«  | Main |  »

nonprofit branding

How to Build Your Base around A Difficult Issue – Pls Share Your Ideas

You know an emotional hook is the best way to engage your target audiences at first, followed by reasoning, asks, etc. The heart leads, with the head following. That’s because all of us can easily relate – emotionally – to human stories and those pull us in and make us more open minded to the information or ask that follows.

But those of you whose organizations deal with difficult and emotionally-weighted issues — such as rape, eating disorders or domestic violence– have a real challenge in crafting that emotional hook. For many, the issues you’re diving into and making better for those who go through them are issues that folks just don’t want to talk about. Eyes wide shut!

The Challenge – Building a Base around a Difficult Issue
Jill Worrall, a nonprofit consultant I met recently — at theMarketing ByAssociation conference where I keynoted in Februrary — posed her huge “difficult challenge” to me and I hope you can help me guide her: Jill works with SAFE (SExual Abuse Family Education), an organization focused on reintegrating sexual offenders (including pedophiles) into society, and she finds it incredibly difficult to engage her target audiences in the cause. The issue makes them squeamish, so how could they possibly support the cause?

My immediate reaction to hearing about sex offenders is revulsion. What’s yours?

My Recommendation – Please Add Yours
My recommendation to Jill is to focus the organization’s messaging on the positive changes in the world our children live in, that will be made by the organization’s work with sexual offenders. That way the lead (and emotional hook) is positive), and the strategy (education, therapy, etc.) comes second. It’s far more likely that folks will get engaged through taking this approach.

In addition, she should:

  • Focus on the likely values match between SAFE and its prospective supporters — a community where children can live safely, and parents can relax.
  • Talk about success stories, focusing on the after.
  • More ideas here: Communicating on Difficult Issues

What guidance can you share with Jill?
Please comment here to ensure she gets it! Thank you.

P.S. Get more in-depth case studies, templates and tools, and guidance for nonprofit marketing success — all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on April 20, 2011 in Strategy | 3 comments
Tags:, , , , ,

4 Steps to Stronger Relationships by Sharing a Laugh

Humor is tough to integrate effectively into marketing, especially nonprofit marketing. We see a lot more of it in consumer marketing, where the issue covered isn’t so serious or meaningful.

Frankly, it seems to be that we in the nonprofit sector can just take ourselves a bit too seriously sometimes, and that can be a barrier to connecting with our networks. And it’s hard to get the ok for using humor…we’re scared.

No kidding.

But the folks in your network are humans, too, and enjoy a good laugh just like you do. And, as when you share a laugh with a new-ish colleague or friend, that grin or guffaw can draw the two of you closer together, enriching your relationship. Humor brings people together.

Here are 4 steps to using humor to connect more strongly with your network:

1) Know what your organization and your network have in common and play on that in your humor. That’s the point of connection for all messaging, but especially for humor.

Take the example at top..which was what I saw when I went to my LinkedIn page on April Fools Day. It works because the LinkedIn folks know what we have in common: We both know who Albert Einstein and Robin Hood were (being that LinkedIn is mainly a professional networking social media tool, and the assumption is that participants have completed high school or above in most cases). We shared the joke!

Without knowing your common ground, you’re treading on dangerous ground and may offend.

2) Keep your humor brief and use only periodically. Humor is a “less is more” tactic.

3) Delivery is everything. When you integrate humor into a video, e-news, annual report (I’m still waiting to see that) or conversation, it’s crucial that you fine-tune delivery…from where it falls in the flow of messages, your tone, the pause before or after…

4) Wrap it up while they’re still laughing. Don’t push it. Instead, pause, return to your more typical tone (although serious doesn’t mean deadly!) and cycle in humor from time to time when opportunity surfaces.

Please share your take on:

  • What are key humor do’s and don’ts?
  • How is your organization using humor — effectively or ineffectively — to strengthen your relationships?
  • What models, or huge fails, have you seen from other organizations?

More: How to Use Humor in Fundraising Campaigns

P.S. Get more in-depth case studies, templates and tools, and guidance for nonprofit marketing  success — all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on April 14, 2011 in Tactics | 3 comments
Tags:, , , , , ,

Friday Futures – Nonprofit Marketing Jobs – April 1, 2011

Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for FT or PT staff, consulting or internship opportunities.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES
1) Marketing and Communications, Manager, DonorsChoose.org, aiming to bring consumers and companies to the org’s  “front door.”

