Building and growing a strong membership community during a pandemic can be challenging. If we can't get together in person, how can we foster strong connections? In the digital and virtual age, how can we effectively engage our members and encourage them to participate? Enter Yolanda F. Johnson. With more than two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, she has had an outstanding career as a performing artist, as a composer, as an producer, as an educator, and she has used her backgroun...
Feb 23, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 24
According to a survey done by AFP and the Chronicle of Philanthropy, one in four women have experienced sexual harassment in their nonprofit work; 7% of men reported being sexually harassed on the job; and in 65% of the cases reported in the survey, the perpetrator of the harassment was a donor . What can we do as a sector to change the culture? My guest this week is proud feminist and fundraiser Liz LeClair. She brings more than 15 years of experience to her role as the Director of Major Gifts ...
Feb 16, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Do you hate your email platform? Does your CRM database give you hives? But - even worse- does the thought of selecting, choosing, and learning a brand new tool or technology make you want to just quit altogether? Nonprofits of all sizes need a framework and strategies to make smart decisions about the systems that they're using and how they train people and their business processes. So many of us are often hesitant to start the process due to a paralyzing fear of doing it wrong. That's where th...
Feb 09, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Storytelling can be a huge struggle for nonprofits - especially when serving vulnerable populations and dealing with difficult-to-discuss topics, like end-of-life care. As nonprofit professionals, how do we start? Where do we get stories, if we are working on tough topics? How do we ensure that the stories are authentic and real, but don't exploit our clients? This week I invited award-winning storytelling and nonprofit Executive Director Madison Gonzales to share how she does effective storytel...
Feb 02, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Social Media for Social Good Academy is OPEN for enrollment through February 7! To learn more and register go to www.SocialGoodAcademy.com . In my business I meet a lot of people with a lot of interesting opinions about social media. These opinions range from “It’s fantastic! I use it every day!” to “I don’t get it but I’m willing to learn” to “I hate it and I think it’s the downfall of society.” People certainly have the right to their opinion. If someone absolutely loathes the internet and all...
Feb 01, 2022•6 min
This is the audio recording of my webinar Social Media in 20 Minutes Per Day. To watch the video recording and get the slides, you can sign up at www.SocialMediain20.com right now. Social Media for Social Good Academy is OPEN for enrollment through February 7! To learn more and register go to www.SocialGoodAcademy.com . Description: Can social media really be done in 20 minutes per day? Yes, it can. And I’ll show you exactly how in this free training. This training will work best for nonprofits ...
Jan 26, 2022•57 min•Ep. 23
Can social media really be done in 20 minutes per day? Yes, it can. And I’ll show you exactly how in this free training on Tuesday . This free training will work best for nonprofits that are doing some work on social media but feel like it’s taking over their entire day and taking away from their other responsibilities. If you can't attend live, register to get access to the recording and slides. What we'll cover: > Social media trends nonprofits need to consider as we enter 2022 > The fou...
Jan 21, 2022•2 min
You may think the first step in building a corporate relations program is prospecting and calling businesses. But what about truly understanding the problem that you are solving, and the community that you serve? Creating effective corporate relationships is more than just a financial transaction. Many corporations seek to build holistic relationships with nonprofits to pursue social change. Tammy Charles, a self-proclaimed "social change geek" (love that!) is on a mission to help nonprofits ini...
Jan 19, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Nonprofit leaders and staff alike face unique challenges that often place a strain on their mental health. With everything that we have our plates, how can we prioritize wellness? How can we create safe places at work to have these conversations, even when we may be struggling ourselves? My guest this week is Ian Adair - TEDx and keynote speaker, 3 time nonprofit CEO, recognized leadership and nonprofit management expert, and author. Ian brings an honest and open first-hand perspective to the to...
Jan 12, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Click here to see what I have in store for 2022! In the world of nonprofit social media, the landscape is changing so rapidly, and it’s becoming harder and harder to build community in our hyper-connected world. Three billion people , around 40% of the world’s population, use social media – spending an average of two hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting and updating on these platforms. That breaks down to around half a million tweets and Snapchat photos shared every minute. Whew! Not only i...
