The Influence of Marketing Scholarship’s Legacy on Nonprofit Marketing

• Main Author: Walter Wymer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2013-09-01
• Series: International Journal of Financial Studies
• Subjects: marketing history; marketing theory; nonprofit marketing; nonprofit marketing scholarship; nonprofit marketing research
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/1/3/102

This inquiry contributes to the literature on the development of “nonprofit marketing thought” by describing how the field’s early period established a legacy effect on nonprofit marketing scholarship to the present day. This qualitative work uses a wide variety of sources from a protracted historical period in order to more fully inform a perspective on the relevant issues that have influenced the development of nonprofit marketing scholarship. The investigation suggests that, although the debate on whether or not marketing is a science was nominally resolved years ago, the origins of marketing scholarships as an applied business discipline remain influential. The effects on this influence is a body of research that is fragmented, conflicted, sometimes invalid, and has produced few general theories indicative of a social science. Recommendations are offered for improving the quality of nonprofit marketing scholarship.