Imagine the next time you sit down to do important strategic work for your nonprofit and you’re operating with a new rule book in hand.

Here at Prosper Strategies, we're hoping this year brings about a massive shift in the way nonprofits approach strategy. In fact, we're dedicating our work this year to making sure that shift happens.

Why do you choose to spend 40+ hours a week working at a nonprofit organization? Why do you tirelessly commit your time, talents and energy to a cause you care about?

A Theory of Change is a visual definition of the broader social change an organization is looking to achieve, hand-in-hand with others in its ecosystem, and a map of all of the outcomes and activities necessary to achieve it.

In 2020, there were an estimated 67 million Gen Zers, trailing only millenials and Baby Boomers in population size. This socially conscious generation is beginning to create their own wealth, and they are looking to make a difference.

With the end of 2021 approaching, here's how to build a better nonprofit marketing and communications budget for 2022.

By now, you’ve recognized strength-based messaging is about more than language and communication, it’s about a shift in mindset and philosophy. For many nonprofits, this shift is a very natural and easy one. For others, this is a new mental muscle that needs to be exercised, and it’s going to take some time. Today, I’m […]

Coded language is everywhere – in the news, in marketing and advertising, and on the lips of politicians on both sides of the aisle. It’s one of the sneakiest presentations of need-based, sexist, racist and otherwise discriminatory communication. And it absolutely must be avoided by any communicator who wants to take a strength-based approach.

Strength-based messaging ensures we emphasize strengths over needs – it’s not about what we lack, it’s about what we have and the potential that lies within each and every one of us.

Our series on strength-based communication best practices continues with a focus on two things you must avoid if you want to portray the subjects of your communication as real people, not stereotypes: saviorism and extreme exceptionalism.

Person-first language uplifts those your nonprofit exists to serve through messages that feel true and empowering to them.

This week, our series on strength-based communication continues with our first of several posts highlighting best practices any organization can benefit from following. The best practices we’ll cover over the next few weeks include: Follow individual preferences and be specific Use person-first language Avoid saviorism and extreme exceptionalism Emphasize strengths over needs (and place challenges […]

Last week, we kicked off our eight-part series on strength-based communication with a review of the latest research and trends in the practice. This week, before we continue on with a set of actionable strength-based communication best practices, we need to take a moment to pause and acknowledge the equity-building work that must be done […]

Is your organization doing everything it can to take a strength-based approach to communication?  If not, you’ve come to the right place, because for the next eight weeks, this space is going to be dedicated to the topic of strength-based communication for nonprofit organizations: what it is, why it matters, and best practices for incorporating […]

If you're looking to develop a new strategic plan in time for 2022, there's still time if you start now!

How can your nonprofit effectively engage its stakeholders in shaping its strategic plan (and program, marcomm, fundraising and other strategies) without falling into the consensus culture trap?

Running a successful nonprofit is actually much, much more difficult than running a successful business. Why? Here are just three reasons.

Any good fundraiser will tell you that it's never too early to start planning for your nonprofit's end of year campaign.

Here are the books you (and everyone at your nonprofit) should be reading now. Discover our picks for books on nonprofit marketing, strategy, fundraising, talent and more.

What role do core values play at your organization? Here's how to get started drafting them.

Here's why you should know other nonprofit competitors in your ecosystem.

2021 nonprofit stats prove that the size, scope and impact of the nonprofit sector is simply amazing, even in this time of great challenge.

This framework will help your nonprofit communicate clearly and authentically when a crisis or tragedy occurs.

An effective nonprofit marketing plan can help you clarify your goals & priorities and define the right activities for advancing your mission.

If you're looking to increase your nonprofit's web accessibility, we've compiled some resources and tools below to get you started.

We'll break down some recommendations for when and how to involve board members in strategic decisions.

As you're taking a look at the progress you've made and reflecting on areas of opportunity at your nonprofit, let’s discuss trends and successes we’re seeing from different organizations.

Are you getting ready to build a capital campaign plan for your nonprofit? This post will walk you through everything you need to know.

In our webinar, we discussed how Horizons National is navigating mission, vision and values changes.

