Marketing is probably the single most abused and misused word in the charity lexicon (I'll exclude the term 'voluntary' for now). Let's see we have direct marketing - sending people large numbers of appeals that donors never told you they wanted. We have Head of Marketing - this particular title could be a fundraising role, a branding role, a communications role or a services role.

The irony is that charities (or if we are being politically correct then I should say VCO, as in voluntary and community organisation, a term usually reserved for organisations which are neither voluntary nor based in communities) really do need marketing in the true sense of the word.

Marketing in the sense that I understand is about working out what supporters or stakeholders really really want and then working out how you can give it to them. Too many charities decide what they think stakeholders should want and then proceed to blast it at them. This applies whether it is about the number of mailings supporters should receive, the type of press release journalists want to cover, or the pages and pages of riveting stories in the average newsletter members must want to read.

Ironically marketing is needed in charity services more than in most other areas, because good marketing can make sure that clients and beneficiaries get what they really need as a route to transforming their lives.

We may abuse the word marketing, but the real tragedy is when we abuse or ignore the enormously powerful process of marketing itself.

Joe Saxton is chair and founder of CharityComms. In his day job Joe is driver of ideas and co-founder of specialist research consultancy nfpSynergy