Category: Messaging

Nonprofit Messaging Sweet Spot

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart
Aim for the gray spot!

In preparing for a recent client meeting, I took a stab at creating a visual to explain the ‘messaging sweet spot.’ It ain’t the prettiest picture you’ve ever seen (I’m no artist!), but it gets across an important point.

We usually aim for the middle of a Venn diagram. Not so with messaging, non profit or otherwise! If your messaging lands in the middle, you’re working harder to stand out because you’re using words that your competition is also using. The goal is to stand out, not blend in.

Does your messaging hit the sweet spot?

Stories…Impact

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

Yesterday, I got a great piece of feedback from someone working at a food program in New York. He had watched this week’s Tune Up Tuesday video. The video advocates for using relativity and specificity so that your supporters can connect with your cause. This is based on research about making issues ‘human scale’, and is articulately explained in Made to Stick by the Heath Brothers. (They’re so dang smart!)

As this viewer explained, he can tell a variation of the following story…

Jennifer hadn’t eaten in three days. She struggles with multiple chronic diseases that prevent her from leaving her house. This lack of food was not uncommon for Jennifer and the level of weight loss was significantly damaging her health. Our program brought food right to her doorstep and now she’s eating healthy and getting healthy!

…and it might be an effective way to connect with some individual donors. However, this viewer’s point was that for many funders, especially foundations, he has to then draw the connection to the bigger issue and show broad, measurable impact. In the case of Jennifer, for instance, he would go on to say that 75% of their clients show progress toward achieving a healthy weight after being in the program, i.e. Jennifer represents an overall trend they see in their work, which is that it works.

It comes down to audience and sequencing. (Yes, yes, I know you all know that I don’t like the term ‘audience’, but sometimes you just gotta use it.)

Human beings are hard-wired to understand and relate to stories. That’s why starting with a story works. In order for some donors to make a connection–or make the case–for supporting your organization, they will also need the facts and figures to back it up. It all comes back to one of the cornerstones of effective nonprofit marketing: Know Thy Audience.

Thanks to this viewer for bringing up a REALLY important point!

What have you found with your supporters? Is storytelling an effective way to inspire action for your organization or do you need the facts and figures?

Pitching Inspiration

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

For the last four years, I have the great good fortune of teaching in the University of Washington’s Certificate in Nonprofit Management program. Earlier this week, we had the ‘2011 Pitch-Off’, which meant five student groups gave an elevator pitch for this quarter’s organization of choice, the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Sure, it was a class assignment so they HAD to do it. But they didn’t just come up with something to stick in a “good enough” box. They went beyond. They inspired.

They encouraged us to think about music as a window to the soul. They connected the dots between discipline, focus and orchestra as community. They dazzled us with the idea that when you put instruments into a child’s hands, you tune their minds and hearts. They introduced the concept of an air violin–which a young boy played for a month because there was no  money to fix his real violin. They challenged us to think of what our world would be like without music.

They could’ve simply blah blah’d about the features of the orchestra–that it’s the oldest and largest in the country. Or they could’ve enumerated its strengths–number of students, number of orchestras, number of performances. Our heads would’ve been choc-o-bloc full. But if a nonprofit doesn’t connect with someone’s heart, they are unlikely to inspire them to take action.

In his post today, Carrots and marketing to the poor, Sasha Dichter proclaimed: “Benefits don’t sell.” That might be true if you’re trying to market shampoo in the developing world, but it’s not true if you’re trying to engage mission-minded people in your cause. (No offense to Sasha who writes one of the most on-point, thought-provoking blogs in the social sector, in my humble opinion.) The two B’s–beliefs and benefits–matter a lot. Together, they speak to both our hearts and our heads. It’s a matter of  aligning what you and those committed to your cause believe with the benefits they care about most (and that you presumably offer) in a way that is clear and compelling.

In the Pitch-Off, students found ways to nestle the benefits the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra has to offer (endangered instrument program, anyone?)  into what we believe–that music lessons are life lessons.

Tuesday I was reminded of why I love teaching so much–it’s because I get the privilege of learning. I learn way more from my students than they could ever learn from me. It’s humbling.

Hats off to all the students–especially those brave enough to stand and deliver–for speaking to our hearts…and then our heads. You pitched inspiration. Well done.

Elevate Your Elevator Pitch

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

On a recent Wednesday, I spent the day working with 10 different non profits. This was an opportunity for them to work on their most pressing, aggravating, ulcer-inducing marketing challenges.

Guess what topped the list? Elevator pitches. 9 of the 10 identified their elevator pitch as a trouble spot.  This didn’t surprise me too much since elevator pitches come up a lot under the heading of  ‘things that we know are important, cause us consternation and yet we wish we could just ignore’. 

