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You've probably heard a thousand times that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a valuable and essential digital marketing tool. But do you know how it works and how your organization can reap its benefits? In this episode of Messaging on a Mission, we dive into the importance of SEO and how to implement best practices to make your brand more discoverable than ever online. Key Takeaways Who your audiences are, where you can find them, and how to get your brand in front of them are the aspects of digital marketing that everyone in charge of an organization should know about. Do your research to understand who your audiences are and the best way to reach them. Keyword, search phrase, or query is whatever you're searching on Google. It can be as many words or as few words as you like. The longer the keyword is, the better it is, but the fewer people search for it. Knowing the right things to do, how to get started, where to go, and staying up to date with SEO best practices are the challenges small organizations have when they think about SEO. There are several digital marketing strategies to get traffic to a website. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is advertising running paid ads, while SEO (organic, free listings) is a way to get free traffic. Not-for-profit organizations should spend some time thinking about SEO optimization to avoid missing out on potential eyeballs that could be seeing their organizations and learning more about them. When thinking about SEM, determine how much you're willing to spend to make a profit. Then play around and test it all out to see what works. Push more money into that and pull money away from what's not working. Some of the best practices to implement when optimizing your website for SEO include: (1) adding more text to every page on your website, (2) writing for the readers and not for Google, (3) keeping the content original, (4) including keywords naturally, (5) getting quality backlinks, and (6) improving visibility by placing your content at the top of the page Be patient, and don't try to be deceptive. Digital marketing takes time, so don't expect immediate results. Also, be very careful with backlinks. Build backlinks from sites related to you and avoid building the wrong type of backlinks, as they can harm your SEO. To get backlinks, invest in an SEO tool, research your competitors, find the ones that are authoritative and relevant to your brand and figure out what they do to get the backlinks. If you've got a list of places where you'd love them to link to your site, reach out to them. You need Google Analytics to know how traffic behaves on your website and what happens after it leaves and gets to your website. However, since google algorithm updates change constantly, you may need to click and look everywhere on Google Analytics to learn about all the information you need. About Our Guest Brandon Leibowitz is the founder of SEO Optimizer - a digital marketing company that focuses on helping small and mid-sized businesses get more online traffic, which converts into clients, sales, leads, etc. He got his start in digital marketing in 2007 after graduating from college with a degree in Business Marketing. since the past 14 years, he has been helping websites rank higher on Google using SEO strategies. I am certain that he has plenty of expertise in the business world that we can apply to any organization, whether they are for profit or not for profit.   Useful Links https://seooptimizers.com/ https://seooptimizers.com/gift

Kim Sorrell discusses her book, Love Is, which is about her year-long quest to figure out the true meaning of love. She talks about that journey and what she’s learned about leading with love and incorporating it into your message.    Episode Guest(s): Kim Sorrelle is an entrepreneur, director of a humanitarian organization, a popular speaker, and the author of two books. Her first book, Cry Until You Laugh is about her breast cancer experience and her husband's battle with pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed four months apart. Her second book, Love Is, chronicles her year-long quest to figure out the true meaning of love, a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, always enlightening journey that led to life-changing discoveries found mainly on the streets of Haiti.    Key Takeaways: Love is walking, talking, breathing, living, and giving. It is all-encompassing. It is part of your being. It is your being. So when you understand that love is so much more than a feeling that you get, I think that's when you can start to understand what love truly is. Instead of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), what if it was WWLD (What Would Love Do?), then you might come up with a different answer than what you think because love is 100% authentic. To get love into your message, focus on people, not the numbers. The numbers don't mean much if there's no love involved. For your message to sound authentic, you and your organization need to be authentic. When you love, authentically, when you truly care about people. When messaging during the holidays, first look at your own space in your own life and what holidays mean to you, and where those triggers are that maybe you can get rid of. Then think of your campaign and what you want to project. What is the message that you want to deliver? Everybody's looking for dollars, but you want the right dollars. If you do it the right way, they come. It is a struggle, but making it real and being love, showing love in your message, separates you really from the past. Useful Links: Company website: https://www.kimsorrelle.com Email: kim@kimsorrelle.com   https://www.facebook.com/Kim-Sorrelle-392015434145527 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-langlois-sorrelle-11079523/ https://www.instagram.com/kimsorrelle/?hl=en https://twitter.com/Kim_Sorrelle https://www.facebook.com/ksorrelle https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa097sxQXqa9Oafbay9FCiw   Book(s):      Love Is https://www.amazon.com/Love-Yearlong-Experiment-Living-Corinthians/dp/0825446740/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1640388089&sr=8-2   Cry Until You Laugh https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cry+until+you+laugh+kim+sorrelle&crid=33PTBPU1QIXXV&sprefix=cry+unti%2Caps%2C104&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_8

