Messaging on a Mission

For years, with members all around the globe, the MIT Alumni Association produced events both big and small to keep alumni connected to their alma mater. In this episode, we hear from Jamie Brogioli, Director of Alumni and Friends Engagement for the MIT Alumni Association. He walks us through all the stop-on-a-dime twists and turns of shifting a global event program online.

Episode Guest(s):

Jamie Brogioli is the Director of Alumni and Friends Engagement at the MIT Alumni Association. He oversees the Association's events and class programs teams and works closely with MIT's fundraising office on a series of events supporting MIT's 6 billion dollar campaign.

Jamie just completed his 20th year at the Institute and has worked in a variety of capacities at MIT, managing regional programs, the parents association, and student/alumni relations.

Prior to joining MIT, Jamie worked in a variety of community-based organizations supporting fundraising efforts including Silent Spring Institute, Boston Children's Services, AIDS Action Committee, and Project Bread.

Key Takeaways:

• Virtual events give you access to previously unattainable people, both as speakers and guests
• They can level the playing field
• Speaking to a live audience is different than speaking to a virtual one, so the messaging has to reflect that
• Expectations are changing, mainly around showing up; now there's no excuse not to

MIT Alumni Association, https://alum.mit.edu/

There's one thing we all had to do in some form or another in 2020—pivot! Nowhere is that more clear than when it comes to holding events, especially when those events are a significant driver of income for your organization. No one did that better than the New England Innocence Project. Led by their Director of Development and Communications, Jordan Salvatoriello, with the help of Liz Page and her team at Liz Page Associates, the 2020 event exceeded both their goals for the event and the amount raised the year before! In this episode of Messaging on a Mission, we learn not only how they did it, but what they expect events to look like post-pandemic!

Episode Guests

Liz Page

After ten years as a performing artist with the Oregon Mime Theatre, Liz Page moved to Boston in 1982 and began her development career at the Worcester Art Museum. When the AIDS crisis hit she became a dedicated volunteer at the AIDS ACTION Committee. The Committee soon hired her as its first fundraiser and she launched the AIDS Walk – From All Walks of Life. As Walk Manager for the first 5 years, she led the team that raised consciousness and millions of dollars to fight the epidemic.

In 1994, Liz opened Liz Page Associates, a fundraising and special event production company that proudly celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. Liz and her staff have built a reputation for producing special events for nonprofits, academic institutions, and corporations that not only meet but exceed significant financial, marketing, and employee engagement goals.

As a volunteer leader Liz has served on the boards of The Shared Heart Initiatives, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation,) Hospice West, and the Hospice on Mission Hill Project, Women's Statewide Legislative Network, and Fenway Health.

Jordan Salvatoriello

He is the Director of Development + Communications at the New England Innocence Project. Jordan has 20 years of experience in communications, public relations, fundraising, and community outreach. She is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with a proven history of creating and sharing powerful social justice stories that mobilize communities and create change. Jordan specializes in developing and executing communications and development strategies aimed at increasing public awareness of NEIP's mission to correct and prevent wrongful convictions, tapping vital public support, while also providing a forum for exonerees and their family members to share, heal, and inspire action.

Key Takeaways

-Approach going virtual as an opportunity, not a hardship

-Don't be afraid to mix pre-recorded and live interaction

-Embrace the innovation that's all around us

-Invest in high production values

To hear more details about the triumph that was the 2020 event, listen to Liz and her colleague Amanda Harless on the Joan Garry podcast, Nonprofits are Messy. You'll find a link to that episode in the show notes. Creating 5-star events in the virtual age. https://blog.joangarry.com/ep-126-creating-5-star-special-events-in-the-virtual-age-with-liz-page-and-amanda-harless/

Useful Links

-Joan Garry Podcast, https://blog.joangarry.com/ep-126-creating-5-star-special-events-in-the-virtual-age-with-liz-page-and-amanda-harless/

-Liz Page Associates, https://www.lizpageassociates.com/

-New England Innocence Project

-New England Innocence Project, https://www.newenglandinnocence.org/

-Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/newenglandinnocence/

-Twitter, https://twitter.com/NEInnocence

-Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/newenglandinnocence/

-LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/newenglandinnocence

-YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoh4hQbOfJMU6BYBifhnzcg

When we think about messaging, we typically think of what we say about our work to the outside world. Although that's important to be sure, some would argue that what we say internally is just as, if not more, important. In this episode of Messaging on a Mission we hear from Phil Finch, a former VP of communications at a large not-for-profit, Sharon McIntosh, a world-renowned expert in internal communications, and Sara Jackson, executive director of Internal Comms Pro.

Key Takeaways

Experience

-Internal communications start with the leadership team and the focus with which they run the organization.

-Everyone thinks they can do internal comms.

Common Mistakes

-Focussing on the channels, not the content

-Asking questions of employees too infrequently

-Ignoring the leadership team's role

-Many people under-communicate. It's really hard to over-communicate in a professional environment.

Advice

-Employee comms is a continuous process, it's not a one and done.

-Two-way communication is critical. Listening is just as important as telling.

-Start small and expand over time as you are able.

Five Future of Internal Communications

-Superior employee experience, not just words

-Employees expect a consumer-grade experience

-Internal comms professionals as internal digital marketers

-Collaboration between functions, such as internal comms and human resources

-Messaging internally will require an approach of "intra-preneurship." Perfection is no longer required.

Useful Links

And Then Communications, https://andthencomms.com/

A brief history of Internal Communications, http://blog.tribeinc.com/2015/12/18/a-brief-history-of-internal-communications/

Internal Comms Pro, https://www.internalcommspro.com/

Episode Guests

SHARON MCINTOSH. Sharon McIntosh is president of And Then Communications. With more than two decades of communications experience, she has a passion for creating and executing new ideas to drive employee engagement at organizations both great and small.

