Nonprofit Marketing: Getting Attention Blog

How Joedy Isert's Listening Helps Heifer International

2009-11-19T07:36:00-05:00

Listening is all the rage right now and for good reason. With an ever-increasing number of communications channels, there's much more to listen to and the ability to do so.

Most importantly, as I discussed a few weeks ago, what's said about your organization, leaders, programs, or issues is information critical to your decision making. But, despite the fact that listening IS a must and quite feasible for nonprofits of all sizes to implement, far too many do a poor job of it or don't do it at all.

Here's someone to learn from: Joedy Isert (at left), director of branding and communication at Heifer International is a great listener. He emailed me just 15 minutes after I blogged on my vote for Heifer's Holiday Catalog as the most powerful holiday fundraising campaign out there.

With just a quick but heartfelt email, Joedy thanked me for my post, emphasized how the organization values its donors and other supporters, and shared how he and his Heifer colleagues are similarly touched in "rereading the powerful stories of the lives that have been changed by the simple gift of a cow or goat."

Joedy made a connection between us in mentioning the Heifer team's rereading of the catalog's stories, and in his closing wish for a good holiday wishes for me and my family. So now, although I've never spoken to Joedy, I feel I have a connection at Heifer International should I want to develop another Heifer story for the Getting Attention blog or e-newsletter. He's succeeded in generating one of the greatest benefits of good listening -- helping your organization's story to travel.

Thanks Joedy, for your note and for sharing your story! Keep those ears to the ground.

P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Strengthen Your Nonprofit's Marketing Messages -- Transcript Now Online

2009-11-18T18:05:00-05:00

Your organization needs to do more than simply have a great mission to capture attention from donors and other supporters. You also must step up your efforts to market your ideas and causes.

This morning I had the pleasure of moderating a free online discussion hosted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, about how your organization can create more effective marketing messages. My fingers were flying as I answered over a dozen great questions in the course of an hour. Now the transcript is available for your reference (just scroll to the bottom of the page and the transcript will "replay").

Take a look now for great tips and examples that will help your group create a compelling tagline, attract more supporters, and develop a better public presence.

Photo: fsc2k5

How to Get Strong Testimonials for Your Organization

2009-11-18T08:18:00-05:00

Getting Attention reader Bobbi Russell, Associate Director of Green Media Toolshed (GMT), asks:

Q: We rely heavily on testimonials here at GMT. But what's the best way to ask for a testimonial?

When a member tells us they love our service or a certain training, we ask at that moment if they'll provide a quote for marketing use. We also use post-training surveys to gather info about our training program, and these sometimes generate new quotes.

A few years back we did an "open mike" call out to member for testimonials and that was fairly successful. How, and how frequently, should we ask without making it seem as though we want too much from our members? Any feedback you have will be greatly appreciated.

A: Bobbi, you're taking just the right approach in making contact with the speaker at the moment of hearing positive feedback, and getting permission to formalize as a testimonial for marketing use. That's the best way to generate focused testimonials.

All too often, if you reach out and ask for feedback even from loyal supporters, you'll get back statements that are far too general to be of much use (My GMT membership is extremely valuable to our organization) or radio silence. That's because people don't like being asked for something, even from an organization they adore. And if you ask too much, then it becomes too much about GMT, when your focus needs to stay on your members. That kind of imbalancen doesn't sit well with most networks.

Instead, I recommend you extend your post-training survey outreach to other services you offer (either in a survey or conversational form), and to a brief membership survey to be completed on renewal. This can be as simple as asking "Did you get the help you needed?" at the close of a call or email.

I recommend you build program-specific and organizational surveys around this list of the seven questions to ask for compelling testimonials. Remember, the more specific your question, the more specific the response (and the greater value it will have as a testimonial).

Best of luck, Bobbi. Please let me know how these strategies work for GMT.

What's the Best Holiday Fundraising Campaign?

2009-11-13T10:04:57-05:00

I vote hands down for Heifer International, the humanitarian assistance and sustainable development organization that provides livestock and related services to limited-resource families worldwide. We just received the Heifer holiday catalog last week and my daughter Charlotte went nuts marking the pages with the animals she wants to give.

But my colleague Conor Byrne, one of Ireland's fundraisers extraordinaire, wants to know what YOU think!

As Conor tells it, even as a child he had fundraising on the brain. He remembers being struck by the prevalence of holly pins -- sold as a Christmas campaign by the ISPCC (Ireland's most well-known children's charity). "Absolutely everyone bought the holly pin," says Conor.

Conor wonders what today's holly pin is? What is the single most effective holiday fundraising campaign you know of? Email your top pick to Conor by November 25th!

Photo: winemakerssister

Download Free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report -- For Messaging that Connects even in Tough Times

2009-11-12T07:52:00-05:00

Nonprofits have a major branding problem in weak taglines. Taglines are the best way to succinctly convey nonprofits' value, but 7 in 10 nonprofits rate their taglines as poor or don't have one at all.

