Another Way Podcast

Are you on a path toward creating a marketing plan for your organization? Maybe you're trying to promote a new nonprofit venture you're beginning, or maybe you are launching a new campus of your church. Whatever it is that you're promoting, you need to make sure you are starting on the right foot. While there are countless tactics and ways that you can attempt promotion, you must first have a good grip on four key components to ensure your efforts are effective and your resources are spent correctly.

Does your church have effective brand messaging? If you haven’t put an intentional effort into building your brand, that means your audience is filling in the gaps and defining your brand the way they see it…which isn’t always a good thing. That’s why creating brand messaging – yes, even for churches – is so important! It equips you to define who you are and empowers your audience with language to talk about you. Listen in to discover why your church brand messaging may not be working in your favor.

Your church website shouldn’t just be something you throw online. It serves a purpose, and there are strategic pieces of information that you need to include to make sure your website reaches your audience and serves your mission. Check out the top 10 things to make sure your church website doesn’t go without.

Do you know what your nonprofit or ministry's unique differentiators are? What will make you stand out in the crowd? Unfortunately, it's not enough to just be doing "good" in the world nowadays. You have to be specific, find your niche and communicate it with excellence. In this minicast, we're talking about how to identify what it is that you HAVE to communicate to your potential nonprofit donors in order to make a splash. If you haven't done this as an organization, you can't miss this conversation.

Can your Instagram profile set up really make that big of a difference for your success? Absolutely. Let’s talk about how to make sure your Instagram profile is in tip-top shape with these six tips. These things need to happen long before you start pointing audiences to your page.

Leadership is hard. Navigating a pandemic is hard. In this episode, we're discussing 5 types of leaders we’re seeing amidst this pandemic. And while these leadership styles persist even through times that are not ridden with crisis, they become even more evident, visible and impactful (either negatively or positively) amidst times like this. Listen in to identify what type of leader you are, and the 3 tips on how to improve during times like this.

Covid-19 has thrown us all for a loop. While these times have felt uncertain, we’ve also seen organizations get more creative and seen new marketing strategies come to the surface – strategies that will not just help you get through the pandemic but will also be a gamechanger for years to come. Listen in as we discuss 5 of these marketing strategies, and how to get your own free download to learn even more.

Unfortunately, amidst this pandemic, goals have felt more unattainable and uncertain than ever. So why not share some of the tips and encouragement from leadership guru, Michael Hyatt, to help us get back on track to where we know we want to be. Check out these 4 tips to help you start making incremental shifts that lead to major change.

People are looking at your organization more critically and suspiciously than ever before. You must frame your mission within a culture of inclusivity and compassion. Even if this is true of who you have been all along, you should reiterate it, clarify it and retell that story to a world that is very sensitive, nervous and fearful of being excluded. Listen in for our tips on how to make sure your organization is intentional about how it demonstrates these characteristics.

As a leader of any kind, you’ve had to navigate some choppy, uncertain waters amidst this pandemic. And uncertainty often breeds silence and stillness in leaders as to not mislead or dart off to the wrong course. Yet while communicating to your teams is more difficult than ever, it’s also more important than ever. Do not neglect the opportunity to guide, manage and encourage your team as you navigate uncertainty, even if you don't have all the answers.

If you lead a nonprofit, ministry, or sell goods or services for profit, you have what we call “an engagement cycle” with your consumers/followers/donors/audience. And now that the world as we know it has changed, so have the ways that your audience needs communication from you to move them from point A to point B.

Is your nonprofit’s accounting in tip-top shape? If it’s not, you’re likely risking inefficient use of resources, and basing crucial decisions on inaccurate or incomplete information. Our latest podcast guest, Tosha Anderson, is the founder of The Charity CFO, an organization offering accounting and thought leadership skills to nonprofits. In this episode, we're talking about some of the top mistakes nonprofits are making with their accounting.

In this episode, we're talking about the Start/Stop/Continue exercise, vastly used by organizations to determine what needs to be cut or started in their organizations to help them thrive. There is no better time than now to reassess the efforts of your organization. Many things have had to both start and stop because of this pandemic, donors, staff and other will have more grace than ever for change. Use this momentum and understanding to ignite changes that have needed to happen for quite some time.

While no nonprofits are going to get this new "business as usual" thing perfect during a pandemic, there are some crucial opportunities being missed that are impacting their ability to thrive in this new era. Check out these 4 mistakes nonprofits are making amidst the pandemic.

After the initial surge of online church service viewings at the start of the quarantine, studies show that 48% of those who watched online at first, have not watched a service in the past month. People need a deeper connection. Listen in on some creative ways to start connecting people to your church and to each other in a more meaningful way during this pandemic.

