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new non profit

4 Nonprofit Branding Strategy Questions Every Nonprofit Should Be Asking

#030 – Today I am speaking with Maura Fitzpatrick.  Maura is a nonprofit consultant, specializing in brand messaging and marketing strategy for nonprofit founders.  Her superpower is helping nonprofits communicate their mission in a way that feels authentic to them and compelling their donors, service users, and volunteers.

Maura says that one of the keys to effective branding and marketing is you have to develop personas for your target audience – your audience should feel like you’re talking to them. Maura smartly tells us

“…if you’re for everyone, you’re for no one”. 

Check out Maura’s services on her website – 

https://www.maurafitzpatrick.com

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Resources

  • Website
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • This is Marketing – Seth Godin
  • Design Kit

4 Key Takeaways  

#1 Avoid mission creep – focus on one thing you’re doing and do it well before you start expanding;

#2 Who’s your target audience like specifically, an actual person or persona – if you’re for everyone, you’re for no one;

#3 Most of your content should not be asking for donations. Most of your content should be establishing authority as the expert in what you’re doing; AND

#4 You have to build trust and credibility with your community, and that takes branding and marketing.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:30] When people struggle with articulating their mission, they have disorganized thoughts.
[2:40] Describing your work comes down to 4 basic questions.
[3:50] It’s like an elevator pitch.
[6:10] My brand is cutting people off and cutting through the mission creep.
[7:52] What is the overarching theme in what you do?
[9:10] Big Aha moments.
[9:23] If you’re for everyone, you’re for no one.
[10:21] Know your audience.
[10:48] Creating your ideal persona.
[15:27] What kind of buy-in do you need to carry out your mission?
[16:29] Go where they are.
[17:08] Be consistent on one or a few platforms vs being on every platform.
[18:25] Just because you’re a good cause does not mean you are a good solution.
[20:10] Relationship building is a long game.
[24:43] Give more than you’re asking for.
[26:10] Potential donors will look you up to see if you’re legit.
[28:58] Maura raised $100k + for a nonprofit that had never raised more than $25k.
[32:13] How to find Maura.

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GroupFinity

Posted in PodcastTagged 4 questions, 501c3, Best nonprofit branding, Branding, Checklist, COVID, fundraising, Marketing, new non profit, nonprofit, Nonprofit branding checklist, Nonprofit branding strategy, Nonprofit Leaders, Persona, relationship building, social media, Strategy

The Real Life Nonprofit Social Media Marketing Strategies of Julia Campbell, who swears by the Funky Grandma

#029 – Today I am speaking with Julia Campbell.  Julia is a Speaker, Author, Nonprofit Consultant and self proclaimed Activist.  She started the recycling program in her middle school when she was just in the 6th grade.  She started her business 11 years ago to help more nonprofits figure out the digital age.  Today, she shares her nonprofit social media marketing ideas that can be used by both beginners and pros alike.

“…stop thinking of social media as a transactional tool and really start thinking of it as a community building tool. It is not a money spigot you can just turn on. It is not an ATM…. 

….social media is a value exchange. People give you their time and attention and you give them something of value to them. So to build, start building a social media community, you have to know who is in your community and who do you want to attract to your community”.

Social media is Julia’s super power, but she also offers resources on:  

1 Storytelling

2 Fundraising AND

3 Email Marketing

Check out Julia’s resources on her website – https://jcsocialmarketing.com/

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Resources

  • Website
  • Books
  • Courses
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

4 Key Takeaways  

#1 Social media is NOT a transactional tool; it is a community building one;

#2 Social media is a place where you educate your audience and get them excited about what you do;

#3 Your message and content has to be strategically crafted for each channel; AND

#4 The 90-9-1 Rule: 90% of users are lurkers, 9% contribute a little, 1% contribute A LOT!

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:00] Social Media is your front door
[2:52] Stop thinking of social media as a transactional tool
[3:19] Social Media is a value exchange
[4:00] Be clear on your goals
[5:02] Give more than you get
[5:35] Social Media is a place to start a 2-way conversation
[7:03] Don't focus on the tool first
[9:45] Start experimenting
[10:57] You need to strategically craft your message for each channel
[12:14] You have to understand each channel
[12:55] 90-9-1 Rule
[14:24] Curse of Knowledge
[16:38] The FUNKY GRANDMA
[18:52] Get niche and granular in identifying your target audience
[20:50] Be clear on your social media policies
[22:38] One of Julia's success stories

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GroupFinity

Posted in PodcastTagged 501c3, COVID, Email Marketing, Facebook, Funding, fundraising, Instagram, Marketing, new non profit, nonprofit, Nonprofit Leaders, social media, Storytelling, Twitter, Value Exchange

A few secrets everyone should know before starting a new nonprofit organization – with Gigi Lawrence

#027 – Today I am speaking with Gigi Lawrence. Gigi founded Nonprofit for Newbies,  a consulting and networking community, to help people start new nonprofits.  Gigi is a mompreneur who started off in the financial consulting world, but didn’t feel fulfilled. She knew she wanted to help others, but was unsure how.  After she took a job as a nonprofit financial literacy program director she knew she had found her calling.  Gigi says….

“If your foundation isn’t structured correctly and you don’t know how to explain your process. You don’t know how to explain your programs in a way that others are going to understand and be motivated to move forward with those services or that program and being involved…..

…you have to be able to sell yourself, sell your organization, and in order to sell it, you have to know what you’re selling and you have to believe in it.”

Nonprofit for Newbies either advises or refers “newbies” to one of the independent contractors in their network on:

  1. Starting their nonprofit
  2. Grant writing
  3. Writing their business plan
  4. Fundraising
  5. Marketing
  6. Accounting
  7. Board Development, and
  8. Mindset

As of this interview, her Facebook Group has over 10k members.

Gigi has a ton of free resources on her website

https://www.nonprofitfornewbies.com/social

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Resources

  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Voices of Color

4 Key Takeaways  

#1 Be able to clearly explain your programs and what you do.

#2 Get board members who will help you execute your mission.

#3 Have people you are serving represented on your board.

#4 Get local high school or college students to help with your social media at little or no cost.

Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.  

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[3:45] We have a vetted consultant netwrok
[5:30] It comes down to getting your foundation right....
[7:20] Most questions I get when people start
[8:12] Considerations when forming your board
[11:40] Have representation on your board
[12:40] Changes since the pandemic
[15:30] Use college students to help with social media
[16:45] Focus on the tasks that are a good use of your time
[17:27] Make sure you spend some time budgeting
[19:33] Voices of Color
[20:51] How Gigi got started

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GroupFinity

Posted in PodcastTagged 501c3, Accounting, Board Development, Budgeting, community, COVID, Foundations, Funding, fundraising, grant writing, Grants, Marketing, new non profit, nonprofit
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