Faith-Based Organizations: An Under-Tapped Resource

As marketers, it’s our responsibility to think of innovative ways to raise awareness about different issues, ideas, products and services for our target consumers. For the sake of this article, let’s talk about health. When developing strategies to raise awareness on issues pertaining to health or encouraging people to live healthy lives, I’m sure you have probably tapped into every avenue that you could think of to promote your cause. i.e... media campaigns, digital campaigns, social media campaigns and more. But, have you considered tapping into a non-traditional resource such as faith-based organizations? 

Faith based organizations are a great resource because they inspire change and are highly respected in their communities.  According to Sharing a Legacy of Caring Partnerships between Health Care, healthcare professionals are being called upon to revisit the concept of “community” to affect change across America’s landscape. Faith-based organizations are trusted entities because they provide spiritual refuge and renewal and have served as powerful vehicles for social, economic, and political change.  

What does this mean for marketers? Faith-based organizations can be used as avenues to communicate with underserved populations. Partnering with faith-based organizations can help increase levels of awareness when engaging with members of the community. 

For example, we have worked with multiple faith- based organizations to encourage African American men to quit smoking.  Most recently, we worked with a local gospel station and churches in various communities to execute live broadcast events. Once the gospel station announced that we were seeking to “Stamp Out Smoking” in the African American community, several churches volunteered to host our program. It was amazing to see so many people excited to participate in this activity. Members of the congregation gladly gave their own personal testimonies on reasons why they quit smoking in hopes to save a life.  

This is the type of community effort that can cause change around the world. Faith-based organizations seek to show care for their patrons and surrounding community. You want organizations like that on your side to inspire change. People caring about people is what we need to solve so many of the issues that we are facing in the world today. 

To my fellow marketers, if its change that you are seeking for your community, consider reaching out to your faith-based organizations. The next time you have a chance to inspire change, partner with a faith-based organization and watch your results flourish.