Canadian Blind Mission Canada

A marketing plan by Vincent Ostberg

Situational Analysis and Target Marketing

The Canadian Blind Mission Canada (CBM Canada) is an organization in Canada that has been in existence for approximately 100 years. It caters to approximately 520 million people around the world who are poor and suffer from a disability. CBM Canada is a Christian, international development organization focusing on people with disabilities. CBM Canada uses 85% of the funds on programs, 9% is used for fundraising, 5% on administration, and 1% is used on capital items. CBM Canada is a registered charity that provides tax receipts to donors.

 Vision statement

A world in which people living with or affected by disability are: Valued as Jesus values them Accepted as equals Able to achieve their God-given potential

 Mission Statement

CBM Canada serves as the hands joining Canadians and people living with or affected by disabilities in the poorest communities – working together for the benefit of all humanity.

Values statements

1. We value all people as Jesus values them.

2. We are accountable first to God then our clients, donors, and each other.

3. We follow Jesus by doing acts of love.

4. We work with integrity and communicate with honesty

5. We are committed to excellence in all we do.

Product and Market Fit

Programs offered in Asia

• The region is prone to natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, and contains the CBM program with the highest yearly number of cataract operations in Lahan, Nepal. The programs offered specialize in low vision, mobility, parent mobilization action groups, and community-based rehabilitation.

Programs offered in Africa

• CBM has a strong network of specialized community services for persons with disabilities. CBM also partners with Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzia and Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services in Uganda. CBM also collaborates with the Disabled Persons’ Organizations, Human Rights Network, women’s groups, Child Rights Organizations, International non-government organizations, and local governments.

Programs offered in South/Latin America

• Vision 2020 focuses on the prevention of blindness, education and rehabilitation is offered, and community-based rehabilitation. Prevention of deafness and vocational training are also offered. In Bolivia, a network of five CBM-supported projects in the area of deafness has been created to increase the prevention of deafness and to strengthen the rights and integration of persons with hearing impairment. The first study on the prevalence of deafness was carried out in Latin America together with the World Health Organization in 2009.

How CBM obtains donations

1. Child Sponsorship: For $1 a day, CBM works with sponsors in developing a 12 month plan for each

child.

2. Donations: Life changing work and/or the Miracle of Sight, one time donations and monthly donations are accepted ranging from $100, $75, $50, $25, and other amount.

3. In honour/memory gifts: a donor makes a donation and the recipient receives an e-card. This e-card can be sent in recognition of a special occasion too like birthday, wedding, graduation, etc.

4. Give Joy gift catalogue: donations are offered where training can be provided for a cataract surgeon, cataract surgery for an adult, hearing aid, powerful glasses for a child, or a basket of sight containing cataract surgery, glasses, and cataract surgery for a child.

5. Leave a gift in your will: people may leave a portion of funds in their estate as a donation when they pass on.

6. Gift-in-kind: organizations like hospitals can donate unused hospital equipment or unused supplies.

7. Gift of securities: the transfer of the title of securities listed on a designated stock exchange to the ownership of CBM. The incentive is that donors do not pay taxes on the capital gains that have built up on the securities.

 

 Approaches to target market

1. The opportunities that the CBM have are that it can secure funds from various donation sources. They will have the support of hospitals that have unused equipment that can provide cataract surgeries. They can approach individual donors and corporations for donations of various kinds like the gift-of-securities, gifts-in-kind, child sponsorship, and donations. In turn the donors receive a tax receipt that will affect their income tax statements in a positive manner.

2. The other opportunity that exists for CBM is that the headquarters is based in the Greater Toronto Area. There is a large market in southern Ontario. CBM could take advantage of the large market with a marketing plan. This also extends to the regions outside of Canada where they have partnerships and they can market to select target audiences using concentrated marketing focussing on ethnic groups in Canada and in the USA for funds, i.e. Filipino

Canadians, Latin Americans, African-Americans, Chinese Canadians, etc.

3. CBM Canada have partnerships with the World Health Organization, has 143 project partners in Latin America, in Asia, CBM collaborates with the Disabled Persons’ Organizations, Human Rights Network, women’s groups, Child Rights Organizations, International non-government organizations, and local governments. CBM also have strategic partnerships and alliances with various NGOs and governments in Africa. They can expand their organization’s visibility through their partnerships.

