Episode 8: Building a Successful Nonprofit with Ford Church from the Cottonwood Institute

11/17/20 • 59 min

Relish THIS: The Nonprofit Marketing Podcast

Today's guest on Relish This is Ford Church, the Executive Director at the Cottonwood Institute.
Ford and his team do some really great work inspiring kids to explore in and connect with nature. Their philosophy is that it's a lot easier to get kids to care about the environment if they have a connection with it.
We had a really great talk about Ford's journey into the outdoor nonprofit world, the great work they do at the Cottonwood Institute, and the challenges they have faced this year when in-person events have been much more challenging to navigate.
We chatted about the different stakeholders Cottonwood engages, how to get into nature even when it seems out of reach, and how to reframe how nonprofits think about marketing in general.
Another really great episode of Relish This! I hope you enjoy it.
Show notes and links:
The Cottonwood Institute
The Surrender Experiment
NOLS
Wilderness First Aid Certification
Action Ask:
Donate to support the Cottonwood Institute. Go vote! Support your favorite nonprofit on Colorado Gives Day.

Previous Episode

Episode 7: Escalating Engagements with Stacey Sanders from Elevating Connections

My guest this week on Relish This is Stacey Sanders, the Executive Director of Elevating Connections. Elevating Connections is a nonprofit here in Colorado that is on a mission to create opportunities that strengthen the connections between youth, families, and their communities.
They do this primarily through events, camps, and other mechanisms that help siblings who have been separated in the foster care system reconnect. It's great stuff.
Stacey and I talked about her program, where they are hoping to go in 2021 to expand their mission to help more kids, and some of the challenges they are facing . As part of that conversation we teased out ideas around escalating engagements, re-framing narratives, and how to reengage stakeholders with some creative marketing ideas.
This was a really fun episode and I hope you enjoy it!
Show notes and links:

Action Ask:
Reach out to someone you have missed to say 'hi' and tell them what you would like to do with them when you can meet up again.

Next Episode

Episode 9: Understanding Your Stakeholders with the PHAA

Amazing, multi-guest show with Addie, Lynn, and Wesley from the Pre-Health Achievement Association.
This crew is doing some really cool things to help underrepresented minorities pursuing careers in the medical field get paired with mentors to help guide them through the pitfalls in the industry.
We chatted about a whole host of opportunities and challenges they are facing from validating and formalizing their organization, to the value of understanding their stakeholders' motivations and behaviors through persona creation, to keeping your constituents engaged before they are paired up as part of a mentor/mentee relationship.
All in all, this team is doing some really great things and I hope you enjoy the show!
Show notes and links:
PHAA
Relish Ideal Client Workbook
Action Asks:
Vote!
Start learning about and doing that thing that has been in the back of your mind.