For many, the topic of today’s episode ranks right up there with having a root canal, attending a party filled with multiple exes, or fighting city hall. Yet, speaking in public about the work of your organization is one of the most powerful tools for getting your message out in the world.  Our guest today gives us lots of concrete steps we can take to get better at public speaking.   Episode Guest(s): Brenden Kumarasamy is the founder of MasterTalk; he coaches ambitious executives & entrepreneurs to become the top 1% of communicators in their industry. He also has a popular YouTube channel called MasterTalk, with the goal of providing free access to communication tools for everyone in the world.   Key Takeaways: Origin of the fear of public speaking. For most of us, school presentations are where we learn to speak in a formal setting, but we see it as a chore rather than a means of communication.   How to become comfortable speaking in public:  You must understand that you cannot eliminate fear completely when it comes to presentations; instead, it is a dichotomy to manage. When you prioritize the message you want to convey over the fear you have, the whole process becomes easier.   Communication exercises to improve your game: Pick a random word and create a presentation out of thin air. This helps you to think fast on your feet.   Think about a question you think the world would ask you about your expertise. Make a list of about ten of your loved ones and send them a video of you appreciating them.   Reasons Introverts are better at communication than they realize: They are better at pausing. They are great listeners. They are accessible.   Advice for people who aren’t comfortable with being the center of attention: Practice having small conversations and getting instant feedback from people; this will help you build up toward being with a bigger audience.   Speaking to a camera is a lot different than speaking to an audience in person. You don’t have the energy from the audience when you’re presenting online, nor is there a need to alternate eye contact with the audience. You have to consciously keep your energy up to grab the attention of your listeners online.   Finally, prepare yourself every day by answering random questions; doing this helps you solve the problem of content and gives you time to focus on delivery.     Useful Links: Company website: mastertalk.ca Email: kumarasamy.brenden@gmail.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brendenkumarasamy YouTube: youtube.com/c/mastertalks

Crises occur when they're least expected, which is why crisis communications are necessary for every organization. Although life would be so much easier if emergencies arrived with a fair warning, you and your organization would be better off having an effective plan to help avoid catastrophe and permanent reputation damage. In this episode of Messaging on a Mission, David Oates, a renowned Crisis PR expert, sheds light on how individuals and organizations can avoid potential PR disasters and reveals the best things to do during pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis situations.   Episode Guest(s): David Oates has  more than 25 years of strategic public relations experience dealing with a wide array of adverse public events. Starting as a U.S. Navy Public Affairs Officer and later as a corporate Chief Marketing Officer and non-profit President, he excels in expertly addressing a myriad of crises spanning military, government, corporate, charity, and start-up environments. His crisis communications experiences include handling employee and executive misconduct, cybersecurity attacks, product recalls, mass layoffs, large-scale accidents, criminal investigations, and civil litigation matters.   Dave has authored three Amazon e-books and co-produced two LinkedIn Learning courses: Crisis Communication for HR and HR Communication in Today’s Fluid Workplace. He is an accredited PR specialist (APR) who received his MBA from San Diego State University in 2004 and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1991.   Key Takeaways: The biggest common mistakes organizations or individuals make during a crisis are: (1) being the last person to know when somebody's chattering about you online; (2) providing an inadequate response, such as responding angrily, overly emotionally, or not responding at all; (3) not following up. Two cardinal rules in any crisis communication response are empathy and following up with action. Don't expect one statement, tweet, post, or press release is going to solve the matter. Oftentimes, there's an element of truth in an accusation. You and your organization may become less credible, and restoring your reputation will become challenging when you don't address the element of truth in the accusation. However, with empathetic responses and regular follow-ups, you can quickly rectify the misunderstanding or repair a lot of damage. Respond proactively during a pre-crisis state if the damage will hurt more when you hold back information or delay your response. During a crisis, deal with any negative media mentions immediately and consistently, as the damage it causes will only increase as time lapses. Your employees can make or break anything you say publicly. Prioritize them during a crisis and convey the same empathetic and action-oriented message to empower them, as they can become powerful messengers for you. If you're guilty as charged, own up to your mistake, be empathetic, take actions to fix the error, and avoid reoccurrence because you won't get to have a second chance to restore your reputation. Lawsuits may come regardless of whether you state an apology or not. However, apologizing will reduce your legal liability risk more often than not. When you have to respond to a crisis but can't disclose certain information for legal or security reasons, tell them why you can't and what you're doing to support the event. Always be prepared for a crisis. To do this: (1) figure out your top inherent risks and develop communication scenarios that align with your disaster recovery plans; (2) delegate responsibilities and minimize miscommunication; (3) train people who will be involved in the crisis management process; (4) occasionally go through disaster recovery drills and make crisis communications part of that. Learn from the crisis, and make necessary adjustments to avoid recurrence. Monitor media outlets for potential risks so you won't be the last to know when your reputation is being called to question online.   Useful Links: http://www.publicrelationssecurity.com   https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidoates/

