Nonprofit Leaders Share Their Secrets to Success

Success is a word heavy with implications. It means something different to each person and each organization. It’s relative; success for one could look like reaching a million followers on a social media platform, while to another it could be finally hitting a high donation goal or meeting someone with needed resources. 

Success could be a number, a feeling, a noticed impact, or influence. Whatever it looks like to you, big or small, we can all agree that success is something we strive for in creating impact. And just as there is no one correct answer for what success is, there’s no one way to achieve it. 

In my opinion, success is anything that leads to a meaningful win for your organization. As a nonprofit leader, the road to success can often look longer and steeper than most. Creating lasting impact and changing the world for the better will do that! Your efforts are needed and important, but it can be challenging to know what to do to get yourself where you want to be and achieve the success you envision. 

I spoke with a few nonprofit leaders who I admire about what success means to them, what helped them achieve it—and where it led. Their feedback was unsurprisingly invaluable and inspiring, so read on to learn what these nonprofit leaders said were their secrets to success.

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Irene Barton - Cobb Collaborative

Cobb Collaborative educates, engages, and empowers local people and organizations to improve outcomes for children and families in Cobb County, Georgia. 

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What helped you achieve success?

Networking in the community - not just with other nonprofits, but also with funders, businesses, government agencies, and community members.

What success did it lead to?

I ended up being part of the conversation to address issues that aligned with our initiatives. The one initiative area where we really saw growth was mental health. It was a critical issue before the pandemic and now has really been heightened. Because I went to meetings, gatherings, and workshops hosted by a variety of leaders - public health, state agencies, K-12 educators, social services - and could bring information about what we were doing and how we could help address the problem, more opportunities kept popping up. It became, “Have you heard that the Cobb Collaborative is doing a lot around mental health” and, “You might want to reach out and see if the Collaborative has any ideas or resources around that issue.” That led to connections, being at the table, and ultimately - financial investment.  

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

​​Much like for-profit business owners, there is a difference between working "on" your business versus "in" your business. My advice is to get connected with others - subject matter experts, thought leaders, peers, and community leaders. You might go to a few meetings where you emerge without a specific connection, but sooner or later, you will build enough of a network that opportunities to grow your organization will start to emerge. 

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Jeff Shaw - Frontline Response

Frontline Response is on the frontlines every day rescuing individuals out of the darkness of sex trafficking and homelessness while preventing children and other vulnerable individuals from falling victim.

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What helped you achieve success?

We have recently undergone a shift from focusing on outputs to focusing on outcomes. Rather than measuring what we do or how many people we do it for, we're looking at how what we do moves the needle in the lives of the people we're doing it for. Being able to take an honest look at impact allows us to better invite partners and donors into the story, evaluate our programs and their effectiveness, and test new things.

What success did it lead to?

We have only just begun, but by next year we'll be able to look at a year's worth of initial outcomes and begin the process of evaluating and updating our programs and services to be most effective. Additionally, we're already seeing the increase in confidence and support from our partners!

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

First, bring in someone who understands outcomes and logic models to teach you and to facilitate the process of determining your outcomes. Second, be sure to teach your team about outcomes and bring them on the journey with you. This is a cultural shift and it's important for everyone to be bought in! Lastly, identify a platform that can help you manage your data and monitor outcomes. We went with SureImpact. So far, so good!

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Kayla Stagnaro - Plywood People

Plywood People is a nonprofit in Atlanta leading a community of startups doing good.

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What helped you achieve success?

Time blocking

What success did it lead to?

Time blocking allows me to get things done more efficiently. It also helps me set boundaries, so I can make sure to prioritize the work I need to get done. 

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

If you haven't tried time blocking before, I recommend picking one or two tasks to time block for the next two weeks. For example, try blocking off time when you answer emails, so it doesn't consume every down minute (30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon). After that two weeks, evaluate what worked and what didn't. 

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Rima Patel - Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion

Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion is a global nonprofit committed to creating a financially inclusive world, with a trailblazing legacy in microfinance and fintech impact investing.

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What helped you achieve success?