At Prosper, we believe it’s critically important to involve not only your leadership staff and board, but a wide range of your organization’s internal and external stakeholders in strategic planning. Our most successful clients include everyone from their program staff to volunteers, donors, community members and those who use their programs and services in their […]

Every nonprofit has multiple stakeholder groups, ranging from board members to corporate partners to communities served, and often your messaging may need to vary from one audience to another. So how do you effectively tailor your messaging, while maintaining brand cohesion across your marketing and fundraising channels, including social media, direct mail, advertisements, emails and […]

Most of the nonprofits I know live on one end of the spectrum or the other when it comes to core values. There’s one camp that is totally gung-ho about core values. These are the folks who bring up words like trust and joy nearly every time you talk to them, the folks who hire, […]

Here we’ll break down strength-based messaging misconceptions, so your nonprofit can leverage the power of the language to advance equity and move your mission forward.

Zoom fatigue: At this point in the pandemic, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced it. But if you haven’t, let me assure you it is very, very real. Nonprofit employee burnout is already an issue in the best of times. People who choose to work in nonprofits tend to be deeply committed to the causes […]

Are you about to embark on the process of creating a case for support for your nonprofit? If so, you probably have dozens of questions about what to include, how to present important information, who to involve in the process and more. In this post, I’ll answer all those questions and more. Then, I’ll walk […]

If you’re a nonprofit leader and you notice an organization with a similar mission, drawing the same attention from donors, ask yourself, “are they a competitor or are they someone I can collaborate with?” Far too often, they’re seen as a competitor — a threat to your existence. This shouldn’t be the case. Some of […]

Here are the books you (and everyone at your nonprofit) should be reading now. Discover our picks for books on nonprofit marketing, strategy, fundraising, talent and more.

Your nonprofit brand includes how your organization is recognized, as well as how you communicate about who you are, what you do, and why it matters.

Looking for inspiration for your nonprofit’s annual report? Look no further. Here are some of the best reports from 2020.

The most effective nonprofits have four things in common.

Our 2021 webinar series is focused exclusively on breaking down the 10 commitments in The Nonprofit Impact Pledge and helping both nonprofits and their funders learn how to take action on them.

Here’s how to get started developing a nonprofit vision statement to articulate the future your organization exists to create.

We're on to a bigger, better and bolder future for the industry, for the good of all. Welcome to the the new nonprofit normal.

The Nonprofit Impact System™ has four elements and it's deliberately set up in a pyramid structure. Each element builds toward the next.

How can we use 2020 to run more effective nonprofit organizations, drive more positive change and advance equity and social justice in 2021?

There's some important due diligence a nonprofit needs to do to make their strategic planning process is as effective as possible.

As you close out the year, hopefully you’ve taken time to reflect on where your organization started 2020 and where you are now. Not a single nonprofit saw 2020 go according to plan. But the compounding obstacles that this year brought forced us to become adaptable and resilient. Many nonprofits tried new strategies to go […]

We've identified several traits of the most effective nonprofit teams. What traits do they have in common? 

We've identified several traits of the most effective nonprofit teams. What traits do they have in common? 

The most successful nonprofits all have sound, actionable strategies. Here are the four most important strategies your organization needs.

Read this post for top dos and don’ts when it comes to managing a time of transformation at your nonprofit.

At Prosper Strategies, we believe in co-creating change. This means rather than prescribing solutions to the challenges faced by a group or community, we advocate for seeking input from those our work impacts and using that input to guide important decisions.

If you were considering letting up on your fundraising efforts this year, think again. There's still time to get to work on your campaign and make it as impactful (and stress-free) as possible. 

There are many ingredients of a successful organization that can withstand challenges like the never-ending ones 2020 keeps throwing at the sector. But naming just one area that is both critical to nonprofit effectiveness and commonly overlooked, is choose systems and processes.

As nonprofits aim to build on the momentum of the last few months in ways that align with their missions, what role can nonprofit communicators and fundraisers play in addressing racism and advancing equity?

Let's put an end to unproductive nonprofit board meetings by adopting a better board meeting agenda.

Learn what strength-based messaging (AKA: asset-based communication) is really about and then put it into action for your nonprofit

If you’ve recently sent Prosper Strategies a request for a proposal, you’ve probably heard us say something along the lines of “Thanks for reaching out, but we don’t typically respond to RFPs.” Yes, we understand that RFPs are the norm (or at least they used to be) in the nonprofit sector, and that some boards […]

How can you ensure you’re having productive, engaging conversations the next time your organization wants to hire a nonprofit consulting firm?

