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

Branding. A word that you probably hear all the time but might not really understand. Connie McCaw joins in this week to how your brand translates into someone else's experience. A brand isn't just a logo, it's a culture. Connie and Beth explore how to tell when your organization needs to work on its brand, what people get wrong most often in thinking about what branding means and more.

What are the first steps you take to creating more sustainability for your organization? Where do people get stuck most when making themselves sustainable? Sandy Rees of Get Fully Funded joins in this week to answer that question and more. She explores creating long-lasting and meaningful relationships with your donors and gives a preview of her upcoming conference, the Inspired Fundraising Retreat.

If you got a grant for marketing, what would you do first, and how would it make a difference in your capacity to do your work? That's what Beth wants to know. In honor of her 50th birthday, she set out to get 50 responses from all different nonprofits and organizations to find out the answer. As the answers poured in, a theme emerged: a clear understanding among nonprofit marketers that you need both a strategy and execution. She explores how a grant would help in areas like branding, research and strategy, increasing awareness and much more.

You probably use some form of social media, whether for personal use or for your organization. Janet Fouts joins the show to explore how mindfulness when it's applied to social media is different than just "doing" social media. Janet, CEO of Tatu Digital Marketing, talks about how just scheduling automated posts without followup engagement can sometimes be detrimental to really letting your followers get to know you as not just a brand but a person. They want to know they're dealing with a real human being. Janet reminds listeners there are ways to take a mindful approach to social media while still being efficient and practical.

Annual Appeal season may seem far away but it will be here before you are ready. What do the most successful campaigns have in common? Planning. It may seem early but planning now will increase the impact of your efforts. Mary Elizabeth Entwistle of The Gift Development Group joins Beth to talk about what you can do when you plan ahead. They discuss creating an integrated campaign and how to use direct mail, email and social together. Each of these plays a different role and Mary Elizabeth shares how to incorporate your theme and pace your communications to have the most impact. This Episode of Driving Participation is sponsored by Nonprofit Toolkit. Get templates for design and planning your annual appeal at www.nonprofittoolkit.net

This week, Kerri Karvetski of Company K Media joined Driving Participation to discuss newsjacking - the process of leveraging trending news to elevate your brand's message. As a nonprofit organization, newsjacking is a quick and easy way to produce content that is customer-focused, while establishing credibility in your industry. When done well, it can result in a surge of traffic, while increasing engagement, brand awareness and recall.

Few people would question the powerful impact of a strong, engaging brand within an organization. But how exactly do you implement an internal communication strategy that aligns your supporters and employees in support of your brand's promise? This week, Jennifer GoodSmith, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at The Morton Arboretum, joined Driving Participation to talk branding. Jennifer discusses building your brand from the inside out- focusing on internal as well as external branding.

This week Beth answers the biggest questions and misconceptions about branding. This time we flip the conversation and discuss what branding isn't. She talks about the role of design in communications and where research fits in to a branding process. This Episode of Driving Participation is sponsored by Nonprofit Toolkit. The Build Your Brand Course Summer session is enrolling now. The course closes Friday July 22. To join visit www.nonprofittoolkit.net/bybc-live

Do you know that your organization is special but struggle with communicating it in a way that attracts the support you need? Branding is a powerful tool that can change the trajectory of your organization. When done well, it can transform how you find and connect with your community. This week, Beth tackles the basics in building your foundation. If you have ever thought your organization needed branding but were not quite sure exactly how to get there, this episode is for you.

How can organizations and nonprofits align their information to meet the needs of donors, volunteers and supporters? Understanding your audience is a fundamental key to success, whether you're seeking to attract, inspire, engage or motivate supporters to take an action. Successful messages anticipate and meet the audience's needs. This week, Greg Koch, Director of Education and Volunteer Services at Zoo Miami joined Beth, to discuss tailoring your organization's messages for success.