Driving Participation Podcast: What Is Working in Marketing & Fundraising | Nonprofits | Schools | Associations

After five years and 200 episodes, Beth has certainly learned a thing or two (or 200) about participation, such as where it comes from and what it really means. As she turns the final page of the podcast, she reflects on the five principles of participation she’s picked up on with the help from guests along the way, from the meaning and value of collaboration to knowing your audience beyond demographics and much more.

  Sarah Olivieri joins this session to talk all about strategy. How do you create a strategy everyone is on board with and can follow? And, more importantly, how do you even define strategy? Sarah, founder of PivotGround, and Beth explore the link between strategy and capacity, what differentiates strategies from tactics, and Sarah’s “secret sauce” to help businesses thrive. She shares tricks for getting time back in your day so you can shift your focus to the activity that is most important, tools for staying on track with the strategy you develop, and more.

When it comes to innovation and experimentation, ideas are only half of the challenge. Donna Kastner, founder of Retirepreneur, joins this week’s session to explore the other half: implementation. She and Beth delve into experimentation and how to get from a conversation about an idea to an actual product. Donna explains how to design a conversation that puts everyone on a level playing field and leads to exploring the "why" behind the idea—without jumping to tactics too quickly. She and Beth discuss how a hackathon can create an impact anywhere from a conference to just within your organization and bring people together to solve, or "hack," a problem, the importance of patience, and much more.

Jeremiah Lane knows the power of putting a face to the name of an organization. After attending a conference, he came back to the Children's Hospital Foundation, where he serves as Communications Director, with an idea that changed how the organization approached its storytelling. With one campaign that directly involves the families they serve, the Foundation has been able to tap into the emotional side of the work they do and share those stories with their audience in ways that resonate, especially because they may be stories about kids from their hometown. Jeremiah shares how to use personal stories to create connections with donors, the link between development and communications, and more.

As many organizations can relate, Julia Toepfer knows that it can be hard to generate the amount of content needed to tell your story when you have a small team. Julia, marketing and online engagement manager at National Immigrant Justice Center, joins this session to share how NIJC found inspiration for content from an unexpected source: its own staff. Julia shares how she and her team encourage staff members to contribute to telling NIJC's stories in ways they're comfortable with, whether it's writing a post, making a video, or even being featured in the story themselves. They explore maintaining messaging for staff members who are not in marketing, how to avoid hurting feelings or egos in new situations, and more.

Say you have a great event that brings in big numbers of participants and donations to your organization. What should you do when the event is over to encourage guests and donors who may have given only to support a certain participant to continue giving to your organization? Kimberly Kroll-Goodwin, manager of events at STARS Air Ambulance in Saskatchewan, Canada, joins this session to share how her organization created a welcome series that introduced donors to the work STARS does and how they can get involved—without making a single ask. She and Beth explore how to measure where your donors come from, how to effectively tell your story to a new audience, and more.

Segmenting your messaging isn’t a new concept—but there are new ways to do it without relying on just demographics. To Amanda Parsons, Associations Coordinator for the Oregon Recreation and Park Association, participation is a spectrum, and that translates to your email messaging as well. She joins this session to talk about how to use indicators of participation as a means of sending the messages people really want to receive without clogging their inboxes. She and Beth explore the value of segmenting based on interest level, how to effectively give your email database a cleanse and create a "healthy list," the lead indicators of an unhealthy list, and more.

Even for an organization as big as the Red Cross, having a team of volunteers with a wide set of skills can make a huge difference — especially today in digital communications and social media. Sara Falconer, director of digital communications at Canadian Red Cross, joins this session to talk about how the organization created a system that allows volunteers to lead the charge in the next wave of social media ambassadors, and how they ensure volunteers feel like they’re making a real difference. She and Beth explore the merits of a shared editorial calendar, encouraging experimentation with a new program, and more.

What's the secret to creating a killer email list? Believe it or not: The unsubscribe button. Gregg Banse, Director of Marketing and Business Development at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, joins this session to explore why quality is greater than quantity when it comes to your email lists, and why having people unsubscribe can actually lead to better results—and better relationships. He and Beth explore the value of automation, why opens aren't enough, how to understand email conversions, and much more.

