Whether you are a startup looking for investment, or a nonprofit seeking to build momentum by attracting a larger donor, getting your story dialed in is clutch.On this week’s Relish THIS, David Cohen from Techstars joined me to discuss his experience with investing and what purpose-focused businesses can do to ensure that they are able to attract the capital they need to take their organizations to the next level.David sees three items as paramount to attracting and securing investment: ...

Volunteers are the fuel that keeps nonprofit organizations humming.Not discounting volunteers' hard work to serve nonprofits’ missions, volunteers and how they talk about their experiences working with their favorite organizations provide the thrust that brings an abundance of donations, interest, and other volunteers into the system. In short, when you treat your volunteers well and create an experience that a) positions them as the heroes in your mission story and b) treats their time ...

The idea of testing can stir up anxiety for many people. But what if testing was a fun, fruitful venture for your organization?In fact, to get the most out of your marketing, you need to be testing, measuring, making adjustments, and repeating this cycle infinitum to ensure you aren’t missing opportunities and are taking your message and its presentation as far as possible.What’s great is that it’s easier than ever to test elements of your marketing. And that’s just one of the thing...

All of us have a desire to be liked. And many of us hide our true selves from fear of rejection. We tailor our appearance, what we say, and what we talk about to try to curate a persona we believe will be more attractive to more people. This curation may create a likeable avatar, but it may exist through the exclusion of authenticity. And what might have been stifled through this creation?My guest today on Relish THIS is Kristin Faith, the CEO of The Nonprofit Makeover. If there’s anythi...

Are you struggling with content marketing?In one sense, getting your message out to prospects has never been easier. A quick web search reveals dozens, if not hundreds, of content tools to help you quickly distribute your latest ideas via email, social media, your site, and nearly anywhere else you can think of. However, this ease of access has come at a price. These distribution gains have come with a loss in the authenticity required to develop strong, lasting relationships. That’...

There’s a saying in sales, “‘No’ is the second best answer you can hear.”There’s a certain power in “no” and getting to that “not interested” allows everyone to move forward and get on with their day.This holds true in the nonprofit world as well. Understanding one’s mission and selecting partners that are mission-aligned is vastly more impactful than chasing money and forming relationships with those who are not great fits. It can be challenging to turn away money or influence when the oppor...

Storytelling is a major component of any organization’s marketing. People love a good story, and effective storytelling can make the difference between gaining that new donor or falling short on your projections… again.More often than not, when looking for a compelling story, one overlooks a glaring opportunity in one’s organization. See, when telling a good story, the devil is, as they say, in the details. And what better place to look for details than one’s own numbers?My guest to...

Particularly when one is a solopreneur, there’s a tendency to think of expenses as money coming out of one’s pocket instead of as an investment into one’s organization. It stems from adopting a scarcity mindset (rather than framing one’s experience from abundance) and also is seen quite a lot when one attaches oneself very closely to one’s occupation. (But that’s a whole other conversation.)The problem is compounded when framing every investment opportunity against the direct revenue this all...

In the past, one’s “elevator pitch” lasted 30-60 seconds. There was a reasonable expectation that one could hold someone’s attention for that period of time during which a longer conversation could be created. These days, however, 30-60 seconds is an eternity. In the world of TikTok and SnapChat and Twitter, we now have roughly 7 seconds to capture your audience’s attention before they move on to something else.That’s why you have to answer these questions immediately on your site:W...

Going after grants seems like a no-brainer for most nonprofits.The allure of readily available money is certainly a draw – that can turn into a real distraction if you aren’t positioned well to win these opportunities.My guest today, Gauri Manglik, is a pro in the grant writing space. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of Instrumentl, a platform designed to help nonprofits manage their grant writing to improve their chances of success in the space.Gauri has seen it all when it comes to navigating ...

One of the challenges most entrepreneurs create for themselves is an inability to ask for help. This can stem from fear of appearing weak, a desire for control, or a heightened sense of responsibility honed by years of “Gettin’ it done.”Regardless of the root cause, one thing is certainly true: You are not alone. Neither in your thinking that you ARE alone nor your actual state of aloneness. Help is available for you and it’s ok to be vulnerable and ask for assistance. (In fact, asking for he...

Marketing is all about relationship-building.From selling a $0.25 widget to landing a multi-million dollar corporate sponsor, your ability to close business is only as strong as the relationships you build. People do business with people… and it’s becoming increasingly evident that people do even MORE business with people they like. That’s why any chance to further your relationships with other and to strengthen those bonds is an important part of your organization’s tactics.And that’s what o...

A small adjustment in the language you use can make a big impact on your outcomes. A lot of nonprofits, in fact, MOST nonprofits, talk about donations in terms of “gifts”. This tees up a certain dynamic – one with low expectations which can reduce the frequency and volume of said “gift”. My guest today is Greg Harrell-Edge, the Executive Director at CoachArt. He and his team have completely reimagined how they talk about donations to reframe the narrative to one with heightene...

If there’s one takeaway from this week’s episode it’s that “your site is a member of your team.”And, like the other members of your team, your site needs to be nurtured in order for it to thrive and work as effectively as you would like.See, a lot of people think that having a website is enough. They tend to fall into the Field of Dreams fallacy. “Build it and they will come,” they say.But this just isn’t how the web works these days.You have to nurture your site to enable it to work to its f...

Aside from “pivot”, “culture” is a word that has been getting a bit of a workout in the business world over the last several years. There are SO many reasons why a focus on “culture” is a clutch move for any organization. We are seeing a big shift in how people engage with businesses and brands, and when one can lead with culture, there are a variety of benefits to be had.Attention to one’s prowess (or lack thereof) with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is an area where many organizatio...

Building a team seems like a pretty straightforward endeavor. Figure out what you want people to “do” then get someone on board to accomplish that task, right?Turns out, there is a better way to approach the hiring process and it comes from “BEing” rather than “DOing”.And it really comes down to seeking cultural fit before task fit.It’s a bit of a scary mindset shift but when you can see that it’s WAY easier to train someone to expand upon their set of skills than to facilitate a cultural ali...

At one point, having a purpose-focused organization was a bit of a differentiator. Lately, the term comes up a lot, and for those organizations that are truly leading with purpose and have a mission that drives their decisions and daily activities, kudos to you.At Relish Studio, we like working with people with a purpose for a variety of reasons. Mostly, helping organizations and their leaders who have a “giving back” ethos just feels good. However, we also see that many of these organization...

When asked, “What’s the best Customer Relationship Management Tool (CRM)?” I like to joke, “The best CRM is the one you will use.” And though this is mostly a pithy reply to a legitimate inquiry, in my experience just getting started and committed to using a CRM is one of the best actions one can take to get their sales humming.And yes, nonprofits can benefit from a CRM too. (One they will use, of course.)Your CRM helps you stay on track with outreach, check-ins, and where people current...

Like it or not, we are still living in a world where virtual events continue to be a necessity. In order to accommodate the widest possible audience, getting your virtual events dialed is imperative to ensure that you enable optimum engagement. And what’s fortune is that we do live in an era where technology exists to make these types of events not only possible but incredibly engaging.Instead of fighting the “new normal”, my guests today, Michelle Garrison and Daniel Moss from We and Goliath...

When thinking about planning, most of us start that exploration from the perspective of where we are today. Want to buy a new car? How much money do you make or have in the bank? Interested in taking an extended vacation? How much time have you accumulated in your PTO at work?But my guest today, Sherry Quam Taylor from Quam Taylor Consulting takes a different approach. She asks the question, “Where do you want to be?” and budgets according to those goals rather than getting stu...