Before starting And Then Communications, she served as PepsiCo's vice president of Global Internal Communications, overseeing the company's efforts to connect with its more than 274,000 employees worldwide. She and her team launched a number of innovative employee initiatives, including the company's first social media training (SMART U), a social tool to share internal news externally, and PepsiCo's award-winning employee ambassador program.

Before joining PepsiCo in 2004, Sharon spent a number of years at Sears and Waste Management.

SARA JACKSON

Sara is the Executive Director of The Internal Comms Pro Collective and host of the podcast, Internal Comms Pro: The Podcast. Internal Comms Pro's mission is to collectively raise the value of the internal communications industry.

Sara has extensive experience and expertise in internal and external communication and has developed locally- and nationally-recognized engagement programs and partnerships.

Prior to starting her own company, Sara worked in both public and private sectors, particularly with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cincinnati Reds. Sara was recognized as a 40 under 40 award winner, a ranking of the most influential young people in business. Sara resides in Fort Thomas, KY with her two daughters, Gracie and Ella.

PHIL FINCH

Philip Finch is a marketing and communications consultant based in Boston, MA. Phil has more than 30 years of professional experience helping companies, organizations, and individuals craft award-winning strategies to deliver measurable results. He has worked in several industries including financial services, healthcare, education, technology, and consumer products, where he worked with clients on new product development and introduction, building and growing client relationships through strategic communication programs, and leveraging internet capabilities.

For 15 years, Phil was Vice President of Communications at Fenway Health, a healthcare and research organization with a mission to serve the LGBTQAI+ community. At Fenway, Phil was responsible for a variety of integrated marketing communications functions including, public and media relations, marketing, direct mail, internal and external communications strategies, internet management, and brand development. He also oversaw the organization's fundraising efforts during a successful $15 million capital campaign.

Phil earned a Bachelors Degree from Cornell University and holds a Masters Degree from Emerson College and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in Brussels Belgium.

Alison Rogers is the Founder and CEO of USEFULL, a safe and convenient, app-based,

reusable cup and container system based in Boston. She founded USEFULL to solve her own personal dilemma—she loved to-go food and drink (doesn't it always taste better when someone else makes it?!) but felt guilty by the trail of waste this habit creates. And yes, she has a cabinet full of reusables at home but always forgot them or found lugging them inconvenient.

Alison is a lover of the outdoors at the core, as she loves sailing, biking, and hiking. During

these adventures, she all too often finds trash where it does not belong. This frustration was one of the catalysts to drive Alison to found USEFULL. Alison is an experienced management consultant. She also had a fellowship at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She graduated from Mt. Holyoke College.

Consistency is a constant goal!

Useful

Lumberjack Social

From tackling pandemic-induced changes in their offering to addressing the changing demographics of their constituents, The Trustees of Reservations has had their fair share of messaging challenges. Hear their Chief Marketing Officer, Matt Montgomery, talk us through them all.

Founded by landscape architect Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees of Reservations has, for more than 125 years, been a catalyst for important ideas, endeavors, and progress in Massachusetts. They care for more than 100 special places—nearly 27,000 acres—all around Massachusetts. Each year, more than 2 million people visit our reservations, 250,000 people participate in our more than 5,000 programs and events, and volunteers contribute over 50,000 hours of assistance in all aspects of our work.

Matt Montgomery joined The Trustees in 2013 as the organization's first Chief Marketing Officer. Matt oversees the Stakeholder Engagement Department. He has created or transformed the Marketing, Membership, Enterprise, and Visitor Interpretation departments during this time. In the last seven years, Matt has overseen a comprehensive rebranding campaign, the implementation of a statewide POS system, the 125th Anniversary campaign, and co-authored the Excite strategy-the organizational roadmap for engaging visitors through public programming and visitor experience. Visitation at the Trustees has grown from 1.2 million visitors to more than 2 million. Membership has grown from 42,000 households ($3.2 million) to 65,000 ($5.8 million). Matt has led the communications and marketing strategy to launch several special efforts, including the Art and the Landscape program, Boston Public Market Kitchen, and One Waterfront Initiative. In 2019, he led the effort to create a Digital Roadmap for the organization, and in 2020, his department launched a newly designed website. In 2020, he became the executive in charge of Art and Culture, a new division created after the integration with deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.

Previously, Matt worked as the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where he oversaw the public relations and marketing initiatives for the opening of the new wing designed by Renzo Piano. He also worked as the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Before that, he worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and colleges and universities in Atlanta, GA. He has his B.A. in English from the University of Georgia and his M.A. in English and American Literature from Georgia State University.

The Trustees of Reservations

Grace Moreno has over 20 years of experience leading state and national not-for-profit organizations. Within those ten years, Grace has been a change-maker in politics, health, housing, civic education, and economic development. She has served in previous roles as Vice President of Community Programs at The Community Builders, Inc. and Vice President for Operations and Finance at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate, among others. Currently, Grace is the CEO and Executive Director of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, a statewide non-profit that cultivates inclusive relationships between LGBT-owned and ally-owned businesses and the corporate sector that drive economic impact throughout the Commonwealth. Since launching the LGBT Chamber, Grace and her team have raised over $1M to stand-up an organization with a team of four that serves the entire state with a plethora of programming and business-strengthening opportunities.

• A messaging strategy should transcend executive directors
• Commitment from everyone is crucial
• Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do

http://malgbtcc.org/

Messaging on a Mission is hosted by Douglas Spencer, the President of Spencer Brenneman. Each episode, Douglas will talk to leaders of nonprofits, social enterprises, associations—any organization working to affect positive change. We'll learn about their journeys and the messages they're using to thrive.