Relish THIS: The Nonprofit Marketing Podcast

Whether you are a startup looking for investment, or a nonprofit seeking to build momentum by attracting a larger donor, getting your story dialed in is clutch.On this week’s Relish THIS, David Cohen from Techstars joined me to discuss his experience with investing and what purpose-focused businesses can do to ensure that they are able to attract the capital they need to take their organizations to the next level.David sees three items as paramount to attracting and securing investment: ...

Volunteers are the fuel that keeps nonprofit organizations humming.Not discounting volunteers' hard work to serve nonprofits’ missions, volunteers and how they talk about their experiences working with their favorite organizations provide the thrust that brings an abundance of donations, interest, and other volunteers into the system. In short, when you treat your volunteers well and create an experience that a) positions them as the heroes in your mission story and b) treats their time ...

The idea of testing can stir up anxiety for many people. But what if testing was a fun, fruitful venture for your organization?In fact, to get the most out of your marketing, you need to be testing, measuring, making adjustments, and repeating this cycle infinitum to ensure you aren’t missing opportunities and are taking your message and its presentation as far as possible.What’s great is that it’s easier than ever to test elements of your marketing. And that’s just one of the thing...

All of us have a desire to be liked. And many of us hide our true selves from fear of rejection. We tailor our appearance, what we say, and what we talk about to try to curate a persona we believe will be more attractive to more people. This curation may create a likeable avatar, but it may exist through the exclusion of authenticity. And what might have been stifled through this creation?My guest today on Relish THIS is Kristin Faith, the CEO of The Nonprofit Makeover. If there’s anythi...

Are you struggling with content marketing?In one sense, getting your message out to prospects has never been easier. A quick web search reveals dozens, if not hundreds, of content tools to help you quickly distribute your latest ideas via email, social media, your site, and nearly anywhere else you can think of. However, this ease of access has come at a price. These distribution gains have come with a loss in the authenticity required to develop strong, lasting relationships. That’...

There’s a saying in sales, “‘No’ is the second best answer you can hear.”There’s a certain power in “no” and getting to that “not interested” allows everyone to move forward and get on with their day.This holds true in the nonprofit world as well. Understanding one’s mission and selecting partners that are mission-aligned is vastly more impactful than chasing money and forming relationships with those who are not great fits. It can be challenging to turn away money or influence when the oppor...

Storytelling is a major component of any organization’s marketing. People love a good story, and effective storytelling can make the difference between gaining that new donor or falling short on your projections… again.More often than not, when looking for a compelling story, one overlooks a glaring opportunity in one’s organization. See, when telling a good story, the devil is, as they say, in the details. And what better place to look for details than one’s own numbers?My guest to...

Particularly when one is a solopreneur, there’s a tendency to think of expenses as money coming out of one’s pocket instead of as an investment into one’s organization. It stems from adopting a scarcity mindset (rather than framing one’s experience from abundance) and also is seen quite a lot when one attaches oneself very closely to one’s occupation. (But that’s a whole other conversation.)The problem is compounded when framing every investment opportunity against the direct revenue this all...

In the past, one’s “elevator pitch” lasted 30-60 seconds. There was a reasonable expectation that one could hold someone’s attention for that period of time during which a longer conversation could be created. These days, however, 30-60 seconds is an eternity. In the world of TikTok and SnapChat and Twitter, we now have roughly 7 seconds to capture your audience’s attention before they move on to something else.That’s why you have to answer these questions immediately on your site:W...

Going after grants seems like a no-brainer for most nonprofits.The allure of readily available money is certainly a draw – that can turn into a real distraction if you aren’t positioned well to win these opportunities.My guest today, Gauri Manglik, is a pro in the grant writing space. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of Instrumentl, a platform designed to help nonprofits manage their grant writing to improve their chances of success in the space.Gauri has seen it all when it comes to navigating ...