The Smart Communications Podcast: Recent Episodes
Big Duck
The Smart Communications Podcast helps busy nonprofit leaders build their communications skills and develop their organization’s voice. Every episode shares insights and practical tips to help you leverage strategic communications to advance your nonprofit’s mission.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with Rob Acton, founder and CEO, and Erin Pierson, director of strategic growth, from Cause Strategy Partners to discuss how to engage board members in marketing and communications from recruitment through board service to alumni status.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, sits down with Mara Mintz, consultant, and account lead, and Caitlin Corda, head of marketing, brand, and business development, from Blue Beyond Consulting to discuss the importance of change management for nonprofits, especially those going through branding, major campaigns, or strategic planning.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, chats with Alyssa Wright, founder and principal of Wright Collective, about what and who is a major donor and encourages organizations to have deeper conversations with donors about the diverse ways they contribute to nonprofit missions.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, welcomes Tania Bhattacharyya, founder of Lumos Marketing, to discuss maximizing LinkedIn for nonprofit staff and the power of personal branding. Get tips for how your organization can use LinkedIn more strategically, including the importance of sharing compelling stories on LinkedIn.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Mariah Monique, founder, and CEO of The Sponsorship Catalyst, discuss the importance of building true partnerships with sponsors and offer pointers on how sponsorships can be a game changer for nonprofits.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, delves into the topic of creating messaging and communications that embody justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) principles with Vanessa Wakeman, founder, and CEO of The Wakeman Agency.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Ally Dommu, director of service development, share insights and strategies for those starting or looking to refresh their approach to leading communications at their nonprofit. Whether you're onboarding a new communications director or seeking a fresh perspective, this episode offers valuable insights for all.
Should we strive for work-life balance or work-life harmony? Farra Trompeter, co-director, chats with Sarah Boison, digital strategist, about how we can support our colleagues, and ourselves, when we are experiencing burnout.
How do you center equity and justice in your fundraising efforts? Founder and Chief Purpose Officer of Gladiator Consulting, Rachel D'Souza-Siebert, chats with co-director, Farra Trompeter about how to shift our relationships with donors and bring more abundance to our fundraising.
Monthly giving programs bring more stability and sustainability to an organization. In this episode, Farra Trompeter chats with Dana Snyder, founder of Positive Equation, who shares tips on how to attract and engage repeat donors.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Craig Shelley, partner and chief growth officer at Orr Group discuss different approaches to develop and apply your organization’s strategic plan.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Craig Shelley, partner and chief growth officer at Orr Group discuss different approaches to develop and apply your organization’s strategic plan.
Communicating first or at the same time with your staff as external communications roll out builds trust. Farra Trompeter, co-director, chats with Fatima Jones, senior director of marketing and communication, at The Apollo, about what a high-functioning internal communications team can look like.
Why is it important to center your community in shaping and representing your organization’s brand? Ally Dommu, director of strategy, talks with Farra Trompeter, co-director, about the value and practices of community-informed branding.
Clear vision, mission, and values are essential to establishing and reinforcing your brand. Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Ryan Gerhardt, senior copywriter, explore how your vision, mission, and values can help provide clarity and build stronger, lasting connections with your audiences.
How can your organization use its vision, mission, and values to guide and inform your work? Farra, co-director, talks with Ruth McFarlane, chief advancement officer at Ms. Foundation for Women about their vision, mission, and value statements and how they were created.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, chats with Elandria Jackson Charles, chief development and communications officer at Blue Engine, about their decision to rebrand and the freedom and confidence that comes from being clear on who you are and what you stand for.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Rhea Wong, fundraiser and author of Get That Money, Honey!: The No-Bullsh*t Guide to Raising More Money For Your Nonprofit, chat about how people's feelings about money impact their ability to fundraise.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with DEI thought leader and author, Rhodes Perry, about the benefits of fostering belonging and inclusion in our workplaces–and the costs when we don’t. They discuss how to build power, understand exclusion, and steps you can take to actively make things better.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with equity and justice practitioner, coach, and consultant, Yejin Lee to discuss how white managers can disrupt harmful and racist behaviors, the importance of identification, reflection, and accountability for transformation.
Looking to raise awareness, increase visibility, and become a household name? Before any of this can happen, it is important to conduct research to understand your organization’s brand perception. Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Ally Dommu, director of strategy, share tips on how to get started with research, ways to engage your community, and how to process insights to make changes.