What does content mean today? Jackie Lalley, co-founder of Yodelpop, joins this session to talk all things digital communications and content marketing. She and Beth explore the differences between keywords and core topics, and how they relate to the concepts of pillar pages and topic clusters. She explains how using blogs and tracking searches can help you better understand what language works and what doesn't. They talk about how to choose the right words for a topic cluster, why it's not all about traffic, and much more.

Janni Snider can always find something humorous in a situation. It's this sense of humor she brings to her role as Director of Creative Strategy for the United Methodist Communications that has led the organization to such campaigns as its HulaPalooza, which incorporated hula hooping to promote its global health initiative—and it's as fun as it sounds. She joins this session to explore the role of humor in engagement and how it can be successful for communications when used effectively, and much more.

There's been a lot of focus on millennials—whether it's about avocado toast or how best to attract them to the work your nonprofit does. But there's another generation Aria Finger wants you to keep in mind: Generation Z. Aria, CEO of DoSomething.org, joins this session to highlight Gen Z and the work her organization does to serve this increasingly engaged demographic. She and Beth explore how to encourage participation and action from this group of 13- to 25-year-olds in ways that appeal to their interests, whether it’s politics or social justice; why it’s dangerous to think of all young people as the same; and more.

Re-branding is a term that comes up a lot—but what does it really mean? Amanda Willard joins this session to share her experience with re-branding at Lincoln Park Zoo and why it’s actually about what she calls change management. A re-brand done right resonates not just externally, but internally as well. She and Beth explore the difference between participation and engagement, how to know when a re-brand is completed successfully, and much more.

The face of fishing and other outdoor water sports has long been typically associated with that of a man. Rachel Piacenza and Kendra Lee from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation join this session to talk about Take Me Fishing, which is run by the Foundation, and its new marketing campaign that strives to put the focus on women in fishing. They share the research tactics they used to discover the typical audience for fishing isn't what it may seem, how they focused their campaign on a new demographic, and much more.

Amelia Kohm, founder of Data Viz for Nonprofits, joins this session to dig into data and visualization. How does data visualization make a difference? Is an infographic the same as data visualization? She explains how a simple chart or graph can tell a story and why some forms of visualization translate better than others. She and Beth explore how to know what type of data visualization to use to communicate the idea you're trying to share, how data can be better used to improve an organization, and more.

Trying new things can be scary—but often, the payoff is worth it. Jesse Lane of Pure Charity joins this session to explore ways nonprofits can be more innovative and how to create an environment that fosters creativity. He shares how at an organization he was a part of, they would set aside four hours every week just to brainstorm new ideas or work on implementing ones already in the pipeline. It created an environment for innovative ideas to be brought to the table in a new way and people were excited to share their suggestions. He and Beth explore why failure isn't always bad, how to get your donors involved in organizational changes, and much more.

Do you know the difference between marketing strategy and marketing tactics? Erin Dunkel of RPM Communications joins this week's session to share her view and how nonprofits can better organize their goals—and what they need to do to meet them. She shares the first three strategic steps people should take when it comes to their current marketing tactics, the data points marketers can follow when it comes to developing strategies and tasks, and much more.

If your employees aren't ambassadors for your organization, how do you expect others to be? Mia Freis Quinn, vice president of communication Plastic Industry Association, joins this session to explore how to empower employees to be the champions of your cause. She and Beth discuss the organization's new microsite, how to use analytics to find out the answers your constituents are really searching for, how shareable graphics can make a huge difference for both employees and the public, and much more.

When you're in charge of doing just about everything related to communications and marketing for your organization, it may be easy to feel overwhelmed—but not if you can figure out a way to make it work for you and the organization. Stephen Barker wears a lot of hats in his roles as director of marketing communications at Marillac St. Vincent Family Services and communications co-chair of YNPN Chicago. He joins in to share his advice on how to stay organized when your to-do list feels like it's overflowing as well as what a nonprofit marketer needs today to be able to do an effective job, and much more.

