The State of the Nonprofit Message (Part One)

Thanks to all (nearly 1,000!) who responded to our marketing messages survey. Your input is tremendously helpful in shaping the content and programs we’ll be sharing in 2010.

Many of you are absolutely message-focused (terrific!); some of you want to be, but can’t; and a few of you question the primacy of messaging in the marketing mix. But no matter where you stand, most of you share frustration with your organization’s messaging – seeing the opportunities for improvement but never quite being able to get there.

Typically, we wait until we've had a chance to analyze and interpret all survey responses before we report out to you. But because of the urgency of getting messages right, we wanted to share these trends immediately. You’ll get the full story in January.

The big story: Nearly three of four nonprofit communicators say that their messages connect with target audiences only somewhat. Here's the most frequently-cited reason for the failure to connect: “Our message is quite memorable given the time to explain or show the details. However, we can’t educate the whole world on a one-to-one basis and people generally don’t know or think about our issues. We need short, sharp statements to get the idea across quickly.”

This widespread lack of messaging impact is a huge opportunity for your organization to power up its communications and fundraising impact in 2010. Getting Attention will be guiding you all the way!

P.S. Here's the complete article on our early findings on nonprofit messaging. To ensure you get the full report, subscribe now to the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. 

Join Me for a Free Webinar -- 3 Steps to Stronger Nonprofit Web Content (Deadline, COB Wed, 12/16)

Your messages are one of the most powerful marketing strategies you have! That's why I'm making a special effort in 2010 to help nonprofits like yours craft stronger messages.

Help us help you craft more effective marketing messages by taking five minutes of your time today to complete this brief survey (survey closes COB Wed., Dec. 16th!). Your input will help shape the content and programming we will develop in 2010.

In return for your valuable time, we’ll invite you to join us in a no-charge webinar in early 2010: 3 Steps to Writing Stronger Nonprofit Web Content.

BTW, thanks so much to all of you who already responded to our marketing messages survey.  Your responses (over 850 to date) are tremendously helpful in shaping the content and programs we’ll be sharing with you in 2010.

P.S. Learn how to craft the most essential message -- your tagline. Download the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Just Do It! Early Bird Registration for 2 Top Nonprofit Conferences Ends 12/15

Act now to attend two of the finest conferences for nonprofit communicators at a reduced early bird rate. Discounted registration for both meetings ends Tuesday, December 15.

True Spin Conference: Jan. 21 and 22, Denver, CO

Join some of America’s best progressive communications practitioners for two exhilarating days of panels, workshops, networking and fun at True Spin 2010.  Focused on the communications needs of issue-oriented advocacy groups, True Spin offers participants timely, focused sessions on topics ranging from How to Combat Astroturf Campaigns to Taking Advantage of Audience Fragmentation, plus lots of opportunity to brainstorm with colleagues in the field. Register now.

2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC): April 8-10, Atlanta, GA

Full disclosure: I'm a board member of NTEN, which runs this conference. But I became a huge NTEN champion through attending this conference -- the only venue I know of where program, fundraising, communications folks and other key nonprofit staffers and consultants learn and talk together about common challenges and strategies! The program is too rich to cover here but I promise you it's mind-blowing (in the best way), the networking superb. Please join me there.

Register now. Early bird registration rates end COB December 15th.

Flickr: normko

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit fundraising and marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update.  Subscribe today.

What Matters Now -- Follow Seth Godin's Path to Connection

Every nonprofit communicator worth her salt works from this lens: Where does our organization's passion and impact intersect with the needs, interests and desires of our network? Making that connection is the key to engaging your base. Without it, you're like the proverbial two ships passing in the night.

Now there's a great new resource to help you find that point of connection. Marketing innovator Seth Godin, who is constantly proposing new and often provocative ways of looking at the world,  asked 50+ creative thinkers to craft a brief essay on the single word that matters most to them, right now. What Matters Now, available as a free download, is the result.