Ally Dommu, director of strategy, & Key Jackson, deputy executive director for programs & power building at GLSEN dive into facilitation practices and how to create spaces where all people can engage and feel comfortable joining in the discussion.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, chats with Allison Fine and Beth Kanter, co-authors of The Smart Nonprofit, Staying Human-Centered in an Automated World about how we can reduce potential harms such as embedded bias and surveillance capitalism, and share some insights into how nonprofits can prevent these harms from taking root.
How can tech better meet community needs? Farra Trompeter, co-director, chats with leading public interest technologist, Afua Bruce, and CEO of NTEN, Amy Sample Ward about their book “The Tech That Comes Next, How Changemakers, Philanthropists, and Technologists can Build an Equitable World.” and how to use technology for social change.
How can organizations promote worker democracy? Learn how worker-ownership can help solve social problems and ways to share leadership with your team and community. Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Esteban Kelly, executive director at the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) and worker-owner and co-founder of Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA), chat about these topics and more in this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast.
Farra Trompeter, co-director, interviews Lori Kranczer, founder and CEO of Everyday Planned Giving, about her work in the planned giving space and how organizations can develop their legacy giving programs and have better connections with their donors.
How do you describe how you make decisions in your role? Hannah Thomas, director of learning and innovation at Big Duck, talks with Fatima Jones, senior director of marketing and communications at the Apollo Theater, to discuss how to set up boundaries to protect your time and wellbeing and how to enforce these boundaries in your decision-making process.
How do government agencies use communications to connect with the public? Listen as Ally Dommu, director of strategy, and Charlotte Levitt, director of marketing and communications at the NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB), reflect on CFB’s rebrand journey and shed some light on the factors that go into branding for government agencies.
Why would an organization consider changing its name? Farra Trompeter, co-director, and senior copywriter, Ryan Gerhardt, dive into the joys and pains of naming as part of the branding process.
It’s a new year! Do you have new behaviors you want to adopt or unwanted behaviors you want to stop? Tiny Habits is a simple and effective method to change behavior. Learn how to change behaviors or adopt new ones with Farra Trompeter, co-director and Edith Asibey founder of Asibey consulting.
How can your organization prioritize wellness and productivity? Farra Trompter, co-director, talks with Meico Marquette Whitlock, founder and CEO of Mindful Techie, in this episode packed with ways to add a more mindful approach to your work-life and tech-life balance.
Jargon is common in the nonprofit sector. For some it can communicate knowledge, but for most people, using jargon, acronyms, and complicated phrases can be alienating.. Big Duck’s founder and board member, Sarah Durham chats with Bill Furmanski, senior director of communications at the Fair Labor Association about de-jargoning the messaging in your organization and how to make sure your audiences can understand who you are in plain language.
Never a failure, always a lesson. Trust the people. Move at the speed of trust. These are just a few principles of Emergent Strategy by adrienne mareee brown. Hannah Thomas, director of learning and innovation, and Priscilla Hung, co-director of Move to End Violence, discuss being adaptive, thinking with abundance, and centering your purpose.
Sarah Durham, Big Duck’s founder, and Kivi Leroux Miller, founder and CEO of the Nonprofit Marketing Guide, share tips that will help any nonprofit strengthen their communications team and improve its capacity to succeed.
At this moment, it’s important to slow down and create more inclusive teams and processes. Join Farra Trompeter and Dr. Renee Rubin Ross as they discuss participation and equity and share tips on how to make branding more inclusive.
Nonprofit staff have become more sophisticated in prioritizing the goals, audiences, strategies, and tactics to guide their communications. Listen in as Sarah Durham and Farra Trompeter talk about the changes in communication approaches and activities and the importance of communications in the nonprofit sector.
How can you use donor personas to guide your communications? At Big Duck, we define personas as tools that define a segment of your audience, who they are in connection to your work, what they care about, how to best reach them, where to find them, and more. Farra Trompeter chats with Mica Bevington, US director of communications and development at Humanity and Inclusion about how their team defines personas.
Equity helps leaders create more inclusive organizations using human-centered design and behavior change principles. Farra Trompeter talks with Minal Bopaiah, founder of Brevity & Wit and author of “Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives” about her passion for equity and why it is critical for nonprofit organizations.
A classic brand identity is hard to change. Old perceptions about your organization’s brand or internal shifts can be challenging. Listen in as Sarah Durham talks with Mark Graham, chief marketing & communications officer at American Friends Service Committee about AFSC’s distinctive brand and the organization’s journey to evolve its iconic identity.
Ever wondered what a good tagline can do for your organization? In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Farra Trompeter, partner and chief growth officer, discusses taglines, brand strategy, engaging community in your brand, social justice, and more with Chandra M. Hayslett, communications director, from the Center for Constitutional Rights and Ambar Mentor-Truppa, vice president of communications, from the Shriver Center on Poverty Law.