This post was originally published in June, 2017 and updated on September 4, 2020.

If your nonprofit's strategic direction isn’t clear, parts of your team don’t fit or you think there’s a piece that’s missing, call a nonprofit consulting firm.

Use language that reflects the potential and the promise of a brighter future that is possible with the proper resources and support, or strength-based communications.

Nonprofit positioning statements help shape the external messaging you use to to explain what you do and why.

A nonprofit's core values define and institutionalize the essence of your organization. Here's to develop them.

Competition is a tough topic to tackle in the nonprofit sector. I agree with many experts who say there are simply too many nonprofits working on similar missions and confusing program participants, donors and the general public as they compete for attention, funding, and share of voice. I believe we can make far more progress […]

In the nonprofit sector, we know just how important it is to work with stakeholders, other nonprofits, and, partners like a strategic consultancy.

Nonprofit strategic planning is a process, and many organizations start it with a one to two-day annual retreat, where they kick off their efforts. But how do you prepare to make your strategic planning retreat successful?

In this two-part post, we dive deep into the seven deadly sins that result from treating a nonprofit marketing budget as overhead and explain exactly how they harm nonprofit organizations.

In this two-part post, we dive deep into the seven deadly sins that result from treating a nonprofit marketing budget as overhead and explain exactly how they harm nonprofit organizations.

The best future team planning happens in alignment with your nonprofit's strategic plan, which should outline your organization's most important priorities, goals and objectives over the next one to three years.

Meetings might not be the most glamorous topic, especially now, when most of them are taking place on Zoom and Skype, but they have an undeniably huge impact on the lives of most nonprofit professionals.  

Here’s a behind the scenes look at The Essential Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template to maximize your nonprofit's effectiveness.

While it can be a challenge to get feedback from those your organization serves, it is absolutely critical to your nonprofit's success.

The world has never needed the nonprofit sector more than it does today and COVID-19 is bringing that into even sharper focus.

An effective nonprofit fundraising plan can help you clarify your goals & priorities and define the right activities for advancing your mission.

There are few aspects of nonprofit management as vexing as measurement. Measuring your progress on achieving your mission is complex, challenging, and it can be costly. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that many organizations default to measuring things they can more easily get their heads around, such as people served, dollars donated, new […]

The most successful nonprofits have the staff and operational underpinnings needed to bring their vision to reality. Putting a structure of accountability in place, regardless of your nonprofit’s size, lays the groundwork for successful growth and increases your ability to drive impact.  However, creating an organizational structure as well as roles and responsibilities for your […]

The more focused your team is on why your nonprofit exists and the change you’re looking to drive, the better everyone will be able to direct their efforts to what really matters.

The Nonprofit Health Assessment is a simple 20-question survey that will help you get a sense of your nonprofit’s overall health by analyzing all the key elements of your organization.

The Nonprofit Impact Manifesto challenges everyone in nonprofit leadership roles to make 10 commitments that will allow their organizations to better work with and for the people they serve.

Introducing The Nonprofit Impact System, a complete set of tools and approaches you can use to optimize every aspect of your nonprofit for maximum mission impact today and well into the future.

The world has never needed the nonprofit sector more than it does today and COVID-19 is bringing that into even sharper focus.

We’re so thrilled you’re interested in reaching out to our team at Prosper Strategies, and we can’t wait to talk with you. Over the years, we’ve had the same questions come up many times from nonprofit professionals who fill out the forms on our site, so we figured we’d save everyone some time and answer […]

Since the government declared COVID-19 a national emergency, we’ve been closely monitoring how nonprofits are innovating their fundraising appeal. Here are some of the best fundraising appeals that we’ve seen this spring.

This webinar addressed strategies for nonprofits to connect with donors, cut through the communications clutter and keep their fundraising on track.

It’s time for nonprofits to turn their attention to how they might leverage institutional funders during the Coronavirus crisis.

If your nonprofit planned to host an in-person fundraiser, gala or similar gathering this spring or summer, the chances are likely that you've had to reevaluate your plans. You're not alone.

