Communicate for Good

In this episode, Erica and Will discuss:

• Using data to guide strategy.
• 5 possible marketing channels & how they’re working:
  • 1. Facebook
  • 2. Web Tracking and Devices
  • 3. Text Messaging
  • 4. Social Media
  • 5. Digital Ads
• Creating success through peer to peer fundraising.
• The differences in site visits from desktop vs. mobile devices.
• Utilizing the social media platform that your audience uses for digital ads.

Key Takeaways:

• Using your platform to storytell and be relevant on a human level makes people take notice and builds empathy. If you care, the audience will care. 
• As a nonprofit be honest and transparent. Tell donors how the pandemic has impacted your fundraising and where the shortfalls are.
• Acknowledging what people are going through at the current time may mean an adjustment to your message.
• Anytime you can empower people to make a difference in the world, even a little one, do it. 

"Regardless of what your cause is, it hasn’t stopped mattering." —  Will Valverde

About Will Valverde: Will is the Senior Creative Director at M+R and the lead writer of the annual M+R Benchmarks Study. He has spent more than a decade helping major nonprofits develop memorable digital advocacy and fundraising campaigns, with a special focus on creative engagement. He proudly contributes concepts, copy, and strategic direction for organizations like Feeding America, USA for UNHCR, World Wildlife Fund, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

Connect with Will Valverde:

Website: M+R
      Mr.Benchmarks.com
Email: [email protected]

CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/
http://www.claxonmarketing.com/
http://claxonuniversity.com/
http://www.wordifier.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaxonMarketing
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/claxonuniversity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica and Brea discuss:

• The power of communication and marketing.
• The role gender dynamics play while working from home.
• Creating a virtual think tank with specialists to solve problems.
• Women and vulnerability in being authentic in the workplace and on social media. 

Key Takeaways:

• The workforce today looks different than it did before. There is a need that businesses and people share. Help highly skilled employees to feel valued while the business is flexible and accessible.
• 3 Key Values,
  • 1. Precious stewardship of our resources, time and money.
  • 2. Be wired for impact. Focus on the things that will be the most impactful  with our time.
  • 3. Be an intentional community, come together on purpose and for cause.
• Communicate and build loyalty with your team by creating 30 minutes of one on one time.

"There are circles and appropriate places where you can be vulnerable." —  Brea Starmer

About Brea Starmer: Brea Starmer is the Founder of Lions+Tigers, a marketing and strategy consultancy building a bridge to the future of work. In 2018, Brea started the firm in response to a need she identified as a senior consultant and mom of two young boys: flexible, fractional high-impact work. Her team of 50+ serve clients like Microsoft and Google. Brea, a leader in the space for 15 years, started her career at Microsoft in partner channel marketing and business strategy. She later grew a global staffing firm from startup to 120 consultants with $16M in revenue in four years. An alum of Washington State University, she sits on the Marketing Advisory Board at Carson College of Business. Brea is most passionate about helping people thrive in their “highest and best use” through courageous action. When she’s not with her boys, you can find Brea living the Lions+Tigers mission from her backyard She Shed office outside of Seattle, Wa.

 

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

Connect with Brea Starmer:

Twitter: @LionsTigersco
Facebook: Lions and Tigers Co.
Instagram: @lionstigersco
Website: Lions-Tigers.com
LinkedIn: Lions + Tigers
Email: [email protected]

CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/
http://www.claxonmarketing.com/
http://claxonuniversity.com/
http://www.wordifier.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaxonMarketing
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/claxonuniversity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica and Megan discuss:

• Aligning personal brand with organizational brand.
• The challenges of communicating with audiences given the range of things that people are experiencing, especially right now.
• The art and science of telling the story of an organization, while keeping it real and relevant. 
• The difference between self-compassion and self-care and the importance of leadership modeling those values.
• The difference between authenticity and radical realness.
  
   

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t fear failure. Fear apathy.
• Your good is good enough.
• Don’t spread yourself too thin. Focus on one or two social media outlets that make sense for your brand. And stop worrying about everything else.
• Be brave, be real, but also be discerning and strategic.
• Learn how to separate urgent from important. You don't have to do “all the everything”.

