Relish THIS: The Nonprofit Marketing Podcast

When you think of strategic planning, what comes to mind?

Hours locked away in a conference room, working through scenarios and exercises that, in the end, will produce a document that feels ok at the time, but you know will rarely see the light of day once the session is complete? Or a valuable exercise that aligns your team, creates thrust for your organization, and builds an actionable plan to keep you on track for the short- and longer-term?

There is often fear associated with strategic planning — a fear in investing time, energy, and money in an exercise that, for many, doesn’t seem like it produces a great ROI and isn’t helping you engage your stakeholders.  

But here’s the deal…  when done well, strategic planning is an invaluable tool for any nonprofit (in fact, organizations of all types) to help them reach their goals. Strategic planning aligns visions with budgets, builds an action plan, and helps reorient your mission around your stakeholders and their needs. 

My guest today is Carol Hamilton, the Principal at Grace Social Sector Consulting. She is absolutely great and her and her organization has a lot of invaluable tools and resources to keep nonprofits on track and help them weather the inevitable transitions every nonprofit experiences during its lifespan. 

Our conversation centered around how to build a great plan that helps you avoid falling into traps and what you can do to quickly get out of a trap if you do get caught in one. 

I think the best quote from the conversation was that “budgets are essentially a plan in numbers.” 

There is a lot of invaluable information on this episode and I hope you enjoy it. 

Here we go. 

Links: 

Grace Social Sector Consulting 

Podcast: Mission Impact

Ask: 

Have conversations with decision-makers. What are decision-making criteria? Use these as a screen for important decisions, get to good enough vs. perfect. 

Setting big goals for your organization can be daunting. Are your plans and projections realistic? Are you reaching too far? Not far enough?

Getting to that “sweet spot” of planning and projections feels comfortable. But, as we chatted about in last week’s episode, that’s not real commitment. Commitment happens when you land in the zone of uncertainty—enough that you aren’t sure if you can make it happen but certain enough that you can’t NOT make it happen.

And here’s the deal… all of this stems from your place of BEing rather than what you are DOing. 

See, most of us start from the position of DOing when looking at the outcomes we would like to create. However, when one shifts that perspective and approaches every moment from the perspective of BEing, magic happens.

On today’s episode, I speak with Sobia Zafar, who is on the board of the Taaleem Organization, a nonprofit based in Pakistan that brings education to those who need it the most. They currently have eight schools in the country and have a goal to raise $12 million in the next three to five years to help improve infrastructure and promote educational change in the region. 

Sobia is committed to making this happen. Her father founded the schools and she is helping to take them to the next level with this round of capital that will enable them to expand, improve infrastructure, and level up the services they provide.

During our conversation, she recognized the power of BEing when compared to simply having another to-DO list.

If your organization is looking to level up, this conversation shows a way to evaluate what you have working for you and how to start adding elements to your organization's success. 

I hope you enjoy our talk as much as I did. 

Links: 

Taleem Foundation 

Sobia Zafar Coaching

Ask: 

Don’t make a to-do list, today, make a to-be list. 

Take inspired and disciplined action.

My coach frames everything from the perspective of commitment. And if you think you understand commitment, let me tell you something, his definition (and getting committed to REAL commitment) could change your world.

See, it’s easy to “commit” to things you know you can do. I can confidently sign on to say, throwing a football 20 yards. That’s not commitment. That’s just doing.

I can similarly not get behind the idea of doing something I know I can’t accomplish. Like throwing a football 100 yards. It would be silly for me to suggest I would ever be able to accomplish that feat.

But where real commitment lies is in the in-between. That space where we get out of our comfort zone and start to wonder, “Could I actually get this done?”

And I would say, “What if you committed to it?” What if you got really comfortable with the idea that you were going to go places somewhat outside of your zone of comfort.

That’s what today’s guest on Relish THIS is doing. 

Steve Bacon is a remarkable, passionate, authentic human being who has committed himself to making enormous changes in the black community. His goal is to make sure that this is the LAST generation that has to experience the ingrained belief structure endemic to his community. 

Steve is the Master Teacher and Coach at Belief Theory and in this episode we discuss taking passion and authenticity to the max and how to use those qualities to push yourself to make change. 

Warning, there is some NSFW language and potential triggering content in this episode so please be advised. That being said, I think this is an important conversation and well worth the listen. 

Hope you enjoy our conversation. 