On last week’s webinar, when we asked the nonprofit leaders in attendance what they were most worried about right now, in light of COVID-19, “mitigating the risk of lost fundraising revenue” ranked as their number one response. That’s no surprise. With the virus gaining momentum in the midst of fundraising events season, thousands of nonprofits […]

It has been a challenging few weeks as nonprofits across the country navigate the fallout from COVID-19, and there are more tough times ahead. Your organization is likely facing difficult decisions about whether to change service delivery methods, cancel or reschedule upcoming fundraising events, resort to staffing and financial backup plans, allow remote work and paid time off, and more.

Is your nonprofit ready to effectively communicate with its stakeholders about coronavirus? This checklist can help.

Donor acquisition has gone digital. Learn how to find, acquire and nurture new donors online in this post.

Nonprofit CMOs should have these five essential qualities to be successful in the social sector.

Here’s how you can gather good quotes for effective nonprofit storytelling messaging and communications in a respectful and sensitive way.

Marketing shouldn’t be a dirty word in the nonprofit sector, yet it often gets treated that way. At the end of 2018, Prosper Strategies put forward a new definition of nonprofit marketing that’s taken the sector by storm.

Are you ready to begin building your own language and style guide to strength-based communications? Here’s how.

Here are a few critical ways that nonprofit CEOs should structure stakeholder engagement to improve communications, marketing and branding.

2020 nonprofit stats prove that the size, scope and impact of the nonprofit sector is simply amazing.

Here's why your nonprofit's CEO should be a thought leader, and how you can start using your own content to help them become one.

Looking for inspiration for your nonprofit’s annual report? Look no further. Here are some of the best reports from 2019.

2020 is going to be a big year for Prosper Strategies. Read this post for a preview of what’s ahead.

If I asked anyone at your nonprofit to describe your organization in one sentence, would all of their answers be similar? 

If your nonprofit is rebranding, it should be done collaboratively. Bringing together different people and perspectives results in different opinions, which leads to both a more fruitful process and better outcomes.

November is already halfway over, and if you followed our end-of-year fundraising timeline perfectly, your campaign should already be well on its way.

Imagine a world where every nonprofit presents an accurate, strengths-based picture of the people and communities it serves. A world where organizations don’t feel that they have to show sad photos of children who are starving, use gut-wrenching video clips of animals who are sick, or tell endless stories of the despair and suffering of […]

For most nonprofits, the risks and rewards of rebranding are two sides of the same coin. As you’re thinking through the pros, cons, opportunities and challenges that come along with changing your organization’s name or identity, think about three areas that will be impacted most by a nonprofit rebrand: your organization’s brand equity, your revenue […]

There is a right way and a wrong way to build and manage a nonprofit marketing budget. We've developed this whitepaper to help you through the process from start to finish...

A few months ago, I attended an event hosted by a nonprofit here in Chicago. One of the panelists was the Chicago Public School’s Chief Equity Officer, Maurice Swinney, and the discussion was about breaking the cycle of childhood trauma. As Swinney was speaking, he was correcting himself so that he was always using person-first […]

I started my career as a nonprofit marketer in 2014. Since then, I’ve worked at traditional nonprofits, professional associations, and agency settings. Though my experience has been varied, there’s one thing I’ve found to be true no matter where I’ve worked: nonprofit marketers often get the short end of the stick.  If you think about […]

Donor attrition is a real problem at nearly every nonprofit organization I’ve ever collaborated with. Each year, some donors simply stop giving, choose to give more to other organizations, or simply “age out.” That’s why every organization needs a solid new donor acquisition strategy. If you don’t replace lost donors with new ones, your organization […]

In this webinar from September 2019, president of Prosper Strategies Alyssa Conrardy sat down with the CEO of YWCA Chicago Dorri McWhorter for a conversation around nonprofit marketing and communications advancing equity. The two began by addressing the issues of stereotype porn — any type of of communications, be it written, photographed or filmed, which […]

More than 50 percent of nonprofits receive a majority of their donations during the last quarter of the year. As you think about your end-of-year fundraising efforts, it can be easy to fall into the trap of creating messaging and fundraising campaigns that put your donors at the center. Too many end-of-year materials emphasize how […]