Challenges

1. The challenges that CBM have are that they need to identify bases for segmenting the market. CBM need to develop an approach to recruit millennial donors. They need to target various ethnic groups of people from Latin, First Nations, White/Caucasian, Asian, and that includes gender. They need to develop profiles of the segments, develop measures of segment attractiveness. Furthermore, they need to select the target markets, and develop positioning for each target market, and develop marketing mix for each target market. CBM does not have any target markets identified in their website and this can hinder their endeavors to secure more donations.

2. The other challenge that CBM faces is that they need to identify their donors in terms of objective measures in a general and behavior- specific categories. The same applies with psychological measures from personalities, values, to beliefs, perceptions, Benefits, Costs, Others, and Self-Assurance (BCOS) drivers, and stage in decision as in early contemplation, late contemplation, etc.

3. Another challenge is that CBM subscribes to undifferentiated marketing also known as mass marketing. Their vision, mission, and values along with website campaign have no specific target audience in mind. They appear to be reaching out to everyone (mass marketing). In contrast, the Canadian Cancer Society which has select target audiences.

Strengths

• Clearly outlined vision, mission, and values (organizational mission, objectives, and goals)

• Is accountable financially and is transparent.

• Well established national, international, local, and political infrastructure targeting all and creates awareness for prevention, treatment of blindness and deafness and other disabilities.

• Supports all those affected by disabilities, poverty and national disasters, Canadians and donors worldwide.

• Supports all those affected by disabilities, poverty and national disasters.

Weaknesses

1. Undifferentiated marketing strategy is too general and vague (diverse target audiences)

2. Broad scope – many areas of focus, must be able to do all things well instead of focusing on a particular strength (correctable)

3. Not communicating progress and/or not properly executing progress through television commercials, skepticism remains in spite of financial accountability and transparency (correctable)

Opportunities

1. Working with the smaller cancer NPOs to spread information and awareness (public environment)

2. Clearer marketing planning with a greater focus on the target audiences in mind. (campaign marketing)

3. Partnerships with non-governmental organizations and various governments worldwide -users, funders, and volunteers (competitive environment)

Threats

1. Other non-profit organizations like Heart and Stroke, Canadian Cancer Society, etc. (competitive environment)

2. Denial and lack of sympathy by the public.

3. Changing governments affecting grants, research funding, laws, drug approvals (macroenvironment)

4. Global and local economies

5. Media saturation and donor apathy (public environment)

The key issues that affect Canadian Blind Mission Canada have are:

•  They funded 803 projects in 2010 and these projects are aimed at people who live with disabilities of which correction or curing of a person’s impairment is done through surgery, medical care, and/or rehabilitation.

There are 25,368,199 persons worldwide who are receiving services in 89 countries.

The World Bank has gone on record to say that poverty will not be eliminated if the poverty-disability cycle is not addressed.

CBM need to convince governments in Canada and where CBM International chapters are located and other international development organizations that there is a world of people without disability programs.

Canadian Blind Mission need to create awareness that a person’s impairment is not the biggest barrier they face but the attitudes and prejudices around them are much more limiting than not being able to see or hear or walk.

Marketing goals

• The first marketing goal is to create awareness and educate the public that one key to eliminating poverty is to create awareness about including disabled persons to the employment sector and to provide them with educational opportunities. This marketing plan will benefit the client to secure donors, volunteers, and to secure partnerships with corporations.

• The next marketing goal is to implement a social marketing plan that will influence donors, volunteers, and corporations to support or provide financial donation to change the attitudes of the general public by being engaged. This includes a public relations portfolio or department to be created within CBM Canada.

• The other key strategy is to implement a new marketing plan that showcases stories of success and positive results rather than ploys of guilt to be put on the public. A shift will change from a reactive model to a proactive approach where celebrities and corporate leaders will be targeted to become spokespersons for CBM Canada and affiliated chapters.

Core marketing strategy

Segmentation

• The markets need to be divided up into the donors, the volunteers, the governments, corporations, and other Non-profit organizations/developmental organizations.

• Profiles need to be developed of the segments and for the general public the right corporation can be in partnership and sponsor CBM Canada. This could be a food manufacturer or industrial company that distributes furniture or medical equipment.