COVID-19 has changed everything and nonprofits have shifted how they offer programming and services from in-person to digital channels. Virtual events, galas, and conferences can help us connect and reach more people. How do we create experiences that are engaging and memorable? Chris Tuttle, founder and principal of TuttleCo, discusses the future of virtual events with Farra Trompeter, partner and chief growth officer, in this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast.
Urgency can present itself in a number of ways and is a key characteristic of white supremacy culture. Former senior strategist Laura FIsher, and chief growth officer and partner, Farra Trompeter, discuss how urgency can impact your organization’s team and offer useful ways to question it in this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast.
Your brand is how your organization expresses its voice. Knowing whose voices are being centered in your brand strategy and assets is a key element to developing or shifting your brand, and making sure the process is inclusive is essential. Listen in as Sarah Durham, CEO, and Farra Trompeter, partner and chief growth officer, share insights on how to use your brand to connect with donors and your community.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool and can help you understand how people use your website. Sarah Durham sits down with Heather Wozniak, technical strategist at Advomatic to discuss ways you can get started using Google Analytics to make strategic decisions about your content.
If you are a nonprofit communicator, the Nonprofit Communications Trends Report, a yearly report released by The Nonprofit Marketing Guide is a great fact-based, research-based tool about marketing and communications within nonprofits. Sarah Durham chats with award-winning author, and founder and CEO of The Nonprofit Marketing Guide, Kivi Leroux Miller about the impact these trends have had during the COVID-19 pandemic in this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast.
Are you looking to hire an agency or freelancer and questioning whether or not to go with a fixed fee or time-and-materials for the project? This solocast with Sarah Durham examines the differences between the two and what structure is best when choosing who to work with.
Is your website secure and flexible? A lot of the nonprofit sector are not techies. Sarah Durham talks with Dave Hansen-Lange, Advomatic's Director of Technical Strategy about what open source is and tips on keeping your website up to date in this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast.
Is it strategic? Strategy is the practice of defining what you want to achieve and identifying the best ways to achieve it. Sarah Durham and Laura Fisher unpack terms like goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics and offer background and examples of how they intersect. Listen in as they answer a few questions frequently by nonprofit communicators, and apply these terms and pressure test for strategy.
What norms should you challenge and disrupt? Sarah Durham and Hannah Thomas unpack “thoughtful disruption” and offer different ways of challenging nonprofit communications norms and assumptions.
Who is your community? They often tend to be more expansive than we think. Listen in as Sarah Durham unpacks the word “community” in fundraising and communications with Michelle Shireen Muri, the founder of Freedom Conspiracy, Co-Chair of the founding Seattle chapter for Community-Centric Fundraising and host of The Ethical Rainmaker podcast. Learn about community mapping and more in this episode of the Smart Community Podcast.
Equity is about process and outcomes. Making sure everyone, regardless of color, has the same access and opportunity requires a skillset many of us are striving to learn. This podcast, Sponsored by Bloomerang, examines equity, issues of equity, and equity-focused research, and offers valuable insights for nonprofits looking to make research practices, and their organization more unbiased.
Active listening and research. These are just a couple of key facilitation skills shared in this episode of The Smart Communications Podcast with Ally Dommu, director of strategy, and Sarah Durham as they discuss how to facilitate meetings and why it’s so important.
No matter what you are working towards in your organizations when approaching both strategic planning and communications it’s important to know what is unchanging, and what is variable. Ally Dommu, director of strategy, sits down with Sarah Durham to talk about developing communications in connection to a bigger organizational vision in this episode of The Smart Communications Podcast.
Staff cuts and running an organization on a skeleton crew have become an unfortunate effect of the difficult times we have been facing. Sponsored by Bloomerang, here’s an inspirational boost and re-air of one of our most popular podcasts from the Spring of 2018 with Wayne Ho, President and CEO of the Chinese American Planning Council, about how he manages he manages without a communications staff.
In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham sits down with Samantha Campbell, marketing and communications expert and former Director of Marketing, Communication and Sales at the Apollo Theater, to examine the differences between marketing and communications.
Does your organization practice it’s values in tangible ways? Listen to this podcast to gain insight from NTEN’s CEO, Amy Sample Ward, on how to center your strength using your values during difficult times.
Is your organization looking for innovative ways to convert crisis donors into regular givers? This podcast explores how to attract and retain new donors.
Do robots make bad fundraisers? In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham chats with Steven Shattuck, author of the book, “Robots Make Bad Fundraisers” and Chief Engagement Officer at Bloomerang, about ways to apply time-tested principles of philanthropy to the modern technology available to fundraisers.
