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Is growth hacking by a not-for-profit acceptable?

by 87rifles
1 replies
Growth hacking is occasionally considered 'a bit naughty' by some, compared to being 'all fair' by others.

Our not-for-profit have been discussing the ideas of using growth hacking to grow our organisation which serves charities (we ourselves are not a charity - we exist to support charities who struggle with growth).

My question(s) is, is it acceptable for a not-for-profit to realistically grow by growth-hacking a larger business? If yes (I'm hoping you agree), does anyone have any ideas or examples we could apply to our organisation?

To give some context, we are a small but growing team of volunteers and our site is nearly ready. Our site - for arguments sake, hosts user-uploaded pictures of inspirational scenes (it's not this, but quite similar). Users on the site then vote on the best pictures and the best ones receive the cash/awareness for the charity they desire.

Our early (uneducated) thoughts about potential growth hacking include jumping onboard major for-profit social media campaigns such as one of Starbucks' or similar - the idea might be to hijak the hashtag and make something funny/lighthearted from it.

We are not anti-establishment or anything like that - we exist to serve a purpose whereby individual members of the public feel unable to support their favourite charities through lack of cash, time, experience, etc. We aim to make it easier for them to do so.

I hope the context helps to shape the question - what might you suggest?

Thank you

Tom
#acceptable #growth #hacking #notforprofit
  • Profile picture of the author egyptik
    Growth hacking is occasionally considered 'a bit naughty' by some, compared to being 'all fair' by others.
    Why would it be? There's nothing 'unfair' about it, you're not actually 'hacking' anything.. I don't think you understand the full definition of what growth hacking is. It's just a lean form of marketing:

    Growth hacking is a marketing technique developed by technology startups which uses creativity, analytical thinking, and social metrics to sell products and gain exposure. It can be seen as part of the online marketing ecosystem, as in many cases growth hackers are simply good at using techniques such as search engine optimization, website analytics, content marketing and A/B testing which are already mainstream. Growth hackers focus on low-cost and innovative alternatives to traditional marketing, e.g. utilizing social media and viral marketing instead of buying advertising through more traditional media such as radio, newspaper, and television.

    So, to answer your question: Yes, any type of organization can use it.
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  • Profile picture of the author mapleisaac
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