2) Membership Manager, Slow Food USA – Foodie alert! SFU is seeking a an experienced, innovative, and visionary staffer to build membership and inspire members to increase and deepen their engagement. Key experience includes online and face-to-face organization and fundraising.

3) Communications Analyst, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) – ICIC is seeking a staffer with a few years experience to craft marketing plans for its research and small business programs, and develop online and print marketing products.

4) Publications Director, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) – This role leads a team to produce high-impact but accessible publications that communicate NRDC’s scientific findings, policy recommendations, development agenda, and other core messages.

5) Communications Professional, Burness Communications, Andy Burness and team are consummate communications folks, and among the nicest and smartest people I know. It could only be a treat to work with the Burness team – job is for a mid-level communications expert.

RECENT OPPORTUNITIES
1) Communications Manager, CARE Canada – CARE is looking for the right person to take on media relations and PR responsibilities within its Fundraising and Communications Team. The team’s ultimate goal is to increase CARE Canada’s engagement with Canadians.

2) Website and Communications Manager, Five Talents – This is a fantastic opportunity for a superstar storyteller and community facilitator! Five Talents – focused on fighting poverty, creating jobs and empowering those living in poverty via savings and microcredit programs, business training and spiritual development.

You’ll be responsible for developing and implementing a robust website strategy while managing and coordinating internal and external communications, marketing, media relations and the org brand. Your goal is to develop and nurture a growing community of donors and volunteers.

3) Director, Activating Innovation , EmcArts - EmcArts is a thoughtful organization filled with brilliant people committed to helping the arts and culture sector thrive. This job will be challenging and, for the right person, an amazing opportunity to play a key role in helping arts organizations re-imagine their role in an ever evolving civilization.

Do ask me to post your open positions–for FT or PT staff, internships and/or consultants — for nonprofits, grantmakers and those firms that sell to and support those organizations! I’m glad to share them with the Getting Attention community. Submit your jobs via this form now!

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on April 1, 2011 in Jobs and Hiring | 0 comments
Tags:, , , ,

Friday Futures – Nonprofit Marketing Jobs – March 25, 2011

Thanks much for sharing your marketing jobs with me and the GettingAttention community. I’m getting so many thank yous from folks grateful to have a good source.

Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for FT or PT staff, consulting or internship opportunities.

1) Communications Manager,  CARE Canada -  CARE is looking for the right person to take on media relations and PR responsibilities within its Fundraising and Communications Team. The team’s ultimate goal is to increase CARE Canada’s engagement with Canadians.

2) Website and Communications Manager, Five Talents – This is a fantastic opportunity for a superstar storyteller and community facilitator! Five Talents – focused on fighting poverty, creating jobs and empowering those living in poverty via savings and microcredit programs, business training and spiritual development.

You’ll be responsible for developing and implementing a robust website strategy while managing and coordinating internal and external communications, marketing, media relations and the org brand. Your goal is to develop and nurture a growing community of donors and volunteers.

3) Director, Activating Innovation , EmcArts - EmcArts is a thoughtful organization filled with brilliant people committed to helping the arts and culture sector thrive.  This job will be challenging and, for the right person, an amazing opportunity to play a key role in helping arts organizations re-imagine their role in an ever evolving civilization.

Do ask me to post your open positions–for FT or PT staff, internships and/or consultants — for nonprofits, grantmakers and those firms that sell to and support those organizations! I’m glad to share them with the Getting Attention community. Submit your jobs via this form now!

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on March 25, 2011 in Jobs and Hiring | 0 comments
Tags:, , , ,

Friday Futures – Nonprofit Marketing Jobs – March 18, 2011

Compelling opportunities for nonprofit communicators keep rolling in, and I’m thrilled about it. Marketing is too often first to be slashed when budgets are cut. Of course that means your organization has no way to regain lost ground, but not everyone gets that.

