However, growing limitations of financing in the not-for-profit sector demand of Community radios to adopt effective and efficient strategies and principles for marketing, increasing their reach and revenues in order to survive, grow and prosper without outside funding. Related to the challenges faced by the CRS, the main one is the sometimes general negative vision of the marketing field for the
non-profit sector. It needs to be highlighted that marketing was initially regarded as inappropriate for the non-profit sector due to its use by commercial entities strongly identified with selling, and manipulating to get the maximum of benefits by all means. However, we have to turn that negative vision into something new that encourage to change their minds. To do so, the workshop will mainly focus on showing how marketing and sustainability, essentially relies heavily on designing programs or policies which satisfy the needs and desires of an entity’s target market. Participants will be taught how this strategy and business tool particularly involves research and promotion, discovering clients and identifying their characteristics. Finally, the workshop’s outcome would be to fully understand the importance of a good marketing and sustainability strategy and their need of having a deep knowledge of the entities they work at– for a community radio – what type of radio station it is, what it seeks to achieve, the strategy to achieve its objectives and how to measure progress. This requires substantial knowledge and capacity building for the staff of community radio stations which is non-existent or inadequate. This ambitious project intended to increase the quality of local radio programming and broadcasting by fully integrating the use of ICTs, strengthening local information on development issues and engaging poor people’s participation in debates related to their livelihood and development. This workshop will empower the participants on how increasing the income of the radio will help them generate finances from multiple sources which will help support the professional trips of the staff in the field as they do their work, gather information from farther areas and broaden coverage. Through increasing the quality of their radios and making them more attractive to public, the managers may see better opportunities to engage locals’ participation in the discussion of daily issues at the same time that they keep track on local reports and information. The objective of the workshop is to have a consultative process that will not only give CRS an opportunity to improve on delivery of its mandate in a strategic manner, but also interact with its stakeholders in developing a clear understanding of the needs and objectives of the radio station. Through the training, participants WILL also learnt how to undertake an institutional and environmental overview of CRS in line with the POLICIES and requirements for a community radio station. Exploring avenues for programmes, content, community participation and sustainability of CRS would setup as a goal while reviewing the importance of rightly shaping the existing Vision, Mission and programmes for a higher relevance and consistency. The main challenge is to give an understanding of how and why crs were formed and the situations which prompted its formation with an aim to bring every participant at par with the founders and build a common understanding of where crs is coming from and where it wants to go. Therefore, the workshop WILL largely depend on individual testimonies, buzz groups, group work and plenary discussions as methods of facilitating the workshop deliberations. Individual’s testimonies would be used to give every member of the crs. This is an opportunity to express themselves on factors and also motivate them to continue volunteering at the station. We hope to succeed at facilitating the understanding among the local community while improving the marketing and strategic skills of participants. Friends, in case you are interested please confirm so that we can send the schedule in details and the tentative dates along with the rules for participation in the workshop
With Best Wishes, Man Mohan Singh
