Charities such as the Red Cross, UNICEF, or Greenpeace are some of the most widely recognized organizations in the world. However, charity organizations often have fewer resources, personnel, and marketing budgets than their consumer goods counterparts have and thus need to be more creative to generate awareness for their campaigns, attract new donors, and retain existing ones. The course will introduce students to marketing as a pervasive societal activity that goes beyond the selling of commercial products and services but communicating the mission and purpose of charity organizations.

The course follows a research-based teaching approach and actively integrates students in the process of conducting an empirical research project. The sessions are organized in seminar style and involve joint discussions of novel research findings and charity marketing trends, presentations of student ideas for novel donor communication approaches, and guest speakers that allow practical insights into the charity marketing practice. Within the course, students will also deepen their knowledge and skills regarding (1) the design of experimental research projects and (2) learn how to analyze and interpret statistical models that involve mediating and moderating relationships.

After successfully completing the course, students will be able to:

• understand the characteristics and challenges associated with the marketing function in charity organizations.
• formulate novel communication strategies for charity organizations and discuss how these communications can be amplified by integrating donors and using social media.
• design an experimental research approach to test and compare the effectiveness of different donation appeals.
• analyze experimental data (including moderation and mediation models) in order to draw implications for charity organizations.

Attendance during the course is compulsory (min. 80% to pass).

The course follows a research-based teaching approach and actively integrates students in the process of conducting an empirical research project. The project-based character of the course enables students to take agency for developing new ideas and generating knowledge through hands on experience. The supervisors guide through this process by providing tightly focused theoretical inputs, expertise on experimental research design, and knowledge on appropriate tools and methods for data analysis. The sessions are interactive and facilitate critical discussions and problem-solving capabilities.

To complement this research-based learning approach with a practical perspective, the course further features guest speakers who will give additional insights into the challenges associated with marketing in different charity domains.

Grading will be based on the following criteria:

• In-class participation & literature quiz (10%)
• Group Challenges (30%)
• Research project (50%)
• Peer-evaluation of group work (10%)

In-class participation and the literature quiz are graded at the individual-level. The group challenges and research project is graded at the group-level. A peer-evaluation will be used to assess each group member’s individual contribution to the challenges and research project.

This course is part of the portfolio of elective courses of the Master of Science in Marketing program at WU. The course imparts in-depth knowledge in one or multiple selected specialized fields of marketing. The course builds on a strong foundation in marketing knowledge and skills which students acquire during the first year of WU's MSc Marketing program (this first year comprises 62.5 ECTS credits in total).

For MSc Marketing students, the successful completion of the following courses is a prerequisite for the admission to this elective course:

• Customer-Centric Management (7.5 ECTS)
• Consumer and Buyer Behavior (5 ECTS)
• Marketing Research Design and Analysis (7.5 ECTS)

Additionally, MSc Marketing students are prepared for this elective course by taking courses in the following fields during their first year:

• Global Marketing Strategy (5 ECTS)
• Marketing Communications (7.5 ECTS)
• New Product Development and Brand Management (7.5 ECTS)
• Marketing Engineering and Marketing Models (5 ECTS)
• Marketing Metrics and Performance Measurement (5 ECTS)

Moreover, this elective course builds on 45 ECTS credits in business administration which students had completed in order to be admitted to WU's MSc Marketing program.

Incoming students should be aware that this course expects students to have some basic statistical knowledge and software skills (e.g., being able to work and run simple analyis with R or SPSS). This course builds on this foundational level and helps you to further advance your statistical skill set, which might also be a valuable asset for your MSc thesis in the fourth semester. WU students who have successfully passed the "Marketing Research Design and Analysis" course are sufficiently equipped for this course.

If you have any further questions regarding the course content or organization, feel free to contact us anytime. During the course, we will also be available for questions in the classroom after each session. If you have any questions upfront, please write to pascal.guentuerkuen@wu.ac.at