Love it or hate it, technology has made a big impact on communication and relationships. Mark Mehling joins in this session to share his take on whether or not technology has made a positive impact. To him, technology and social media have been "killing relationships," but there are ways to fix that. He and Beth explore how nonprofits can use technology better, segmenting strategies that will yield better results and stronger relationships, what he calls "visual dissonance" and much more—including Star Wars.

David Rhode didn't set out with the intention of his organization, Pitch In For Baseball, to become known for its disaster relief efforts. However, the work they do in providing softball and baseball equipment to communities with kids in need hit a home run as the organization was founded right after Hurricane Katrina hit. David joins in this session to talk about how a sense of urgency can elevate the importance of an organization's mission and message, as well as attract a new audience. He and Beth discuss the organization's communications program, how Pitch In collaborates with larger organizations, and more.

When your company undergoes a big change—a CEO transition, for example—there are ways to ease your staff, volunteers and supporters through it smoothly. Cassie Dennis, director of agency Monday Loves You, joined this session to share tips and tactics for organizations experiencing such a shift and how to best equip everyone involved for the new chapter. She and Beth discuss what can cause a CEO transition, creating an effective transition plan, the best and "least destructive" approaches to announcing such a big change, and much more.

Empowering employees to be the best they can be reflects not just in their performance at work, but also in the way they present the work they do to the wider community. Tara Collins, director of communications and resource development for RUPCO, shares how RUPCO encourages its staff to become ambassadors for the organization. Through photos on social media and in e-newsletters, staff members are incentivized to connect with each other as well as their constituents to put a face to the organization—and have some fun. Tara shares tips and tactics to inspire employees to also become brand ambassadors.

Is it possible to add personality to your emails? Nate Adams certainly thinks so. However, he notes, there are ways to do it effectively and still keep your messaging sounding authentic. Nate, chair of communications for Young Involved Philadelphia, joins Beth to explore adding voice and vibrancy to email communications, training the next generation of leaders, why email is still valuable and ensuring your messaging appeals to the right audience while also relaying information.

When you're in charge of getting the word out about a global event, what should be your first steps? What tools should you use? Lizanne Pando served as director of communications for the 2015 World Meeting of Families during the papal visit in Philadelphia, and she joins in to discuss the role of social media in the endeavor. She and Beth explore how public relations and social media intersect, how to include more than one language in your communications, and much more.

This week, author Dorie Clark joins Driving Participation to talk about personal branding—on an individual level as well as for an organization. How does a leader's personal brand align with the impression of an organization as a whole? Can they be separated? Dorie and Beth dig into what personal branding actually means, how it can impact your reputation, and how—or if—your personal brand changes as you choose different career paths throughout your life.

Julia Campbell has two pillars to her content strategy, which she divulges to Beth on this session of Driving Participation. Julia, an author and nonprofit consultant, joins in to talk about the elements that make up a sustainable content strategy and how social media plays into it all. She shares the three things that you should be using your digital marketing for, how social media has "revolutionized" human communication, how to post more provocative content beyond just news and announcements, and much more.

Monica Montgomery wants to help liberate organizations from what she sees as limited thinking, which could be caused by any number of things. She should know a thing or two about creative thinking as the founding director of the Museum of Impact, which is a social justice museum that is completely mobile. She joins Beth to talk about the mentality of scarcity and how that translates to limitations in thinking, as well as how to create "irresistible" experiences for your audience and why you shouldn't be afraid to use the word "agenda."

When RoiAnn Phillips became the communications director for HealthConnect One, a newly created position, she had some questions to work out. Namely, what will that mean for the organization? What value will this role bring? She joins Beth to discuss her new position and how she got there, even with an unconventional background as a theater major. They explore the questions you should be asking yourself about your organization, misconceptions about what marketing means, and more.

Using a donor's first name on a donation receipt. Making the "donate" big and easy to find. These seemingly small changes can make a big difference in not just improving your organization's donor conversion rate but also the donor’s experience of giving to your cause. Abby Jarvis, contact director at Qgiv, joins this session to explore the small changes that lead to big results when it comes to donation pages. From website color schemes to the donation page itself, Abby shares how you can make the experience as simple and meaningful as possible for a potential donor.

