Leadership with Authenticity; Fundraising with Integrity

03/06/18 • 35 min

Grow Your Non-Profit: Marketing and Technology

[av_social_share title='Share this entry' style='' buttons='' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg=''] Episode Summary In this episode, Marc A. Pitman explains the 4 Quadrants of leadership and speaks about how leaders and fundraisers overcome their personal hurdles to become more confident and impactful in their roles. Then, we talk about how to take it a step further and improve relationships with your donors and community members. Successful leadership stems from your relationship with yourself. As a leader, you need to be credible, confident, and capable of foresight. An honest self-assessment paves the way that helps you fix any flaws. One of the most important aspects of relationships is to be true to yourself. In the case of fundraising, this is represented by your organization’s mission. This not only builds genuine trust, but this awareness and understanding creates alignment throughout your fundraising system and enables you to understand and interact with your prospects much better. If your audience clearly understands and identifies with your organization’s mission and vision, interacts with you, and trusts you, you’ll find that it’s much easier to develop ways to strengthen your relationship with your community members and create more interest in your campaigns by building up your donor relationships. Strong leadership skills develop through self-awareness and honesty. In every problem or situation, the first step toward the solution is “awareness”. An honest assessment of yourself as a leader goes hand-in-hand with successful fundraising. Successful fundraising grows from your relationship with others. As a leader. You represent your organization when you’re dealing with potential donors. You want to be able to present your cause and ask for help in a persistent but pleasant manner. Fundraising is not the same as marketing. There is a different approach to both. Do your donors know who you are? Are you speaking about your organization or are you speaking to an actual person in your content? What’s the difference and why does this matter? Listen in and find out just how important the difference is. About Marc A. Pitman Marc A. Pitman is the author of "Ask Without Fear!" and founder of FundraisingCoach.com and the executive director of TheNonprofitAcademy.com. Marc's expertise and enthusiasm engages audiences around the world and has caught the attention of media organizations as diverse as Al Jazeera, SUCCESS Magazine, and Fox News. Marc’s experience also includes pastoring a Vineyard church, managing a gubernatorial campaign, and teaching internet marketing and fundraising at colleges and universities. He is the husband to his best friend and the father of three amazing kids. And if you drive by him on the road, he’ll be singing 80’s tunes loud enough to embarrass his family! [av_button_big label='Join the Grow Your Non-Profit Facebook Group!' description_pos='above' link='manually,https://www.facebook.com/groups/growyournonprofit/' link_target='' icon_select='yes-left-icon' icon='ue8f5' font='entypo-fontello' custom_font='#ffffff' color='theme-color' custom_bg='#444444' color_hover='theme-color-subtle' custom_bg_hover='#444444' custom_font_hover='#421c52!important' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg=''] Click here to join a community of non-profit professionals leveraging digital marketing and technology to grow their communities and improve their fundraising systems. [/av_button_big]

