If you haven’t listened to the Nonprofit Jenni Show episode about “Nonprofit PR: How to Work With Media to Attract New Supporters”, we recommend you listen to that episode first! This week, we’re following up on some extra FAQs about nonprofit Public Relations (PR). We also chat with two nonprofit leaders who are responsible for their nonprofit organizations’ PR initiatives. Nonprofit Jenni Show listeners can get an exclusive discount on Jenni’s “Build a PR Plan” Mini-Course! Go online to bit.ly...
Sep 25, 2020•41 min•Ep. 87
In small and medium nonprofits, marketing duties often fall to the Executive Director or Development Director who don’t know the ins and outs of tactics like Public Relations (PR). Recently, Jenni has received a lot of questions about press releases, social media influencers, and other PR topics. This week, we want to demystify nonprofit PR and help your organization build a stronger PR plan. Nonprofit Jenni Show listeners can get an exclusive discount on Jenni’s “Build a PR Plan” Mini-Course! G...
Sep 11, 2020•43 min•Ep. 86
Jenni receives a LOT of questions about social media best practices for nonprofits, so we wanted to offer a few easy tips to improve your nonprofit’s social media presence, engagement, and overall success in earning support for your mission. In this episode of the Nonprofit Jenni Show, we cover seven social media tips that are super easy to implement right away! Jenni also shares a quick update about the new podcast release schedule, and some ways you can help support the podcast. If you feel li...
Aug 21, 2020•20 min•Ep. 85
This week, listen to the second part of Jenni’s interview with thought leader and advocate Jon Royal about how to bring up the topic of equity and race with your nonprofit’s leadership team. ( Check out last week’s episode to hear Part 1 !) We continue talking about how to be sensitive and respectful while still approaching the conversation with bold and inspirational courage. In this podcast episode, Jon and Jenni mention several resources, including: --Jenni’s Racial Justice Awareness Kit, ava...
Aug 07, 2020•32 min•Ep. 84
Ongoing events like the spread of COVID-19 and #BlackLivesMatter have recently made inequities in our healthcare, educational, correctional, and other systems more obvious on a national level. Fortunately, we’ve seen many nonprofits revisit their Diversity / Equity / Inclusion (DEI) policies (or build completely new ones from scratch) as a result. This week, Jenni speaks again with thought leader and advocate Jon Royal to discuss an example of how your nonprofit can promote equity and racial jus...
Jul 31, 2020•47 min•Ep. 83
Many nonprofit leaders are (fortunately) revisiting or creating new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies as a result of systemic inequities that have been revealed by COVID-19 and #BlackLivesMatter. A huge part of an effective DEI strategy is developing an inclusive, supportive culture among your staff and board. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, nonprofit executive Brenda Jimenez joins us (for the second time!) to offer her advice for hiring and retaining awesome team members....
Jul 24, 2020•48 min•Ep. 82
Starting a nonprofit internship program is no joke. I’ve heard people flippantly tell nonprofit leaders, “Just get an intern for that!” in response to legitimate complaints about a lack of time to accomplish all the tasks on their plate… But hiring an intern is even more difficult than hiring a new employee because interns are often still figuring what type of career they want to pursue, and usually have little to no prior experience. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, the founder and direct...
Jul 17, 2020•31 min•Ep. 81
Back when it first became clear that in-person nonprofit events wouldn’t be possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, I recorded a coaching call I had with two nonprofit leaders (Emily and Sydni) to advise them on how to plan their very first virtual fundraising event. They gave me permission to release the recording on my podcast, so I published the call on May 1 in an episode called “Advice for Your First Virtual Fundraising Event” . After the call, Sydni downloaded my Silent and Online Auction G...
Jul 10, 2020•27 min•Ep. 80
There are a million interconnected issues which have created our monstrous incarceration systems, and incarceration is just one more area where racial inequities become so glaringly obvious. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, two Ameelio representatives come on the show to have a conversation with me about some of the specific failures of our incarceration systems. We discuss the solutions Ameelio offers to nonprofits, those who are incarcerated, and their loved ones. Some of the nonprofits ...
Jul 03, 2020•29 min•Ep. 79
In light of the recently revived Black Lives Matter movement, acts of police brutality, and following riots and protests, I thought it was important to look back at some conversations I had back in January with a couple experts in equity. Originally entitled “I’m Not Interested in Equality Because Equality Isn’t Good Enough”, this episode has become extremely relevant again as nonprofit leadership teams review their DEI policies and goals. I also talk about some free and affordable communication...