A good tagline can inspire you to think, feel, maybe even react. In the episode of The Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham and Big Duck Copywriter, Ryan Gerhardt, break down three structures for taglines that can strengthen your organization’s brand strategy.
Ever find yourself stuck on how to approach a big project that you have to do, but you just don't see how you're going to get it anytime soon? This podcast unpacks the process of tackling projects and offers a roadmap and tips on how to get started.
Whether you consider yourself a pro at setting communications strategy, or you are just getting started, this podcast, back by popular demand, offers useful insights to help you get a sense of the terms: goals, objectives, strategy, and tactics from a non-profit communications perspective.
In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham examines some of the common barriers that make it hard for nonprofits to establish successful communications. What are the common pitfalls? Tune in and find out.
To gala or not to gala. In this replay of a 2018 Smart Communications Podcast, Stephanie Thomas, founder of Stetwin Consulting, discusses the value of galas, and whether or not they still work as a fundraising vehicle. Tune in as she shares her over 25 years of experience and offers useful and relevant tips to assist your organization in this new normal.
Thought leader and host of the “Nonprofits are Messy” podcast, Joan Garry, talks about what an effective nonprofit communications strategy can look like and provides some tips on how to become a five-star storyteller.
Sarah Durham discusses how nonprofits generate sustainable momentum in their communications. She identifies common challenges, including bottlenecks created by leadership micromanagement and a lack of staff accountability, and offers ways to address them. Tune in to hear about the six key elements that can help your organization create sustainable momentum in its communications.
Sarah Durham and Eric Javier discuss the 80/20 rule, the ladder of engagement, and how to articulate your vision to donors. Listen in to learn how your nonprofit can get their next really big donation to transform the organization.
Sarah Durham, CEO of Big Duck and Advomatic, goes deep into the topic of organizational voice—what it is, how to create it, maintain it, and more. Building on the insights in her book, The Nonprofit Communications Engine (https://bigduck.com/insights/nonprofit-communications-engine/), she connects the work of establishing a clear and consistent voice to building deeper relationships and mindshare with audiences. Tune in to learn how you can start developing your nonprofit’s voice and get answers to common branding questions.
Advomatic’s Sarah Durham and Amanda Luker discuss how to constantly improve your website, create different ways to experience content, and run accessibility audits of your nonprofit’s website. Learn how you can make your website friendlier to all users, including those who are differently abled.
Big Duck CEO Sarah Durham explores ways in which COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions have made us all increasingly dependent on video conferencing tools like Zoom. She shares a couple of tips and tricks to get more out of each digital interaction and to also combat the accompanying screen-time fatigue. Listen in to learn how creating “pop-up rules” or norms can improve the experience for everyone involved.
Sarah Durham and strategist Hannah Thomas discuss how DEI plays an important role in your capital campaigns and other major donor communications. Centering your communications on participants and being aware of how you may be “privileging” your donors is the first step. Tune in to find out how you can reevaluate your organization’s donor centrism.
What happens when people hang on to an old idea of your organization? Learn how Teresa Younger, CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, shaped and advanced a well-known brand.
Big Duck’s latest book, The Nonprofit Communications Engine (https://amzn.to/2Tc6GOL), outlines a simple model for nonprofit communicators and leaders that makes it easier for them to leverage communications in order to advance their mission. Nonprofit CEOs and staff who manage communications can use this book to set clearer goals, guide their planning and activities, identify gaps in their expertise, and discover opportunities to strengthen their communications. In this podcast, Sarah Durham breaks down six key communications elements.
Communications can have a big impact on many aspects of your nonprofit's mission, from mobilizing activists to attracting donors and other supporters who are critical to your work. Farra Trompeter and Sarah Durham talk about the importance of communications, how to get your executive director to think differently about it, and a few of the principles in Sarah’s new book (https://amzn.to/2Tc6GOL).
Big Duck’s CEO Sarah Durham and Design Director Sandy Zimmerman discuss logos. If you are contemplating a new logo, should you go with expected imagery or go with the unfamiliar? This blog examines the merits on both sides and shows how a little bit of both can help your brand shine.
Sarah Durham shares some quick tips and resources to help nonprofits communicate and fundraise during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
How does your brand resonate with your participants? Sarah Durham and Big Duck’s Senior Strategist Laura Fisher discuss the ins and outs of interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Learn how you can conduct your own research, make your focus groups more diverse, and how to get more accurate responses.