Building a strong brand and getting the entire team on the same page. A brand can't reach its potential unless the team behind it internalizes the brand values, represents the mission, and understands what makes them unique. If these are not clear to your team, it's probably not clear to anyone else.

What success did it lead to?

Aligning our team and brand has led to a more intentional communications approach, forced us to consider critical questions about our organization, including how we are keeping up with industry trends, and helps us deliver our message to potential partners and donors more succinctly and eloquently. We already knew who we were, but now we can talk about it to others in a consistent way.

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

Taking the time to sit down, brainstorm, and have the hard conversations (because there will always be disagreements) will align everyone, their work, and how your organization positions itself to the world. If these internal processes and perspectives are aligned, your brand values and attributes will be better represented to everyone else.

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Rebecca Rothney - Pack for a Purpose

Pack for a Purpose positively impacts communities around the world by assisting travelers who want to take meaningful contributions to the destinations they visit.

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What helped you achieve success?

My success was achieved with the talents of my incredible friends, their willingness to donate their time and skills, and their belief in the mission. This, of course, was ensured by providing them with my hot, out-of-the-oven, homemade, mint chocolate chip cookies. In addition, we have many outstanding universities in the area, which have been a source of excellent interns. 

What success did it lead to?

Our success has allowed us to grow in the last 14 years from 29 participants (accommodations and tour companies) in 15 countries to more than 400 participants in over 50 countries. Each one of these participants supports local community projects that enhance the welfare of the community. 

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

Know how to bake a great cookie! Have generous and talented friends. Be persistent. If someone answers no, ask someone else until you find the person willing to say yes. Work as a meritocracy. The best ideas, no matter the source, are the ones that will lead to success.

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Derreck Kayongo - Africa Mbele

Africa Mbele is a movement that aims to educate, mobilize and activate the Diaspora community in order to end extreme corruption in Africa.

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What helped you achieve success?

"Investors" are people who participated in my formation from the day I was born to the day I built my first company. They include my parents, a missionary woman from Pittsburgh who helped raise me, a believing investor who donated money for me to go to college in Boston, an excellent formal VP at Hilton hotels who joined my board at my company and helped me get $1.3 million from Hilton to build my first factory, and the hotel industry that believed in my idea to recycle and repurpose partially used soap from the hotels. Without these investors and more, I would have never been successful!

What success did it lead to?

My organization was then able to provide soap to people all over the world that faced natural and human-made disasters. For example, the Haiti earthquake and the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. But perhaps an even better outcome is that because of our work at the Global Soap Project, the hotel industry has responded to the waste by mounting liquid canisters in bathrooms. I'm proud of that shift and that is my legacy.

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

Don't wait for all the ducks to be in a row. Start and learn the art of improvising along the way, because if Mike Tyson taught us anything, it was that everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face, then everything goes out the window. Plans are good, but improvising with cleverness is even better.

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Ashley Jones - Love Not Lost

Love Not Lost is on a mission to revolutionize the way we heal in grief. They photograph people facing a terminal diagnosis to celebrate life and preserve memories together with their families and those they love.

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What helped you achieve success?

As I was learning how to run a business over a decade ago, I kept hearing mentors say the phrase, “innovate or die.” It’s been some of the best advice that I have taken with me as I have started a nonprofit, too. The reminder of death in the business sense keeps me from getting complacent, and actually in life too.

It’s kind of ironic that the nonprofit I started is focused on helping people with death and healing. Keeping the end in mind can be so inspiring and fuel creativity as well. Why go through life being bored?!

What success did it lead to?

It’s led me to create fun and successful events - our most recent one coming up is our UN-gala with another new concept in the works for this fall/winter.

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

Take the same advice I did: Innovate or die.

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Luiza Raposo - The Georgia Center for Nonprofits

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits is Georgia’s largest association of nonprofits. A hub for social innovation, GCN creates thriving communities by helping nonprofits succeed.

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What helped you achieve success?

Not trying to do everything for everyone but being strategic about goals, which helped clarify what to focus on.

What success did it lead to?

Each year on Giving Tuesday, GA Gives raises millions of dollars for Georgia nonprofits and raises awareness of the sector.

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

Don't skip planning and go straight into tactics/executions.

