A Marketing Proposal for a Nonprofit Radio Station

Abstract

My name is Azia Carle and during the summer of my senior year I was tasked with researching a topic that related to my studies at Kalamazoo College. As a business and art double major my first instinct was to look for a topic that related to marketing or advertising, both being areas of business that my college studies could be easily applied to. However, in my search I learned something about the business world that made me rethink the purpose of this assignment. While interning at a nonprofit all girls radio station I witnessed what the true purpose of any business is. I believe that purpose is not just to maximize profits or allocate funds efficiently but ultimately every business is created to serve people, and good businesses serve as many people as they can. This revelation led me see this assignment as an opportunity to encourage others to stay true to the service that their business provides as well as explore how women can become more efficient leaders in the nonprofit sector. I chose to look specifically at nonprofit organizations because their service factor is often more direct. I also chose to focus on nonprofits because I have a lot of experience working in them. In this paper I have used books, articles, and my education as a business major at Kalamazoo College and Curtin University to detail the process and reasoning behind the marketing plan I completed as an intern at GRLZ radio. GRLZ Radio is a webcasted radio station directed and run by women. It is also a youth enrichment program offering teenage girls a place to develop their leadership and communication skills through mentoring and training. GRLZ radio is a unique radio station not only because of its standing as a youth development program but also because all the music played by the station holds a positive message that doesn't degrade or disrespect women. The station also features a talk show segment where listeners are given the chance to interact with the girls at the program during a live show that is structured and run solely by the participants. Purpose of this paper is to share my understanding of what ingredients are necessary in formulating a successful marketing proposal for a non-profit organization based on my experience as an intern for GRLZ Radio. Here I have detailed the steps I took to plan my marketing proposal and the reason why each of these elements are important in ensuring the stations success. This essay is relevant to presents times because these steps can be applied to any non-profit aiming to accomplish similar goals.