If you are a leader of a nonprofit or ministry, your personal brand matters. Some of you may not even realize that you have a personal brand, but if you are connected in any way to the organization you started, inspire, and operate, you do. Listen in as we interview Laura Bull, author and personal brand expert, about how to cultivate your personal brand in a way that will grow and energize your organization.

The “normal” we are coming to realize will be here to stay to some degree. We entered into uncharted territory over the past couple of months, learning to run businesses virtually, host ministries online and troubleshoot missing nonprofit funding events and programs. So what do we need to keep in mind as we begin to reopen our nonprofits and ministries across the country? Check out the 3 C's to consider when reopening your nonprofit.

If you lead or work for a nonprofit of any kind, you likely have a ton of questions surrounding your donor development efforts. Questions swirl around topics of whether or not you should be asking for funds, how to set yourself up for success post-pandemic, and more. We sat down with our donor development strategist, Sherry Taylor, to ask her some of your most pressing questions.

As we progress and lead through this pandemic, it still feels like there things are constantly changing. However, we still continue to learn and discover some steps that we can take based on our findings, as well as leaning on our experience in other crises alongside our understanding on human behavior. Check out these 4 things your nonprofit should be doing this week as you continue in this uncharted terrority.

In the past month, nonprofits and ministries have fast-tracked efforts to digitize their operations to support remote working, while having to rethink how they can somehow fill the immediate gaps of mission delivery, revenue and the needs of their people. Check out these 4 focus areas to ensure your organization is resilient through crisis.

Easter 2020 has come and gone, and while the stress of tackling that special Sunday in an all digital era has come to an end, the virtual nature of church is still here to stay. On this episode, we're talking about why we (and many others) believe the digital climate of the church will be forever changed, even when this pandemic is long gone.

While it can be easy to focus on all of the overwhelming and daunting results of the Covid-19 pandemic and its stressful impact on your organization, we thought want to shed some light on the opportunities that this unique time can offer.

Odds are, 90% of the people reading this right now are having to work from home due to Safer at Home orders. And while we all agree that these are necessary and important rules to abide by, they are certainly bringing both challenges and new opportunities our way as people trade in their office desk for their at-home set ups. We're discussing 3 benefits to remote working and 6 tips on how to maximize your leadership and working efforts during this time.

As if running your church and ministries isn’t hard enough on a normal day, add in a world-wide pandemic, and you’ve now got a whole new set of rules and expectations that send all the “normal” protocol out the window. We're talking about 4 things that you must acknowledge (and be ok with) during this time as a church. Listen in.

A lot of marketing campaigns are a waste of money. Why? Because most marketing campaigns start at the wrong place. We have developed a fool-proof framework to make sure your marketing efforts are strategic and effective. Listen in to these practical steps in creating a campaign that actually moves the needle.

Many people are starting to notice that younger leaders are showing up in big ways and leading organizations to faster growth than a lot of organizations who are led by older leaders. What characteristics are leading to this quick growth? Listen in on this episode to hear more about what we can learn from their leadership and methodology.

Your nonprofit’s ROI (return on investment) of its marketing efforts can be difficult to measure and understand. It's often easy to let the measuring of metrics to fall by the wayside amidst the busy day-to-day of running your nonprofit or ministry. Learn how to measure the effectiveness of your varying marketing tactics in this conversation with Maurilio Amorim, CEO of The A Group.

If you want heavy email readership and high open rates, ultimately allowing you to communicate to mass amounts of people in an effective way, it’s crucial that you think through your email strategy and all that an email send should entail. Listen in to this practical conversation in order to help your important emails become more impactful.

Under Pete Wilson's leadership as senior pastor for 15 years, Cross Point Church grew from just an idea to one that had 5 campuses and thousands of people in attendance each week. Amongst hundreds of other churches around, how did he grow Cross Point to have the size and impact that it did? According to Pete, while there is a long list of lessons learned, some luck, and incredible teams and people surrounding the vision, there are a few lessons learned early on that attributed to the church's success. Don't miss this interview!

In our new Difference Makers series, we interviewed Maurilio Amorim, CEO of The A Group, on his journey of building a successful business from the ground up. He walks us through the 20 years of ups and downs, as well as 4 key lessons he's learned along the way.

While having a board for your nonprofit is a non-negotiable, who serves on your board is typically up to your discretion. And from time to time, amidst all your wonderful board members and high hopes for their performance, you will have a bad apple who is more disruptive than they are helpful. On this episode, we're talking about four different ways that you can protect yourself from bad board members (and ways you can remove them if it comes down to it).

A new decade brings new trends and things you need to look out for as you continue sharpening your marketing plans for the year. Listen in to these 5 trends that you need to keep an eye out for in 2020!

While there are all types of new fads and trends for growth in the ministry world, today Pete Wilson is talking about four things that you must do (regardless of the decade) if you want your church to grow.

