As promised, we’re letting you know first.
Applications for the 2016 Changemaker Marketing Lab Grant are NOW OPEN!
In case you haven’t yet heard the buzz, Changemaker Marketing Lab is an intensive, 6-month marketing consulting program where social enterprises and nonprofits like yours work hand-in-hand with our expert marketing team to build a compelling brand, craft an actionable, measurable marketing plan and gain the skills required to bring it to life.
Changemaker Marketing Lab includes 120+ hours of planning, coaching and consulting work from the Prosper Strategies team. But this summer, we’re giving one deserving social enterprise or nonprofit the opportunity to go through the entire program completely free of charge.
Making a major commitment to pro bono work through this program is part of our effort to redefine success in business and make an impact as a B Corp.
Learn more and apply for the grant here (it only takes 10 minutes!), or read on for more details.
Changemaker Marketing Lab : The Basics
Why: Your cause isn’t going to sell itself, no matter how compelling and important it may be. Just like traditional companies, nonprofits and social enterprises need smart, strategic marketing to grow. But in reality, many changemaking organizations can’t or don’t give marketing the time, attention or strategic thought it deserves. Often, those responsible for marketing wear many hats and carry a heavy load of daily responsibilities, leaving little time to focus on strategy or to determine what’s driving results from a marketing perspective. Changemaker Marketing Lab changes that by giving you an expert team of consultants and a proven structure through which you’ll strengthen your message, build a marketing strategy and gain the skills and accountability you need to turn it from ideas to reality.
Who: Changemaker Marketing Lab is built specifically for nonprofits and social enterprises. Impactful organizations of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to apply for the grant. Each Changemaker Marketing Lab client will be paired with one of Prosper Strategies’ principals, Lindsay Mullen or Alyssa Conrardy, and one of the firm’s expert marketing consultants, who will lead you through the entirety of the six-month engagement. We can work with a team of 1-10 individuals at each client’s organization. These individuals typically include marketing staff, development staff and select members of the leadership team.
When: Changemaker Marketing Lab is structured as follows:
- Month One – Build your brand strategy: In the first month of the engagement, we’ll meet bi-weekly and take your team through a series of exercises to re-evaluate or build your mission, vision, point of difference, key messages and stakeholder personas. These elements are the foundation of effective marketing.
- Month Two – Develop your marketing plan: In the second month of the engagement, we’ll meet bi-weekly and work behind-the-scenes to develop a measurable, actionable marketing plan for your organization. Our Priority Planning framework means your plan will be structured so that you can actually achieve it with the time and financial resources available at your organization today, not in some fictional future where you have a bottomless budget and countless hours at your disposal.
- Month Three – Train Your team: In developing your marketing plan, we’ll likely recommended tactics that you do not have the current internal skills or knowledge to execute on internally. In month three, we’ll meet with your team weekly to train them on selected tactics, such as media outreach, blogging for SEO, media relations, Google AdWords campaign planning or social media fundraising. Every training session is custom-tailored to your exact needs—no templated tutorials here.
- Months Four – Six: At this point, you’ll be armed with your marketing plan and ready to execute. We’ll meet monthly to review your marketing metrics (which we’ll set up for you in month one), help you troubleshoot issues you’re having and act a sounding board as you learn to put your plans into action.
The Changemaker Marketing Lab Grant application opens today, July 12th, and closes on Friday, July 29th at 11:59 pm CST. Calls with finalists will take place the week of August 1st and a winner will be announced August 5th.
How: Much of the work that goes into developing your brand strategy and marketing plan happens collaboratively during our regular meetings. We go through creative exercises and brainstorm sessions to uncover the key elements of your strategy. During months one – three, Prosper Strategies also puts in a significant number of hours behind-the-scenes to develop the key deliverables: your brand and messaging strategy and marketing plan.
We’ve developed the Changemaker Marketing Lab planning and strategy methodology through our engagements over the last four years with organizations ranging from small startup social enterprises to companies the Fortune 500. And it works.
The clients who have gone through this process with us explain best:
Prosper Strategies offers sound marketing counsel and guidance that is forward thinking and very much in line with how we need to approach the industry we serve. – Patty Hampton, Vice President/Managing Partner, Nonprofit HR
There are firms that excel in marketing and strategy, and then there is Prosper Strategies, a team that blows everyone else away. With Lindsay, Alyssa and the whole Prosper team, your business gets a partnership that will allow you to grow, act, and thrive. – Allison Pataki, Author, New York Times Bestseller
If you’re ready to make 2016 the year you finally get serious and strategic about marketing, and if Changemaker Marketing Lab feels like the right program for you, apply for the grant now. We can’t wait to kick off a truly transformational 6 months with you!
The Prosper Strategies Team
PS: We know a program like this is a big commitment. Still not sure if Changemaker Marketing Lab is right for you? You can get answers to many of your questions here or even call me directly at 312-955-0926.