Elizabeth Gilbert writes on ease, nonprofit marketer extraordinaire Mark Rovner covers timeless (principles) of effective communications, and Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Making it Stick, dig into change. These are just of few of the perspectives you'll gain in investing the hour or so it takes to devour What Matters Now.

Read this e-book today for the insight and inspiration you'll need to make these critical connections in 2010.

P.S. Seth's compilation and release of this e-book is a great example of building engagement. He invested his time and effort to ask 50+ friends to contribute their points of view, edited and released the book, and is now promoting it to his own enormous following. But he's not alone. He has 50+ well-connected colleagues, each of whom has her own set of relationships, who are doing the same. And so on, and so on....

P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Reader Favorites to Power Up Your Nonprofit Communications in 2010

This year saw the explosion of social media, online video and mobile content. We’ve friended, tweeted and absorbed more content on the web in 2009 than ever before. This means there’s more content competing for your audiences’ attention, so getting the basics right is an absolute imperative.

Take a look at this list of 2009’s most popular Getting Attention articles for insight into mastering your core marketing components in 2010 and beyond.  

1. This Creative Brief Template Helps Ensure Powerful Copy and Design  

Taking the time and energy to craft a thorough summary of your goals, preferences and needs for a writing or design project will save time and money, and ensure you get the results you envisioned.  This article and template give you everything you need to succeed.

2.  Nonprofits' Most Missed Marketing Tool -- Email Signatures

Crafting your email signature to feature key information about your organization is a simple and inexpensive way to communicate your message to your contacts. Read this article to learn what works best.

3.  How to Design an Effective Marketing and Communications Budget (Case Study) 

More than ever, it’s vital to have a plan and budget to guide and support your marketing efforts.  Dive into this article to learn how to outline a budget that will help you accomplish your goals.

4.  5 Steps to Great Graphic Design for Your Nonprofit

Finding the right graphic designer or team is challenging. But now there’s help: This article breaks the selection process down into five easy steps for developing strong relationships with the right designers. This is a proven path to design work that conveys the essence of your org while captivating your audiences.

5.  How to Write a Letter to the Editor that Gets Published and Read

A letter to the editor is great alternative to a news story for nonprofits, giving your org the chance to state an opinion, offer an alternative viewpoint, or move someone to action, in your own words. Here are 10 proven guidelines for letter to the editor success.

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update.  Subscribe today.

Flickr photo: go-mel

Red Cross Holiday Catalog Showcases Donor Impact -- Take this Cue!

The American Red Cross does a stellar job in showing precisely how a donor's gift will be used in its first-time holiday catalog.The catalog is definitely inspired by the Heifer Foundation's long-running holiday catalog, but the Red Cross has done a great job here. The organization has also done a great job in providing useful context for its transition to this still unusual strategy with its catalog FAQs.

Back to the catalog -- I'm the biggest proponent ever of showing, not telling. That's what builds trust, and relationships. One highly-effective strategy is to show donors how their gifts are used and this holiday catalog is a proactive example of doing just that.

Next step for the Red Cross is to keep its donors (especially catalog givers and giftees) informed on how their dollars are actually used (what disaster, how many helped). Hope to see it! 

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit fundraising and marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update.  Subscribe today.

How to Write Stronger Nonprofit Marketing Messages

To make your organization’s voice stand out in today’s overwhelming chorus of messages, you need a coherent and compelling “message platform,” comprised of concepts, words and phrases that communicate your nonprofit’s value or impact across communications channels.

Your messages are one of the most powerful marketing strategies you have! That's why I'm making a special effort in 2010 to help nonprofits like yours craft stronger messages.

Please help us build our understanding of your nonprofit messaging needs and goals by taking five minutes of your time today to complete this brief survey (survey closes Wed., Dec. 16th). Your responses will help us develop more content and programming that address your messaging interests and needs to help you craft stronger marketing messages in 2010.

In return for your valuable time, we’ll invite you to join us in a no-charge webinar in early 2010: 3 Steps to Writing Stronger Nonprofit Web Content.

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update.  Subscribe today.