It's not too late to make one final push with your donors to meet your fundraising goals in 2019. 10% of gifts are given within the last three days of December, so don't miss these invaluable tips for last-minute gift solicitations.

Effective brands are composed of two crucial things: strategic messaging and a defined visual design. Listen in as we talk about why each is so important and discuss how to create messaging and a design that is strategic for your growth and impact.

While strategies to solicit gifts from donors on Giving Tuesday can be all-consuming for nonprofits, the Giving Tuesday aftermath is really where you attention should be focused. Check out our 5 quick tips for how to make the most out of your Giving Tuesday efforts, and keep your new donors on board for the long-haul.

Living in an intentional state of gratitude impacts far more than just your mood. We’re focusing on shifting our mindsets to one of gratefulness and appreciation and talking about how this directly impacts your teams and leadership.

It can be challenging keeping up with the latest and greatest marketing tools available to you. It seems like as soon as you get the hang of one tool, another update or newer/better/more effective tool is born. Make sure you're up to speed! Listen in to The A Group CEO, Maurilio Amorim, discuss of some of his favorite new tools for 2020 in part 2 of this two part series.

On this episode, we're debating back and forth on whether #GivingTuesday is actually beneficial for all nonprofits. There are some important precautions to think through when engaging in the global day of giving. Listen in to learn more about whether or not Giving Tuesday should be part of your end-of-year giving strategies.

Churches and nonprofits seem to have a constant pressure to always be on the leading edge of creativity. How do you keep your teams inspired? How do you set a culture of creativity for those you lead, ultimately resulting in great ideas and creatively empowered teams? Check out these 4 tips on igniting inspiration with your teams.

It can be challenging keeping up with the latest and greatest marketing tools available to you. It seems like as soon as you get the hang of one tool, another update or newer/better/more effective tool is born. Make sure you're up to speed! Listen in to The A Group CEO, Maurilio Amorim, discuss some of his favorite new tools for 2020.

All strong, impactful and effective teams have one thing in common: trust. While "trust" can feel like an intangible and/or subjective team quality, there are some very practical and tangible ways to go about instilling a culture of trust in your nonprofit or ministry. Listen in on these 4 tips on taking your teams from feeling judgmental and critical of others on the team to filling the gaps with productive conversations and stronger unity, all working toward an important mission.

For nonprofits and ministries, good storytelling can help you captivate donors, raise money and heighten awareness for your cause. And while there are over 1 million nonprofits in the U.S., many with similar missions as yours, your stories are unique and can set you apart if you're intentional and thoughtful in the presentation. Listen in to learn about the key components of an impactful story.

What you're communicating to your nonprofit or ministry's target audiences matters. If your message is confusing, unclear or irrelevant, there’s a good chance potential donors/first-time-guests will quickly bounce to the next thing trying desperately to gain their attention.

It's easy to get caught up in doing good, isn't it? It's almost addicting. As a nonprofit, you have a specific goal and mission, but it can be easy to get sidetracked on the shiny, new things that you could chase after. While that sounds noble, it may actually be a hinderance to your original goal. Check out these 4 ways to avoid mission creep.

You can't make a second first impression. Making your church guests feel welcomed, catered to, and cared for from the moment they step foot in your church will greatly increase the likelihood of turning them from one-time visitors into fully-engaged members. Check out these practical steps to ensure you're not overlooking some key details of your church's guest experience.

Is your nonprofit at risk to becoming victim to credit card fraud? The answer is "yes." Sadly, now more than ever, nonprofits are experiencing the wrath of hackers all across the globe. There are some very practical steps you can take to ensure your donors have a seamless donating experience, and also to ensure your credibility as a nonprofit. Listen in!

Are you retaining your current donor-base? Yes, new donors are important to your cause, but your current donors (the people who currently keep you afloat) are crucial to keep engaged and giving. Today we're talking about different ways to maintain and retain your current donors so you don't leave the back door wide open once the new donors actually commit.

Maurilio Amorim, The A Group CEO, dives into Part 2 of Social Media Trends Your Nonprofit Should Know in 2019. We reviewed the first four of the eight trends on episode 46, and are now diving into the final four on this episode. Listen in!

“Leadership” is no foreign concept to you. You’ve heard all about how to hone your leadership skills and sharpen your vision-casting. But on this episode, we're talking about how to be a better manager and leader to those around you. Check out these 5 practical and proven tips that will help you empower and equip your staff or volunteers to succeed in your organization.

Employees who get the best results, see the most growth, and are the most valuable inside of nonprofit or ministry organizations have figured out how to lead both the people “above” them and those “below” them. On this episode, we're talking about what it means to "lead up," and 4 ways that you can be an indispensable player on your team.