Working in a mission-driven organization gives you the opportunity to interact with a wide range of different stakeholders who can contribute to your overall growth. If prioritized correctly, they can provide industry insight, positive publicity or even powerful connections that can help your organization achieve its goals.
It is always helpful to identify who your primary stakeholder is, followed by your secondary and tertiary stakeholders. Since everyone has skin in the game, you want to effectively differentiate who stands to help your organization gain the most, and focus the bulk of your efforts on that group.
Here are some ideas to help you prioritize your stakeholders:
- Get networking. Staying connected with your stakeholders will provide many learning opportunities. There are always new trends, advice or experiences that your organization learns from and utilizes to improve the targeting and relevance of your marketing.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out. When you need help, your stakeholders can provide a new connection or a fresh perspective. Even those who don’t identify themselves as your target market have a great deal to offer your organization in terms of insights and advice. Just get confident in your ask.
- Know the balance of give and take. Don’t constantly ask your stakeholders to take a survey or participate in an event if your organization isn’t delivering anything in return. Hopefully, your organization is fulfilling its mission, which is usually what your stakeholders are expecting, but also make it a point to thank them for their involvement and give them little perks for supporting you.
- Keep your communication open. Stakeholders want to feel connected to your organization. If they are invested in your mission, they’ll want to keep up with your new accomplishments and initiatives. Be sure to keep that line of communication open so your stakeholders know there is ample opportunity for them to contact you and that you value keeping them in the loop.
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