Abstract

As many nonprofits have grown larger, they are adopting concepts and tools from the private sector to improve their own operations and effectiveness. For such growth and adaptation to continue, it is important to understand how knowledge is transferred across sectors. This article describes a pioneering study of marketing knowledge transfer based on the experiences of executives in relatively large nonprofit organizations who migrated across sectors. The study reveals that the use of marketing concepts and tools in the nonprofit sector is much lower, and it offers explanations rooted in cultural and organizational differences. This article provides recommendations for promoting more cross-sector transfer of marketing knowledge.