The just-released 2009 report, based on 1,700 2009 tagline award entries and recent survey responses from 1,900 of your colleague nonprofit communicators, shows that most nonprofits don’t have an organizational tagline that works to make their organizations’ value clear, and easy to remember and repeat.

A highly-effective nonprofit tagline model (and one of the 13 winners of the 2009 tagline awards) is Because the earth needs a good lawyer from Earthjustice. Earthjustice capitalizes on what people do understand–-that a lawyer protects rights–-and uses that framework to dramatically position its role and impact in the environmental movement. And it does so with humor. If your tagline makes people smile or light up, without stepping on your message, then you’ve made an emotional connection…Bravo.

A strong tagline complements your org's name to convey its unique value or impact with personality, passion and commitment. If you fail to make the most of your tagline, you throw that opportunity away.

Dig into this free updated guide to learn:

Why a Nonprofit’s Name Isn’t Enough
How a Strong Tagline Benefits Your Organization – Useful for developing support among colleagues and leadership
The 10 Have-Tos for Successful Taglines
Using Words that Work
The 7 Deadly Sins, 9 Snores and 5 Best Ways to Antagonize Your Audience – What not to do
Research, Create, Revise, Test, Repeat – The right steps to take to craft a potent tagline
Over 2,500 Nonprofit Tagline Examples to put to work for message brainstorming.

Download the 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report here. When you do, you'll automatically be added to the mailing list for info on the 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Award Program.

Homeboy Industries Hits Home with Powerful Tagline

2009-11-10T21:20:22-05:00

Every once in a while a message comes along that stops you dead in your tracks. Nothing Stops a Bullet like a Job, the tagline of Los Angeles-based workforce and community development organization Homeboy Industries, does just that.

Voters for the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards responded strongly to this tagline and rightfully so. The tagline packs a punch with its vivid imagery, telling a memorable story in just seven words.

Here are a couple of the specific strengths that make this tagline so powerful:

It speaks directly to the interests of each audience segment; engaging the community it serves, inspiring donors to take action and encouraging others to learn more about the organization.
The straight-talking tone of the tagline is used consistently throughout all of Homeboy’s communications from its mission statement to its Virtual Car Wash fundraising campaign. This consistency ensures that audiences gain and maintain a sense of the organization, and are more likely to remember and repeat what’s different about it.

Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job raises the bar for nonprofit communicators to create powerful taglines that tell a story and inspire action. How does your org’s tagline stack up?

Amy Kehoe, Manager - Getting Attention

NOTE: This is the first post written by Amy Kehoe, our new manager at Nancy Schwartz & Company/GettingAttention.org. Amy brings a strong marketing background and endless creativity to our work, and will be contributing to the blog on a regular basis.

P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Subscribe to the Getting Attention e-update today toget the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Steve Jobs' Presentation Technique Works Magic for Nonprofit Communicators

2009-11-10T09:01:03-05:00

Many communicators consider Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and leader, to be the world's greatest corporate storyteller. One of Jobs' most ardent fans is communications coach Carmine Gallo, who decided to absorb thousands of Jobs' presentations to distill his magic formula.

I'm just finishing up Gallo's recently-released The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and want to share a few of Jobs' most useful strategies with you. They're incredibly useful for program or fundraising communications, whether you're meeting with a major donor or presenting to your board:

Brainstorm before you write a word or slide. Otherwise, your creativity and focus may be derailed by your outline.
Stick to a single concept, the one and one only idea you want your listeners to take away, then support it with three key messages. The concept has to intersect with the interests and/or needs of your base -- that's the point of connection.
Express the concept with a memorable, visual headline or tagline. One of Jobs' most memorable headlines is Macbook Air, the world's thinnest notebook.
Find the story in your theme, frame it in a hero/villain dichotomy and structure it as a three-act play (featuring the three key messages). Doing so makes the story easy and compelling to follow, a smooth journey.
Replace bullet points with a simple word/image combo on your slides. Example: Jobs conveyed the slimness of the Air with an image of the notebook being pulled from an envelope.

Watch Jobs here to see his presentation magic in motion. If you're interested in learning more of Jobs' techniques, I highly recommend Gallo's book!

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Earthjustice Packs a Visual Punch -- Picture Worth 2,000 Words

2009-11-05T07:29:00-05:00

Take a good hard look at this stellar example of a picture worth far more than 1,000 words.

Believe me, this approach is a welcome reprieve for your network from the endless narrative they're fed from most organizations. Visuals (especially photos) tell more of a story so facilitate the learning process, and are easier to remember and associate with facts. Plus photos like this one pull heartstrings, tweaking emotions as well as reason. We want to make sure these adorable kids in grass-stained jeans stay okay.