"You’ve got to find the ‘good enough bucket’. On one end of the spectrum, there's perfect. On the other end [there’s] going out scattershot with no real intention or strategy. Somewhere in between, there is a thoughtful approach." —  Megan McNally

About Megan McNally: Megan McNally is a lawyer and strategic advisor to purpose-driven people and organizations. She has spent more than two decades as an organizational leader, consultant, educator, and public speaker, including executive roles with the NPower Network, Washington State Bar Association & Foundation, and Pacific Science Center. In 2017, Megan founded The FBomb Breakfast Club - a peer support community of over 3,000 female founders and women business owners - and was named one of the Most Influential People of 2018 by Seattle Magazine. She serves on the UW Nonprofit Management Advisory Board, the Seattle University School of Law Alumni Board, the Seattle Globalist Board of Directors, and on the advisory boards of multiple startup organizations.

Megan has been featured in Geekwire, the Puget Sound Business Journal, Seattle Lawyer, and more. She's a two-time winner of The Moth storytelling competition, and a frequent speaker on leadership, strategy, and the power of failure. 

Mentioned: Katie Sturino (@katiesturino) 12ish style

Connect with Megan McNally:

Website: FBombBreakfastClub.com Doyenne-Strategy.com
Twitter: FBomb Breakfast Club (@FBombBClub)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmcnallyseattle/
Email: [email protected]


CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/
http://www.claxonmarketing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricaMillsBarn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica and Scott discuss:

• How Scott’s own powerful story helped him understand that each of us is someone else's chance to reach their potential.
• The three parts of the COVID-19 lens you should be looking through to make sure your organization is relevant to the current situation.
• How COVID-19 has humanized our workspaces and helped us forge community and how that has made us stronger.
• The rise of Donor Advised Funds and donor collaboratives and how they are expanding options for people to make a difference with their giving.
  
   

Key Takeaways:

• The power of story and the power of sharing the narrative.
• The more you can ask questions, rather than just jump to the action or assume what the answer is, the better the outcome.
• Go back to the basics, go back to what is authentic to you as an organization, and shine a bright light on that.
• Working together can rally people around the cause, rather than just the organization.

"As a result of COVID-19, we'll all think about our own social impact even more. Marketing for good, I think, is here to stay. And my hope is that all of us can be a part of it." —  Scott Jackson


Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

About Scott Jackson: President and CEO for Global Impact. Global Impact is a non profit that works on charitable ventures that inspire greater giving around the world. They are currently supporting individual donors, donor collaboratives, nonprofits and corporations with their COVID and non COVID fundraising and marketing needs.

Connect with Scott Jackson:

Website: Charity.org
Email: [email protected]


CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/
http://www.claxonmarketing.com/
http://www.wordifier.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricaMillsBarn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/
Email: [email protected]

About Dana Van Nest: Before opening her consulting practice, Dana Van Nest was Associate Director of Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations at Henry Art Gallery where she was responsible for planning and executing the museum's marketing, communications, and public relations plans. She also worked as Marketing Director at the Collins Group, a fundraising consulting firm, where she provided strategic direction for the firm’s business development and marketing communications initiatives. 

Since 2010, Dana has been a member of the Association for Women in Communications, Seattle Professional Chapter. In 2016, she received the Georgina MacDougall Davis Founder’s Award. This award is given annually to a Seattle Chapter member who consistently exhibits the highest ethics, professional excellence, and personal commitment in everything she does.

In 2003, her original co-written screenplay “Turn Right by the Yellow Dog” was produced by the Danish Film Institute and debuted at the San Jose Film Festival. Dana holds a BA in English from the University of Washington and an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College.



In this episode, Erica and Dana discuss:

• Getting your ego out of the way when writing for marketing or fundraising communications so you can focus on the mission and the audience.
• Using words as tactical instruments for content that supports your marketing objectives, which then supports the organizational goals.
• Making sure any communications you send out right now have a tone that lets your audience know you understand the crisis situation that we're in, without overdoing it.
• The strategy of always giving somebody three options, so the best option will shine. 
  
   

Key Takeaways:

• Content strategy is about finding the right words to communicate the right message efficiently on the right platforms.
• If you don't have anything relevant to say during this crisis, don’t say anything right now.
• The more transparent you can be about where you are internally, the more engaged your staff is going to be and feel like they actually have a stake in what's happening.