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Emily Laney - Girl Talk, Inc.

Girl Talk inspires all girls to be confident leaders through peer-to-peer mentoring programs.

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What helped you achieve success?

Building relationships has led me to success at Girl Talk. Two examples come to mind. One, I applied to join a nonprofit leadership program through Chick-fil-A and Plywood People. Being accepted to that program gave me an instant community of fellow nonprofit leaders. Their expertise and support has meant so much. Additionally, the connection with Plywood People has led to operational success for Girl Talk, as we learned about the opportunity to become Plywood Place members, saving us money each month on office space and giving us more opportunities for networking.

Secondly, I have tried to be brave and reach out to people on LinkedIn, asking to connect to get their advice or talk about our organization. I've been honest and reciprocal in those conversations, which has led to event sponsorships, board members, and new relationships. It's been amazing to see how willing people are to grab a cup of coffee and chat.

What success did it lead to?

It's led to more relationships, cost saving, sponsorships, and increased fundraising revenue.

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

Do not be afraid to ask someone to connect. Most people are happy to grab a cup of coffee and chat. Be clear in your intentions but focus on relationship building. Have an agenda in mind and talking points but allow the conversation to flow and be natural. And try to not make conversations one-sided—ask if you can help that person with anything or make connections for them as well.

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Simon Doble - SolarBuddy

SolarBuddy is an impact organization uniting a global community to illuminate the futures of all children by gifting solar lights to children living in energy poverty.

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What helped you achieve success?

Perseverance, persistence, passion, purpose.

What success did it lead to?

We had triple digit year-on-year growth in our first four years, and we were operational in 54 countries within six years.

What is your advice for others to achieve similar success?

You really do have to love what you do to keep going through all the adversity and challenges, and do it all for the right reasons that are true to your ethics and morals. Otherwise, don't bother.

Whether it’s networking to form new relationships with investors, donors, or supporters, time blocking to achieve tasks, or building a strong brand with your team to get clear on your mission and communicate it to the world, all of this advice can help your organization make a bigger impact. How can you incorporate these tips into your success plan? 

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I'm Kristi Porter, and I started Signify to help small nonprofits and for-profits with a social mission get noticed and grow through effective marketing and communications. I also teach solopreneurs and small businesses how to incorporate philanthropy and giving strategies. I believe that cause-focused organizations like yours are the future of business. You're proof that companies can both make money and do good. And I'm here to make sure you focus and shine. When you succeed, we all win.

The Most Difficult Business Decision I Made in 2020

2020. What can I say?

My word for the year was TRUST, and good gracious, that was certainly put to the test.

There has been so much fear, anxiety, heartbreak, and unknown over the past 12 months, and though we are more well-informed today and a vaccine has arrived, we still don’t know what the long-term ramifications will be.

At times it feels like a constant free fall, doesn’t it?

Yet, we each also found some bright spots. There were signs of hope all around us—if we dared to look for them.

People working together.
Kindness being shown.
Justice taking hold.
Smiles behind the masks.

But I have to admit, I found myself struggling on a lot of days. From forced isolation to losing clients to my own chronic health issues to, you know, general pandemic junk like wiping down my groceries for months, I went through a lot of dilemmas last year.

However, there was one decision in particular that changed the course of my business and life.

Let me take you through a general timeline of 2020 from my perspective.

January

Remember when we all started 2020 with hope and fresh eyes? So many business plans and capital campaigns were built around the start of this new decade.

Themes were created.
Events were planned.
Anticipation was all around us.

I was right there with you. I had made progress in my business and health the previous year, but 2020 was going to be my best year yet! In fact, that sentiment is what I kept writing over and over in my planner: 2020 is my year!

And then . . .

March

It’s like our calendar re-started, isn’t it? Everything is “before the pandemic” or after.

As someone with chronic health issues for almost nine years now, I was safely tucked away in my apartment. Honestly, things weren’t much different. I already lived alone, as a solopreneur, I worked alone.

So, other than having to move a few of my meetings online and my amazing friend delivering my groceries to me, my routine didn’t change all that much. I actually thought I was kind of built for this, and as long as I was careful, I’d be fine.