Jun 26, 2020•46 min•Ep. 78
Nonprofit storytelling is hard… And it gets even harder when unexpected crises come up in the world, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and heartbreaking cases of racial injustice. This week, we’re getting advice from some storytelling experts so you can keep inspiring your donors, volunteers, and other supporters in the midst of crisis. We also talk about Jenni’s new Awareness Kits to help your nonprofit educate the community about COVID-19 and Racial Injustice. Get a free version of each kit at non...
Jun 19, 2020•49 min•Ep. 77
COVID-19 has caused budgets to shrink, not just for nonprofits, but for corporations too. Fortunately, there are still plenty of opportunities to partner with businesses and executives to get pro bono support for your organization! This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, we’re talking about best practices for navigating relationships as your nonprofit collaborates with corporations. Before we dig into tips for pro bono relationships, Jenni shares info about her new COVID-19 Awareness Kits which c...
Jun 12, 2020•52 min•Ep. 76
Recent events involving police violence, riots, and COVID-19 have forced nonprofit leaders to reevaluate their mission, programs, and operational structures, so this is the perfect time to refamiliarize yourself with the concept of advocacy. “Advocacy” is one of those words which has a bunch of different meanings, especially depending on the person you ask. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, Jenni invites nonprofit advocacy expert Meredith Benton from the Healing Trust to explain the legal d...
Jun 05, 2020•49 min•Ep. 75
“Safer at Home” ordinances and social distancing guidelines have caused an increase in people searching online for ways to support the causes they care about most, so it’s super important for your nonprofit to show up in Google results. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, we talk about two ways to ensure new supporters can find you: the Google Ad Grant and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). After talking about SEO on the podcast last week, Jenni wanted to address some questions about the diffe...
May 29, 2020•44 min•Ep. 74
In this time of social distancing and Stay at Home / Safer at Home protocol, it’s more important than ever to ensure that people are able to find your nonprofit online when they’re searching for ways to support the causes they care about...because let’s face it: Everyone is on their devices all hours of the day now! It’s time to improve your nonprofit’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so your donation needs, volunteer opportunities, and program offerings are easy to find. Jenni recently release...
May 22, 2020•48 min•Ep. 73
A few weeks ago, we chatted with some nonprofit leaders from Childspring International and Good Tidings Foundation to learn how their organizations have adapted their fundraising and programming in the face of COVID-19. This week, we’re talking to leaders from Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee and Reach Out and Read Colorado to hear even more examples and advice for how nonprofits can continue to thrive in the midst of the pandemic. First, Hayley Levy (Director of Development for Gilda’s Club Middle...
May 15, 2020•40 min•Ep. 72
As part of our ongoing series about how nonprofits can thrive in the face of COVID-19, we wanted to address questions we’ve received from leaders about how they should fill staff and volunteer time. Many Executive Directors have told us they would like to use this time during “Safer at Home” periods to offer virtual professional development opportunities to staff and volunteers who aren’t able to carry out their normal roles. In this week’s episode of the Nonprofit Jenni Show, Jenni highlights a...
May 08, 2020•34 min•Ep. 71
Many nonprofits have had to cancel their upcoming fundraising events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some leaders are trying to figure out how to host virtual events for the first time. In this episode, you’ll hear a real life coaching call between Jenni and the leaders of a nonprofit as they figure out what action steps they’ll need to take to host a successful live streaming event. Jenni covers questions about: --Live streaming platforms --Online fundraising tactics --Peer to peer fundraisin...
May 01, 2020•45 min•Ep. 70
As COVID-19 forces us to engage in self isolation and social distancing, how should your nonprofit adjust its fundraising and program strategies? This week, we’ll learn how two nonprofit organizations are adapting to this weird new world. Childspring International had to cancel its signature fundraising event due to shelter-in-place policies, and decided to host an online silent auction event for the first time to offset this loss. They have also had to pause the components of their program whic...
Apr 24, 2020•48 min•Ep. 69
As new loan and grant opportunities pop up through the CARES Act, COVID-19 emergency response funds, and other funding sources, you may feel pressure to research and apply for all of these opportunities for your nonprofit. But do these funding sources actually apply to you? In this special episode of the Nonprofit Jenni Show, we’ll cover the basics of the new CARES Act legislation and best practices for researching and applying to COVID-19 rapid response funds. Our guests on this episode include...