Big Duck’s latest book, The Nonprofit Communications Engine (https://amzn.to/2Tc6GOL), outlines a simple model for nonprofit communicators and leaders that makes it easier for them to leverage communications in order to advance their mission. Nonprofit CEOs and staff who manage communications can use this book to set clearer goals, guide their planning and activities, identify gaps in their expertise, and discover opportunities to strengthen their communications. In this podcast, Sarah Durham breaks it down.
From broken links to automated testing, learn how to continuously improve your website’s “hygiene” with Sarah Durham and Rory Tucker.
CCS Fundraising’s Managing Director Eric Javier discusses the feasibility of your organization receiving large donations. This podcast explores feasibility studies, organization context, and audience research and redefines the 80/20 rule.
Marcus dePaula (https://www.meonlylouder.com/), audio expert and producer of Big Duck’s podcast, gives insight into the right audio professional for your team, the best mics to use, how to present your sound, and how to make people listen in to your content. Hear how you can up your recording game.
Making sure your clients and other key stakeholders are happy can be difficult. What do they really need and want from you? Tune in to understand how to be more mindful about engaging donors and clients every step of the way with Sarah Durham (https://bigduck.com/about/sarah-durham/) and Farra Trompeter (https://bigduck.com/about/farra-trompeter/).
What are the most important skills to have on your in-house creative team? Learn how consistency, production, breadth, and the right experience can make your creative team flourish by tuning in.
Big Duck’s Farra Trompeter (https://bigduck.com/about/farra-trompeter/) and communications professional Chris Tuttle (http://www.tuttle.co/) discuss the importance of captions and alt titles, how to use color palettes, creating an inclusive team, and specializing your communications. Listen in to learn how your communications team can be more inclusive.
Big Duck pros Sarah Durham (https://bigduck.com/about/sarah-durham/) and Claire Taylor Hansen (https://bigduck.com/about/claire-taylor-hansen/) discuss the do’s and don’ts of design—how and when to use white space, how less is more, typographic hierarchy, and staying on-brand with little frill to get in the way. Listen in to learn more about how you can design as a non-designer for your nonprofit.
Ochen Kaylan, Senior Developer at Advomatic and attorney, is passionate about online privacy. He discusses how to store and manage your donors’ and clients’ information, when enough information is enough, and how your own information is being used. Tune in to learn more.
“You’re never going to get 100% buy-in...” is one of many lessons Elisabeth King, Director of Communications for Lycée Français de New York (http://life.lfny.org/author/eking/), learned during her organization’s rebrand. Over two-plus years, she oversaw a process that thoughtfully involved over 2,000 people—students, parents, teachers, and staff. Listen in to hear how she undertook this complex change management process and navigated buy-in. You’ll get tips for involving your community in a significant organizational change, too.
Ambar Mentor-Truppa (https://www.povertylaw.org/people/Mentor-Truppa), VP of Communications at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, chats with Big Duck’s Gil Mejia (https://bigduck.com/about/gil-mejia/) and Sarita Joseph (https://bigduck.com/about/sarita-joseph/) about the rebranding process. Formerly a communications consultant to nonprofits, Ambar shares her collaborative approach, ensuring all key stakeholders have a say in the decisions that affect them.
Sandy Zimmerman, Big Duck’s Art Director, (https://bigducknyc.com/about/sandy-zimmerman/) shares her experiences freelancing for nonprofits and managing new freelancers at Big Duck. She offers tips for organizations looking for freelance designers and writers, including where to find them, how to vet them, and logistics around hiring.
Michael Hoffman, CEO and founder of Gather Voices, (https://www.gathervoices.co/about/) shares his perspective on how nonprofits can harness community-made video to create more engaging, honest, and diverse content. His new tool allows nonprofit communications teams, large or small, to collect, manage, edit, and publish videos submitted by the communities they serve.
Vince Warren is the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights (https://ccrjustice.org/home/who-we-are/staff/warren-vincent) and a frequent guest on MSNBC, Democracy Now, CNN, and other news channels. He joins us to talk about communications as a tool to advocate more effectively. He shares an example of how CCR leveraged the media to shift public views about stop-and-frisk in New York City, tales from appearing on FOX News, and recommendations for media relations rookies.
Laura Fisher, Big Duck’s Senior Strategist, (http://bigduck.com/about/laura-fisher/) chats with Sarah Durham about how interviews can help you understand audience behavior and motivation.
Dan Gunderman was Big Duck’s Creative Director and Senior Copywriter for over 12 years. Before moving to Scotland, he sat down with us for a conversation about writing for nonprofits. He shares two simple rules for nonprofit writing, key differences between writing and editing (and how to do both well), and simple tips busy people can put into action right away.