"An organization should have marketing goals and strategies that map back to whatever their strategic plan is... and how their marketing communications plan is going to augment their greater business goals. But the content itself, you're drilling down a little bit further, and actually looking at what is going to go in each of these platforms in each of these places this week. So it's much more about the actual words, than the outcome." —  Dana Van Nest

 

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

Connect with Dana Van Nest:

Website: www.danavannest.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danavannest/
  

CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/
http://www.claxonmarketing.com/
http://www.wordifier.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricaMillsBarn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica talks with Michael Brown, Chief Civic Architect for Seattle’s Civic Commons. They discuss:

• Bridging the divide between policymakers and those affected by the policies in order to foster an effective connection and create real change.
• The challenges of finding common ground without losing what you’re fighting for, and staying open to other perspectives, especially in the current divisive atmosphere.
• Using data points to ensure alignment of efforts in order to leverage individual assets and activities for the collective good.
• The importance of defining your narrative, even if the details are uncomfortable, so you can get to the work that matters.
  
   

Key Takeaways:

• We need to bridge the divides in order to achieve shared goals.
• Real change happens when we refuse to settle for output alone and work for the right outcome.
• Asking the right questions can lead to finding the right answers.
• Now is the time to lean into bold, innovative approaches. You have more to gain than you do to lose.
  
   

"...we don't take the time to build relationships and trust. As a result, we end up being satisfied with output and pat ourselves on the back, versus actually addressing the root cause, (and achieving) the outcomes that we really wanted to reach.” —  Michael Brown

 

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

Connect with Michael Brown:

Website: www.civic-commons.org
Twitter: Michael C Brown (@MichaelCBrown18)
LinkedIn: Michael Brown - Civic Architect, Civic Commons



CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/
http://www.claxonmarketing.com/
http://www.wordifier.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricaMillsBarn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica talks with Peter Drury, Chief Strategy Officer for Wellspring Family Services, a nonprofit to end the cycle of family homelessness. They discuss:

• The idea that perception of value, more than the actual value, drives decisions about how we spend our money.
• Recognizing qualitative and quantitative factors other than cash value that impact your fundraising effectiveness.
• Becoming worthy of trust by going back to the basics of kindness, authenticity, and genuine and personal signs of gratitude.
• Reverse engineering, or “backcasting” to define what needs to happen to reach your goals.
  
   

Key Takeaways:

• The frame beats the facts every time.
• Not all gifts of the same size have equal value.
• People will go with a charity they already know and trust, especially in unsure times.
• Go from the point of impact in the future and then cast back. Then you can figure out how to get there.
  
   

"If we get really good with our messaging and our marketing, we are actually raising more money for less… It comes back to perception...words...frames. And it comes back to an invitation for a person to make a difference in the world, not to you but through you. And yeah, I think that's the work." —  Peter Drury

 

More about Peter Drury: Peter currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Wellspring Family Services in Seattle, where he is charged with keeping Wellspring future-focused, aligned, growing, and increasingly wise. A social worker with a business education – plus years of innovative leadership and consulting for philanthropists, executives, and boards – Peter is uniquely positioned to facilitate strategy, planning, performance measures, and optimization of the whole. Peter has supported many high-performing organizations during critical stages of growth, such as Splash, Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, Seattle Children’s, Sightline Institute, and Make-A-Wish. He is a member of the faculty in Seattle University’s acclaimed Master of Nonprofit Leadership Program and holds MSW, MBA, and M.Div. degrees from the University of Illinois, Seattle University, and Yale University.

Beyond-Cash-Fundraising-Dashboard

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

CONNECT WITH PETER DRURY:

Twitter: Peter Drury (@seattledrury)

Website: Wellspring Family Services

LinkedIn: Peter Drury - Chief Strategy Officer - Wellspring Family Services



CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/

http://www.claxonmarketing.com/

http://www.wordifier.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricaMillsBarn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica and Hanson discuss:

• Why lies spread so much more quickly than the truth.
• Living in an information vacuum, there’s so much information that we don’t know which to choose.
• How the algorithms of your browsing habits and social media know you better than you know yourself, which may motivate you even more than the stories you hear today.
• Creating communities with similar values. If that can’t be a whole country, can it be a state, a city, or the company you work for?
  
   

Key Takeaways:

• Misinformation is like carbs. We are addicted to it because it’s so easy to consume and temporarily satisfying.
• When you’re in a state of fear and anxiety, you’re more susceptible to misinformation because you want easy answers.
• Stories are what set us apart from any other species as they give us our sense of identity and purpose.
• You need to convey something astounding, surprising, and amazing that constituents don't already know to make them stick around, and do it in a way that looks compelling enough to show that you actually mean it. 
  
