Nonprofit Communications

I love helping small and medium-sized nonprofits communicate more effectively with their members, donors, volunteers and other supporters, so that together, they can make the world a better place. I do that as a blogger, trainer, coach and consultant.

I believe that even the smallest nonprofit staffs with the most modest budgets can achieve tremendous results through savvy marketing and communications. I hope this blog and my online marketing training and other resources encourage you do just that, while helping you grow as a do-it-yourself nonprofit marketer and communications professional.

Please comment on posts and feel free to contact me with your questions and comments. You can also learn more about hiring me as a coach or consultant. P.S. Curious about the photos?

Photo by RaeA

If you’ve been waiting for me to make the recordings from the Nonprofit Marketing Guide webinar series available, wait no more. The following titles are now all available when you purchase an All-Access Pass.

For $97, you’ll get to view all of these webinars and any I add in the next twelve weeks. You also get to attend any and all live webinars I host for the next twelve weeks, at no additional charge.

Nonprofit Storytelling: How to Write Your Nonprofit’s Best Stories
Recorded May 14, 2008.

How to Connect with Generation Y
Recorded May 7, 2008. Featuring Sam Davidson.

What Do Baby Boomer Donors Want from Your Nonprofit?
Recorded May 1, 2008. Featuring Jeff Brooks.

Online Writing: Dos and Don’ts of Writing for the Web and Email
Recorded April 24, 2008.

How to Write a Press Release Reporters Will Love
Recorded April 17, 2008. Featuring Claire Meyerhoff.

Branding for Nonprofits: What Is It and Should You Do It?
Recorded April 10, 2008. Audio only, featuring Nancy Schwartz.

Converting Your Print Newsletter into an Email Newsletter
Recorded March 20, 2008.

How to Write a Four-Page Nonprofit Annual Report
Recorded March 13, 2008.

Can We Find You on Google? Keywords and Search Engine Optimization for Nonprofits
Featuring David Westbrook. Recorded March 6, 2008.

How to Make Your Nonprofit Brochures Pop! - The Crash Course
Recorded February 27, 2008.

What Should We Write About? Storytelling Ideas for Nonprofits
Recorded February 13, 2008.

Getting Reporters to Cover Your Nonprofit: Tell Your Story So They’ll Tell It Too
Recorded February 6, 2008. Audio only, featuring Claire Meyerhoff.

Yes, it’s a ton of great training at a very reasonable price. Ready to get your pass? Register now.

Tags: Annual Reports, Copywriting, Fundraising, Media Relations, Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Marketing Strategy, Online Courses, Online Marketing, Professional Development, Storytelling, Writing for the Web

I’m going to try something new next week - instead of a weekly webinar, I’ll be hosting live “office hours” on Tuesday, May 20th, from 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. Eastern, right here on my blog.

Using a service called CoverItLive, I’ll be taking your questions and answering them in a live chat format. You don’t need any special software or accounts. Simply come to the blog home page on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. ET, and you’ll see the chat taking place.

You can submit questions right then and I’ll answer as many as I can on the spot. This won’t be an unwieldy chat where you can’t keep track of the conversation. I’ll choose which questions to answer, post them to the screen, and then answer them, so it’s all organized and easy to follow. Afterwards, you’ll be able to view the transcript of the entire session.

If you’d like an email reminder about “office hours” closer to the actual time, just fill in the form below. Select when you want the reminder from the drop-down menu, then enter your email address and hit enter. I hope you’ll stop by on Tuesday and submit a question!

Tags: Nonprofit Communications, Online Tools

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke at a conference in Nashville for Neighborhood Networks, a HUD program that supports nonprofits who run technology centers in and around public housing projects. The session was on nonprofit marketing, and I gave my talk on nonprofit website basics. On the panel with me was David Zermeno, executive director of Operation P.E.A.C.E., a Neighborhood Network center in Boston.

David shared several great stories about how simply being nice to people and providing really good customer service had created wonderful opportunities for his organization - perhaps more so than any other traditional marketing tricks. I asked David if he’d be willing to share one of his stories here and he agreed.

Here’s David’s story in his own words:

One day Gloria, a senior citizen, came into my center saying, “What’s this email thing all all about? My daughter-in-law keeps asking me to take a computer class and get an email account so we can communicate throughout the day. She won’t get off my back, but I hate computers. I’m so afraid of them. Do you think you can help me?”