Links: 

BeliefTheory

Ask: 

Stop looking everywhere else for problems that come from within

Partnerships can provide a much-needed boost to any organization’s outreach. They help secure funding for events, bring in a baked-in audience ready to engage, and can contribute in a variety of other ways to help your organization move closer to your goals. 

However, partnerships are a two-way street.

This week’s Relish THIS I spoke with Ken Ungar, the President and Founder of Charge, an organization that helps those seeking sponsors as well as those looking to become a sponsor achieve success through sponsorship coaching and consultation services. 

Ken and I had a great conversation about how to incorporate sponsors into your for- or nonprofit organization’s plan of action. In this episode we discuss ways to provide appealing data to entice sponsors to become part of your organization, how to start small and prevent creating misaligned partnerships, and how to survey your audiences to find potential opportunities. 

The big takeaway from our discussion is that sponsorships are a two way street. A lot of times nonprofits get caught up in the idea of money and how the sponsor can financially benefit their organization. They lose track that there has to be value added for the sponsors as well. 

This is a great episode for anyone seeking to fuel their growth through sponsorship and partnership opportunities.

Enjoy! 

Link: 

chargesponsorship.com

chargesponsorship.com/freestuff/

Ask: 

Survey and know your audience. Get in touch with them to leverage the opportunities hidden within.  

Two of the most common questions we get from nonprofit leaders are, “Do you know anyone who can help us with that?” and “Is there a tool or app we can use that will help streamline that for us?”

Fortunately, the Founder and CEO of Pond, Mitch Stein and his team can help with both of these challenges.

There are SO many tools and resources available and it can get really overwhelming shopping for solutions. That’s one of the interesting adjustments Pond is making to the system. With Pond, they have created a system that flips the narrative. Vendors and solutions providers invest for the opportunity to access the nonprofit, providing solutions you have requested direct to you rather than you having to go out and find the solutions for yourself. 

It’s a clever paradigm switch that not only puts the power in the hands of the nonprofit, but also creates revenue for your organization at the same time. Pretty clever!

Pond also encourages Nonprofit leaders to join the conversation by providing rewards and goodies on the platform; it's a good resource to share and learn from other leaders in the community. 

Pond is a great online marketplace and if you are a nonprofit leader, check out Pond and participate in conversations to help your organization find the tools and resources you need to level up! 

Link: 

joinpond.com

The Kids Table Podcast 

Ask: 

If you are a nonprofit leader, join Pond!

What if you could have your organization truly work for you? 

Many leaders dream of building an organization that can run without constant attention and input from the founders. One that has the right team in place and the right processes on line to thrive. One that allows every team member the opportunity to step away for a while with the confidence that everything will continue to run as planned.  

What if you could build a business in which you have the highest degree of confidence that everything is going to be ok and your organization is moving in the right direction? One that is doing so well that you can finally take some time off to relax or work ON your business instead of in your business. 

Those are the types of systems my guest today can help you create. In this episode of Relish THIS I had a great conversation with Simon Severino, the CEO of Strategy Sprints. His company works with organization leaders to help supercharge their systems and create operational efficiencies. He is so confident that his systems produce results that he promises to double your sales in 90 days when working with his team. 

Using the 90 Days Sprint mentality they are able to help organizations of all types inject oxygen into their mechanisms to help them grow more into the world. 

I think you are going to love this show and I am excited to take on some of these ideas myself. 

I hope you enjoy this episode. Here we go. 

Links: 

https://www.strategysprints.com/

Ask: 

Do your own time analysis. 

Head to https://www.strategysprints.com/tools and download the Daily Flow workbook to track your time and see how you can optimize and improve. 

At the ripe, young age of 23, I found myself leading a team of creatives for one of the top three cycling catalog companies in the nation. Looking back at that time, I certainly could have used more experience in team management and motivation to get the most out of my team. Or at least some additional investment in myself to become a better leader. 

But, like many 23 year olds, I am sure that I figured I could knock it out of the park on my own. Did I get the job done? Sure. But there was a LOT more tacking than optimal (to use a naval metaphor.

I made lots of mistakes: from micromanaging, to making constant changes in direction, to failing to find resources for those activities I could delegate. That’s how most of us learn to lead.

But there is a better way.

On this episode of Relish THIS, I had a great conversation with Chris Hutchinson, the CEO, Founder, and Abundance Influencer of the Trebuchet Group. His company helps purpose-focused leaders learn to work more effectively with their teams, get their organizations’ visions and actions aligned, and ensure that everyone is working as a team toward a unified goal. Using another naval metaphor — everyone is rowing in the same (and correct) direction.

