every level in order to help them understand the preventive measures they need to take. The government should also be encouraged to try and contribute to the promotion of health of the people through things such as inspections of goods
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and persons entering the country to be sure that they are free from contagious diseases so also they should try and create a public health offices that will be oversee these kind of regulations. These programs will enable people to know much about preventing themselves from different diseases and as a result of that there will be a decrease in the number of cases of some diseases. This in turn will help the organizations cause of improving good health, having good facilities and having a good treatment it will also help prevent the spread of epidemics. This will also help in protecting people from being infected generally.

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Bibliography
Forbes.com 2007, Direct Relief International, Viewed 29 November 2010, http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/14/pf_07charities_Direct-Relief-International_CH0057.html Better Business Bureau 2009, Charity Review of Direct Relief International, Viewed 29 November 2010, http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/relief-and-development/direct-relief-international-insanta-barbara-ca-307 Direct Relief International 2008, Annual Report, Viewed 1 December 2010, http://www.directrelief.org/uploadedFiles/Our_Finances/Related_Documents/AR_low.pdf Charity Navigator 2009, Charity Rating: Direct Relief International, Viewed 8 December 2010, http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3626\ Philanthropy journal 2010, Direct Relief International, WalMart Foundation, Best Buy and More, Viewed 8 December 2010, http://www.philanthropyjournal.org/news/aug-12-direct-relief-international-walmart-foundation-bestbuy-and-more FedEx 2010, Community and Disaster Relief, Viewed 11 December 2010, http://citizenshipblog.fedex.designcdt.com/node/761?page=1 American Institute of Philanthropy 2010, Top Rated Charities, Viewed 11 December 2010, http://www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G, (2006). Principles of Marketing 12th edition. New Jersey, Pearson Prentice Hall. Kotler, P., Fill, C. And Page, K., (2008) Marketing, Oxford: Oxford University press

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