   

"Everybody says they want the truth. They want the facts. But you speak to the folks at Facebook as I have, and they will tell you that uniformly, the links that get the most attention are the ones that are patently false. That's what people are attracted to." —  Hanson Hosein

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

About Hanson: Hanson Hosein is Co-Director of the Communication Leadership master’s program at the University of Washington and the President of HRH Media Group LLC  a media production and communications strategy firm that has worked with organizations such as REI, Microsoft, Tableau Software and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He’s a pioneer of multimedia storytelling: as an Emmy and Overseas Press Club award-winning journalist for NBC News, a solo TV war correspondent with MSNBC and CBC and a documentary film director whose work has been streamed and broadcast worldwide. While at the UW, Hanson has also been recognized as Seattle’s “Most Influential” as he engages publicly with the region’s leaders on-camera and on-stage.  He has law degrees from McGill University and the University of Paris, and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University.

 

Connect with Hanson Hosein:

Watch Hanson’s  “Future Computed” interview with Microsoft leadership on Artificial Intelligence - https://videopress.com/v/2lK0nA3a

Hanson’s TEDx talk  “Why I drop the Mic”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3nGrxWR_U

His Creative Mornings presentation on Creativity and Compassion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCBHl9SYTf0&feature=youtu.be

Get Hanson’s book “Storyteller Uprising”: https://www.amazon.com/Storyteller-Uprising-Trust-Persuasion-Digital/dp/1463631502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321342796&sr=8-1
Website: www.hrhmedia.com
Email: [email protected]

Also Discussed:

The Center for an Informed Public: https://www.cip.uw.edu/

Thought Exchange: https://www.thoughtexchange.com/
 

CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/

http://www.claxonmarketing.com/

http://www.wordifier.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaxonMarketing

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica and Rebecca discuss:

• The weirdness of engaging donors during COVID-19. And the fact that people want to help so giving them ways to get involved will spark joy for them.
• What fundraising will look like after COVID-19 and how to prepare for it.
• Whether Millennials approach giving to charity differently from Baby Boomers or Gen X.
• Focusing on the short-term without losing sight of the long-term.
• How to engage individuals board members in ways that play to their strengths and the value of clearly communicating with them about your organization’s current needs and how they can help you meet them.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t be afraid to engage your donors in challenging times, and encourage your board members who are still active.
• The 3 T’s are Time, Talent, and Treasure. If your donors don’t have treasure right now, ask them for their time or their talent.
• Forget everything you know, and start with a blank piece of paper when thinking about your fundraising strategy. 
• Question whether to put on an event. Do you really need one?
• People tend to support what they create. How can your supporters and potential supporters help you create solutions to the issues you address?

"Donors love to be involved in something that's big, and that is really impactful. What is that next big idea you want to go out that you've learned during this time?" —  Rebecca Zenatta

About Rebecca Zanatta: Rebecca brings 20+ years of experience building and stewarding strategic donor partnerships. She is a Washington State University graduate and holds a Certificate in Fund Raising Management from the Lilly School of Philanthropy. Rebecca is faculty at Seattle University in the Master in Nonprofit Leadership program and is a WSU Foundation Trustee.

 

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

Connect with Rebecca Zanatta:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebeccazanatta
Website: https://www.ostaragroup.com/ 
Email: [email protected]



CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/

http://www.claxonmarketing.com/

http://claxonuniversity.com/

http://www.wordifier.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaxonMarketing

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/claxonuniversity

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Erica talks about:

• The reality that at least 50% of mission statements are technically incomprehensible.
• The three types of people in marketing: believers, agnostics, and atheists.
• Channeling your energy and resources into being totally authentic to attract people who believe what you believe.

Key Takeaways:

• Your mission statement should be clear, compelling, and repeatable.
• Focus your energy and resources on those who believe in your mission.
• Be true to who you are to what you stand for. True believers will come, and they will bring others along.

"What do you believe in? What does your organization believe in? Get clear on that and then communicate it so clearly, and so consistently, that your believers are drawn to you like moths to a flame. When they hear about your mission, they can't help but get involved." —  Erica Mills Barnhart

Great Mission. Bad Statement.

 

Try out the Wordifier FREE to see if you should stop using a word, use it with caution, or use it all you want? http://www.claxonmarketing.com/wordifier/

CONNECT WITH ERICA:

Website: http://www.claxonmarketing.com/about-erica/

http://www.claxonmarketing.com/

http://www.wordifier.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricaMillsBarn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/

Email: [email protected]