Reader, do your subscribers feel welcome when they sign up for your email list? A mistake I often see nonprofits make is not sending emails as soon as someone plugs their email into your opt-in form. Prospects have permitted you to contact them, so you're already top-of-mind. When you send an email immediately after they sign up, you're reinforcing their decision to sign up. You stay top-of-mind through consistent communication. (My recommendation is at least 1 email per week!) To move your...

I don't know what our value add is. I'm not sure what resource we have that's valuable to our audience. Have you ever said that about your nonprofit or mission-driven business, Reader? I hear this all. the. time. Can I lovingly tell you that you're wrong? There is a resource, tool, relationship, or information you have that can benefit someone else and pull them closer to your mission. Just this week, I got this screenshot from an executive director I work with: I've been running this...

"I don't want us to sound salesy. I just want people to know about the work we're doing." << A nonprofit client said that to me on a call recently. It's true that nonprofits (usually) aren't selling a service, they are trying to grow their supporter base by nurturing prospects who support their mission. That means people need to know who you and what you do. And no one will know unless you tell them. People need to know they can trust you before you ask them for money. It doesn't matter...

"Billy Bob down the road could repair this for a much cheaper price, but..." A chunk of wet wood fell to the grass as he rubbed his hand under our window jay. "...this is structural wood. If it gets any wetter, it'll go into your interior wall." My husband and I looked at each other, worried. We weren't willing to risk mold toxicity and extensive damages. "Let's do it!" I said, "I don't care how much it costs." You see, Reader, our house was a rental before we bought it, and things weren't...

"Come give us money!" ↑ That's how I interpreted an email I received this morning. It was from a nonprofit I've loved and supported for years. When I searched my inbox to see if they've sent me any other email since I subscribed (as a donor) over a year ago? Nada. I was excited when I saw them in my inbox, but I didn't feel prioritized as a donor. Yeah, many nonprofits run on tight budgets and teams, and it's probably not intentional. But you know what I'm willing to bet? They'd raise a lot...

AI-generated content is just digital plastic. Unoriginal ideas are permeating platforms, with just enough variation to pass as "authentic". AI-generated content is another shiny object that we're spending too much time on, under the guise of saving time, with no real data to show for it. Just regurgitated thoughts dirtying up our virtual realm. I'm not saying you should be anti-AI, but I am saying you shouldn't depend on technology for human-centered connections and then act surprised when it...

Storytelling will outlive AI. Stories are what we live by. We invest our belief systems in them. We recall them to remember loved ones. We tell them to entertain or motivate others. We tell them to engage donors and stakeholders. Stories have been around since the dawn of man, and I don’t see that changing simply by throwing more tech in the mix. Because when empathy is at the heart of our story, people keep listening. Empathy keeps our humanity at the forefront. When we can – as Atticus...

Reader, who do you surround yourself with? High-quality people who are hungry for something greater or people who pander for whatever crumbs they can get? Since you’re a mission-driven pal, I assume you'd choose the former. So should your emails. The spam folder is the dark abyss of spammy bros, scammers, and bad pitches. It’s where emails go to die. The last thing you want is for the email you thoughtfully crafted to land next to an email like this one I got recently: I don't even need to...

Reader, did you catch my LinkedIn post yesterday? If not, I'll give ya the cliff notes: I was this 🤏 close to buying a course from a longtime {super successful} inbox mentor I responded to their email - per their call-to-action - aaaand *nothing* They lost a sale because their communication (er- lack thereof) didn't align with what they said I've got something to preach about today (preaching to myself, too): You have a responsibility to build relationships with your audience. It's a key...