Abstract:

The emergence of the Third Sector was destined to reform government failures and consequently improve the quality of life of the vulnerable. Thus, it is important to refer the fact that we witness today the growth of non-profit organizations along with all the cutbacks that the state has imposed on those who are most vulnerable, posing an enormous challenge to every organization, especially the IPSS which are confronted with sustainability issues. Therefore, it is imperative that the IPSS understand and emulate management techniques related to the business world, in particular marketing strategies, which could be an asset for the sustainability of the institution. Bearing this in mind, the research aims to perceive the technical directors’ perspective of the IPSS in Barcelos county regarding the importance of marketing and the existence of a marketing plan in his/her organization in order to enable a better performance in society. Thus, to meet the stated objectives, an observational and descriptive study was held and as for data collection, the chosen resource was a semi-structured interview. The main results emphasized that, although the benefits of marketing strategies as well as the necessity to invest in training in this specific area are acknowledged by the technical directors, there is no marketing plan whatsoever and the use of intuitively marketing strategies are the only strategies they rely on. According to the results, it is imperative that the technical directors and presidents of IPSS rethink the communicational aspects regarding their institutional mission, creating profitable services and determining the best use of resources to achieve institutional goals.