Relish THIS: The Nonprofit Marketing Podcast

Are you cultivating trust with your core stakeholders? 

On this week's episode we talk to Greg Hodgin, Founder and Executive Director of Peacebuilding Solutions. 

Peacebuilding Solutions builds success from a platform rooted in solid research. Their teams embed in areas affected by war and crisis, and spend time learning and understanding—not assuming—their stakeholders' needs. 

Their proactive model has led to them helping to build more sustainable solutions to the real-world problems their beneficiaries face. Their research-focused approach has helped their organization learn how to really hone their story and build a strong sense of trust with their donors and volunteers. 

Here’s one of the biggest takeaways from this episode: instead of focusing on casting a wide net to build a large donor base, focus on building strong relationships with people who are intrinsically aligned with your organization and trust you to complete your mission.

Greg and I also discussed how nonprofits should focus on cash donations. We talked about how to focus the donation narrative around trusting that the organization can use money effectively to get the job done. 

This was a great episode and a great way to learn how to build that donor base. 

Link:

https://peacebuildingsolutions.org/

https://relishstudio.com/blog/thought-leadership/get-the-most-out-of-what-you-have/

ASK: Donate CASH to the charities you care about. Find one you trust and invest cash in their mission. Let them figure out the best way to use that donation to its fullest effect. Build trust, develop relationships, and do your research

On this week's episode we talk to Mitsu Iwasaki, the Executive Director of the American Alpine Club. 

This organization spent more than 100 years promoting and celebrating mountain climbing and alpine adventure communities and their achievements. 

Mitsu and I share a passion for the outdoors—for climbing, skilling, and the thrill of reaching any pinnacle. So as you might imagine I had a great time chatting with him about some of our favorite outdoor experiences. 

We also explored the benefits of marketing in the nonprofit space, and dove into developing content roadmaps and diversifying revenue streams. 

Our conversation focused primarily on diversity and inclusion in the climbing community and how the American Alpine Club is tackling this issue—not only within their organization, but in the climbing community at large. There is a long history of bigotry in climbing (which is, sadly, cominglied with historical prejudice) and the AAC is meeting these challenges head-on in its efforts to help improve inclusion and diversity.

From mindset shifts to understanding your stakeholders’ perspectives on inclusion, we learned a lot of how to engage and communicate. 

This is a great topic to explore for any nonprofit leader who’s interested in addressing some of the obstacles to creating an open community for everyone. 

You’ll get a lot out of this episode. Enjoy! 

Link:

Americanalpineclub.com

Ask: 

Become a member of American Alpine Club, local climbing organization, The Access Fund, or other organization and get involved!

If you’re a long-time listener, you may remember when we talked with Eric Magers, the Executive Director of Seaside Sustainability a few months ago. 

At the time we had a great discussion about Seaside’s unique perspective around stakeholder engagement to drive their mission. 

There was SO much good information in that episode, but we barely scratched the surface! 

That’s why this week we decided to return to Seaside Sustainability and chat with Ashley Desrosiers and John Russo, two of their marketing advisers. The goal was to dive a little deeper into how Seaside navigates the intersection between marketing and communications. 

Ashley and John have put a lot of effort into engaging stakeholders in the Inspire phase of their journey to help spread the Seaside Sustainability mission and create engagement with like-minded audiences. 

They’ve also done a great job of creating systems to develop and nurture relationships with interns who help fuel engagement and outreach.

Seaside interns work as functional teams who are empowered to become integral components of the bigger system. In this way, the organization paves the way for each successive group to pass expertise and institutional knowledge on to subsequent teams and to engage and communicate among cohorts. 

This episode is full of great ideas and ways for nonprofits to thrive at the intersection of marketing and communication. I think you’ll enjoy it!

Links:

Seaside Sustainability https://www.seasidesustainability.org/

Action Ask:

Figure out your sweet spot and nail how your mission comes to life.

Be open to trying new things.

Here’s a question that most of us don’t take time to ask: Are you living your best life? 

On this week's episode I talked with David Shurna, one of the Co-Founders of NoBarriers, a nonprofit organization that helps people of all types do exactly that — live their best lives. 

They have an incredible process that discusses how to have resilience and hope in the face of adversity. 

David is a great podcaster in his own right and just recently finished his 100th podcast episode, so it was great to have him on the show and discuss his mission, podcasting, and some of what he has learned over the tenure of his show. 

We talked about story-building and how to leverage the materials you create across a variety of channels to expand your reach and diversify income streams. This is an area in which many organizations struggle, so this episode is definitely worth a listen if you are seeking to expand your reach and evolve your approach to life.

David also recently finished up a book, What’s Within You, which I read shortly after our podcast. It’s jam-packed with great insights and information on ways you can reframe the way you approach all aspects of your life. I highly recommend it!

Enjoy the show.

Link: 

https://nobarriersusa.org/

ASK: Buy the book "What's Within You" and follow its practices

https://nobarriersusa.org/thebook/

Profits or revenue… What's your organization’s focus? 

If you can’t answer that question, perhaps you’ll enjoy this week’s episode of Relish This. 

I had a great, all-encompassing conversation with Sherry Manning, the US Executive Director of Global Seed Savers. They are a really cool organization that helps farmers stockpile and diversify their seed stock to ensure farming can continue year after year. 

Most of their work is based in the Philippines and Sherry manages their US branch – focused on engagement and building awareness of the great work that they do.  

