ABSTRACT
People with academic or technical backgrounds often think that marketing is about spin and misdirection. In reality, it is about seeing things from other people’s perspective, understanding their wants and needs, and explaining how one can help them— in short, how to teach them. The first step is to figure out what people’s are offering to whom, i.e., what actually brings in the volunteers, funding, and other support they need to keep going. The answer is often counter-intuitive. Group offers weekend programming workshops to people who are re-entering the workforce after being away for several years. Building a website and hoping that people find it is easy; calling people up or knocking on their door without any sort of prior introduction is much harder. As with standing up and teaching, though, it’s a craft that can be learned.
