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

When you give a donation to an organization that actually works in another continent, how can you be sure you're even making a difference? Candi Summers is here to tell you you are making a difference. She's seen it and she can show you, too. Through her work with Bestwa, donors are able to help feed children in Liberia and Candi has found ways to show donors that they really are making a difference—especially new donors. Through personalized, handwritten thank-you notes to shout outs on her Facebook page, she makes it a point to truly welcome new donors into the Bestwa family.

In any kind of business, there will be changes as time goes on. Although as Barbara Trautlein and Beth discover, the more things change the more they stay the same. But Barbara has seen plenty of change and adaptation occur in her field. Sometimes the biggest change can be yourself. How can you identify your own leadership skills to make you an even more effective change leader? Barbara explains her three styles of leading change and how you can identify them. They also explore why people resist change—and why they shouldn't.

Back when Beth and Donnie Brake first met, they talked about the possibility of a redesign for Brake's school Coram Deo Academy. Now, the redesign is done and the effects of the transition are starting to show. Brake, director of development at Coram Deo, discusses the change from being a website that purely provided information to a destination for prospective parents and students that makes them want to learn more and engage with the school. They explore how to create an effective website that will encourage action—not just provide information.

Have you started thinking about your year-end giving campaign? If not, don't worry, Andrew Rothman from Blue State Digital joins in to share some tips as far as getting ready for year-end giving. By dividing up the year into four quarters, he breaks down what exactly you should be doing in each quarter to ensure a successful year-end giving campaign that optimizes all of your communications. Whether through email or direct mail, there are ways to connect with your donors (and potential new ones) in ways that truly speak to them.

What's the word with WordPress? Andy Stitt from Deliberate Media Solutions joins in this week to talk about the popular content management system and how it's grown in the last few years. He and Beth explore how the site has evolved from a blogging platform to a tool nonprofits should consider for building their website. How do you know if it's the right platform for you? They discuss plugins, incorporating themes, and why with web, you should always assume something will go wrong (and how to be prepared when it does).

Think conferences are always boring? Think again. Adrian Segar joins Driving Participation to talk about how he has revolutionized the concept of conferences to make them interesting and most importantly, engaging. With that, he and Beth also discuss the distinction and intersection between "participation" and "engagement." What is the difference? How are they connected? He explores how the rise of online content has changed the nature of events and why the "traditional meeting" has become obsolete.

Transitions in any part of life can be hard—especially when you're undergoing transitions in a national organization with local chapters. Laura Marx, president and CEO of United Way of North Carolina, joins in this week to talk about the changes United Way has made and how its regional chapters around the country are affected. One challenge Marx has tackled since she started is working with her staff to identify the audience they're trying to reach. She and Beth explore how United Way has spread its new message throughout the organization and where its focus has been in its branding efforts.

Annual reports can seem like a boring or tedious task—but Marlene Oliveira is here to tell you that it definitely isn't. With a background in copywriting and communications consulting, Marlene has done her fair share of reports, and she shares a few tips and tricks to help you make annual reports meaningful and creative. She and Beth discuss the role of a "persona" and how it can serve as a reminder that there is a person you're trying to reach.

Pamela Hawley has always wanted to make a difference in the world. When she founded UniversalGiving, it was one way to achieve her dreams and give others the opportunity to volunteer around the world. This week, Pamela joins Beth to talk about creating consistency when it comes to messaging about your organization. It's important to keep pushing forward as far as communicating via different platforms, but you should also be able to maintain your brand and your identity in the process and she shares three tips to help.

Vanessa Chase Lockshin knows a thing or two about storytelling. This week, she's back on Driving Participation to discuss how to use storytelling to really find your audience and connect in ways that are meaningful and impactful. She and Beth explore how to create the most effective way to communicate with your ideal audience and donor base that will get them excited, inspired and engaged.