Here’s the point: Sherry and her team have laid a lot of groundwork to create a healthy foundation based on a strong Values, Vision, and Mission. They also have a strong handle on the idea of relationship-first marketing, and strengthening engagements by creating opportunities to have conversations.

Our discussion primarily focused on two main ideas: 

1. How organizations can further their missions by focusing on running their nonprofits like businesses – really keeping an eye on profits by consistently assessing costs and net revenues when looking at the actual success rates of their ventures.
2. How to analyze data to build personas – target audiences –  to focus your efforts and do more of what’s working. 

If you’ve been running your own organization without a firm grasp of these concepts, you’re sure to like this episode.

Links: 

Global Seed Savers https://globalseedsavers.org/

Ask: Step away from your computer, go outside and be still, and observe what you see in nature. Look for a new life

Here’s an episode that is a little off the beaten track. 

Today I talked with David Weaver, a representative of Franchoice, a for-profit company that helps people buy franchises. 

I wanted to have David on because he provides a unique perspective on the opportunities that business or franchise ownership can provide. 

He's been around the block and sees how franchise ownership can create the flexibility and freedom you need to fund bigger things—building a legacy, funding a Foundation, or supplying a steady income stream to fuel your nonprofit aspirations.

David and I talked a lot about his journey, his mission to help create as many business owners as he can, and how fulfilling it can be to own your own business.

Link: 

franchoice.com

franchiseyourfreedom.com

[email protected]

Ask: Don't wait as long as I did. If you think you would be good at owning a business or a franchise, you will be. Just go for it!

On this week's episode I had a great conversation with Setsuko Hata, the Executive Director of We Are From the Earth. 

WAFTE is building a social media platform that helps people cultivate compassion and live a socially conscious lifestyle. Yes, you can connect with like-minded people there, but the platform is focused primarily on educational resources and content that encourages idea-sharing and community-building. 

This is a really ambitious idea—but, admittedly, Setsuko is facing challenges around developing an app and platform with which people will interact. 

A lot of our conversation focused on celebrating small wins to prevent burnout and keep yourself motivated on long-haul engagements. Anyone who is an entrepreneur working on big things can benefit from this conversation. 

Setsuko and I also discuss how to identify your audience, how to craft content to encourage users to engage and get excited about joining a new social media platform. Then we look at creating MVPs for apps and using Invisionapp (a great prototyping tool) as a solution to provide "tactile" demos without having to invest in a full app design.

This is a great conversation; I hope you enjoy!

Link: 

Site: https://wafte.org

Ask: Appreciate how beautiful you are and express yourself.

Buy organic!

This week’s episode I talk to Julia Keller, one of the founders of the Mindful Youth Institute. They are teeing up a lot of great opportunities to address bullying behavior—and to help potential bullies find a different path. 

Their organization is fairly new so we had a great conversation discussing every facet of the audience engagement cycle. In particular we spoke about how their organization can tell their story, build their mailing list, and create engagement and support by Bonding with stakeholders. 

This episode is jam packed with information, including how to build personas, launch your first Google campaign, develop a strong social media strategy, and even foster new relationships with potential stakeholders. 

Loved talking to Julia because it reminded me about the importance of relationship-building and leveraging personal connections, creating stories that resonate, and building conversational marketing to better engage new stakeholders when you are just getting started. 

This was an information-rich episode, so I hope you enjoy it. 

LINKS:

instagram: drkellercoach

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julia-keller-mindful-youth-institute

Our website: mindfulyouthinstitute.org

Our GoFundMe campaign: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/help-teach-bullies-compassion

ASK:

Give yourself time to relax and breathe. Reconnect with the earth. Get grounded.

Here at Relish we try hard to adopt sustainable practices, recycle, and reuse as best we can. Generally speaking, we do our best to minimize the impact we have on the planet.

I bring it up because I had a fun conversation today with Mark Eller, the Memberships, Major Gifts, and Foundations Director at Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Leave No Trace is easily one of my favorite organizations, because they teach people about interacting with our natural spaces with more care and consideration. 

Mark brings a ton of expertise to the table at Leave No Trace, having as he does a career steeped in communications AND marketing. So, as you might imagine, we talked a lot about these subjects. We both feel every nonprofit can benefit from understanding how Communications and Marketing intersect to tell stories that compel transactional relationships.

One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was about measuring success. Yes, it’s important to use data to identify trends and information—but it's also important to pair your data with observations and watch people's behaviors. That will help you identify whether their actions match up with your organization’s mission, so you can learn where you can better educate and train your stakeholders. Using anecdotal evidence paired with data makes for a stronger plan of action going forward. 

Check this one out. It's a ton of fun.

LINK: lnt.org

ASK: What could I do better the next time I go into our natural spaces? Be a steward with a protection ethic.

Your email list is a powerful asset. But if you’re like many organizations, you’re not making the most of it. After all—what’s better than an engaged audience, all of whom have raised their hands to be part of your program?

Today's guest is Sarah Murray, Executive Director of Women's Wilderness. WW is an amazing organization that helps women and girls become their strongest, best selves by teaching and immersing them in the great outdoors.

Sarah and I talked a lot about the opportunities in their list, and how they could gain valuable insights from the people on it by sending surveys, testing messaging and program details, and even asking them to increase your reach by sharing your emails with others.

This was a really great episode. I hope you enjoy it!

LINK: womenswilderness.org

ASK: Consider how interactions with the outdoors can inspire a shift in the injustices we see.