"Lessons From a Well-Worn Life"
In my last post, I addressed the importance pictures play in an effective content marketing strategy that works to tell a compelling nonprofit story. We have often heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what's more important is that words and pictures can work in harmony with one another. There are so…
According to Great Nonprofits, there are 6,978 nonprofit organizations in the Denver area; each is special in their own way. But, with that many organizations vying for attention, we must ask ourselves two important questions: 1) Do you want to blend in, or do you want to stand out? 2) Do you want to look "pretty"…
I often feel like I'm walking on egg shells when using a term like competition. Language like it is often viewed as foreign in the nonprofit community. That's because collaboration, impact, and the common good are uppermost in all our minds. But, competition can be good; it pushes innovation and inspires progress, and competition can…
While collaboration is not new, it certainly seems to be gaining momentum. Perhaps that's because more and more people and organizations are discovering that together we're not only stronger, but we're smarter. I experienced a genuine buzz of collaboration at the Colorado Nonprofit Association's 21st Annual Fall Conference and collaborated myself with my good friend…
"Nonprofit organizations are stuck in a vicious cycle that threatens their ability to raise the resources they need to succeed." – "Underdeveloped", CompassPoint Like many of you, I subscribe to several industry groups and newsletters in the interest of staying on top of trends, notable wisdom, and topical conversations of interest to my community. So,…
Back in the early 90's, looking over the shoulder of my office manager, I'll never forget the first time I saw a webpage on the Internet. It was part of something included with her new computer and it was called America Online. My first thought was: "another place for me to receive advertising pitches, or…
We build trust through positive actions and then use marketing channels to promote that trust. The best nonprofits understand effective marketing communications is critical to their success. So why is there so little emphasis on measurement in so many marketing campaigns? I saw this video the other day and it really made me laugh and…
The very best companies and organizations realize that marketing is a core component for success and they place its importance at a high level within their operation. So why do so many smaller organizations only consider marketing efforts as secondary, or as an after-thought? Risk is inherent in all business and it's those businesses and…
While for many, how to best use social media to promote and publicize their organization appears to be an amorphous creature that continues to escape their grasp, it's really fairly straightforward, and it's time to join the conversation. And, that is pretty much what social media is all about; it's a conversation between you and…
You never really know when negative press may hit your organization and switch your communication efforts to the spin cycle. It can easily hit the best organizations; just consider the disparaging developments at organizations like LiveSTRONG, Central Asia Institute, and Susan G. Komen. Preparing in advance for these speed bumps, can minimize your risk and…