To do what I can to help these organizations move their missions forward, I’ll feature relevant positions in my new Friday (when there are jobs open) series — Friday Futures-Nonprofit Marketing Jobs. I’ll be setting up a form where you can submit your positions but for the time being, please email them to me. If space allows, I’ll supplement what you send me with other great opportunities I hear about.

1) Director of Marketing, Measured Progress - I predict there’s lots of room for innovation in this role. Measured Progress develops customized assessments for K-12 and is right in the middle of the education evolution.

2) Electronic Communications Specialist, The McArthur Foundation - This is a great opportunity for web specialist to join the Foundation’s five-person Public Affairs team. Online communications are a key part of the Foundation’s communications strategy, so this role is a crucial one.

3) New Media Director, Planned Parenthood Federation of America – What a fantastic opportunity to create! PPFA does a lot of interesting things social media wise. Couldn’t think of a better place to join in.

4) Director, Fund Development and Marketing, Roberts Enterprise Development Foundation (REDF) - You’ll be responsible for generating contributed revenue and for managing REDF’s external communications, guided by its new five-year strategic plan. A perfect time to join an organization.

Do let me know if you’re hiring! I’m glad to share nonprofit communications job and internship opportunities with the Getting Attention community. Just email me!

P.S. Learn how to strengthen your nonprofit’s marketing impact with the new 2011 Guide to Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on March 18, 2011 in Jobs and Hiring | 0 comments
Tags:, , , ,

4-H Rebrands – Simply, Effectively & Memorably (Case Study)

I was pleasantly astonished to see this sign at JFK airport last month.

In a flash, 4-H showed and told me that it’s much different than it used to be…that it’s moved forward to embrace building kids’ skills in all areas, not just the farm skills it focused on for so long. And, in acknowledging that it’s far different than what it used to be, the message really resonates.

This ad conveys, in just a memorable second, 4-H’ positioning statement: “4-H is a positive youth development organization that empowers young people to reach their full potential. A vast community of more than 6 million youth and adults working together for positive change, 4-H enables America’s youth to emerge as leaders through hands-on learning, research-based 4-H youth programs and adult mentorship, in order to give back to their local communities.”

Fantastic marketing, 4-H!

Readers, what other nonprofit organizations brand at this 5-star level? Please share your examples here — we can all learn from them. Thanks!

P.S. Learn how to strengthen your nonprofit’s messaging with the all-new Nonprofit Tagline Database and 2011 Tagline Report.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on March 14, 2011 in Branding and Messages | 0 comments
Tags:, , ,

10 Ways to Get to Breakthrough Nonprofit Messaging

An amazing opportunity came my way this year! I was invited to New Zealand to keynote a first-time conference for charities and associations, focused solely on marketing.

So off I went — along with my husband and almost-8-year-old daughter Charlotte — to inspire and guide Kiwis striving to meet many of the same marketing goals as we are in the U.S. In addition to the keynote, I led a small group of passionate nonprofit marketers in crafting their marketing plans and elevator pitch.

Beyond the beauty of the land,the Kiwi warmth, and the thrill of exploring a place for the first time, there was a wonderful bonus for me in having (or taking?) the luxury of diving deep into thought to shape my five hours of content.

Messaging that connects is my passion. I believe strongly that your organization crafts powerful messages that do connect, you’ll do much better at motivating your community to act. So to prepare, I absorbed (or re-absorbed, in some cases) this set of 11 incredible resources, which helped me push myself way beyond what I knew already.

The process was exhilarating (it’s tough to get time out from the to-do list) both intellectually and creatively. It was like a spa for my nonprofit marketing mind and I now have many new ideas to try, fresh ways of looking at what I thought I knew cold and many conversations I want to have.

Dig into any of these resources to learn about how our wants, decisions and responses work, and how to shape your messages to meet those patterns:

  1. 2011 Edelman Trust Barometer
  2. Don’t Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate–The Essential Guide for Progressives, George Lakoff
  3. How We Decide, Jonah Lehrer
  4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini
  5. Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath
  6. Neuromarketing (blog), Roger Dooley
  7. Numbed by Numbers (article), Paul Slovic
  8. Story Telling as Best Practice, Andy Goodman
  9. The Upside of Irrationality, Dan Ariely
  10. Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, Dr. Frank Luntz

What should I dive into next? Please share resources that have been a spa for your nonprofit marketing mind.