The idea of the annual report fills people with yawns, dread, and thoughts about practically anything else. It doesn’t have to be that way! In this episode of Messaging on a Mission, an expert explains why the annual report can not only be a powerful tool for telling your story and building your brand, but it can also supply your organization with great content to last you throughout the year!   Episode Guest(s): Katharine Ramsden has helped leading organizations and their leadership teams tell their stories for over 30 years. Her career began as a research analyst at a consulting firm and, after earning a master's degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism, her career continued with positions in public relations, corporate communications, and executive communications for three Wall Street firms. Following eight years as managing director of a boutique marketing research and communications consulting practice, she joined Thomson Reuters, where she served in a range of senior corporate communications, executive communications, thought leadership, and publishing roles for nearly a decade. Most recently, she has been an independent consultant serving a variety of clients in corporate, academic, and nonprofit organizations. Her award-winning work has spanned annual reports, speechwriting, and the creation of thought leadership vehicles (white papers, publications) to build and enhance the reputation of organizations and their executives. In addition to her master's degree from Columbia, she has a bachelor of arts in European studies from Mount Holyoke College.   Key Takeaways: The best annual reports show, not tell. For example, use compelling infographics. Tell real stories, by incorporating real people who are impacted or involved in the work. Use any combination of testimonials, case studies, client stories, or video interviews. Highlight your mission and goals. Make the connection for your audience by weaving your mission and goals throughout the report. Professional, custom photography and design elements and videography matter. Stock photography has its merits, and it can be cheaper, but custom imagery paints a more compelling and engaging branded experience. Release your annual report in line with your calendar of events. The best digital annual reports are virtual brand ambassadors. When your annual report is interesting, tells your story, and is user-friendly, it has the added benefit of adding validity to your overall brand credibility. Less is more. Copy should be well written, with tight short paragraphs, well divided by headlines. Do not over-emphasize your leadership and the board. Rather, focus on the work, the people who do the work, the people who benefit from the work. Don't miss the opportunity to use and reuse annual report content across all your channels and throughout the year. Rather than thinking of it as a one-and-done, think about it as an opportunity to create content that can go the distance for you. It's more efficient, it's less expensive, and it's way more effective.   Useful Links: Katharine Ramsden https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharineramsden/ Great examples of annual reports https://www.digdeep.org/annual-report-2021 https://annualreports.machildrensalliance.org/

For organizations to thrive, they have to have intergenerational teams and constituents. With that, however, can come to some unexpected communication challenges. Understanding how to speak to everyone based on their specific needs is the hallmark of good communication. In this episode of Messaging on a Mission, we hear about ways to make intergenerational communication clear and effective.   Episode Guest(s): Peter Yawitz (peteryawitz.com) is the President of Clear Communication (clearcommunication.net) and founder, host, author, and advice columnist at Advice from Someone Else’s Dad (someoneelsesdad.com). He has been a communication coach, consultant, teacher, and facilitator for global organizations for over 30 years. For ten years before that, he was an eager young employee in fast-paced American workplaces wishing for advice on how to make smart work decisions and fit in. Today, he trains C-suite executives, managers, juniors, and teams around the world, helping them understand how to communicate, manage upward and sideways in a company, and navigate the personalities, priorities, and peculiarities of their workplaces.   The second edition of his award-winning book Flip-Flops and Microwaved Fish: Navigating the Dos and Don’ts of Workplace Culture (Greenleaf Book Group) was released and contained every piece of practical advice imaginable about how to communicate in a hybrid workplace. He won the Bronze Medal at the Axiom Book Awards and was a finalist at the Foreward Indies.   A native New Yorker, he received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Peter also won the 2005 Nightlight Award for Outstanding Musical Comedy Performance from the New York City cabaret, jazz, and comedy critics and the Backstage Magazine Bistro Award for comedy writing.

Writing Intentionally   Episode Summary: Writing is an essential aspect of our lives since we learned our ABCs. We write every day; whether we’re drafting a document for our colleagues at work, writing an email to a client, or texting a loved one on Instagram, it is a unique skill.   However, it should be done purposefully. How do you pass your message with clarity if you’re writing for a group of people? This episode of Messaging on a Mission reveals insights from Erin Lebacqz – an expert in writing intentionally. She sheds light on how people can communicate clearly and gain confidence through their writing.   Episode Guest(s): Erin Lebacqz helps people write with clarity, confidence, and emotional intelligence. Erin’s curriculum and book, High-Value Writing, captures Erin’s 25 years of experience working with business and academic writers worldwide. Her interactive sessions engage learners in purposeful discussions that respect learners’ desire for intellectual growth while also providing practical strategies they can immediately apply in the workplace.   Erin has trained and taught in the United States and Asia in the finance, manufacturing, trades, non-profit, higher education, healthcare, and public sectors. Clients have included the U.S. Forest Service, the European Commission, UC Davis, DeGorontalo Independent Media Outlet in Indonesia, Wuhan University in China, CalHR, city and county governments throughout California, and international customs agencies.   Erin developed her expertise in both the theory and practice of learning through twenty years of instructional and administrative service in public higher education in California, New Mexico, and abroad. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from UC San Diego, a Secondary Education Teaching Credential with an emphasis on intercultural and multilingual learning from San Jose State University, and a Master of Arts degree in Professional Writing from the University of New Mexico. She is a certified ICBI Intercultural Global Coach and a Master Trainer in workplace ESL using ELTS’ Peace Corps-endorsed Color Vowel Chart system and has won awards such as Inspirational Teacher of the Year. Erin is functionally bilingual in Spanish/English.   Key Takeaways: Writing is situational. Your writing should be based on the reader and the situation, not on some random rules and norms.   There is not one correct way to write. You should implement different writing for different scenarios or circumstances.   You can have more impact on your voice when you write confidently and flexibly. Be the authority over your writing and analyze the situation to determine the purpose.   When you're writing to someone, you've got your reader or listener receiving your words in two ways with two different types of meaning. First, they'll get the informational meaning, and secondly, the emotional meaning.   If you’re writing to a large group of people, your writing should be clear, simple, and concise to remove ambiguity.   If your point might be contentious or unpleasant to the recipient, try longer, emotional writing to convey they message. You should opt for shorter, more concise writing when addressing other matters.       Useful Links: Erin Lebacqz - High-Value Writing - https://www.highvaluewriting.com/ https://www.instagram.com/leebacks/?hl=en https://www.cpshr.us/consultants/erin-lebacqz