Dare to try something different. Replace some of the content you're crafting today with a photo or other visual. Your network will appreciate it, and respond accordingly. Just ask Earthjustice.

P.S. Be first on your block to get soon-to-be-released 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report when you subscribe to the Getting Attention e-update.

JCC Crisis Communications Mastery Turns a Mess into Magic

2009-11-03T08:10:00-05:00

We're loyal members of the local JCC (Jewish Community Center, a combo YMCA and cultural center) and were taken aback to receive an email a few weeks ago on plans by a Kansas group to picket the Center.

CEO Alan Feldman first contacted us on October 21st to alert us that members of Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) -- an anti-gay, anti-Semitic extremist group from Topeka, Kansas -- were planning to picket on Tuesday, October 27th. Feldman delivered this news with concern, but also with reason and calm. This warm yet professional tone reinforced my faith in him, which was particularly important as he's been in the role just a few months.

In his initial email, Feldman matter-of-factly described the picketing plan and the security strategies in place for that day. He acknowledged that the threat was upsetting but reassured us that there was no real danger.

In his follow-up email the next day, Feldman acknowledged the passion of members' responses but spoke firmly against acting on the many suggestions for a counter-protest. Instead, he invited members to a more productive response; joining area clergy and educators in a community dialogue while the protest was in action. "While we agree that we must speak out against intolerance, we believe that any counter-demonstrations outside will only further their agenda for publicity and dilute our message of tolerance and equality," Feldman said.

The dialogue was attended by more than 150 members and others in the area, whereas the protest didn't interfere with JCC operations. Feldman closed this chapter with a thank you email on October 29th, commending the community for joining together to combat intolerance and bigotry, and thanking those from the police to JCC staff for their hard work in mastering a difficult time. "By not altering our daily routine, we were able to demonstrate our commitment to the Jewish community in a peaceful and powerful way. Thank you for joining us in promoting tikkun olam (repairing the world). Our mission is to build an inclusive Jewish community that celebrates the strength of its diversity," he said

In taking control of a real threat to motivate community-building, Feldman succeeded in turning a negative into a success story. Here are the keys to his success:

He acted quickly, but calmly, on hearing of the planned protest. In addition to ensuring that members weren't surprised or heard it elsewhere, this early response gave Feldman the opportunity to show how the JCC was on top of the situation.
He didn't get his hands dirty by slamming the WBC.
Instead, he (and the JCC overall) took the higher road, using the protest as an opportunity to schedule a community dialogue.
He provided members with enough, but not too much, information. Feldman kept us updated but didn't feed our frenzy with daily or hourly updates. He filtered through only what was useful for us to know.
Feldman took control of the crisis, ending the story on an up note, thanking all who helped the JCC through this difficult time (it was a great opportunity to strengthen bonds with those in the area) and encouraging all members to perpetuate their tikkun olam.

Take a close look at Feldman's examples so you'll be poised to make your next crisis into magic. There will be one, so why not work it to your organization's advantage?

Flickr photo: k763

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Best First Step into Social Media -- Monitoring Your Nonprofit's Reputation and Issues

2009-11-02T08:31:07-05:00

I had the fantastic opportunity of facilitating a conversation (slides here) on this vital topic at the Communications Network conference recently. Here's the problem we were helping participants to solve:

The daily volume of content and conversations created in social media channels – blogs, Facebook, Twitter and more – is huge, and growing exponentially. These conversations were always happening but you couldn't hear them. Now you can.
You need to know how they cover your organization, leaders, programs, or issues.This is information critical to your decision making.
Beyond listening, you need to respond appropriately, in addition to all your other communications responsibilities.

Making sense of all the content and conversation out there is challenging, but the right listening strategy and tools enables you to filter out the key conversations. That's the first step in any effective social media strategy.

Here are three guidelines for effective listening from panelists Larry Blumenthal, Director of Social Media Strategy at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Laura Braham, Web Officer at the Open Society Institute; and Holly Ross, Executive Director of NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network:

How to use what you hear: 1) To better serve your networks by knowing what they're saying to others and to you -- instant audience intelligence; 2) To respond to and/or engage critics; 3) To stay abreast of the latest developments in your area of work.
How to overcome objections that listening is unnecessary: Compile and share online conversation on critical keywords and themes over a week or a month. Provide some concrete examples of how not listening or participating meant that others spoke for (and defined) your organization. Others speaking out is fine, but your organization's voice should be in the mix.
What to listen for and best free listening tools: 1) Google Alerts and RSS feeds (searches blogs, websites) for keywords (org name and URL, issues, leadership names, competitive/colleague org names); 2) Twitter search. Here's more guidance on putting together a one-stop listening dashboard.

Very frankly, avoiding these conversations is just putting your head in the sand. If you do, you're missing hugely valuable insights into the world in which you work and the opportunity to respond to them proactively.I urge you to take these guidelines in hand and get listening today.

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.