Are Your Nonprofit’s Communications Quietly Undermining Your Values? A Practical Guide for Executive Directors
Values-based nonprofit communications build trust and clarity. Learn the six signs your nonprofit’s messaging conflicts with its mission. Are “Good Enough” Communications Actually Good Enough? Let’s say you lead a small- or medium-sized charity. With a deadline coming up fast, you review a piece you’re about to issue and think, “OK, that’s good enough.” But…
The Difference Between a ‘Nice Story’ and a Funding Story
Picture this: You’re working late, trying to pull a last-minute grant proposal together when you come to that part of the application where you need to plug in an impact story. Racking your brain, you think of Cynthia, a young autistic woman who began to thrive after enrolling in your weekly social night. But then…
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Impact Stories for Nonprofits: A Practical Guide for Busy Executive Directors
Photo by Theo Crazzolara on Unsplash Human service charities change lives for the better. They help people make gains in health and employment, improve their financial standing, feel more included and less lonely. Impact is the mission, not profit, and the need to document impact is crucial. Impact stories move money. They bolster staff and…
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Stop Trying to Communicate Like a National Charity: How Small Nonprofits Right‑Size Their Communications
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash If you lead a small charity or nonprofit, watching the communications feed of a national charity is a little like following an Instagram influencer. Their life is too perfect, too photogenic. Surely their reality is very different from mine, you might think. There must be something wrong with…
Practical Communications Plan Self-Assessment
How is your organization doing with communications? Take the following quiz to find how much you could benefit from a Practical Communications Plan. Scoring: Survival Mode (0–6 points) — You definitely need a plan. Patchwork Plan (7–13 points) — You have the beginnings of a plan. Plan Ready, But Structure Needed (14–20 points — You’ve…
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How to Build a Practical Communications Plan When You Don’t Have a Communications Department
Photo by airfocus on Unsplash In this guide, you’ll learn how to build a simple, 90-day practical communications plan for your ever-changing world. It fits your existing team, stops the “do everything” treadmill, and lets you focus on your mission. This post is for you if: You lead a small- to medium-sized organization. The communications…