Jan 10, 2022•13 min
What does it really take to start and to lead a nonprofit? How can we overcome the fear that comes with asking people for money? What about the "haters" - the people that will never believe in what you do? Let's learn from one of the best. Rachel Muir is one of my absolute favorite people. Her confidence in her voice is always inspiring, as is her journey to where she is today. When she was 26 years old, Rachel Muir founded the nonprofit Girlstart in her living room, with $500 on a credit card. ...
Jan 05, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Does your nonprofit marketing reinforce damaging stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions? How can our marketing exploit the suffering of those we are trying to serve? What can nonprofits do to be more intentional about showcasing a diversity of voices and perspectives in our communications? Enter Monti Hill, community builder and agent of transformational change in communities (and sometimes graphic designer). Monti will show us how to effectively integrate the community's voice into marketing so...
Dec 22, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 20
I believe that we are all influencers - in small or large ways. The first step is to be courageous enough to believe it. Courage doesn't mean being fearless - it's often taking a necessary next step or asking an uncomfortable question. But how can we build our courage, and up level our influence to make a bigger impact? My guest this week is Maryanne Dersch, who has been praised for her "effervescent badassery with endless important info for all." She's a fundraising expert who has led her coach...
Dec 15, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 19
You have a voice and you need to use it. If you're not at the table, you're going to be on the menu. But how can nonprofits effectively stand up for their missions, their budgets, and their clients in the legislative and political arenas? Are the words ""advocacy" and "lobbying" dirty words? My guest this week is Bethany Snyder, the founder of Snyder Strategies , a boutique consulting firm she formed to share and leverage her deep understanding of the advocacy world with nonprofit and membership...
Dec 08, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Nonprofits tend to be trapped in complacency and married to the status quo. But what does it mean to lead in a time when the only constant is change? How can we exist in and manage teams when our realities continue to be upended? How can we galvanize movements if we ourselves aren't taking care of our mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health? In the latest episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia sat down with fundraising and leadership expert Kishshana Palmer to give us an injection of truth...
Dec 01, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 17
There are more than 10 million nonprofits and non-governmental organizations worldwide. Nonprofit organizations account for 5-10 percent of the United States' economy and about 10 percent of U.S. employment. Nonprofits can be a force for good in the world, whether they are organized as charitable institutions, civic leagues, social welfare organizations, or social advocacy groups. They can tackle a variety of issues, ranging from healthcare to animal welfare to arts and culture. In a world where...
Nov 24, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Before we begin, let me tell you about a live training I’m giving on November 23, called How To Plan Your 2022 Social Media Marketing Calendar. You can get all the details and sign up at my website, www.jcsocialmarketing.com/calendar GivingTuesday 2021 is right around the corner. Is your nonprofit prepared to promote your organization’s mission to potential donors and volunteers? When executed effectively a strong GivingTuesday campaign can help your nonprofit ramp up fundraising and donor engag...
Nov 17, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Before we begin, let me tell you about a live training I’m giving on November 23, called How To Plan Your 2022 Social Media Marketing Calendar. You can get all the details and sign up at my website, www.jcsocialmarketing.com/calendar Hello, and happy November! The leaves are falling, the PSL is in full force, and that means one thing: I’ve been seeing a lot of articles pop up lately around whether or not nonprofits should participate in GivingTuesday. Vu Le famously called it the “nonprofit hung...
Nov 13, 2021•11 min
Marketing is essential to change hearts and minds and to building an audience around your nonprofit mission and to get attention for the problem that you are solving. But so many nonprofits don't have a strategy or a plan to reach their marketing goals. Enter nonprofit marketing guru Kivi Leroux Miller, to teach us how to improve on what we tend to get wrong all the time. Kivi is the Founder and CEO of Nonprofit Marketing Guide , where she is the lead trainer for hundreds of nonprofit communicat...
Nov 10, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Our world needs transformational leaders more than ever. For a variety of reasons, nonprofit leaders tend to put their own professional development and growth last on their priority list. Sabine Gedeon helps leaders of all stripes - not just CEOs - work on their mindset, get over their own egos and fears, and truly embrace their role and excel. Sabine Gedeon is a Transformation Coach, Leadership Consultant, and Business Strategist, and the author of the book, Transformed, The Journey to Becoming...
