Today’s new topic will compare two worldviews, marketing and third sector. Worldviews, sometimes called mindsets, refers to the often unexamined assumptions we make about the world.
In the UK, for example, our worldview makes clear distinctions between statutory, private and third sectors. This can be helpful but like a lot of helpful models there comes a point where the model constrains thinking.
These powerful distinctions are not held universally. Outside the UK people don’t see things in the same way. I first became aware of this in the early 1980s, while studying with the Urban Theology Unit in Sheffield, UK.
Can Community Groups and Businesses be Natural Allies?
I read about community development during that year and I remember one text in particular (although I cannot remember what it was). It argued that in the US, community organisations and private businesses are natural allies. Businesses took up and developed further participative methodologies that began in community groups. As businesses developed new models, they shared them with community groups. Many of these groups, eg the Industrial Areas Foundation, were church-based and so Gospel paradigms can be traced through many of these methodologies. Community groups, churches and businesses are natural allies in the US. When I read management text books I can see approaches to strategic thinking shared across these sectors.
I’m sure the resulting relationships are healthy and in the US businesses have tax incentives to fund community organisations through charitable foundations. We have no comparable legislation in the UK, where community groups see the statutory sector as more natural allies. There have been some exceptions but when community groups need money they turn first to government funds, next to charitable trusts and at a distant third, to businesses.
In both countries community organisations have to follow the money. But in the UK at a time of so-called austerity, there may be an opportunity to re-appraise these relationships. If so, online marketing is going to play a major role. We may not yet be clear about that role but this blog is a contribution to working out the direction this re-appraisal might take.
I’m going to start with a basic review of approaches to marketing and then review the marketing worldview before moving onto examining third sector worldviews.
How do you understand relationships between private, statutory and third sectors?
