The Smart Communications Podcast

Jenny Dyson, Ruler and Creative Director of Pencil, a creative agency specializing in brand storytelling in the UK, shares her experiences turning content from one conference into a rich, multi-channel story for her client, One Small Thing. She also shares practical advice for nonprofit communicators looking to translate their organization’s work into clear, compelling, and authentic stories.

Sarah Durham and Farra Trompeter head to Fundraising Day to ask development professionals one question: “What can communications do to support development?” You’ll hear answers at the beginning of this episode from Samantha Coolidge, New York Area Director of Advancement at Moishe House, Margaret Fredrickson from Graham Pelton, Leslie Weber, Deputy Executive Director for External Relations at Hudson Guild, Gary Weinberg, President of DM Pros, Cathy J. Sharp, Director of Development and Communications at Care for the Homeless, Simone Joyaux, author and consultant, and Arik Thormahlen, Director of Development, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai Health System. Then, Farra and Sarah have a candid conversation about the relationship between development and communications, sharing tips for building stronger donor communications.

Stephanie Paul, Vice President of Marketing and Development at the American Parkinson Disease Association shares how the rebranding process helped APDA unite its 19 local chapters and ensure all had the tools to communicate with one clear voice.

In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Ally Dommu, Big Duck’s Director of Strategy, shares the four core elements a nonprofit organization needs in place internally—culture, team, assets, and reflection—to ensure the hard work of a rebrand doesn’t go to waste.

Simone Joyaux, author of “Firing Lousy Board Members,” and organizational management, development, and fundraising expert tackles what makes a great nonprofit board. She maps out the process of getting smarter about governance and shares the steps nonprofit boards can take right away to begin reflecting, discussing, and reaching consensus about what good governance looks like.

Liz Ricca, Big Duck’s Managing Director, shares tools and practices that can help facilitate great internal communications. She gives tips on how to use organizational values actively as an HR tool and provides a structured feedback exercise you can put into practice to spark meaningful, productive conversations between staff. Listen in.

Should nonprofits squeeze in a full rebrand when their website needs an update? In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham, CEO of Big Duck, outlines the basic order of operations for a successful rebrand process—from the strategic plan to the website overhaul.

Cecilia Clarke, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Community Foundation, shares her experiences listening to over 1,000 community members about their vision for Brooklyn, and how those insights helped redefine their work and organizational values. She also shares tips on how to articulate your nonprofit’s values and get to the underlying why of your work.

Elianne Ramos, Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs at National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and prior Latino Digital Coalitions Desk for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, shares her experiences launching and maintaining a YouTube Live platform for her organization. She discusses the benefits of YouTube Live in helping maintain consistent, digestible, and shareable communications that tie together all threads of her organization’s work, what it takes for nonprofits to start their own, and more.

In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast Claire Taylor Hansen, one of Big Duck’s Art Directors, shares digital brand guide trends and best practices in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds and offers suggestions for keeping your brand guide alive.