There are few situations more vulnerable than those when we ask for help. As professionals, it can sometimes feel like we’re expected to know how to do everything; asking for help, then, can feel almost like an admission that we can’t do our jobs. If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone: 59 percent […]

If you’re like me, you’ve been working in (or with) the nonprofit sector for your entire career. You’ve spent countless hours on Google, skimming headlines and articles looking for that silver bullet; that last piece of the puzzle that will help your fundraising campaigns take off.  But so far, it hasn’t — at least, according […]

We’ve talked about making the case for a marketing investment to your board. So now, let’s talk about what to do when additional marketing investment gets the green light, and your next step is hiring a marketing agency. What’s the best way to engage your nonprofit board in the decision-making and firm hiring process? So […]

Who “owns” your organization? This question is not nearly as straightforward in the nonprofit world as it is in the for-profit world.  The short answer is the organization’s many diverse stakeholders.  Here’s how Judith E. Millesen explained the unique dynamics surrounding nonprofit ownership in Nonprofit Quarterly: “We all know that although a corporate board of […]

The nonprofit sector is full of jargon, silos, and the confusion that both create. Nowhere is this truer than in the marketing/communications/storytelling/fundraising arms of organizations, which seem to blur together and overlap more than almost any other area. Ask two different nonprofit professionals how these functions relate to one another, and you’re likely to get […]

Nonprofit Quarterly put on two excellent webinars: Beyond the Board Statement: How Boards Can Join the Movement for Racial Justice, Part 1 and Part 2     

Timely, relevant information and research about race, economic inclusion, civic engagement, social equity and more. The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity also provides trainings and resources.    

The Race Equity Institute has a blog and a podcast, they also conduct research on issues surrounding race, and they’re the producers of  the paper: Groundwater Approach: Building a Practical Understanding of Structural Racism.

There are few organizations we reference more than the Frameworks Institute when creating nonprofit messaging. Their research-tested frames on how to communicate about issues, including equity, are invaluable to creating awareness and activating people around important causes.

This comprehensive style guide provides language guidance on topics ranging from age to ability to immigration to economics and so much more.

At many nonprofits, marketing, communications and development are thought of as one in the same, and managed under a single department. At Prosper Strategies, we don’t recommend this, because these two functions are certainly not one in the same. That’s because marketing is much more than a tool for fundraising and development. Of course, you […]

You have a marketing challenge and ideas for how to solve it. However, it’s going to require more resources, and more resources often means more budget. So how can you effectively talk to your board and make the case for additional marketing investment? Here are some suggestions: Make marketing a regular board agenda item The […]

The power of networking cannot be overstated. A simple call, email or conversation over coffee can lead to partnerships and opportunities that could change the strategic or business trajectory of your organization forever. So what can you do to foster better partnerships for your organization? In our August webinar, Alyssa Conrardy discussed how to build […]

In this recent post, we discussed what a successful marketing implementation partnership between a nonprofit and an agency looks like, but implementation only accounts for about 50 percent of the work we do at Prosper Strategies. The other 50 percent is devoted to what we call “strategy.”  What is marketing strategy? Strategy is a nebulous […]

We know you have big ideas for how to spread the word about your nonprofit. Maybe you’ve even created a marketing strategy. But, if your organization is like many others, you are probably scrambling for the time or staff to actually implement your nonprofit’s marketing tactics. If that’s the case, you’ll likely turn to an […]

It goes without saying, finding a marketing and communications agency for your nonprofit is an important decision, and it can feel like you have a lot on the line. However, the right partner can help build your confidence and internal credibility during the hiring process, while working with you to navigate the dynamics of decision-making […]

Video is everywhere and it’s not going away anytime soon. Here are some numbers to prove it: According to Google, six out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than television. Hubspot estimates that 78 percent of people watch videos online every week, and 55 percent watch videos every day. A Facebook executive went […]

Imagine a nonprofit sector where each organization has a culture centered around marketing and communications. We think it can be done. That was the topic of our recent Changemaker Conversation. The panel for June’s Changemaker Conversations included Dorri McWhorter, CEO of YWCA, Elisabeth Majeda, Director of Marketing at Chicago Symphony Orchestra and John Williams, Operations […]