Previous Episode

Using Alternative Marketing to Stand Out

[av_social_share title='Share this entry' style='' buttons='' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg=''] Episode Summary In this episode, we hear from Robyn Blakeman, an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee. She discusses Guerrilla Marketing and alternative ways to help your organization be noticed, recognized and remembered. Marketing has changed, but the principles remain the same. In this episode, we talk about the fundamentals of marketing and how to create integrated marketing campaigns. Key takeaway: start with a strong idea that resonates with your community and maximize its reach through your media. A chapter in our book, “Brick by Brick” talks about the importance of creating a good marketing strategy by relating it to a Psychological principle known as “Brain Priming”. By using alternative marketing techniques, you are actually presenting your organization as different as well as unique. Every organization, whether for-profit or non-profit, needs a good marketing strategy. It’s almost the same as the courtship process in humans. In a saturated scenario, almost every organization makes use of the same marketing methods. Now, how can you stand out in an ocean of the same thing? - Be different! Robyn shows us how traditional marketing methods are transferable to technology and how trust is still the number one factor when it comes to developing connection, engagement, and relationships. Listen in to find out what these aforementioned marketing methods are and how you can put them to good use. About Robyn Blakeman Robyn Blakeman received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 1980 and her master’s from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. Upon graduation in 1980, she moved to Texas, where she began her career as a designer for an architectural magazine. She next took a position as mechanical director for one of the top advertising agencies in Dallas before eventually leaving to work as a freelance designer. Professor Blakeman began teaching advertising and graphic design in 1987, first with the Art Institutes and then as an Assistant Professor of Advertising teaching both graphic and computer design at Southern Methodist University. As an Assistant Professor of Advertising at West Virginia University she developed the creative track in layout and design. She was also responsible for designing and developing the first Online Integrated Marketing Communications Graduate Certificate and Online Integrated Marketing Communications Graduate programs in the country. She has published two texts, The Bare Bones of Advertising Print Design, and Creative Strategy for Integrated Marketing Communications. Professor Blakeman currently teaches design at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. [av_button_big label='Join the Grow Your Non-Profit Facebook Group!' description_pos='above' link='manually,https://www.facebook.com/groups/growyournonprofit/' link_target='' icon_select='yes-left-icon' icon='ue8f5' font='entypo-fontello' custom_font='#ffffff' color='theme-color' custom_bg='#444444' color_hover='theme-color-subtle' custom_bg_hover='#444444' custom_font_hover='#421c52!important' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg=''] Click here to join a community of non-profit professionals leveraging digital marketing and technology to grow their communities and improve their fundraising systems. [/av_button_big]

Next Episode

Using ChatBots to Delight Your Donors and Engage Your Community

[av_social_share title='Share this entry' style='' buttons='' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg=''] Episode Summary What’s a new way that you can connect with your community in a manner that’s welcoming and delightful? ChatBots are new to the marketing scene and relatively untouched by non-profits; but, businesses are finding great success with them in order to provide stellar customer service and invite their audience into their brand to find out more. Chatbots can be used to guide your community to find out about programs and services, sign up for and participate in volunteer opportunities, and donate to your cause. They can help you create a unique experience and build the personal level of attention your audience is looking for. When we talk about building a chatbot, we’re referring to creating an ongoing dialogue with visitors (something you can control). And by connecting with your ideal users, you’re able to open up so many new possibilities – like a whole new way to build your mailing list, for instance. Contrary to popular belief, chatbots do not simply send automated messages. They are so much more than that! Chatbots are tailored according to the type of audience they are intended for. These are not simply bots that react to visitors. We have to remember that these bots are built by real people so, they actually have the “human touch” that helps build your relationship with your audience. Our book, “Brick by Brick” makes a mention of the importance of automating aspects of your process. This not only frees up valuable resources but also minimizes the duplication of processes. I mean, we advocate the use of personalized messages per donor, but to manually craft these messages is both resource-consuming and utterly impractical. In this podcast episode, we are joined by Ashley Buffa who has several years of experience in working with businesses, public figures, and bloggers reach their target market, connect with them, and convert them into loyal, return customers. With Ashley, we delve into how to we can use chatbots effectively; whether it’s to keep interest-levels high before your event, to pique interest through broadcasts, to promote featured stories, or even for something as simple as reminding members of important events. Chatbots are easily one of the most untapped resources that nonprofits could benefit from greatly. Chatbots are progressive. They are already being used on Facebook and many other websites. They can create casual conversations where community members are more likely to engage. Plus, you can segment and tie it right in with your email marketing. If you’re interested in learning more and finding out how chatbots can help your organization, listen in as Ashley Buffa gives us the lowdown on chatbots and how to use them well. About Ashley Buffa Ashley has several years of experience helping multiple businesses, public figures, and bloggers target their ideal market, connect with them, and ultimately... convert them into loyal, repeat customers. [av_button_big label='Join the Grow Your Non-Profit Facebook Group!' description_pos='above' link='manually,https://www.facebook.com/groups/growyournonprofit/' link_target='' icon_select='yes-left-icon' icon='ue8f5' font='entypo-fontello' custom_font='#ffffff' color='theme-color' custom_bg='#444444' color_hover='theme-color-subtle' custom_bg_hover='#444444' custom_font_hover='#421c52!important' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg=''] Click here to join a community of non-profit professionals leveraging digital marketing and technology to grow their communities and improve their fundraising systems. [/av_button_big]