Culture alignment, letting go of perfect, and how leadership coaching creates improvement in other areas of one’s life were all on the table during our conversation. Chris and his team at the Trebuchet Group do amazing things to help lay the foundation for organizational — and personal — growth for those looking to get their teams working as a unit.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Links: 

Trebuchet Group 

Ask: Think about the impact you are making and if it is working for you. If not, take action if it is not fully satisfying. 

Whether you're a seasoned nonprofit or just getting started, it's important to learn the concept of “failing fast.” Getting to a “no” quickly can help you achieve success and grow rather than limiting yourself and what you can do. 

On this week's Episode I spoke with Diana Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder of Neighbor Share, an organization that offers “micro-donations” directly to those who need it. Her organization gives contributions of less than $400 to people whose lives could be greatly affected by this contribution. 

Diana’s background is in finance so we had a great discussion about fundraising strategies, strategic partnerships, and her plan to scale her organization nationally. We discussed how the quickest way to achieve that scale is to fail quickly to gain insights into what’s not working so you can move on to new opportunities faster. 

This was a fascinating conversation and I hope you enjoy it.

Link: 

Neighbor Share

Ask: Go do SOMETHING. Donate, volunteer, dip your toe in and just get going.

For most businesses and organizations, the quickest wins are found in the INSPIRE phase of the stakeholder lifecycle. 

In most situations, transforming customers and donors into repeat business is simply easier than selling to a whole new audience. 

After all, you’ve already put in the hard work nurturing these individuals through the ATTRACT, BOND, and CONNECT phases of their journey. You just need to re-engage with value-driven materials, inspirational stories, and/or fresh opportunities to inspire them to take further action. (Read all about this in my book, Mission Uncomfortable.)

In fact, this group of engaged individuals can help you expand your reach as they evangelize for your organization and spread the word about all the great work you do in the world. If you can make it as easy as possible for them to do that—for example, by recommending (and even writing for them) ways to share your mission—this group can become quite valuable to your organization. 

On today's episode I spoke with Dr. Joe Sanders, the CEO of Colorado Uplift, a very cool organization that helps urban youth gain skills and get the support they need to become leaders in their communities. We delve into the INSPIRE phase of the stakeholder journey—discussing how to get stakeholders to re-engage, refer, and share reviews. (In other words, INSPIRING them to talk up your organization and its impact.)

Our conversation also focused on ways to supercharge your marketing efforts and PR campaigns to improve your ability to reach and engage with a wider audience. 

Joe is a thoughtful and focused leader who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the organization. Not only is he a retired Air Force Colonel and Director of the Air Force Academy’s Leadership and Character Development activities, but he is a PhD as well. 

This was a great chat. I hope you enjoy it. 

Links: 

Colorado Uplift

Ask: 

Truly listen to someone. Just listen to them and acknowledge their story. 

Messaging is a challenge for many organizations. From struggling with differentiation, to being too “us” focused, it’s flat-out difficult to nail your core message and engage stakeholders.

Yet most nonprofits have a great story lurking in the haze. After all, what’s not to love about an inspirational mission? And even the newest nonprofits have success metrics that can be used to help frame a compelling story. 

Getting your message to land is sometimes as simple as switching the perspective from which you tell your story. It’s easy to consider your organization the hero of your story and fall into language about “we,” “us,” and “our.” 

But what if there was a better way? 

Flipping the narrative—recasting the roles in the story you tell so your reader is the hero—can be a powerful way to connect with your audience. With your organization cast as the guide, you can tap into your reader’s natural ego and help them see how they benefit when they partner with you.

This is just part of what Danny Combs, Founder and CEO of TACT, and I talked about this week on Relish THIS. His organization helps kids on the autism spectrum get training in trades they love and secure great jobs. 

Our discussion focused on the TACT mission and how they effectively share this message with the world—and inspire stakeholders to get engaged—by “making it all about the reader.”

When you focus on your audience’s core motivators, Danny says, and make them the hero of your story, you’re essentially helping them see how helping you will make them feel good. When you can get comfortable sitting in that “guide” seat—with empathy and authority—you can build deep connections. You can even transform strangers into enthusiastic supporters who go on to spread your message far and wide.

We had a few tech challenges during this recording but stick with it. Danny and his team are doing great things and there’s some definite gold to be found in our conversation for any organization.

Hope you enjoy!

Links: 

Build with Tact 

Ask: 

Recognize people's strengths, if you have a business be open to looking at how you can see someone with Autism as an asset.