Nonprofit advertising is not “overhead” or a “waste of money” even though many donors — and sometimes board members — may initially think that’s the case. This is a challenge many organizations have to overcome when deciding whether to dedicate some of their marketing and communications budget to advertising. Nonprofit advertising serves a very important […]

An effective nonprofit website doesn’t come together by accident. The best sites are the result of careful planning and intentional decisionmaking. As we’ve covered in past posts in this series, the most effective nonprofit websites include these four elements: A Well-Structured Homepage With Clear Messaging An Easy Opt-In Illustration of Impact A Way to Donate […]

Your nonprofit is only as strong as its leadership. That’s just as true in marketing and communications as it is in any other function. In our July webinar, Alyssa Conrardy sat down with Caitlin FitzSimons, Director of Marketing at OneGoal National, and Chloe Lahre, Director of External Affairs at OneGoal Chicago, and they talked about […]

What will you be doing on December 3, 2019? If you’re like many in the social sector, you already know you’ll be knee deep in your #GivingTuesday campaign, hopefully watching the dollars roll in to support your organization’s mission. As most of you already know, #GivingTuesday is the annual, global day of giving that was […]

Learn about the 10 commitments savvy nonprofits are making to change their marketing and change the world.

“Content marketing” is a far-reaching term that encompasses all of the written information you put into the world in an effort to educate your stakeholders and activate them in service of your mission. This content includes social media, blogs, emails, videos, case studies, white papers, op-eds and so much more. These tactics are crucial to […]

If you’ve been following along with our series on the anatomy of an effective nonprofit website, you’re well on your way to building a site that truly works. Here are the four essential elements we’re covering in this series: A Well-Structured Homepage With Clear Messaging An Easy Opt-In Illustration of Impact (read on) A Way […]

I recently wrote a post about the ingredients of a successful nonprofit marketing initiative. In it, I discussed ways to ensure communications projects stay on track and achieve maximum impact, which included: Establishing a communications committee, made up of individuals who can champion the work and provide diverse perspectives; Considering the time you’ll need to […]

Your nonprofit is accountable to a diverse range of stakeholders. That's why involving your many different stakeholders any time you’re considering making a major change to the way you brand, market or communicate about your organization is so important.

During our June webinar on advocating for a strong marketing budget, Alyssa Conrardy, President of Prosper Strategies, was joined by Kevin Radelet, Executive Director of the Leukemia Research Foundation and Tabitha Upshaw, Chief Marketing Officer of Global Wildlife Conservation. In this blog, we share a recap of what they discussed.   This webinar centered on […]

Building a nonprofit website that really works is not as complicated as it might seem. As we shared in our last post in this series, there are just four essential elements every nonprofit site needs to succeed (this post covers  #2 of 4). They are: A Well-Structured Homepage With Clear Messaging An Easy Opt-In (read on) […]

Why do some nonprofit websites succeed while others fail? It comes down to much more than beautiful imagery and clean, user-friendly design. In fact, there are four elements that every nonprofit website needs to have to achieve its full potential, and most organizations miss at least one of them. Over the course of four posts […]

You know how important it is to stay top of mind for your stakeholders and encourage them to take action, and email is just one of the many ways you can do that. But is your nonprofit using email to its full potential? There are some email strategies you’re probably already using, like sending regular […]

Even the smallest nonprofits can make a big impact in their own communities with some strategic social media practices.

The for-profit world commonly uses the phrase “marketing and sales alignment” to refer to the relationship between the two departments, where marketing is responsible for lead generation and nurturing and sales is responsible for closing business. According to Salesforce: The new reality is that sales and marketing are continuously and increasingly integrated. Marketing needs to […]

You’ve built a marketing strategy that aligns with your organization’s goals, and you’ve chosen what tactics you’ll use to put the strategy into action. Now, the real work begins: executing on your marketing plan and evaluating its success by tracking the metrics that matter most. The process of measuring nonprofit marketing metrics may seem daunting. […]

The key to effective marketing planning is strategic research. Learn what your nonprofit marketing agency should be researching to inform your strategy.

Regardless of your background or the culture in which you grew up, you’ve heard and told countless stories in your lifetime. As a nonprofit development or fundraising professional, you’ve leveraged storytelling into fundraising success before — and you can do it again.