When we think of the messages we send out in the world, we always think about the words. But how often do we think of photography? Not enough. Your message is more than what you say with vowels and consonants. It’s also about the story you tell, the emotions you show, and the authenticity you create with photography. In this episode of Messaging on a Mission we speak with renown photographer Joel Benjamin on how to think about photography when telling your story.   Episode Guest(s): Joel Benjamin is a commercial and editorial photographer, known for his bright, authentic and energetic images and ideas.   A former advertising creative director, Joel has been shooting for over 25 years and has a busy studio in the Fort Point section of Boston.  Joel draws on his sense of style, color and honesty to compose striking images that capture the essence of the people and things he is shooting. Known for his ability to make everyone he works with comfortable, Joel works in a relaxed and collaborative way, ensuring images that tell a story and capture a moment.   His clients run the range from Drizly to Sara Campbell fashion from Biogen to Brown University.   Key Takeaways:   Compile a library of ideas to help inform current and future campaigns and keep everyone visually on the same page.   Always start with a shot list. If you budget eight minutes per shot, that can give you a sense of how long the day will run as well as help you prioritize.   At events, get all your photos done in the first few hours. No need to pay a photographer for the last hour, because one wants to see what happens toward the end!   If you use employees in your photoshoots, you must have them sign release forms, because employees move on and they don’t always leave their goodwill behind.    If you have to use stock, seek out smaller stock agencies or really find a style of photography that you like and really pursue that, such as natural daylight.   When selecting from a group of similar shots, first weed out the ones that are not usable, then look for something special in the ones that are. Remember that there is rarely just one shot that will work better than all the others. Don’t worry about finding the perfect one every time.   During headshots, involve the subjects with the photographer’s work so they feel part of the process and are more at ease with the photographer’s work.   When looking for a photographer (if it’s not our guest Joel!), ask other people recommendations, look at websites and Instagram accounts.  It’s always good to have a meeting or phone call with the photographer to make sure you're all on the same page.   During a photoshoot, be open to where the day takes you.  Maybe there's going to be things more brilliant you haven't thought of, and that's really always a joy for everybody when you end up with something way more than you anticipated.   Useful Links: Joel Benjamin https://joelbenjamin.com https://www.instagram.com/joelbphoto/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-benjamin-4734614/

It’s impossible to go it alone; especially when your organization is lean and your to-do lists are fat! Enter “the consultant.” How do mission-driven organizations find the right one though? Today’s guest is the co-founder of Nonprofit.ist an online community that connects consultants with the mission-driven organizations they can help.    Episode Guest(s): Heather Yandow is a collaborative co-conspirator and creative thinker with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit world.   Inspired by issues that touch her heart and organizations invested in relationships, Heather gets joy out of helping groups move forward from chaos to clarity. Phrases like “adaptive leadership” and “change management” are sure to get her mind churning.   Before Heather joined Third Space in 2010, she was the Director of Development and Communications with the NC Conservation Network, a statewide network of over 100 organizations focused on protecting North Carolina's environment and public health.   With a personal motto of “just do it,” Heather identifies problems and dreams up actionable solutions. This talent has led to many projects: Heather is the founder of Nonprofit.ist, an online resource that helps pair nonprofits with the right consultants; a co-founder of Beehive Collective, a Raleigh-based giving circle; and the creator of the Individual Donor Benchmark Report. Key Takeaways: Reasons for hiring a consultant: (1) you're dealing with a question that's outside your expertise; (2) you have a persistent challenge that won't go away; and (3) even though you may have the skillset on your staff, you want an outside person to come in and help.   A clear understanding of your challenge and a clear understanding and agreement inside the organization of what kind of person you want to work with helps you find the right person.   Types of engagements: (1) an expert to come in and tell you how it should be done; (2) a facilitator who's going to help the organization have good conversations that are going to lead you down a pathway to answer; (3) a very technical person that you can just hand everything off to and not worry about it.   RFPs do NOT give more people access to the work. Only larger-staff consultants typically have time to fill out RFPs. Instead, consider RFCs (request for conversations).    However, the good part of RFPs is that they include (1) a written understanding of what your challenges are, and what your parameters are; (2) a clear description of the problem and a clear description of what success looks like; (3) some thoughts about timing or at least a timeline, and (4) a budget associated with it.   When consultants are pushed on you by a Board member: Inform them that your policy is to at least two or three different organizations about this potential work. Have clarity around your process and framework for making the decision. For example, “We need someone who is a good fit, with X qualifications and Y kind of experience.”    For consultants: Figure out where you really want to be working. How are you going to say no or not right now? Or it's not your work, how will you introduce them to someone else? Useful Links: Nonrofit.ist Six Excuses for Ignoring Your Messaging Strategy

