Affinity Marketing: Buy to Give

To effectively launch the affinity-marketing program and continually reinforce its importance with members/supporters, nonprofits should rely on multichannel, "piggyback" marketing campaigns. The affinity marketer should be expected to help develop these campaigns, from providing advice on how to position its products/services for appeals to the nonprofit's donor base to offering creative ideas and marketing materials, as well as promoting the organization on its Web site. When working with the affinity marketer in this area, a nonprofit should be candid in sharing its previous fundraising experiences and challenges, as well as offering a good overview of its donor base (e.g., demographics, sizes of gifts, seasonal shifts in contributions, etc.).