How do you go about planning a virtual conference? Arianna Rehak brought together speakers and professionals for Surge, an entirely virtual summit spread over the course of a few days, that allowed attendees the chance to join in on educational sessions about topics they care about—without having to go anywhere. From the technology behind the summit (like prerecorded video sessions) to how she measured its success (such as feedback forms), she talks about the logistics of creating a free virtual summit and why the event goes beyond just being a list builder.

When you know who is really coming to your events, it can change everything. Not just your message and marketing, but the event itself. After attending our Master Class on Audience Focus, Chris Blockus used what he learned to completely transform the "Girls' Night Out" event hosted by the Downtown Somerville Alliance—and participation jumped by 50%! Listen as Chris talks to Beth about how he applied the techniques he learned to create a great experience for the attendees, the vendors and the association. To hear about upcoming trainings text "MASTERCLASS" to 33444 or sign up at www.iriscreative.com

Are you using LinkedIn to its fullest? Mike Kirby, vice president of business partnerships at Within3, joins in to talk about how to use LinkedIn to its full potential. From advice about targeting potential connections and leveraging your contacts, Michael shares his favorite approaches to communicating on the social platform and the messaging that works. He and Beth explore the steps to take when making a LinkedIn connection, how to use LinkedIn for research and much more.

The concept of peer-to-peer is nothing new, but it has certainly changed over the years with the advent of technology. Dorene Ocamb, senior director of integrated marketing at MADD, joins this session to explore what peer-to-peer really is (it's simpler than you think) and how technology has offered new ways for constituents to engage with your organization and spread your mission. She describes what she sees as a "renaissance of participation" and how younger generations are changing the peer-to-peer game.

As we head into 2018, Beth wanted to know: What tactics or strategies are you letting go of? She gathered responses from past Driving Participation guests. From foregoing massive website launches to leaving phonathons in the past to changing up social media habits—maybe even letting go of Facebook altogether—listen in to hear what some in the community are leaving behind in the new year.

Mike Lenda has experience in both the for profit and nonprofit world through working previously in marketing at Starbucks and now mobilization at Compassion International. He joins in this week to share some practices he learned at Starbucks and how they could—and should—be applied to nonprofits. From staying true to your mission—know your story and know your why, Mike says—to making your audience feel like partners in your organization, Mike shares what Starbucks has learned that nonprofits can learn, too.

On the outside, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is just a big train station. But for Sarah Davis, director of development for the city's University City District, it represents a connection to lifelong employment and exit from poverty in some cases, or the home of outdoor space The Porch, where West Philadelphians can connect over lunch from the food truck on-site. She joins this session to talk about how the 20-year-old organization revitalized an area of the city and the conversations the organization has held with their audience to find out what the University City District means to them.

Some organizations suffer from failure to see things as the donors themselves see it, notes Nick Ellinger on this week's session. Nick, vice president of marketing strategy for DonorVoice, joins in to talk about how to create a connection between development and communications, and why communications in nonprofits is often one-sided. He explains how you can get real, substantive feedback from donors—and then how to actually use it. Where can you improve in your messaging so donors feel a personal connection? He shares some key advice, such as be careful what you ask as well as how you ask.

Jill Knaggs knows the perception about manufacturing typically evokes a sort of dingy image. But she also knows the industry is anything but dingy. She joins this session to talk about a campaign she coordinated as communication and marketing manager for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Manitoba to change perception and show people what the industry is — and how they already interact with it, from food processors to aerospace. She explains how the organization incorporated hijack marketing around Canada's 150th birthday celebration and employing external influencers to reach a new and potential audience who can become advocates for your cause.

As Jen Martindale will say, having a brand strategy in place just the starting line—not the finish line. She helped the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts undergo a total rebranding, which doesn't mean a new logo. As Chief of Marketing, she helped the organization reach a new audience in a way that worked for them and created an image and strategy that communicates who the YBCA is. She talks to Beth about the role arts and culture play in enacting change, why you should never try to replicate what another organization does, how to create trust when you're taking a big risk, and more.