Many people confuse a marketing strategy with a marketing plan. This comes as no surprise because our entire nonprofit worlds are guided by an oxymoron: strategic plans. As confusing as this is, there is a difference between a strategy and a plan. Your nonprofit marketing strategy is the framework you’ll use to communicate about how […]

Don’t build your nonprofit’s marketing plan in a vacuum. Use research to help make it as effective as possible. As you work to pull together a marketing plan that will help you achieve your organizational goals and overall mission, you should take a look at what other organizations in your space, or your ecosystem, are […]

“Maybe we need some professional help.” Have you ever heard your colleagues (or yourself) say these words? Perhaps you’ve uttered them during the height of your busy fundraising season, or maybe they came out while you were banging your head against a wall trying to solve a seemingly unsolvable messaging problem that just keeps coming […]

Your nonprofit has a new strategic plan, and one of the major objectives falls right into your marketing wheelhouse. Your nonprofit is renaming; you need to update your messaging to better reflect your mission; your organization has a major upcoming anniversary; or there’s finally a recognized need to develop a comprehensive marketing plan. When your […]

Every nonprofit marketer has high hopes for a viral campaign. We see the success of campaigns like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Movember (No Shave November) or the Human Rights Campaign’s equal sign profile pictures, and we envy that exposure. That’s because we know that the more eyes we can get on our organization’s messages, […]

You know effective nonprofit marketing when you see it, but can you actually define what separates an organization that is extraordinary at marketing from one that is just average? It’s more than a sizeable budget, a killer social media strategy or some “secret sauce” that you can’t quite put your finger on. It turns out, […]

Prosper Strategies recently hosted an intimate panel discussion on “the DNA of Impactful Nonprofit Brands.” At this Changemaker Conversations event, dozens of nonprofit marketing and communications professionals filled the room to hear what our guests from three organizations had to say. Our panel included Anthony Ruth from One Hope United, Jemilah Senter from Illinois Action […]

A few years ago, Gail Perry caused quite a stir when she published her post “Why Marketing and Branding Can Kill Your Fundraising.” She later changed the title, adding the word “(bad)” and clarified that she wasn’t demonizing all marketing––just bad marketing–– but not until she had riled up quite a few communications and marketing folks who disagreed with […]

Often, when a nonprofit organization is questioning whether or not to rename, we recommend a brand perception study to help them understand external perspectives and align their internal stakeholders.

This blog is a recap of the Prosper Strategies webinar with Amy Levner from KaBOOM!: “Everyone a Spokesperson: Turn Your Stakeholders into Powerful Promoters for Your Nonprofit.”

Should you ask your organization’s volunteers for donations? Our answer to this question is a resounding yes.

Misconceptions in the nonprofit sector about the purpose and value of marketing are all too common. Many nonprofit leaders and their boards view marketing and communications as a “nice-to-have” line item in a budget, only necessary when fundraising or building awareness. But when marketing is well-aligned with your organization’s mission and goals, it can do […]

While there are many reasons your organization might consider refreshing your messaging, here are a few of the most common we hear at Prosper Strategies.

Brand consistency is important for a nonprofit organization, but it’s also important to allow everyone on your team to tell the story of your organization in a way that fits them.

This transcript is from the March 6, 2019 Independent Sector & Prosper Strategies webinar, “Create Communication Cohesion at Your Nonprofit By Getting Your Team On the Same Page About Your Brand.”

What comes to mind when you think about the most successful brands in the world? Most likely, you think of big corporations like Apple, Google, Tesla and Amazon, but what about nonprofits American Red Cross, the World Wildlife Fund or NPR? We believe nonprofit brands can and should be among the most revered brands in […]

Your staff, board members and volunteers are your best brand ambassadors. Are they presenting a consistent, yet personalized message about what your nonprofit does and why it matters? If not, it’s time to make Commitment #3 in the Nonprofit Marketing Manifesto, which says: We will recognize that to advance our mission we must build trust, […]

Have an even bigger marketing impact at your nonprofit by ensuring your brand is aligned with your mission and values, giving your stakeholders the tools they need to be your ambassadors and putting methods in place to measure the impact of marketing on your mission.

This transcript is from the February 6, 2019 Independent Sector & Prosper Strategies webinar, “Build a Better Nonprofit Brand By Aligning With Your Mission and Values.”