Driving Participation Podcast: What Is Working in Marketing & Fundraising | Nonprofits | Schools | Associations

Jeff DeCagna, executive advisor of Foresight First, joins in to talk with Beth about recognizing the duty of foresight and using it to build resilience. Of course, he doesn't mean predicting the future but rather the ability or the choice to look forward. He explains how embracing the idea of foresight can lead to building resilience and help manage risks. They explore the idea of emphasizing governing over governance and how to encourage the people you're working with to see governing as an active process. DeCagna also discusses the difference between being a volunteer and being a voluntary contributor, and much more.

Reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and how it can inspire you to effect change in your own community this week on Driving Participation. How did the movement to get involved in community service in his honor begin? Beth takes a look at the holiday's history and the lessons you can learn from MLK Day for your own work. Revisit past episodes to hear how the work other Driving Participation guests do can inspire you, too!

Learn the magic of Google this week with digital marketing consultant Claudia Pennington. She joins in to share the secrets to getting the right people to your website — and then staying there. From keywords to the structure of the site itself, Claudia and Beth explore the mindset of a searcher and what you can do to fill those needs. She names her top priorities when assessing a website as well as the two trends she thinks will color marketing communications for the next couple of years. Listen in for SEO secrets and more.

It sounds like a simple question, but there isn't a simple answer: Why does membership matter? This week, Diane Ward, president of Membership Matters, joins in to share the ins and outs of membership programs, from data collection to evaluating who your members are. Within her work experience, she has learned how people "move in, move up and move out of membership programs." Members vote with their feet and wallets, she says, so she takes a look at why it's important to look beyond factors such as revenue and expense equations and focus on what members do for your organization.

New Year always feels like a fresh start with a clean slate. It's a great time to look both forward and back. Last year we did a show (ep. 85) about looking forward and setting your marketing resolutions for the year ahead. This year Beth invited our past guests to look back at what they did over the year that helped them grow. In this episode, learn what fifteen of our consultant and nonprofit guests did differently -- and really worked. Listen in and get inspired to set your own intentions for what's next.

This week, Beth shares some tips to start planning your communications ahead for next year as 2016 draws to a close. Now's the time to map out a communications strategy that will keep your audience engaged the whole year through, she says. In this episode, take a look at what your year can and should look like. Engaging your audience year-round requires communication, and for most people, that means email. Instead of worrying about sending too many emails, map out the peaks and valleys of your communication. Beth shares six ways to fill the valleys in your communication so that downtime doesn't become dead time.

Everyone has to start somewhere. That's what Dawn Owens learned when she moved down South to Cullman, Alabama, and started a nonprofit, the Link of Cullman County, after seeing a need for it in her new community. Through talking to one person who led her to more community connections, Dawn got the ball rolling for her organization and built the momentum needed to help it grow. Four years later, she joins Driving Participation to talk about how she got that momentum started and kept it sustained. She talks about a grant contest the Link entered and how she used Facebook Live to create interest and engagement around the project—even interest from those who hadn't had any interaction with the organization before.

How do you teach an 800-year-old organization to use social media? This week on Driving Participation, Bill Skowronski, director of marketing for the Central Dominican Friars and founder of Constellation, joins in to talk about how he has helped an old organization see the benefits of using new media. For Skowronski, it comes down to strategy. Implementing a weekly video series, Skowronski has helped the Dominican Friars gain a larger following on social media and embrace tools they hadn't used before. He and Beth talk about creating content that appeals to a very specific audience and thinking about the services you offer in terms of what the world needs from your organization.

Jeff Miles has used his background in sales and marketing to find new approaches in fundraising as development and marketing director of the Keystone Opportunity Center. He joins Beth to talk about how he has been able to target Keystone's core audience. Armed with that information, he has been able to share stories and statistics and create tailor-made campaigns that appeal directly to them. He shares how you can sharpen your focus on the audience that will care the most. They discuss creating "gateway points" for the community to get involved and more.

Google Analytics may tell you you have an 80% bounce rate. Before you freak out, Yesenia Sotelo is here to assure you that's totally normal. She joins Driving Participation to discuss how Google Analytics works (and where statistics like an 80% bounce rate come from) and why it isn't something you should be afraid to learn how to use. She explains why using Google Analytics actually gives you more room to experiment and try new things as far as how you reach people—and then how to determine what worked or didn't work. She and Beth discuss the six terms Yesenia teaches about Google Analytics, how to use it for your email newsletters and more.