Farra Trompeter, Big Duck’s Vice President (https://bigduck.com/about/farra-trompeter/), and Chris Tuttle, digital engagement strategist (http://www.tuttle.co/), bring their respective love for cats and dogs to the analogy of fighting communications and development teams. Hear how they create cross-departmental alignment and collaboration.
Alice Hendricks is the CEO of Jackson River (https://www.jacksonriver.com/about/team/alicehendricksjacksonrivercom), a firm that helps nonprofits harness the power of technologies to achieve their goals. In this mind-blowing conversation, she shares how the consumer marketing space is using technology (chatbots, artificial intelligence, and more) and outlines how nonprofits can apply those tools to create more personalized and relevant experiences for supporters.
Elizabeth Toledo, President of Camino Group (https://www.caminopr.com/) and former Vice President of Communications at Planned Parenthood, is a crisis communications expert. She discusses the biggest internal communications challenges she’s seen and how strong values alignment can help nonprofits communicate more effectively internally and externally, especially about social issues and controversial topics. Plus, she shares recommendations for nonprofits looking to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
We sat down with Andrea Kihlstedt (https://capitalcampaignmasters.com/about/andrea-kihlstedt/) and Amy Eisenstein (https://www.amyeisenstein.com), capital campaign experts with over 50 years of collective experience in the fundraising space, to talk about their new project: the Capital Campaign Toolkit. (https://capitalcampaigntoolkit.com/) They discuss how the model of capital campaign development is changing—from nonprofits relying on consultants to lead the process to embracing online resources and tools staff can use themselves. Listen to learn more about what kinds of nonprofits can benefit from the toolkit and when calling a campaign consultant will be an organization’s best course of action.
Claire Taylor Hansen, Big Duck’s Creative Director, (https://bigducknyc.com/about/claire-taylor-hansen/) helps nonprofits answer the age-old question: Do we need a new logo? She discusses signs that a logo might need to change, the power of using visual elements—typography, colors, patterns, and more—consistently and well, and shares a simple exercise in-house teams can do to assess whether their nonprofit’s materials align with communications goals. If you want more resources to help you ensure your nonprofit’s brand is understood and applied consistently, download our free ebook, Brand stickiness: Building, integrating, and managing your nonprofit’s voice so it succeeds (https://bigducknyc.com/insights/brand-stickiness-building-integrating-and-managing-your-nonprofits-voice-so-it-succeeds/).
Christine Hughes, Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Burke Neurological Institute (https://burke.weill.cornell.edu/people/christine-e-hughes), is a world-class fundraiser and scientist with extensive experience in the biomedical field. Christine is in the process of building the Burke development and communications departments—and their pipeline of donors—from the ground up using precision communications. By applying this strategy, she’s built a lean and efficient in-house team with a passionate network of consultants to fill in the gaps. Tune in to hear how she did it and for tips on building a team from scratch.
Stephanie Paul, Vice President of Marketing and Development at the American Parkinson Disease Association (https://www.apdaparkinson.org/about-apda/stephanie-paul/), sits down with Sarah Durham to discuss her experiences creating PSAs and shares lessons learned along the way. Tune in to learn how APDA uses their PSAs as tools to raise awareness, reach new audiences, gather stories, and change perceptions about Parkinson’s disease.
George Weiner, Founder and Chief Whaler of Whole Whale (https://www.wholewhale.com/staff/george-weiner/), a social impact tech company, sits down with us to discuss all things data—why it matters for nonprofits, what data to pay attention to, how to visualize and share it, and how to get started with Google Analytics. This is a must-listen if you’re a nonprofit communicator responsible for collecting and measuring data related to your mission, or a nonprofit leader looking to foster a more data-driven culture at your organization.
Farra Trompeter, Big Duck’s Vice President, and Dan Gunderman, Big Duck’s Creative Director, have successfully facilitated many nonprofit name changes throughout the years. In this episode, they discuss reasons why more nonprofits are changing their names, what it takes, and lessons they’ve learned that may help organizations thinking about evolving—or radically changing—their name.
Suzanne Shaw is Director of Communications at the Union of Concerned Scientists (https://www.ucsusa.org/about/staff/staff/suzanne-shaw.html#.XEtbJM9KjOQ) and has over three decades of expertise in nonprofit and private sector marketing and communications. She restructured her communications department with the intention to build in-house capacity, increase efficiency, bridge “channel-silos,” and measure marketing efforts more effectively. Tune in to hear how she did it and get tips for deciding what a nonprofit with a small communications team should take on in-house vs. outsource.
Marcus dePaula, co-founder of Mixtus Media (https://www.mixtusmedia.com/who-we-are/) and producer of this podcast, is an expert in online content creation. In this episode he breaks down creative commons licensing, explains the ethical (and credibility) issues in grabbing images from Google for fundraising appeals or marketing communications, and shares resources for great, free photography and music every organization can use.
