Nothing is as compelling as managing the design, of a printed piece or web look for your organization, service or campaign. It’s easy to get swept away envisioning the impact it will have on your target audiences. And the creative adventure of bringing that piece, or web design, to life, is usually a welcome change from strategic and administrative work.
However, the excitement often fades when you dive into the process of finding, hiring, and managing a designer or design team. I urge you to take these five steps to generate the design results that make the greatest impact for your nonprofit:
===> Step One: Take your time to find the RIGHT designer.
NOTE: Take this step immediately, not when you’re in desperate need of a designer.
Here’s how to find your designers:
==> Step Two: Gather favorite design samples
Keep a folder of favorites, printed materials you identify as good design in the same range as your
organization’s image or the image you want to establish. Bookmark website designs too.
==> Step Three: Compile your list of prospective designers
Contact communications colleagues (make sure you like their design sensibility first, judging by their products) and ask for designer recommendations. Get basic information on pricing, work style, and client base. Also contact the communications director at those organizations who produced the print materials or websites you’ve tagged.
==> Step Four: Hone your list to the top three or four by interviewing ten to twelve designers
Contact the top ten to twelve before you have a design project ready to go. At that point, you won’t want to waste a minute in getting design estimates in.
==> Step Five: Write a creative brief the moment you get a whiff of a pending writing or design job.
For details on the "how-to" of each step, read the full Getting Attention article.
Nancy Schwartz on April 11, 2006 in Graphic Design, Nonprofit Communications, People
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Tags:graphic design
creative brief
nonprofit
Is your organization contacted by the media? Do you have to make the community aware of a new program? A board member with communication skills can offer valuable insight in developing a media policy or structuring a name change process. boardnetUSA can help you find the right person.
I learned about boardnetUSA a few years ago when I finally had time to join a board. It functions like a no-fee — for 501(c)(3)s — matchmaking service. Nonprofit organizations are able to easily generate a list of prospective board members (who have completed comprehensive profiles) with the skills they need. They contact the prospect through boardnetUSA and take it from there. It worked great for me and I urge you to try it to build your board’s communications expertise.
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Nancy Schwartz on November 17, 2005 in Nonprofit Communications, People
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Tags:board member
You’ve probably read that Peter Drucker, best known as the father of modern management, died last week at the age of 95. What you probably don’t know is that Drucker directed more than half of his consulting practice to nonprofit organizations, and frequently focused on nonprofit management and marketing issues in his teaching and writing.
As Drucker’s long career evolved, and he saw that the competitive environment prevented many businesses from embracing the employee-oriented practices he advocated, he began to focus on the nonprofit sector (which Drucker called the "social sector.") He advised organizations like the Girl Scouts to think more like businesses, even though their bottom line is "changed lives" rather than profits. Drucker was one of the first to advise that donors would begin to evaluate nonprofits on their results, rather than their mission.
In recognition of his contribution to the field, Frances Hesselbein, the former director of Girl Scouts USA, founded the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management in 1990(now known as the Leader-to-Leader Institute) to provide nonprofits with training on Drucker’s perspective, and management and marketing concepts.
Nancy Schwartz on November 14, 2005 in Nonprofit Communications, People, Strategy
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Tags:social sector
The sharpest marketing plan in the world won’t do a thing for your nonprofit if you aren’t working effectively with colleagues and your staff members. Nothing is more important than people in getting a marketing agenda up and going, with success.
A frequent cry I hear from nonprofit marketers is the lack of budget. Many nonprofit leaders seem to be allergic to the "M" word (marketing), but somehow expect programs to be filled, volunteers to flock and donors to give and give. Wrong. But the only way to get the budget you need is to consider your nonprofit’s leadership, and colleagues at all levels, as your organization’s marketers. They do spread the word after all — in every correspondence and conversation. What’s crucial is that they understand your marketing strategy, especially how it stems from your organization’s program goals. Once they do, you’ll have the support and, most likely, the budget you need. As a bonus, you’ll have an organization-wide marketing corps. Nothing better.
All too often I hear from nonprofit marketers who are trying to do it all themselves, rather than to share the work with their staff members. Sometimes it’s a concern about lack of experience, otherwise an attitude of "it’s just quicker to do it myself." Forget it. You’ll be able to do the most, most effectively, with a strong team at the helm. So consider yourself a mentor, as well as a boss. Invest in training your staff, involve them in your decision making and give them responsibility. In return, you’ll get a loyal team who will increase your organization’s marketing impact.
Read these articles for more guidance on managing people to increase your nonprofit’s marketing effectiveness:
Are you Getting Attention?
Nancy Schwartz on November 6, 2005 in Nonprofit Communications, People
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Tags:managing people
marketing consultant
marketing budget