Target Mix

 

• The target mix will include differentiated marketing strategies for different ethnicities which include

• There will be consideration for their social class, demographics, and religious affiliations. These are the general objective and psychological measures.

• For more behavior-specific objective and psychological measures, the plan will look at past behavior (donations, volunteer, fundraising activities).

• There will be an analysis of the Benefits, Costs, Others, and Self-Assurance (BCOS) drivers and stage in decision of the target audiences be it early and late contemplation stages.

Positioning 

• CBM Canada will position itself as a champion in advocating for the disabled with specific attention to vision care for all people worldwide and who cannot afford cataract surgery or nutrients. This is crucial to measuring the present position.

• What is also considered is the augmented product which includes special recognition to corporations, donors, and volunteers through paid advertising and through public events (public relations).

Marketing Mix

The marketing mix will focus on the following:

• Tangibility – CBM is different from other NPOs in that it reaches out to the disabled with the intent of eliminating poverty by providing medical and social assistance to enable them to live their lives.

• Variability – securing well known televangelists, contemporary Christian music stars, and media will provide exposure to CBM’s mission, goals, and objectives.

• Target audience involvement – The volunteers and affiliated organizations will have more prominent roles in developing programs that support CBM’s mission and projects. Donors will be engaged to sponsor specific programs.

• Recruitment strategy – an in-depth understanding of target audiences will result in the recruitment of volunteers like doctors, labourers, and people with skills and trades that can enhance CBM Canada programs and services.

• Financial accountability and transparency – Audited financial statements will be provided via the website and public relations will show the media how funds are being used.

Marketing tactical plan

• Analysis – There will be an analysis on the internal operation, organizational reality and external environment. A SWOT test reveals the strengths, weakness, others, threats, that face the organization.

• Strategy – To create social awareness and to influence the public to support CBM Canada’s mission by use of a social marketing strategy after an analysis is complete for the organization’s mission, goals, and objectives. This includes of the development of channel strategies to which better communication processes are developed in spite of limited funding. There will be consideration for atmospherics in all the organizations to create a positive environment and well-being.

• Promotion – CBM will promote its mission through careful selection of techniques that will be used to solicit donations be it impersonal advertising and personalized messages through radio and television media. CBM will also brand itself as a champion for the disabled which will include a new slogan to reflect its social contribution, deliver a promise to its target audiences and stakeholders, and reflect its organization’s mission and values.

• Advertising and public relations – CBM will continue to advertise to reach out to existing donors and to target new donors through different advertising channels in various cycles. Public relations will also be included within the advertisements and funding for this will be secured from corporate sponsorship, governments, and the public. Joint advertising strategies will be used for cost-effectiveness.

Key Success Factors

Increased donations from different donors. Benchmarks will be provided to show an increase from corporate sponsorship, in-kind contributions, donations from past and current donors, and government support.

With regard to services provided, statistics will be compiled for the number of persons who received surgery and this includes any success stories where disabled people were able to continue in education or find employment.

Influence in social behavior for the disabled where governments in the world develop policies to support the disabled.

Recommended method for evaluation

The recommended evaluation will include use of strategic controls of which the internal environment will be monitored for communication and mission objectives and goals.

Tactical goals will be set for the monitoring of day to day operations which could also translate to specific intervals like monthly and quarterly monitoring of donor and target audiences satisfaction.

Surveys will be completed to acquire feedback and program enhancement strategies will be implemented following program evaluations.

An annual report will be submitted with recommendations to monitor the marketing plan over the next three to five years with quarterly progress reports submitted prior to the annual report.

References

Andreasen, A., & Kotler, P. (2008). Strategic Marketing for non-profit organizations. New Jersey, NY: Prentice Hall

 

Christian Blind Mission Canada (2012). [CBM Canada website content]. Retrieved from the website www.cbmcanada.org

 

Jones, S. (2012). Marketing for non-profit organizations. [Course content modules]. Retrieved from https://blackboard.ryerson.edu.

This concludes the marketing plan for the Canadian Blind Mission Canada organization.

Vincent Ostberg, Student no. 049096670CNIP 912 Marketing for Non-profit organizations

Ryerson UniversityInstructor: Samantha Jones

Due: July 28, 2012