The Smart Communications Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Nonprofit Branding”

Episode 93: What can a good tagline do for your nonprofit?

Big Duck — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 09:00:00 -0400

Ever wondered what a good tagline can do for your organization? In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Farra Trompeter, partner and chief growth officer, discusses taglines, brand strategy, engaging community in your brand, social justice, and more with Chandra M. Hayslett, communications director, from the Center for Constitutional Rights and Ambar Mentor-Truppa, vice president of communications, from the Shriver Center on Poverty Law.

Episode 68: Why is a clear voice important for nonprofits?

Big Duck — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Sarah Durham, CEO of Big Duck and Advomatic, goes deep into the topic of organizational voice—what it is, how to create it, maintain it, and more. Building on the insights in her book, The Nonprofit Communications Engine, she connects the work of establishing a clear and consistent voice to building deeper relationships and mindshare with audiences. Tune in to learn how you can start developing your nonprofit’s voice and get answers to common branding questions.

Episode 46: How do you involve your community when rebranding?

Big Duck — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 07:00:00 -0400

“You’re never going to get 100% buy-in...” is one of many lessons Elisabeth King, Director of Communications for Lycée Français de New York, learned during her organization’s rebrand.

Over two-plus years, she oversaw a process that thoughtfully involved over 2,000 people—students, parents, teachers, and staff. Listen in to hear how she undertook this complex change management process and navigated buy-in. You’ll get tips for involving your community in a significant organizational change, too.

Episode 45: How can your staff co-create your brand?

Big Duck — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Ambar Mentor-Truppa, VP of Communications at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, chats with Big Duck’s Gil Mejia and Sarita Joseph about the rebranding process. Formerly a communications consultant to nonprofits, Ambar shares her collaborative approach, ensuring all key stakeholders have a say in the decisions that affect them.

Episode 44: How should you work with freelancers?

Big Duck — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Sandy Zimmerman, Big Duck’s Art Director, shares her experiences freelancing for nonprofits and managing new freelancers at Big Duck. She offers tips for organizations looking for freelance designers and writers, including where to find them, how to vet them, and logistics around hiring.

Episode 43: How do you let your community speak for you?

Big Duck — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Michael Hoffman, CEO and founder of Gather Voices, shares his perspective on how nonprofits can harness community-made video to create more engaging, honest, and diverse content. His new tool allows nonprofit communications teams, large or small, to collect, manage, edit, and publish videos submitted by the communities they serve.

Episode 42: How do you use the media for advocacy?

Big Duck — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Vince Warren is the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a frequent guest on MSNBC, Democracy Now, CNN, and other news channels. He joins us to talk about communications as a tool to advocate more effectively.

He shares an example of how CCR leveraged the media to shift public views about stop-and-frisk in New York City, tales from appearing on FOX News, and recommendations for media relations rookies.

Episode 41: How can interviews help you get better insights?

Big Duck — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Laura Fisher, Big Duck’s Senior Strategist, chats with Sarah Durham about how interviews can help you understand audience behavior and motivation.

Episode 40: How can you be a better writer?

Big Duck — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Dan Gunderman was Big Duck’s Creative Director and Senior Copywriter for over 12 years. Before moving to Scotland, he sat down with us for a conversation about writing for nonprofits. He shares two simple rules for nonprofit writing, key differences between writing and editing (and how to do both well), and simple tips busy people can put into action right away.

Episode 39: How can you get your team to stop fighting like cats and dogs?

Big Duck — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Farra Trompeter, Big Duck’s Vice President, and Chris Tuttle, digital engagement strategist, bring their respective love for cats and dogs to the analogy of fighting communications and development teams. Hear how they create cross-departmental alignment and collaboration.

Episode 38: Can chatbots improve donor experiences?

Big Duck — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Alice Hendricks is the CEO of Jackson River, a firm that helps nonprofits harness the power of technologies to achieve their goals. In this mind-blowing conversation, she shares how the consumer marketing space is using technology (chatbots, artificial intelligence, and more) and outlines how nonprofits can apply those tools to create more personalized and relevant experiences for supporters.

Episode 37: Are your internal communications values-driven?