Some ideas are easy to communicate. Others are not as easily embraced. Our guest for this episode of Messaging on a Mission is Paul Rodney Turner, founder of Food for Life Global, the world’s largest vegan food relief with 211 projects in 60 countries serving up to 2 million meals daily. We hear about his journey from monk to the leader of a global nonprofit (as well as billiards champion). Plus, we learn his views on the energetic connection between all living things—and how that connection can help us end world hunger.   Episode Guest(s): As the founder of Food for Life Global, Paul Rodney Turner is a vegan social entrepreneur trying to make the world a better place. He has more than 35 years of experience in Food Security, Food & Nutrition, World Hunger, and the Nonprofit Sector. Other credits include writing books, spending time as a former monk, winning billiards championships, and running animal sanctuaries.    Food For Life Global is the world’s largest vegan food relief with 211 projects in 60  countries serving up to 2 million meals daily. In fact, Food for Life Global has served over 7.9 billion meals to date and on average can feed someone a completely freshly cooked meal for around 50 cents. They are the most cost-effective hunger-relief organization in the world, which just happens to be vegan.   Key Takeaways: There's plenty of food in the world. In fact, the world can produce, the world can feed something like two to three times the population, but they didn't ask the big question of why is there. I felt like we did have the answer. The reason is that we don't see ourselves as a global family.   The solution is that if we see ourselves as a global family, then problems like world hunger will disappear. Maybe not overnight, but very fast. That is the solution to all the problems in the world.   To help someone see your point of view, treat them as if there were a friend you are encouraging them to see things from a different perspective.   Use other topics to illustrate your own.   Factory farming or animal agriculture is the biggest contributor to global warming to environmental degradation.   Live your own life, not someone else’s.   Useful Links: Food for Life Global https://ffl.org   Food Yoga https://smile.amazon.com/Food-Yoga-Nourishing-Body-Mind/dp/0985045116/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1FNYGSOSMTL3E&keywords=paul+rodney+turner&qid=1656444533&sprefix=paul+rodney+turner%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-4   The YOGA of POOL: Secrets to Becoming a Champion in Billiards and in Life https://smile.amazon.com/YOGA-POOL-becoming-Champion-Billiards/dp/0985045108/ref=sr_1_2?crid=26MVELR5I6PG4&keywords=yoga+for+billiards&qid=1656444432&sprefix=yoga+for+billards%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-2    

This episode of Messaging on a Mission, is a conversation on copywriting! Spencer Brenneman Lead Copywriter Anthon Greer sits down with Douglas Spencer to talk about why he loves copywriting, what it can do, and how to start, even when you have a block.   Episode Guest(s): Anthony Greer specializes in content writing and brand messaging development. By listening to what you’re saying (and not saying), he creates content worth remembering and tells stories worth repeating. By creating engaging, optimized, on-brand content, Anthony helps you captivate your audience and convey the awesome work that you do. Anthony has a background in journalism and started his own business, AG Creative Publishing, in 2014. He's a published author, a board game lover, and a coffee addict. He earned a Bachelor's in Business Management.     Key Takeaways: Hiring a copywriter. Before hiring a copywriter, get crystal clear on why you need one. What do you want them to deliver?   Writer’s Block. First, either switch to working or something different. If that’s not an option, just start writing. Even if you never use it, it’s important to create momentum.   DYI Copywriting. Start with why it’s important to say what it is you have to say. Then think about your audience. Consider creating personas, imagined details about an audience member’s life, such as what they do, how old they are, what they do in their spare time, etc. Then write to that person.   Know who you are. Make certain that whatever you write is in line with who you are as an organization. At every opportunity reinforce what it is you do exactly, why you do it, and how you do it differently than everyone else.   Stay consistent. From the tone of your writing to the language you use to describe your world, stay consistent. Don’t have a serious tone in one piece, and a completely frivolous one in the next. Don’t call the people you serve clients and patients. Pick one, etc.,   Always have a call to action. Make it clear what you want people to do with the information you’re sharing, even if it’s to reach out and ask questions.   Less is more. I cannot overstate that enough. Stay focused on “the one thing” your writing sets out to accomplish. No one has an attention span anymore and not having a focus is a sure way to get people to hit delete, or whatever the equivalent is.     Useful Links: Anthony Greer www.anthony-greer.com anthonyegreer@gmail.com LinkedIn   Check out this project Anthony worked on with Spencer Brenneman: spencerbrenneman.com/case-studies/massachusetts-childrens-alliance/

We’re doing something a bit different this week! No guest, just host Douglas Spencer talking about some of the most common ways that messages fail the organizations they’re created to support. You’ll hear about specific actions you can take to see if your message is up to the task of supporting your important work.     Episode Guest(s): Douglas Spencer is president of Spencer Brenneman, LLC, which helps lo mission-driven organizations reframe their focus and remaster their messages to thrive in any environment. In 2021, Douglas launched the podcast, Messaging on a Mission. In it, he talks to leaders of nonprofits, social enterprises, and associations about their journeys and the messages they’re using to thrive. He is also the author of Do They Care? The one question all brands should ask themselves, continually, a book that shows leaders how they can create meaningful connections with everyone important to their organization's success.    Key Takeaways: Four ways your message can fail you: It is out of date, too jargony, too broad, or doesn’t have a clear purpose.    Messages must reflect the personality of the organization, make sense to everyone, differentiate your work and connect to a high purpose.    In fundraising and business development, try:  Benchmarking  Research A/B Testing  Messaging Audit   For talent management, try:  Employee surveys Messaging Audit Exit Interviews Useful Links: douglas@spencerbrenneman.com https://spencerbrenneman.com/