The first thing I did was make sure she felt welcome the minute she walked in the door. “Thank you so much for coming in, Gloria,” I said. “Don’t be afraid,” said the other seniors in my computer class for seniors. “We all had the same fear when we started.” “You see that?” I said. “I’ve never met anyone who I couldn’t help. So have a seat; I’ll have you up and running with email in no time.” As I starting teaching her, I just tapped her on the shoulder and focused on her quick progress.

With her new email account, she became a regular in my computer class for senior citizens every Monday morning where they listen to jazz music and use my class as a community of hip seniors who have access to technology.

Shortly afterwards, Gloria told me her daughter-in-law was very happy and impressed with my computer program for senior citizens. Having an ability to communicate as a family throughout the day, their emails had brought them closer together and had clearly strengthened their relationship.

One day her daughter-in-law called to personally thank and inform me of a grant that was intended to serve community programs like my program for seniors. She strongly encouraged me to apply and gave me a lot of important information. She also informed me that she was also on the panel and would make sure that the trustees knew what a difference my programs were making for families like hers. I couldn’t have a better person as an advocate for my proposal. It was valuable marketing that money could not buy.

That experience taught me some important lessons when it comes to marketing:

1. Treat everyone well and make sure that each person feels welcome.

2. We are all connected, so never underestimate anyone. This senior citizen was the best connection I could have asked for.

3. People are going to talk about you. This is direct marketing. So make sure that you treat people well and give them a reason to promote you with a positive image.

It’s Kivi talking again . . .  this is just one of the stories David shared. He has many more just like it. Be nice. It works.

Tags: Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Marketing Strategy, Storytelling

In preparation for tomorrow’s webinar on how to write your nonprofit’s stories (registration is open until 1:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday 5/14/08), I’ve been updating my list of good storytelling examples on nonprofit websites and thought you’d enjoy reading them too.

I mentioned some of these in my earlier post on Five Questions Nonprofits Should Answer with Stories, but if I repeat them here, it’s because they are that good.

National CASA is my current favorite. The video vignettes on the homepage with both children and volunteers are incredibly powerful, in a very short amount of time. The site also features some written stories, and while still good, they aren’t nearly as moving as the videos.

Interplast. Their blog contains wonderful stories about how their teams are repairing cleft lip and other birth defects around the globe. Lots of great before-and-after photos that really take you into the lives of the people they are helping.

Covenant House California, a homeless shelter for youth, features multiple success stories right on the home page. Each story explains the specific challenges the teens faced and how Covenant House helped them regain control over their young lives. Covenant House clearly inserts itself into each story, but leaves the teen as the central character, as it should be.

ONE Northwest, a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits with technology needs, shares several client stories. While these don’t fall into the “touching” or “inspirational” category like those above, they do clearly show the difference they are making for the organizations receiving their assistance. If you do capacity building or provide services to other organizations, rather than individuals, you’ll find yourself telling stories like these.

DonorsChoose obviously has great material to work with — who doesn’t like helping little kids learn? — but I especially like the way that this organization offers both short case studies and quickie testimonials.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Funding Partnerships website shares stories from a variety of community-based organizations that have received foundation funding. The foundation paid for storytelling training with Andy Goodman, so you’ll find some really well-developed and crafted stories here.

Heifer International uses stories throughout its website. I especially like their founding story.

HSUS also uses lots of stories and is quite skilled at taking the plight of one animal and using it to illuminate greater institutional injustices, whether its factory farming or puppy mills.

Read my other storytelling posts and check out my storytelling training.

Tags: Storytelling

Last week, guest blogger Claire “Voyant” Meyerhoff explained how she was going to use the Triple Ps (Precise Perfect Placement) to get some media coverage for one of her pro-bono clients, the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, NC. Claire sent me another update yesterday.

Here she is on Mother’s Day, with volunteer stylist Natasha Bieber and Amanda Lockyer of Welcome, North Carolina. Lockyer and her husband and son are staying at the Ronald McDonald House while their infant daughter, Gracie Jean, is in the NICU at Duke. Nine-week-old Gracie Jean was born with an abnormally small heart and needs a transplant.