Nov 03, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 13
GivePanel is the lead sponsor of the Nonprofit Social Media Summit! Click here to get your ticket - it's all virtual on November 2-3, 2021. Despite what you may think of Facebook's ethical practices , nonprofits around the world rely on the social network to connect with donors and raise money every day. Over $5 billion has been raised with Facebook birthday fundraisers. Facebook Challenges have raised more than $50 million for nonprofits in the last 12 months alone. 84% of Facebook users share ...
Oct 27, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Do you struggle to portray your program participants as their own agents of change, while admitting that they also need your organization’s help? Do you worry about jeopardizing the dignity of the people in your stories for the sake of raising money? Do you find yourself debating ethical storytelling principles with colleagues who don’t see eye-to-eye? Tough but important questions - and Caliopy Glaros has us covered. Caliopy (CAL EE OH PEE) is the Principal Consultant at Philanthropy without Bo...
Oct 20, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 11
When the world is spiraling, nonprofits give the world hope. However, we often falter when showing donors the difference that they made and make every day - and convincing them that they made the right decision to support us. That's where Lynne Wester comes in - thankfully! If you know Lynne, the Donor Relations Guru, then you know that she pulls no punches and does not hold back in her opinions, her expertise, and her generous advice. She is one of my absolute favorite speakers and thought lead...
Oct 13, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 10
What a week to be working in social media. If you manage social media channels for your nonprofit, if you are on them in your personal life, or even if you just pay attention to the news, then you have undoubtedly heard about Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower. The claim is that, as Haugen says, Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy. However, I don't think quitting full stop is an option for many nonprofits, and for many marginalized communities who ...
Oct 07, 2021•18 min
How can small nonprofits build a truly engaged following on digital channels? Do we need a huge team to manage this, and an even bigger budget? And how can we strategically leverage digital tools to get younger generations involved in our work? In the latest episode of Nonprofit Nation, I sit down with Santiago Rosales of ActBlue for some real talk on how to build and run a flexible, inexpensive, and empowering digital fundraising program. We cover all things digital - advocacy, email, SMS, and ...
Oct 06, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Do you have visions of waking up without fear? Without the terror of a backlog of emails queued up and demanding your immediate response… or the latest batch of social media updates from people you don’t even know that well clamoring for your attention? Meico Marquette Whitlock has been there. He used to be like you. He was on the utter brink of burnout from work and tech overload. But several years ago, Meico had a breakthrough - and he shares what he's learned along the way with us in this ins...
Sep 29, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 8
My new course is open for enrollment - but only until September 20th! Get all the details in this mini-episode. The Digital Fundraising Formula is your step-by-step blueprint to launching wildly successful online fundraising campaigns – over and over again! Students will walk away with a Digital Fundraising Campaign Blueprint to plan, launch, and execute a wildly successful and profitable digital fundraising campaign. This Blueprint can be adapted and used over and over again, to raise money, bu...
Sep 15, 2021•5 min
Do you ever feel like you are making it up as you go? Are you constantly nagged by a voice filled with doubt insisting that the other shoe is going to drop? In this episode, leadership expert and author of the new book, The Surprising Gift of Doubt: Use Uncertainty to Become the Exceptional Leader You Are Meant to Be , Marc A. Pitman CSP® shows you how this doubt is actually a signal that you just might be on the verge of greatness. Really! Combining his ongoing education with his own experience...
Sep 15, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 6
There is a pervasive scarcity mindset that plagues the nonprofit sector. The fear that there is "never enough" - never enough money, power, influence, time, people, talent, board members, you name it. But, what if we are looking at it all wrong? What if there IS enough to go around? That's what my guest Nell Edgington wants to show us. Nell has spent her 25-year career innovating in the social change sector. As president of Social Velocity, she helps create more strategic, financially savvy, and...
Sep 08, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 5
My guest this week is Sabrina Walker Hernandez , fundraiser extraordinaire and total pro when it comes to “doing fundraising differently” and thinking outside of the box. Sabrina is President & CEO of Supporting World Hope . She is a certified consultant, coach, and facilitator. Sabrina has set fundraising records taking a Boys & Girls Club in Texas from $750k to $2.5M, leading a $12 million dollar capital campaign, and she has a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business ...
Sep 01, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 4