The relationship between data and your message is an important one. If your message cannot reach the right people, what good is it? And how do mission-driven organizations ensure that their message is reaching the right audience? By carefully managing the data behind the people most important to your success. In this episode of Messaging on a Mission, we talk to Isaac Shalev about the kind of technology considerations nonprofits need to keep top of mind when developing both their messaging and their technology strategies.   Episode Guest(s): Isaac Shalev is the founder and President of Sage70, Inc., a boutique consultancy devoted to making data work for nonprofits. Isaac has over twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector, where he has developed a reputation for helping organizations get clarity on their thorniest problems in data and technology. Sage70's past clients include the US Golf Association, The LA Phil, Mount Holyoke College, UJA-Federation of NY, The Trust for Public Land, and IEEE.      Key Takeaways: Email marketing platforms must connect that back to donor databases in order to segment correctly and create the best messages for the best person at the right time. (Some platforms do both.)   Consider all the other places integrations are needed, such as where the money comes into the organization (e.g., website forms).   Not all nonprofit organizations have the same needs. It's different by sector and there are bespoke tools and different vendors serving those different markets. It is a good idea to see what similar organizations are using.   When budgeting for your CRM, keep in mind how people’s jobs may change as a result.   Consider reporting needs when selecting a system. Do the canned reports ask the questions you need to have answered? If not, is the customization or extra staff time worth it?   People want to be spoken to in a way that feels authentic to them. That's a big ask of a database. It's an even bigger ask at a policy level. What are our policies? You can't have database and database structures that have any consistency or do the job you want them to do without policy. To define that, to say, what are we trying to achieve?   One of the places from which organizations can start is by asking themselves about their process for updating biographical information.   Taxonomies of your crucial attributes are an important step in managing your contact data effectively.   The 80/20 rule for your work. What are those small number of attributes or data points or behaviors that are important to us to track because they explain 80% of why a person wants to support your organization?   “If you take an inefficient process and you automate it, you will magnify its inefficiency. If you take an efficient process and automate it, then you will get a lot more scale,” paraphrased from Bill Gates.   State laws apply to the residents of the state, not necessarily the sender’s state.   Organizations must have a data breach policy in place.   It's not a great idea to collect a lot of data and have no clear way to use it. It's not a good idea from a data management perspective, but it's also not clear from a data privacy perspective that you'd want that.     Useful Links: Isaac Shalev isaac@sage70.com sage70.com  

According to Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-charities/?sh=1b5c50295f50), the top two charities in the United States are United Way Worldwide and Feeding America. The United Way started slowly over time as more and more “federated giving” organizations came together. Feeding America had a faster, but still slower start as one man’s volunteerism took on a life of its own.    Not all organizations start slowly. Many are borne out of a specific need. Such is the case with The Kindness Project, which we’ll hear about today. Grassroots organizations, in my mind, demonstrate the best in humanity: people stepping up to the plate to help others in the moment. However, with everyone and everything happening sometimes in split seconds, the message could easily get distorted.    Episode Guest(s): Alex Bromberg founded the original group that became the Kindness Collaborative in March of 2020. Long before that, he'd been involved in activism dating back to 2000. In 2009 he formed "The Liberty Project" which focused on shedding divisive labels and teaching people to work together toward key/shared concepts of individual liberty and social equality. After witnessing the amazing organic action of all the regular people throughout the community who had stepped up to help one another in the original group, Alex teamed up first with Darcie Nuttall, and then the other founders, to establish the Kindness Collaborative. Their goal of creating a way to channel all the kindness and compassion of the community and organizing it into a major force of good has been realized in the movement it has created.   Useful Links: The Kindness Collaborative  https://www.facebook.com/groups/kindnesscollaborative http://kindnesscolab.org/

Inclusion decisions are made when everyone those decisions impact are included in the process. Today’s episode focuses on inclusive decision-making and—perhaps just as importantly—the conversations that enable it.   Episode Guest(s): Mer (pronounced “mair”) Joyce is the Founder and Principal of Do Big Good, a Seattle-based firm that trains and facilitates inclusive decisions. Mer has committed her life to social change innovation. She was New Media Operations Manager on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, led the creation of the 2010 book, and managed a first-of-its-kind activism data set as a fellow of the National Science Foundation. Mer has collaborated with nonprofits, foundations, think tanks, and firms in North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, including the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard, the Open Government Partnership, Microsoft, and Google. Her graduate studies in Public Policy and Communication and undergraduate studies in History and Africana Studies were at the Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Washington, Vassar, and the University of Ghana. Having also lived in Morocco, Chile, and India, Mer now lives in Seattle, where she enjoys biking and intentional communities.    Key Takeaways:   Inclusivity is about voices, not faces. Just because someone has a face that matches an excluded community doesn’t mean you are hearing their voice.   An absence of trust from people who are brought into a room for the first time is an obstacle to inclusion because they may not share their true opinions.   It's very important to make certain that you are transparent with your motivation.   Think of inclusive decision making through the lens of “trust dials.”   Types of decisions needed include: Fixed: Already created and cannot be altered by stakeholders; Flexible: Already created, but can still be altered according to stakeholder input; and Formable: Not yet created and need to be created with stakeholders.   When seeking feedback and input, remember to close that communication loop and say, “thank you for coming to this session. This is how we integrated your suggestions into our [fill in the blank].”   Structure the decision-making process in a way that gives power over the outcome or over the agreement, such that the outcome could look different because of what people say.    Inclusive decision-making starts well ahead of the decisions. It starts with building relationships.   Useful Links: Mer Joyce, mer@dobiggood.com   Do Big Good Website Do Big Good YouTube Channel Do Big Good on Facebook

