We’ll release the 2018 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report on January 17, but here are a few “Top Three” highlights for now. Top Three Goals Where Nonprofit Communicators Feel Most Effective We asked you rate how effective your work is on a dozen different communications goals. The top three goals with the highest effectiveness…
Year-end is always a good time for me to think through and either confirm or change the way we do business here at Nonprofit Marketing Guide. This year, I’ve been reflecting on our Why (a la Simon Sinek). I’m still working on it, but right now I’d describe my personal why for the work we do…
In the 2018 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report, we asked participants to rate their effectiveness on several common nonprofit communications goals. We’ll reveal all the details in the full report in January 2018 (reserve your copy here), but I wanted to share a preview with you now, as you plan for 2018. Of the 12 most…
We asked a new set of questions about professional development for communications staff in the 2018 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report Survey this year. We wanted to know the kinds of training people were participating in. No surprise, webinars were the most popular. But I was also happy to see that local, regional, and national conferences ranked…
In this year’s Nonprofit Communications Trends Survey, we asked participants to rate themselves on some common skills that communications directors need. (The survey closes this Friday, so please take it now if you haven’t already!) According to the preliminary data, nonprofit communications pros overall say they are best at: Creating relevant and engaging messaging Copywriting…
In just a couple of weeks, my new book, CALM not BUSY: How to Manage Your Nonprofit’s Communications for Great Results will be released. What’s equally exciting to me personally is that it will be the first title released by a new publishing company I am launching with my friend and business partner, Antionette Kerr.…
One of the beautiful things about a short annual report (think 2-4 pager, infographic or video) is that you don’t have to spend nearly as much time creating the thing. But there is a catch . . . You have to spend more time planning it. That’s because it’s a lot harder to create something short, where…
We’re asking that question in the 2018 Nonprofit Communications Trends Survey. So far, here’s the word cloud of answers from nearly 300 communications pros. See the trend? “Reactive communications instead of proactive” “Random social media posts” “Busy work and meetings” “Fewer events” What about you? Get your experiences included in the report by taking the…
Today I presented the first in a two-part webinar series on streamlining your communications workflow. We focused on five strategies for managing what happens to ideas, suggestions, and other potential assignments BEFORE they make it on to your to-do list. After talking about each strategy, I polled participants about how easy they thought it would…
It’s our most popular download of the year: The Annual Nonprofit Communications Trends Report. We answer the burning questions that nonprofit communications pros have about their work and their colleagues in the sector. Our ability to produce this report is entirely dependent on your participation in the annual survey, which is now online. Please take the…
Every communications director has a to-do list a mile long, and it gets longer every day. What’s the secret to keeping that list in check? It’s all about creating a workflow for ideas BEFORE they make it onto your editorial calendar or to-do list. Here are three tips to get you started: Idea Parking Lot…
I’m teaching two new webinars on measuring the effectiveness of nonprofit communications this week. In the course of doing the research, I found three items that you might also find interesting . . . 1. There’s a whole association dedicated to communications measurement. AMEC is the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication. They have…