Note: The book hyperlinks are partner links.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on February 22, 2011 in Branding and Messages, Uncategorized | 0 comments
Tags:, , , , ,

Friday Futures – Nonprofit Marketing Jobs – Feb 18, 2011

Compelling opportunities for nonprofit communicators keep rolling in, and I’m thrilled about it. Marketing is too often first to be slashed when budgets are cut. Of course that means your organization has no way to regain lost ground, but not everyone gets that.

To do what I can to help these organizations move their missions forward, I’ll feature relevant positions in my new Friday (when there are jobs open) series — Friday Futures-Nonprofit Marketing Jobs. I’ll be setting up a form where you can submit your positions but for the time being, please email them to me. If space allows, I’ll supplement what you send me with other great opportunities I hear about.

1) Director of Communications, The Center for Effective Philanthropy – Not only does the Center do important work. It’s developed a great tagline (Better Data. Better Decisions. Better Philanthropy.) Always great to start a new job from a position of strength.

2) Communications Associate, American Federation of Teachers - A compelling challenge for someone with five or so years experience but eager to do a lot more, quickly.

3) Assistant Director of Print Communications, Drew University – Drew is just 15 minutes away from me and a gorgeous campus. This is an ideal position for the print fanatic and yes, I know there are still some around.

4) Communications Coordinator, Bicycle Coalition – This is a great opportunity for the newer communicator with just a few years experience, and you can ride your bike to work (in Philly).

Do let me know if you’re hiring! I’m glad to share nonprofit communications job and internship opportunities with the Getting Attention community. Just email me!

I am taking a brief hiatus but will be back with more jobs on March 11.

P.S. Learn how to strengthen your nonprofit’s messaging with the all-new Nonprofit Tagline Database and 2011 Tagline Report.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on February 18, 2011 in Jobs and Hiring | 0 comments
Tags:, , , ,

Your Key to Connection – Take the “Other” to Lunch

Elizabeth Lesser’s dramatic call to action –  lunch with the opposition — in her recent Ted Talk is surprising at first listen but makes a world of sense.

Understanding your audiences — whether they be prospective donors, current members or the legislators your organization is working to influence — is the most reliable key to connection. Knowing what’s important to them — and their wants, habits and preferences — is the only way to make your call to action  relevant (assuming there’s an overlap between your org’s values and goals, and theirs).

How do you get to know your organization’s community and prospects?  Please share your strategies here.

P.S. Get your free 2011 Guide to Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom — benefit from what 127 nonprofit communicators like you learned in 2010.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on February 2, 2011 in Audience Research | 1 comment
Tags:, , , , , ,

Essential Nonprofit Marketing Guidance: The Best of 2010

2010 delivered cause-marketing shockers, highly-effective disaster relief communications, a tougher-than-ever fundraising environment and the continued emergence of Facebook, even as the basics remained the cornerstone of nonprofit marketing impact.

Here are the tools, case studies and recommendations that nonprofit marketers like you found most valuable in guiding them through this tough year:

7 Easy Ways to Boost Your Nonprofit Marketing Impact with Google Analytics

10 Ways to Make Your Online Press Room Perform for Your Nonprofit

Busted Nonprofit Brand: Anatomy of a Corporate Sponsorship Meltdown (Case Study)

How to Write a Letter to the Editor that Gets Published and Read

Messaging Crisis for Nonprofits

My Top 6 Guides to Effective Fundraising—What Are Yours?

New Nonprofit Tagline Database and 2011 Report: Free and Open for Use
“These are great tools for crafting effective messages, and so easy to use,” says Peggy Kebel, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Local Funding Partnerships.

Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template—Ready-to-Use

Red Cross’ Communications Innovation in Haiti Disaster Relief Effort — Smart Stuff

There’s More to Marketing than Social Media

Unleash the Power of Your Email Signature

P.S. Get in-depth case studies, templates and tools, and guidance for nonprofit marketing  success — all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Please Share:

Nancy Schwartz on January 20, 2011 in Strategy | 0 comments
Tags:, , , , , , ,

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →

<< Back to Main