Although we all believe—and know—that reinventing the wheel is bad, we all do it none-the-less. Why is that? Most often it’s because we don’t think we have enough time to stop and think about our work more broadly. The content we produce certainly falls into that category. So in addition to having a well-thought-out messaging strategy, our guest today gives us clear steps on how to repurpose content smartly and efficiently.   Episode Guest(s): Stephanie Cory, CAP®, CFRE, is Principal of Stephanie Cory Consulting. She has dedicated her career to the nonprofit sector for nearly 20 years. She has served as an executive director for a health advocacy organization as well as held development and program management roles for organizations serving seniors and people with disabilities. She expanded programming, strengthened infrastructure, and grew fundraising revenue in these roles. Stephanie is an adjunct faculty member for Villanova University’s College of Professional Studies where she teaches fundraising. She is also is a BoardSource Certified Governance Consultant and a Licensed Standards for Excellence® Consultant. Stephanie authored a chapter on boards and fundraising for the second edition of The Handbook of Board Governance, which was published by John Wiley & Sons in 2020.   Key Takeaways: The goal is to think about what makes your organization unique and what do you want to put out there? What, what do you want to talk about?   Decide your content’s tone of voice: Are you serious and research-focused? Are you lighthearted and friendly? Certainly grant applications are a different animal, but your website should and your fundraising appeals should reflect who you are.   Introduce board members to all the programs, but let them find the ones that resonated the most with them and go in depth on those. They can talk about them with a better sense of understanding.   With board members and employees, try to engender an understanding and appreciation for social media. Help them understand how it works and why it’s important to the organization. Then, provide them with content to share.   Ensure a robust new board member training program from the beginning and include instructions on how to (and not to) reuse the content you produce.   Consider having a content library beyond grants, but be certain to not simply repeat content verbatim each time.   For new executive directors, think about what content responsibilities you can outsource and which you cannot.     Useful Links: stephanie@stephaniecory.com LinkedIn.com/in/stephaniecory/ StephanieCory.com The Handbook of Board Governance

Despite the fact that data show being asked by someone to support an organization is one of the most effective ways to fundraise, many nonprofit board members are not comfortable asking their communities for support. This episode of Messaging on a Mission looks at why as well as how to change that.   Episode Guest(s): Scottie Seawell is Principal Consultant and Co-founder of Leading and Governing Associates, a governance education and leadership consulting practice working with public purpose governing boards – nonprofit and elected – on public engagement, public values decision-making, strategic planning, and navigation, and organizational capacity building. Scottie works with folks of all political stripes to effectively engage their communities and with each other. She has worked at the federal, state, and local levels in policy areas focused on children, families, and education. She believes passionately in the power of a well-educated citizenry, engaged in democratic processes and representative governance, to build a better future for all.     Key Takeaways: Organizations often do not recruit new board members with this expectation. It's more than a monthly or quarterly meeting. They cannot assume that potential board members have that kind of experience.   When considering a board position, one should also ask questions about expectations.   Help board members by having them foster the invitation and someone else—ideally another volunteer, not a staff member—do the ask.   The board chair should have an intentional conversation with the board and leadership staff to say, “Here's our situation financially. Here's why it's important that we raise money, in order to do what we say we want to do in order to meet our mission or advance on our vision of how our community should look or we want it to look from there.”   Provide them with the coaching and tools they would need to become effective fundraising board members.   “There's just a lot more handholding that needs to do in prep that needs to happen before you can kind of expect a board member to really understand and feel the confidence that they could help you in this way.”   Organizations have to want and have an intention about the community and how they want to engage with it.   A  public values framework is useful in helping people listen with intention, to what somebody else is saying is important to them.   Useful Links: Scottie Seawell, fseawell@leadingandgoverning.com   @leadingandgoverning @preservingthepublic @scottieseawell   https://www.leadingandgoverning.com  