Will Dennis wants people in leadership positions to come from a place of 'yes.' With a background in theater and improvisation, Will, manager of the Prep Fund at St. Joseph's Preparatory School, knows the notion of "yes" and taking a risk on an idea is paramount—and often pays off. He believes in the value of conversation in determining what drives people's participation with an organization and creating a real relationship. For those who want their organization to start taking more risks, he gives listeners who want start making a difference a two-part challenge and shares advice on how change starts from anywhere.

This week, Beth is back with the team from Chemical Heritage Foundation. This time, she talks with Shelley Wilks Geehr, director of the Roy Eddleman Institute, about the roles of social media and digital content for the museum. Shelley explores the various media assets of the organization, from its quarterly print (yes, print!) magazine to a podcast to weekly Twitter takeovers. She also explains the role of Wikipedia in their organization and how it has helped attract attention to the museum. They talk about the museum decides what content they create, the benefits of social media, and more.

When you start a new project—like a new exhibit at a museum—you might look at what other organizations are doing, and that can be a good thing. This session is all about collaboration—both internally and externally—as Elisabeth Berry Drago and Rebecca Ortenberg from the Chemical Heritage Foundation join in to talk about how the museum worked with other organizations as it developed its newest exhibit. They discuss how they worked to personalize the exhibit for museum-goers and how they looked to other organizations for help in creating that experience.

It's easy to think of branding as something superficial. But at its core, a brand is really just a relationship, as Cynthia Round explains on this week's session. A brand creates an inherently emotional connection that inspires loyalty and ongoing action. Why does your audience connect with your organization? Asking qualitative questions that seek to answer how people identify with a brand helped Cynthia in her work at organizations like United Way Worldwide and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She and Beth explore why brands are more important for nonprofits, why your audience matters and much more.

Amanda Kaiser, qualitative member researcher with Smooth the Path, has done more than 300 interviews with members of associations to understand their worries, challenges, problems and experiences with the association to determine why they do or don't engage. In doing so, she's learned a few lessons and tips that she shares in this week's session. She explains why the new member process is upside down. Early experiences with your association—whether it's the first webinar, the first interaction with a staff person or the first conference they went to—leave a longer lasting impression on new members than you might think.

Are you struggling to reach your audience through email? Spencer Brooks from Brooks Digital joins in this week to talk about how your emails can be of value to your subscribers. He talks about what it takes to get your emails into people's inboxes and how to avoid the spam filter. For those dealing with low click-rates and high unsubscribe rates, he provides tips on how to clean up your list so that you are getting the best results that you can. He and Beth explore combining social media with email, how to reach a large audience effectively and much more.

Anika Rahman has worked with such organizations as Rainforest Alliance, the Ms. Foundation, and the United Nations Population Fund. She joins this session to talk about the different facets of leadership, from how leadership is different for men and women to how leaders should deal with failure. She talks about the true role of a leader when it comes to creating inspiration and—most importantly—trust. She and Beth explore the differences between a vision and a mission, how a leader can build trust, what "leadership" actually means, and much more.

What makes a good leader? Sandy Rees jumps in this week to talk about getting into the mindset of being a good leader—especially if you don't see yourself as one at first. Leaders set the tone of the organization, and Sandy gives tips about how to buy into yourself as a leader. For those starting a new nonprofit, she talks about the importance of finding staff and volunteers who believe in the organization's mission as much as you do and are willing to put in the time and talent to get the organization off the ground.

Breast cancer. Cáncer de mama. Cancer du sein. This week on Driving Participation, Beth is joined by Janine Guglielmino and Myriam Siftar from Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC). They talk about a recent project they completed in which LBBC materials about breast cancer were translated into five other languages to better serve their audience and those who needed the information most. Guglielmino notes that this allows people to see themselves represented, which builds trust. They talk about communication guidelines, why a neutral message is not feasible, the difference between a regular translation project and doing a cultural assessment and more.

So a donor made a gift... Now what? Gail Perry from Fired Up Fundraising joins in to talk about the post-donation experience. What kind of communication should you use for this donor? What should your message be? How do you invite the donor in and build an emotional connection? Gail answers these questions and more. She discusses different communications strategies, how to put the "fun" in fundraising events, why nonprofits shouldn't be afraid of email, the benefits of a print newsletter and much more.