Sometimes, I forget to share that I create guests posts in other places on the internet. The plug is hardly shameless, but I’m working on it. Anyway, I write these guest posts because I want nonprofit marketing and communications knowledge to be accessible to all. It doesn’t have to be complicated or scary to you or anyone else. Rather, it should be exciting and serve as a spark to take the big next step for your nonprofit organization. So, here’s a list of guest posts that I’ve written before and more recently. Check back here often: I’ll be updating and shamelessly plugging my work from now on!
List of select guest posts (last updated Nov. 2024)
CharityVillage: Communications fundamentals to get you started
A snippet:
Nonprofit communications fundamentals are essential elements that drive internal and external communications. They are elements that meet the following criteria:
- You always reference them for all communications work
- They guide what you do and how you execute your plans
- They provide context and boundaries that ensure consistent presentation of communications
Therefore, these fundamentals generally include, but are not limited to:
- Current understanding of communications landscape
- Goals and objectives
- Key messaging
- Brand messaging framework
- Guidelines for brand, style, content, editorial etc.
- Documented audience analysis
- Boilerplate copy
- Content repository, such as a story bank
Generally, you will find all or most of these elements in your communications strategy because they each set the context for any communications plans, tactics or campaigns you may do later. In other words, a communications strategy is ultimately what you want to build towards with these fundamentals. However, sometimes that is not possible in the moment. So, starting slowly with key elements can be helpful..
TechSoup: 5 easy ways to learn about your target audience
A snippet
If you’ve ever searched for ways to improve your marketing efforts, you’ve probably come across the term “target audience”. The term refers to a group of people who you can identify as most likely to become your customers, participants, etc. Knowing who these people are gives you valuable information, including:
- What your target audience is interested in;
- Their demographics;
- Issues that your community may be facing, or topics they are most interested in.
With this information, your organization can take a specific approach to reaching targeted segments of its audience rather than opting for a one-size-fits-all approach that may leave some gaps unaddressed. For example, let’s say that you learn that people who visit your social media pages are more active on Facebook than Twitter. Your marketing team could use this information to create a strategy for your next #GivingTuesday campaign.
But what if you don’t know much about your target audience? How do you learn?
The Good Growth Company: Marketing & communications as capacity building for nonprofits
A snippet:
Here’s a way of framing marketing and communications that may help you or someone in your organization understand their value more.
Think of marketing and communications as capacity-building operations. They directly contribute to your growth, brand visibility and opportunities. In particular, they take your organization to the next level. Without them, your nonprofit (and virtually every business in existence) could not meet the necessary goals and objectives to get there.
When you:
- De-prioritize communications and marketing activities
- Delay building strategies that provide strategic direction
- Instruct employees to craft content on the fly
- Fail to include key staff members in communications-related meetings
What you are actually doing is:
- Decreasing the value of your organization’s public voice
- Committing to brand inconsistency
- Missing out on professional development opportunities
- Setting people up for burnout