Photo: celebmuscle

12 Ways to Get the Most from Your Tagline

A great tagline separates your organization from the pack while expressing the heart and soul of your organization.  So when you integrate your tagline into all of your communications, you’re well on your way to having a memorable brand. Here’s how:
 
First and foremost, train your staff and volunteers (if you have them) to use your tagline in conversations about your organization’s work.  Using your tagline is a great lead-in when asked what your organization does.

Next, feature your tagline in all of your communications in print and on the web.  Adding the tagline to your email signature is a cost-effective way to share information about your organization.

Houston Food Bank, a 2009 Getting Attention Tagline Award winner, has gone the extra mile and included its tagline (Filling pantries, Filling lives) in its main voicemail message.  This is a simple, often overlooked way to communicate information about your organization, particularly potent during off hours.

Here is a handy checklist to make sure that you are getting the most out of your tagline:

In print:
1.  Stationery including business cards
2.  Brochures
3.  Direct mail
4.  Print advertising

Online:
5.  Website
6.  Blog
7.  Social media – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

In direct communications:
8.  Print and e- newsletters
9.  Email signature 

Often overlooked:
11. Voicemail
12. Powerpoint presentations
13. Promotions – t-shirts, mugs, tote bags

What are your additions to this checklist?  Please note how you’re using your tagline in the Comments box below to share it with the Getting Attention community!

P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Flickr photo: Mykpwedding

Born to Help? How to Engage Altruism to Advance YOUR Cause

I wasn't surprised to read about yet another high-priced study confirming that altruism is innate in today's New York Times (covering the just-published Why We Cooperate).  After all, we read time and time again about the emotional benefits of giving. So it makes sense, evolution-wise, that we're wired to help and give.

But the article does make me wonder how we, as nonprofit communicators, can best work to engage this innate quality? If we become more selective about the focus of our helpfulness at age three, as researcher Michael Tomasello asserts, then how do organizations competing (and that's the reality) for donations and volunteer time steer prospective supporters towards their nonprofits?

My take is that humans can truly help only when they understand the problem and the goal, and that kind of true understanding is fairly rare. That's where we as communicators can step in -- building awareness of the problem and our strategy to address it. Then, once that understanding is there, our charge is engaging folks to help by telling them what is needed and showing them the impact of that gift of time or money.

What's your take? Add your perspective in the Comments box below please.

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update.  Subscribe today.

5 Steps to Jumpstart Your Tagline Development Process

Developing a high-power tagline for your nonprofit can be a daunting task, especially with so many competing priorities.  Whether you are creating a first-time tagline or revitalizing an existing brand, here are five steps to jump start the process:

1. Confirm that the tagline (or lack of one) is a problem. Feature a few talking points about your organization (or your tagline, if you already have one) in conversations with colleagues, members and volunteers.  Make a note of their reactions.  Does your messaging inspire people to dig in and ask more questions or get involved, or does it create confusion about your organization's work and impact?
2. Get your colleagues on board.  Let your colleagues know that it’s time to develop stronger messaging for your organization based on what you’ve heard in your listening research, and that you’ll need their help. Be as specific as possible about your goals and outcomes, and how you’d like them to help.
3. Uncover some audience intelligence, Sherlock Holmes.  Ask colleagues (and volunteers, if you need to) to insert your organization’s messaging (or current tagline, if you have one) in their own conversations in the field and report back to you what they find. Make it easy for them to report back in a way that’s easy for them and useful to you.
4. Summarize the feedback you get and your recommendations for moving forward.  What does and doesn’t work? What does that suggest about revising existing messaging or shaping  a new tagline?
5. Is more research needed? Decide if you need to take your audience research one step further or you’re ready to kickoff the tagline creation process with a brainstorming session.

These five steps are a proven stepping stone to developing a strong tagline for your organization. Supplement them with our free guide to powerful messaging for your organization: The 2009 Getting Attention Tagline Report features don't dos, must dos and over 2,500 nonprofit tagline examples to kick-start your message brainstorming.

By Amy Kehoe, Manager - Getting Attention

Flickr photo: Jeff Carlson