Nonprofit leaders must make their vision clear and get everyone—staff, board, and other stakeholders—aligned and motivated to work toward it together. For Wayne Ho, President and CEO of CPC (https://www.cpc-nyc.org/) (Chinese American Planning Council), this means communicating effectively with over 4,000 employees. In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Wayne shares three essential rules that guide all of his internal communications. Want to learn more about how Wayne encourages all 4,000 of his staff members to be effective brand ambassadors? Listen here. (https://bigducknyc.com/insights/how-do-we-communicate-without-communications-staff/)
Vince Warren reflects on his twelve years (and counting!) as Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Over the course of his tenure, Vince has built the organization around its potential—and his vision of what it could become. Tune in to learn about his, and the Center for Constitutional Rights’, journey. Want more on the Center for Constitutional Rights? Read all about our branding work together in the case study (https://bigducknyc.com/work/mobilizing-a-new-generation-in-the-fight-for-justice/), or listen to a conversation we shared with Chandra Hayslett, the Center for Constitutional Rights’ Communications Director (https://bigducknyc.com/insights/should-your-nonprofit-podcast/).
In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, two members of Big Duck’s strategy team, Laura Fisher (https://bigducknyc.com/about/laura-fisher/) and Gil Mejia (https://bigducknyc.com/about/gil-mejia/), define strategy, unpack the differences between strategic goals, objectives, and tactics, and offer tips for nonprofit communicators looking to develop their strategic thinking. If you want more resources on strategy, download our free ebook, Achieve more: Putting strategy to work for your nonprofit (https://bigducknyc.com/insights/achieve-more-putting-strategy-to-work-for-your-nonprofit/).
Chandra Hayslett, Communications Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, sits down to share her experiences launching the podcast, The Activist Files (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-activist-files-podcast/id1389473053?mt=2%20), for her organization. She discusses why she started the podcast, results she’s seen so far, the nuts and bolts of production, and shares practical tips for starting a podcast for your nonprofit. Curious about the Center for Constitutional Rights’ rebrand? Read about our work together in the case study here. (https://bigducknyc.com/work/mobilizing-a-new-generation-in-the-fight-for-justice/)
Craig Shelley, Managing Director of Orr Group (https://orrgroup.com/our-people/craig-h-shelley/), shares how nonprofit leadership and staff can foster stronger, more productive relationships with board members. He unpacks different board types and offers simple suggestions for executive directors looking to build trust and partnership with their board, and more.
Elise Dowell is Vice Chancellor for Communications and External Affairs at The Jewish Theological Seminary (http://www.jtsa.edu/elise-dowell). Since joining JTS in 2002, Elise has lead transformational communications efforts, upgraded their recruitment marketing program, and won two Emmy Awards. She sat down with us to share lessons she has learned over her illustrious career, focusing on how to collaborate more effectively and build organizational alignment around the value of communications.
Jenny Dyson, Ruler and Creative Director of Pencil, a creative agency specializing in brand storytelling in the UK, shares her experiences turning content from one conference into a rich, multi-channel story for her client, One Small Thing. She also shares practical advice for nonprofit communicators looking to translate their organization’s work into clear, compelling, and authentic stories.
Sarah Durham and Farra Trompeter head to Fundraising Day to ask development professionals one question: “What can communications do to support development?” You’ll hear answers at the beginning of this episode from Samantha Coolidge, New York Area Director of Advancement at Moishe House (https://www.moishehouse.org/about-us/people/samantha-collidge/), Margaret Fredrickson from Graham Pelton (https://grahampelton.com/people/), Leslie Weber, Deputy Executive Director for External Relations at Hudson Guild (https://hudsonguild.org/about/), Gary Weinberg, President of DM Pros (http://dmpros.net/about-us), Cathy J. Sharp, Director of Development and Communications at Care for the Homeless (https://www.careforthehomeless.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.page&id=1009), Simone Joyaux, author and consultant (https://www.simonejoyaux.com/), and Arik Thormahlen, Director of Development, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai Health System (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arik-thormahlen-29321327/). Then, Farra and Sarah have a candid conversation about the relationship between development and communications, sharing tips for building stronger donor communications.
Stephanie Paul, Vice President of Marketing and Development at the American Parkinson Disease Association (https://www.apdaparkinson.org/about-apda/stephanie-paul/) shares how the rebranding process helped APDA unite its 19 local chapters and ensure all had the tools to communicate with one clear voice.
