Business Students Help Nonprofits With Marketing

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Students in a marketing special topics course at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas have been working on a semester-long project focusing on aspects of marketing for nonprofits.

The students in the Marketing and Nonprofits class will be presenting their semester projects to local nonprofit organizations Dec. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Fayetteville Public Library.

Students in the class were required to do a marketing analysis for local nonprofits, devise a marketing plan for the nonprofits and work with them to develop those plans. The class was split into four teams. Each team worked with a local organization to improve on or create marketing plans and strategies, which included everything from public relations and advertising to basic infrastructure issues.

“This semester’s theme has been hunger relief, education and nourishment in Northwest Arkansas,” said Molly Jensen, clinical associate professor at the Walton College and instructor for the class. “The four teams worked with University of Arkansas Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, the Farm, Apple Seeds Inc. and Feed Fayetteville.

“Many of the students in the class will work at for-profit companies in the future; however, more and more companies are interested in philanthropy, and they like their employees to serve as board members for nonprofits and be more involved in charity.

“It benefits the students a lot to learn about the nonprofit world through this class,” Jensen added. “It is a service for them to learn what it means to be part of a nonprofit from a board member’s perspective or even as a volunteer.”

“Having been able to work with my nonprofit has made me very proud to be a Walton College student,” said Andrew Koucky, a marketing major. “This real world, unscripted learning process should be used much more often to help students get a real understanding of what it is that we are learning.”

Students will be presenting the projects to their clients during their final exam period. The Fayetteville Public Library’s Nonprofit Resource Center will be hosting the event in the Walker Room at the public library.