The Raleigh News and Observer’s Ruth Sheehan did a lovely column titled “Mothers’ Tribute a Cut Above” on May 5, the Monday before Mother’s Day. Claire hoped an N&O photographer would show up at Ronald McDonald House on Mother’s Day, but the assignment manager said there weren’t enough photographers to cover everything. However, he was very helpful in giving Claire information on how to get photos to him to be placed in the paper and their website.

With less than 24-hours notice, Claire contacted her friend, Dave Horne, a professional photographer (www.davehornephotography.com). Dave saved the day, taking more than 100 photographs free of charge and offering them free and clear.

In her next guest blog post, Claire will talk about how she used those photos.

The moral of this PR story so far: When the assignment editor hands you lemons, keep asking questions. He may give you the recipe for lemonade.

Tags: Claire Voyant, Media Relations

Michele Martin at The Bamboo Project has posted this week’s Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. You’ll find posts on everything from using celebrities in your promotions to writing like a human being.

Next week the Carnival will be hosted by Rosetta Thurman at Perspectives from the Pipeline. She’d like you to complete this sentence: “It would be easier to work in nonprofits if . . .“

Tags: Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants

By Guest Blogger Claire “Voyant” Meyerhoff

On Monday, I gave you my new acronym for getting press coverage — the Triple Ps: Precise Perfect Placement. I explained how I was going to put it to the test this week for a Mother’s Day event.

So here’s my casual Friday update. Like I said, I did a very precise pitch to get my pro-bono nonprofit client some publicity. I made a couple of phone calls and sent an email.

First, the event:

My hairstylist Janice and I are going to the Ronald McDonald House of Durham on Mother’s Day. Janice is going to cut hair for the moms who have more on their minds than their hair. They’re far from home, caring for a seriously ill child.

Janice and I did this last year and it was a big hit. It all started when we learned (while she was doing my hair) that we both dislike Mother’s Day because our moms are gone (as in deceased).

My goal this year is to get some QUALITY coverage for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham. I called the Raleigh News and Observer and followed up with an email. Granted, I spoke to the Executive Editor, who is an old acquaintance, and he offered to pass along the info the weekend editor. Still, a good story is a good story. I’m hoping they send a photographer to take some nice photos of the Moms — and that these photos will be in their print edition and on their website.

I made one other phone call — this one to N&O columnist Ruth Sheehan. Now, while the House is in Durham, we hope to expand our donor base in Raleigh, since there is no Ronald McDonald House there. So the N&O is a natural choice. I read Ruth’s column all the time and thought she might like this story.

The key words here are: I THOUGHT SHE MIGHT LIKE THE STORY.

Not — I want her to do the story, or she SHOULD do the story, just . . . hey, she might like this . . . it might be right up her alley. I’m familiar with THE TYPE OF STORY Ruth covers and realize she is always on the lookout for good stories. I know my story is a good story, because when I tell people about Janice cutting hair for the Mom’s, people say, “wow, that’s really great!”

A few days later, Ruth called. We set up a time to meet for coffee. We had a lovely chat and I gave her Janice’s phone number.

A few days later, this is what turned up in the Raleigh News and Observer.

I think the Triple P’s are working, don’t you?

Tags: Claire Voyant, Media Relations, Nonprofit Communications

Earlier today I emailed my Nonprofit Marketing Tips newsletter out to subscribers. It’s a free e-newsletter that I send 2-3 times per month, usually with at least two full-length articles and several shorter blurbs. While there is some overlap in topics, the articles in the e-newsletter usually do not appear on the blog and vice-versa.

You may be thinking, “Kivi, I already read your blog and now I should subscribe to your e-newsletter too?” That’s up to you, of course. But if you want to get *all* of the free advice I have to offer, you should.

The issue that went out earlier today includes an article on how to reach out to 20-somethings. Yes, I posted a similar article last week with tips from Sam Davidson (who’s speaking on tomorrow’s webinar), but the e-news article is a brand new one, full of tips from Sarah Sladek of Limelight Generations.

I also wrote an article on how to apply three trends in nonprofit marketing to your donor newsletter, and that article has not appeared on the blog and won’t, at least in its current form.

As with a subscription to this blog, you can unsubscribe from the e-newsletter or change your email address at anytime, easily and automatically. Why not try it, and if it’s too much, simply unsubscribe? You’ll find the sign-up form in the left sidebar of the Nonprofit Marketing Guide homepage.

Tags: Nonprofit Communications