Big Duck — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Elizabeth Toledo, President of Camino Group and former Vice President of Communications at Planned Parenthood, is a crisis communications expert.

She discusses the biggest internal communications challenges she’s seen and how strong values alignment can help nonprofits communicate more effectively internally and externally, especially about social issues and controversial topics. Plus, she shares recommendations for nonprofits looking to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Episode 36: Do you need a capital campaign consultant?

Big Duck — Wed, 22 May 2019 07:00:00 -0400

We sat down with Andrea Kihlstedt and Amy Eisenstein, capital campaign experts with over 50 years of collective experience in the fundraising space, to talk about their new project: the Capital Campaign Toolkit.

They discuss how the model of capital campaign development is changing—from nonprofits relying on consultants to lead the process to embracing online resources and tools staff can use themselves. Listen to learn more about what kinds of nonprofits can benefit from the toolkit and when calling a campaign consultant will be an organization’s best course of action.

Episode 35: Does your nonprofit need a new logo?

Big Duck — Wed, 08 May 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Claire Taylor Hansen, Big Duck’s Creative Director, helps nonprofits answer the age-old question: Do we need a new logo? She discusses signs that a logo might need to change, the power of using visual elements—typography, colors, patterns, and more—consistently and well, and shares a simple exercise in-house teams can do to assess whether their nonprofit’s materials align with communications goals.

If you want more resources to help you ensure your nonprofit’s brand is understood and applied consistently, download our free ebook, Brand stickiness: Building, integrating, and managing your nonprofit’s voice so it succeeds.

Episode 34: How can you make a lean team more effective?

Big Duck — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Christine Hughes, Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Burke Neurological Institute, is a world-class fundraiser and scientist with extensive experience in the biomedical field.

Christine is in the process of building the Burke development and communications departments—and their pipeline of donors—from the ground up using precision communications. By applying this strategy, she’s built a lean and efficient in-house team with a passionate network of consultants to fill in the gaps. Tune in to hear how she did it and for tips on building a team from scratch.

Episode 33: Should your organization produce a PSA?

Big Duck — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0400

Stephanie Paul, Vice President of Marketing and Development at the American Parkinson Disease Association, sits down with Sarah Durham to discuss her experiences creating PSAs and shares lessons learned along the way. Tune in to learn how APDA uses their PSAs as tools to raise awareness, reach new audiences, gather stories, and change perceptions about Parkinson’s disease.

Episode 32: What data really matters?

Big Duck — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0400

George Weiner, Founder and Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, a social impact tech company, sits down with us to discuss all things data—why it matters for nonprofits, what data to pay attention to, how to visualize and share it, and how to get started with Google Analytics.

This is a must-listen if you’re a nonprofit communicator responsible for collecting and measuring data related to your mission, or a nonprofit leader looking to foster a more data-driven culture at your organization.

Episode 31: Should you rename your nonprofit?

Big Duck — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 05:00:00 -0400

Farra Trompeter, Big Duck’s Vice President, and Dan Gunderman, Big Duck’s Creative Director, have successfully facilitated many nonprofit name changes throughout the years. In this episode, they discuss reasons why more nonprofits are changing their names, what it takes, and lessons they’ve learned that may help organizations thinking about evolving—or radically changing—their name.

Episode 20: How do you get affiliates to speak with one voice?

Big Duck — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:30:00 -0400

Stephanie Paul, Vice President of Marketing and Development at the American Parkinson Disease Association shares how the rebranding process helped APDA unite its 19 local chapters and ensure all had the tools to communicate with one clear voice.

Episode 19: How can you get your new brand to stick?

Big Duck — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 10:00:00 -0400

In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Ally Dommu, Big Duck’s Director of Strategy, shares the four core elements a nonprofit organization needs in place internally—culture, team, assets, and reflection—to ensure the hard work of a rebrand doesn’t go to waste.

Episode 2: When is it okay to use jargon?

Big Duck — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:45:00 -0400

Generally, we recommend avoiding jargon. But in this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Dan Gunderman, Big Duck’s Creative Director, sits down with Sarah Durham, Big Duck’s CEO, to discuss when nonprofits communicators should embrace industry-specific language.