In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Ally Dommu, Big Duck’s Director of Strategy (https://bigducknyc.com/about/ally-dommu/), shares the four core elements a nonprofit organization needs in place internally—culture, team, assets, and reflection—to ensure the hard work of a rebrand doesn’t go to waste.
Simone Joyaux, author of “Firing Lousy Board Members,” (https://www.simonejoyaux.com/) and organizational management, development, and fundraising expert tackles what makes a great nonprofit board. She maps out the process of getting smarter about governance and shares the steps nonprofit boards can take right away to begin reflecting, discussing, and reaching consensus about what good governance looks like.
Liz Ricca, Big Duck’s Managing Director, shares tools and practices that can help facilitate great internal communications. She gives tips on how to use organizational values actively as an HR tool and provides a structured feedback exercise you can put into practice to spark meaningful, productive conversations between staff. Listen in.
Should nonprofits squeeze in a full rebrand when their website needs an update? In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham, CEO of Big Duck, outlines the basic order of operations for a successful rebrand process—from the strategic plan to the website overhaul.
Cecilia Clarke, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Community Foundation, shares her experiences listening to over 1,000 community members about their vision for Brooklyn, and how those insights helped redefine their work and organizational values. She also shares tips on how to articulate your nonprofit’s values and get to the underlying why of your work.
Elianne Ramos, Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs at National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and prior Latino Digital Coalitions Desk for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, shares her experiences launching and maintaining a YouTube Live platform for her organization. She discusses the benefits of YouTube Live in helping maintain consistent, digestible, and shareable communications that tie together all threads of her organization’s work, what it takes for nonprofits to start their own, and more.
In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast Claire Taylor Hansen, one of Big Duck’s Art Directors, shares digital brand guide trends and best practices in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds and offers suggestions for keeping your brand guide alive.
Dan Gunderman, Big Duck’s Creative Director, tells all about taglines. Dan defines what taglines are, the function they serve in a nonprofit’s brand, and shares tips for crafting a tagline that is simple, meaningful, and truly unique to your organization.
Jessica González-Rojas, Executive Director of National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, shares her experiences planning for her sabbatical and the unexpected benefits it brought to her organization. She also shares tips for how nonprofit leaders can prepare for their own sabbaticals and set sabbatical policies for staff.
Word choices are important! Tune in to learn what words and phrases nonprofit communicators should avoid, gleaned from our popular “Words to Avoid” annual blog, plus tips for making more thoughtful language choices.
To successfully increase their organization’s visibility through campaigns, nonprofit leaders need to ensure they’re grounded in strategy—with concrete goals, audiences, and actions in mind.
Organizational values and brand personality are related but very different, and often get confused. We’ll define and differentiate them in this podcast.
Special events and annual galas may no longer be a nonprofit’s best bet for fundraising. Why? The world is changing rapidly—and so are audiences’ expectations. Tune in to learn more.
When materials need to be reviewed by working groups, committees, and senior level staff, project managers must master the art of getting consolidated feedback and, in some cases, herding cats. In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Maya Ovrutsky, one of Big Duck’s expert Relationship Managers, shares her strategies for keeping projects moving smoothly.
Photography is an excellent way for organizations to show rather than tell. Tune in for tips and insights on how to invest in great photography on a budget.
Having a dedicated communications team is out of reach for many nonprofits, but the need to communicate effectively to external audiences is still there. This episode of the Smart Communications Podcast features a conversation with Wayne Ho, President and CEO of CPC, a large social services organization located in NYC. Out of CPC’s 4,000 employees, none have “communications” in their job title. Listen in to find out how Wayne encourages all staff to be effective brand ambassadors.
Figuring out the right people to have in the rebranding process at the right time is a real struggle. In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Big Duck’s VP, Farra Trompeter, and Big Duck’s CEO, Sarah Durham, share their experiences leading nonprofit rebrands and serving as nonprofit board members, plus provide expert recommendations for defining the board’s role in branding.
Generally, we recommend avoiding jargon. But in this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Dan Gunderman, Big Duck’s Creative Director, sits down with Sarah Durham, Big Duck’s CEO, to discuss when nonprofits communicators should embrace industry-specific language.
The Smart Communications Podcast helps busy nonprofit leaders build their communications skills and develop their organization’s voice. Every episode shares insights and practical tips to help you leverage strategic communications to advance your nonprofit’s mission. The Smart Communications Podcast is hosted by Sarah Durham (https://bigducknyc.com/about/sarah-durham), CEO of Big Duck (https://bigducknyc.com/) and produced by Marcus DePaula. Our music is by Broke for Free (https://open.spotify.com/artist/5gCVozH1XRcgWBHJxsuCDY).