Apr 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 68
Do you have a local 24-hour Day of Giving coming up this spring, like The Big Payback in Middle Tennessee? This episode is Part 4 of our 4-week series about local giving days, and this week we’re talking about winning strategies for The Big Payback (and other local giving days). Hear advice from executive directors, development directors, and other nonprofit leaders from organizations like: --The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee --Marriage Dynamics Institute --Fashion is for Every Body -...
Apr 10, 2020•41 min•Ep. 67
Do you have a local 24-hour Day of Giving coming up this spring, like The Big Payback in Middle Tennessee? This episode is Part 3 of our 4-week series about local giving days, and Jenni is outlining some of the biggest reasons that nonprofit leaders in her community are dreading The Big Payback: The same nonprofit always seems to “win” the day every year, so it feels really hard to make an impact. Nonprofits don’t get to keep 100% of the funds they raise during the Giving Day. Some nonprofits ha...
Apr 03, 2020•27 min•Ep. 66
Communities all over the country host 24 hour “Giving Days” for their city, county, region, or state, and many of these are coming up this spring! In this throwback episode, you’ll hear from nonprofit leaders who have hosted successful fundraising campaigns during Middle Tennessee’s Day of Giving, The Big Payback. Nonprofit Jenni provides consulting services and coaching calls for nonprofits and social impact organizations seeking guidance in the areas of Marketing, Fundraising, Growth, and Star...
Mar 27, 2020•49 min•Ep. 65
Communities all over the country host 24 hour “Giving Days” for their city, county, region, or state, and many of these are coming up this spring! In this throwback episode, you’ll hear from nonprofit leaders who have hosted successful fundraising campaigns during Middle Tennessee’s Day of Giving, The Big Payback. Nonprofit Jenni provides consulting services and coaching calls for nonprofits and social impact organizations seeking guidance in the areas of Marketing, Fundraising, Growth, and Star...
Mar 20, 2020•55 min•Ep. 64
We talk a lot about collaboration on this podcast because no one person (or one nonprofit) can change the world alone. If you’re serious about fulfilling your nonprofit’s mission, it’s vital to build cooperative and collaborative partnerships with others. This week, we take a look at an example of internal collaboration (how to collaborate with others within a nonprofit’s program) and one of external collaboration (how a nonprofit collaborates with other organizations). Our guests this episode a...
Feb 28, 2020•42 min•Ep. 63
You need to hire someone quickly who is well-qualified, can get along with the rest of your team, and feels passionately about your mission. The nonprofit hiring process can be extremely stressful or extremely exciting, depending on how well you prepare. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, our guests share their tips for hiring your next great staff member. First we chat with Rhea Wong, a former nonprofit Executive Director and current consultant (plus a fellow podcaster!), who shares her per...
Feb 21, 2020•45 min•Ep. 62
I would guess that when Nonprofit Jenni Show listeners email me, about half of the emails are asking for my advice about how to start a new nonprofit organization supporting a cause they feel really passionate about. I love that passion--we need more of that spirit in the world! But is starting a nonprofit organization really the most effective way to create meaningful, lasting change in the areas that matter most? In this week’s star-studded podcast episode, two of my favorite nonprofit thought...
Feb 14, 2020•42 min•Ep. 61
Hosting a nonprofit event sounds easy...until you actually do it! There are a million little pieces that have to come together for the big day, and I wanted to talk about all of them. There was so much great information in my interviews this week that I have to break this episode into two parts. In Part Two, we continue chatting with Holly Clark, a seasoned nonprofit events planner and owner of Holly Clark Events. Holly tells me how she plans and coordinates an upscale signature event for a well...
Feb 07, 2020•38 min•Ep. 60
Hosting a nonprofit event sounds easy...until you actually do it! There are a million little pieces that have to come together for the big day, and I wanted to talk about all of them. There was so much great information in my interviews this week that I have to break this episode into two parts. In Part One, we’ll talk about how you can improve your next fundraising event with donor data and how to welcome newcomers who are attending their first event with you. Our first guest is Timi Pacciorett...
Jan 31, 2020•43 min•Ep. 69
When I talk about fundraising with leaders of small and midsize nonprofits, I frequently hear them tell me they want to increase their revenue either through grants or through fundraising events. Unfortunately, many of these nonprofit leaders don’t realize they’ve walked right past the low-hanging fruit, which is Peer to Peer Fundraising (also called P2P Fundraising). Whether you’ve tried P2P fundraising unsuccessfully in the past, you’re completely intimidated by the idea of asking your peers f...
Jan 24, 2020•48 min•Ep. 58