What was striking was that most organizations were struggling with the same thing: diving right into what they do vs why they do it. We’re human: we’ve gotta get the why before we care about the what.

Let’s do a comparison:

Example #1:  We provide clothing, scholarships and other services to people in need.

Analysis: It’s technically accurate, yet vague and uncompelling. It’s also a mish-mash that doesn’t quite make sense, i.e. I don’t expect clothing to go with scholarships, so I’m not likely to remember exactly what they do. It’s also passive because they used the word ‘provide’. Never good and always avoidable.

Example #2: Do you remember being a teenager? What you wore mattered, right? It still does. Yet a lot of low-income kids have to wear clothes that make them feel embarassed. That’s why we’re on a mission to make sure all kids feel cool when they go to school.  If you have the chance, stop by our Thrift Store and you can see what I mean.

Analysis: Does this tell you everything the organization does? Nope. But it gives you a taste of what they do and, more importantly, tells you why they do it. And then it takes you to a place you can easily remember–the awkward teen years–so you can feel the importance of what they do without having to think about it. Emotion is memorable and compelling.

If you believe what they believe (i.e. if you’re someone who would rank high on their Belief-o-Meter), you’ll ask questions and learn more.  And that’s what an elevator pitch is all about: starting a conversation. It’s a door opener, not a deal closer.

For more tips on elevator pitches, check these out:

Are you stumped by your elevator pitch or do you have one you love?

Relativity, Narrowness and Names

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

My son, who is three and a bit, is obsessed with organizing things by size. Cups, toys, trains. Is the red cup bigger than the yellow one? Is the brown bear smaller than the white one? It’s all about relativity. Why is this?

At a workshop I gave in Bellingham on St. Patrick’s Day, I shared that there were 36.5 million people of Irish heritage in the U.S. That’s nine times the population of Ireland. Which number do you think they remembered at the end of the workshop: 36.5 or 9? That’s right, 9. And not just because it’s smaller. But because it was relative.  We train our brains from a very early age to compare and contrast. Absolutes are tough to wrap our brains around. My son will not grow out of his penchant for comparing; he’ll grow into it.

We spent a fair amount of time at Tune-Up Tuesday thinking about relativity as it relates (ha, ha) to messaging.

Lesson: use relativity to your advantage so people remember your organization and mission.

Two other key take-aways from this month’s meet-up:

  1. Personas are powerful. They are also hard to do. They force us to be specific and think deeply about one type of person who cares about our cause rather than the universe of people who might. Lesson: Deep and narrow beats shallow and wide when it comes to messaging.
  2. Names matter. A lot. If your organization goes by an acronym, be consistent about using that acronym. If you have an acronym AND you use the full name, you’re managing two brands. That’s expensive and erodes brand equity. Lesson: When it comes to names and acronyms, use one or the other but not both.

For those that were there, anything to add? For those that coudn’t join, what were you hoping to cover?

Sharing is Caring

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

Bootcamp Week #9: Share & Use

(this week’s vid)

You’ve got your Messaging Framework. Now what?

Now you make sure staff, board and volunteers all know about it. And you make sure that everyone practices the Top-Level Message for at least three months before they start tweaking.

That’s right. Three months. Why? Because that’s long enough to figure out what was simply uncomfortable vs what isn’t working. Anything less than that and you’re just giving in to the status quo, reverting to what’s comfortable but not necessarily compelling.

Resist.

It’s also time to do an inventory of all your communications and marketing materials, both on and off-line. Then go through and make everything consistent. A bit boring perhaps, but worthwhile. Very worthwhile.

This Week’s To-Do’s

  1. Send to board and staff. Ideally, hold a training and give them the chance to practice, practice, practice.
  2. Inventory your materials and make all messaging consistent.
  3. Give yourself a great big high-five–you made it through the Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp!

About Claxon’s Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp

This is week #9–the final week–of our Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp. If you’d like to get your messaging booty in shape, here’s what you do.

DIY Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp: Step-by-Step

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

Over 300 organizations survived the inaugural Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp. Congrats to each and every one of them!

If you still want to get your organization’s messaging booty in shape, download the Nonprofit Messaging Roadmap and a Messaging Framework and then work your way through the blog posts and videos below.

We know you’re busy so everything is short and sweet–you’ll be in fab shape in no time!

