True Story: two organizations, same sector.
Organization #1: A huge budget and massive brand awareness. They focus on bringing in small-dollar donors as “members” who are helping them create “good trouble.” Their profile brought them pro bono resources that led to very clever branding. They grew and grew in size and scope. Interestingly, many folks in this sector questioned the tangible outcomes of its work.
Organization #2: A highly effective organization whose impact was crystal clear. A solid budget and healthy finances. This organization focused on legal advocacy, but outside the legal community, the brand awareness was limited. The vast majority of their support and engagement came from lawyers. This organization believed (and they weren’t essentially wrong) that their good work stood for itself. The organization’s staff was busy, and when there was money to invest, it was invested in lawyers, not in brand awareness. Not only did they not see marketing as a priority, but they scoffed at the idea that proactive brand awareness was needed.
This is the story of the power of investing time in a really good cover for your book report.
We all remember 9th grade book reports. There was the student who submitted an above-average book report with a rockin’ cover, and there was the student with an A+ book report who put all the effort into an outstanding book report and felt a cover was showy and unnecessary.
Which book report got the higher grade? Well, I suppose it depends on the teacher, right?
But which book report was prominently displayed on parent-teacher night? Which attracted the most attention?
Yup. The one with the fabulous cover.
Why oh why do nonprofit leaders shun the idea of marketing? Why is bragging a problem?
This is a real thing, and in these moments in which the sector is under attack like never before, it is a HUGE problem.
We don’t brag to our board (to ignite them to be champions), we don’t brag to our board chairs during annual reviews (don’t get me started on clients who write self-evaluations that don’t come close to capturing their awesomeness), and we don’t brag to our community. It’s not just what we’ve been trained to do.
I’m mad about it, actually. And I want to do whatever I can to change your mindset about this.
We must all work harder to promote the vital work our sector does and increase the amount of trust that the public has in our organizations. The world is counting on us.
I was chatting with Glennda Testone, my partner in helping the helpers as a coach and as the CEO of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab. When she first arrived, I asked for a bio to circulate on PR Wire.
“Are you kidding me?” I said, when she turned it in. “You need to brag. Nonprofit leaders need to know we hired a rockstar! So can you write the real stuff that makes you the person we feel lucky to have?”
Her response: “I wasn’t trained to brag about myself but rather about the impact of our work, the village of folks who made our work possible. Colleagues could see me as arrogant or claiming credit for the impact we as a team had in the organizations I led.”
Back to the drawing board we went, and a stronger bio was finalized.
How about you? How do you feel about bragging? About authentically marketing you, your team, and your work. And what strategies are you employing to do that externally?
Let me guess. Not enough. Lower on the priority list than so much else.It’s time, my friends. Long overdue.
Read what people say about the nonprofit sector on my social media:
- ‘Nonprofits are for people who can’t make it in the real world”
- “Big juicy salaries, no taxes: sign me up!”
Read what our own government says.
- “Federal funds are misdirected to activist organizations that threaten our national security.”
- Senior White House officials have called nonprofit leaders “thugs and sleaze-bags.”
It makes you furious, doesn’t it? And then time slips away, and you don’t channel that anger into something.
What do I mean by something?
It will not surprise you that I have some suggestions.
- It’s time to get your stakeholders to get out, get vocal, and tell stories.
Fuel your board, staff, and donors with stories, social media posts where they can “just add water” and get the word out about the pride they feel about being on the field and not just spectators. It’s an investment on the part of staff, and worth it. And please don’t just be passive about it. Set aside storytelling practice at every board meeting. I would argue it won’t take time, but it will inspire the group and help them become better storytellers. - Get together with your colleagues in your sector and community.
Maybe there is a local group of leaders – EDs or Devo Directors? Maybe it’s time to start one. Not to vent about your board members (not a good use of your time), but with a specific purpose – how do we raise the profile of the nonprofit sector in our community? Volunteers may be ideal to develop a strategy, with boundaries that there needs to be a light lift for staff (which oh by the way, means you may need to give up a little bit of control and trust those volunteers). - Write for outlets where your fish are swimming.
Let’s say your org’s mission speaks to parents (and many actually do directly and indirectly). It is my fervent hope that you start small with a blog you write for the most popular mom blog in your community to ignite moms to care about your organization. Once the fire is lit, they are interested in knowing more about other work in this arena. I promise you that it is true. - Fight and advocate for the sector.
Tap into the National Council on Nonprofits and statewide organizations. How about finding a pro bono media strategist to devise a plan to combat the despicable lies out there about overpaid executives who raise money to avoid taxes?
I can’t even type that without my blood boiling.
It all starts with you and understanding the role that you play in ensuring that your work sees the light of day – offering readers, listeners, and attendees the hope that comes with authentic leadership and the stories that will lift them out of their seats in the stands and on to the field.
Then engage community partners, find power in collaboration, and identify resources that will be fired up to help the sector change what has become a despicable narrative.
A lot is riding on it. We could start with recruiting and retaining talent (especially younger folks) and, oh yes, funding.
I am fond of saying that people = power.
I often think we forget how much power we have.
Lots of power.
- Nonprofits contribute 1.4 trillion dollars to the US economy, representing 5.2% of US GDP
- Nonprofits account for 12.8 million jobs
- Over 1 billion people worldwide volunteer for a nonprofit each year
(Note: please use this data and other data readily available through sector orgs like Independent Sector and the National Council on Nonprofits the next time you hear someone refer to nonprofit leaders as ‘thugs and sleaze-bags’ who make exorbitant salaries and avoid taxes.)
Yes, people = power. We have lots and lots of people, including the person you see in the mirror every day.
All these people have a shared purpose to change the world. And people who want change and are mad as hell can stir up a lot of good trouble.
You know what we call that?
I think we call that a movement.