Discussing mental health has never been easy, especially in the workplace. After two years living under the weight of a deadly pandemic, it’s more important than ever. In this episode of Messaging on a Mission we speak with Workplace Mental Health Strategist Michelle Dickinson about how organizations create and promote psychological safety within their workplaces.     Episode Guest(s): Michelle E. Dickinson is a Workplace Mental Health Strategist and passionate mental health advocate. She is also a TEDx speaker and a published author of a memoir entitled​ Breaking Into My Life​. Michelle goes first and sees herself as the bridge that helps people get comfortable with their mental health so that they reach out and get the support they need before they hit a crisis. She makes it ok to not be ok and thrives on making a real difference in the lives of others – especially around their wellbeing.    After years of playing the role of child-caregiver to her bipolar mother, Michelle embarked on her own healing journey of self-discovery. She went on to spend years working to eradicate the mental health stigma within her own workplace by elevating empathy and compassion, causing more open conversations, and leading real change in how mental illness is understood. She was instrumental in building the largest and fastest-growing employee mental health resource group while at her fortune 500 company.    She also knows first-hand what it feels like to struggle with a mental illness after experiencing my own depression due to her divorce. This has provided her with a rich perspective.    She partners with innovative organizations that really care about their people to recenter their staff through her powerful people leader resilience programs that provide tangible daily strategies to preserve well-being. She believes that every organization can have a culture of compassion. Her signature Resilience workshop has made a positive impact on thousands of employees throughout COVID-19.   Key Takeaways:   The pandemic and social isolation are negatively impacting employee mental health, creativity, problem-solving, and productivity.   Organizations can eliminate the stigma by normalizing the mental health and wellbeing conversation within the workplace.   It is incumbent upon organizational leaders to drive the conversation around mental health in the workplace.  Useful Links: www.careforyourpeople.com  www.michelleedickinson.com www.breakingintomylife.com    Mental Health Series “Michelle’s Conversations that Matter” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn6Yaq3AqLUebGmfZoRdB4Q   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-e-dickinson-mm-%F0%9F%A7%A0%E2%99%A5%EF%B8%8F-7882013/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mdickinson13 Free chapter of her book: http://breakingintomylife.com/excerpt/ From the Center for Disease Control:   Helplines If you are in crisis, get immediate help:   Call 911 National Suicide Prevention Lifelineexternal icon: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628-9454 for Spanish, or Lifeline Crisis Chat Crisis Text Line: Text SIGNS to 741741 for 24/7, anonymous, free crisis counseling Disaster Distress Helpline: CALL or TEXT 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish)  

Is it possible to create an ethical digital landscape? Katrina German of EthicalDigital.ca believes so. In this episode of Messaging on a Mission, she outlines how her organization is using research and strategy to create an internet that is respectful and kind. From increasing the number of women in technology-focused venture capital to expanding the number of indigenous women pursuing technology careers, she and her colleagues have a plan.   Episode Guest(s): Katrina German is an award-winning entrepreneur specializing in communications, technology, and digital strategy. As the CEO and founder of EthicalDigital.ca, she and her team are changing the trajectory of the internet through digital strategy, research, and big action. Katrina is in the CBC Future 40 Under 40, has won the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Entrepreneurship, Startup Canada Prairie Award for Innovation, represented Canada at the G20 YEA Summit in Berlin, Germany, and has won the prestigious international Women in Tech award for "Women in Communications". Katrina is a strong believer in measured results, radical creativity, and using technology to improve workflow.   Key Takeaways: We should be holding Facebook accountable to those same levels that we're holding other corporations to be ensuring that what they're doing and the activities that they're participating in are actually enhancing our society because they have such a strong role right now that's just beyond than anybody could have ever imagined.   Look at the Facebook issue not just from the perspective of public wellbeing, but also from a corporate law perspective. Hold the board of directors responsible for making certain their product is not harming people.   EthicalDigital.ca is doing a large research study with the diversity Institute at a Ryerson university to talk about what are the barriers for women entering into venture capital.   They are also working on a certification program for ethical digital marketing.   For ways to support a more ethical digital experience: Think about the kind of content you are putting out there. Are you creating unhealthy feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out)? Instead of posting just about yourself, post about others who are doing important work.   Try to inspire people, not scare them.   Turn off your phone notifications and only check your phone when you have time.     Useful Links:   ethicaldigital.ca   katrina@ethical.ca  

Most leaders of organizations—especially small ones, startups, not-for-profits— know that digital marketing is critical to an organization’s success. Still, its complexity and perceived expense hold leaders back from taking advantage of the channel. This episode of Messaging on a Mission dives into how and why digital marketing is a must-have for any organization with a message on a mission.   Episode Guest(s): Jeff Kelly is the Strategy Director at Butterflyly, a fundraising and digital marketing agency for nonprofits. We are a small passionate team on a mission to help nonprofits grow in the face of unique fundraising challenges and rapidly changing marketing strategies. Jeff graduated from a corporate technology career to start Butterflyly and away from work he is a husband, father, big picture systems thinker, beekeeper, blueberry farmer, and shipping-container home owner.     Key Takeaways: Digital marketing is certainly more important than it has ever been given that so much of our relationship building right now is online and remote and between people who are not physically in the same room together.   Digital marketing tools—your website, your social media, your advertising—can help you reach your strategic objectives, to reach your annual goals, to reach your fundraising targets.   Advertising is a huge area of opportunity for nonprofits. Advertising as a channel can build awareness, tell a story, bring people to an event, seek registrations, or build an audience or an email list. It can build relationships with an audience of people that have been at a particular event.   Know your audience: who they are, where they are, what’s important to them, and how they want to communicate.   When we talk about marketing and what's the biggest gap and how can organizations be moving forward in this space, if you're unsure who your audience is and how to communicate with them, that is potentially the biggest problem your organization is going to face.   Think about what the donor or follower wants to accomplish by following or giving to the organization.   What works for any one organization is different than the next. If you are trying to reach a young audience and you are not on social media, you are going to fail to reach that audience. You don’t need to be on every platform. If your audience is not on Twitter, don't spend any time on Twitter.   Email is ending its usefulness as a communication tool. It's never going to go away, but it's not near as effective as it used to be.   Be consistent with how frequently you post content to the platforms your audience is active on.   There is a lot of benefit from posting on consistent days of the week, consistent types of messages, and content consistent.     Useful Links: Butterflyly, https://butterflyly.com/   jeff@butterflyly.com     Messaging on a Mission episode on sponsorships: https://spencerbrenneman.com/messaging-on-a-mission/e19-associations/