Point A: Your Belief Proposition | Blog Post | Video
Point B: Mental File Folders | Blog Post |  Video
Point C: Identifying Your Competition| Blog Post | Video
Point D: Unique Differentiators | Blog Post | Video
Point E: Engagement Proposition | Blog Post | Video
Point F: Pifalls to Avoid | Blog Post | Video
Point G: Top-Level Message | Blog Post | Video
Point H: Supporting Messaging by Audience | Blog Post | Video
Point I: Share & Use | Blog Post | Video

Messaging Fluency & MSG

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

Bootcamp Week #8: Supporting Messages by Audience

(this week’s vid)

What’s the difference between ‘advanced’ and ‘fluent’ when it comes to speaking a language? Your ability to calibrate to different audiences and settings.

For instance, it’s one thing to tell your colleagues that you tried the latest spot from the MSG150 food blog. It’s quite another to relay that same information to a chef from Le Cordon Bleu.

It’s about your audience and what matters most to them. That’s why it’s important to come up with your top three target audiences (the groups of people who are most important to the success of your organization) and know what they care about. Really, truly care about.

If you’re the Seattle Aquarium, visitors, volunteers and donors are all extremely important to you. But what they need to hear in order to engage differs dramatically.

This Week’s To-Do’s

  1. Download the Nonprofit Messaging Framework template.
  2. Brainstorm a list of target audiences.
  3. Narrow that list to your top three.
  4. Write a short paragraph describing what matters most to each target audience.
  5. Create two to four messages for each audience.
  6. Put proof points and stories for each supporting message that will motivate them to take action to take action!

Next Week

Sharing and using your Messaging Framework.

About Claxon’s Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp

This is week #6 of our Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp. If you’re just joining the Bootcamp, here’s what you need to do to get started.

Make ’em lean in

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

Bootcamp Week #7: Top-Level Message

(this week’s vid)

Your answer to the question, “What does your organization do?” should make someone lean in. Actually, physically lean in. Or, depending on the listener, they might raise their eyebrows. Or tilt their head to the side while making a little ‘o’ shape with their mouth.

You get the point.

If that doesn’t happen, revisit the other points on the roadmap because you’ve either skipped one or not dug deep enough to come up with a top-level message that does justice to your cause.

Yesterday, I judged 14 teams at University of Washington’s Global Social Entrepreneurship competition (GSEC). Three of the 14 made me lean in. One of those three, Sanergy, made me lean in AND laugh. Although all three were fantastic, that’s the one I remember. That’s the one I still want to know more about.

This Week’s To-Do

Try it! Say your top-level message to as many people as possible. Start with co-workers, friends and family. Then move on to others. Keep track of who you say it to and how they respond.

Next Week

Making your message resonate with Supporting Messaging by Audience. (It’s more exciting than it sounds.)

About Claxon’s Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp

This is week #6 of our Nonprofit Messaging Bootcamp. If you’re just joining the Bootcamp, here’s what you need to do to get started.

Down with jargon & the general public

Posted on: by Erica Barnhart

Here are key take-aways from the bevy of convos I’ve had this month about messaging and the Nonprofit Messaging Roadmap, including at yesterday’s Tune-Up Tuesday:

  • There’s still a lot of jumping to the how and what of your work. Say it with me: “Why first. Then what and how.” If you’re on a mission to eradicate adult illiteracy (for instance), you’ve got to share that first. Then you can move on to the fact that you’re doing this by mobilizing a cadre of passionate literacy advocates, etc. etc. etc. Frame it up before you serve it up.
  • Jargon. Egads, do we ever love jargon. Even if you think your audience knows what ‘wrap-around services’ or ‘field-tested diagnostics’ are, there’s still probably a more straight-forward way of saying it. Say it that way.
  • Everyone and the general public still aren’t target audiences. Sorry. Your nonprofit doesn’t have the resources to market to ‘people’. You have the resources to market to your best supporters, your believers. Who are they? If you don’t know, figure it out.
  • Messaging should reflect your organizational goals and strategy. Check out this great post on the Getting Attention blog for some food for thought on this.

Since identifying and engaging target audiences is still such a significant roadblock for many nonprofits, March’s theme will be (you guessed it!): Identify Target Audiences. Here are some of the things you can look forward to:

  1. Writing Target Audience Personas (no more than 3).
  2. Building an Editorial Calendar based on the experience of one of your ‘Personas’.
  3. Organizing a Communications Advisory Committee made up of your best supporters who fit your ‘Personas’.

We’ll have templates and how-to’s so as long as you read the March newsletter and blog posts, you’ll be all set.

If you’d like some in-person support, we’d love to have you join us on March 15th for our next Tune-Up Tuesday at the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center in Seattle.

Any other lessons learned or thoughts to share on all this?

Do you communicate as effectively as you think?

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Do you communicate as effectively as you think?

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