BUT around this time I also started feeling bad. Not COVID bad, but I knew I had another kidney infection. They weren’t new to me, sadly. This one, though, wouldn’t go away.

Remember: I’m also running my own business during this time.

Not only did I have to work while dealing with this issue (which was super hard), but the world was just learning about what the pandemic could mean for us—and freaking out as a result.

During March I lost most of my clients, at least for the short-term.

The projects I’d mostly been working on in January and February were travel-related or for nonprofits . . . so, yeah. Gone. And even those that were in the works got put on hold, sometimes indefinitely.

Though I’ve been there before, I was truly looking into the future and unsure where money was going to come from. Frankly, it was scary, and you probably know at least some of how I felt from your own experience.

April - May

Over these two months, I had to rebuild my client base, keep in contact with past clients that might have future projects, and of course, stay inside.

Oh, and I still had the kidney infection.

I’ve never had one this bad. I went through four rounds of antibiotics, got treatment from both of my naturopaths, tried tons of homeopathic remedies, and slept a lot. It just wouldn’t go away!

(Side note: Having a kidney infection during a TP scarcity is not recommended. :)

I was extremely grateful to have work, but struggling to get it done because I just felt bad all the time.

My anxiety was also growing—and my hair was falling out from the illness and stress!

It was time to do something that I really didn’t want to do: see a specialist.

June - July

Two things were working in my favor at this point. First, my biggest client was actually having a great year because of the industry they’re in. So, that meant more work for me, yay! Second, I had a new retainer client that would be steady work for at least the rest of the year.

To be honest, I prefer project work to retainer work. But I’ll be the first to admit that I needed the stability these two clients gave me, both for my business and for my health.

At the same time, I was seeing more doctors and getting tests because they didn’t really know what was wrong with me. An x-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, blood work, and more. It wasn’t just a hassle, it was getting expensive! I didn’t have great insurance as an entrepreneur, and I was certainly paying for it.

Additionally, I’d formally started implementing my self-care plan: weekly trips to the Starbucks drive-thru! (And episodes of The West Wing Weekly.) With social distancing and oodles of Zoom calls, my baristas and a Tall Skinny Vanilla Latte were a welcome sight to my routine.

August would also bring a couple of big turning points.

August

Still not knowing what was wrong with me, I had a procedure done to help the docs suss it out. Guess what? They still didn’t know. I got yet another, “If it gets worse, let us know.”

I’d actually started feeling better since July, though. That was a good sign, but I was growing more frustrated by paying doctor fees and getting no answers, my anxiety was getting out of control, and my hair had gotten pretty thin.

I was not okay.

I was at a crossroads, and it was time to make my most difficult business decision yet:

I decided to get a “regular” job.

Oh, and I went on anti-anxiety meds. I needed a clearer and calmer mind to work, sleep, and live life. That was a very good decision, and I hope to go back off of them very soon.

Besides needing better benefits and additional stability, I also have to admit that the forced isolation was getting to me. Like I said, I was primarily by myself a lot anyway, and it actually doesn’t bother me. It is very rare that I feel lonely. But having the decision taken away from me was difficult. As was not traveling, which is really important to me.

For my mental health, I also knew I would benefit from working with a team again. It would be nice to have the support and regularly work with people toward a common cause. Even I couldn’t deny that additional benefit.

Let me also stop and clarify two things before moving on. First, I had no intention to close Signify. My mission, work, and clients matter a great deal to me and I wanted to continue growing my business in some way. I still know how much it’s needed, and I would find a way to continue.

Second, there was a lot of ugly crying involved. For my fellow entrepreneurs out there, you know what I gut-wrenching decision this was.

I felt like a failure.
Like I couldn’t hack it as a business owner.
Like I wasn’t fit to be an entrepreneur.

Now, I know that isn’t true. Part of this was my perfectionism talking and part of it was the anxiety. But it felt horrible and very, very real.

But I pressed forward and did what I need to do: I started looking for a job.

September - October

My body had healed itself by this time. I still don’t know what was wrong, and am praying it doesn’t come back.

But the financial damage was done at this point, and reinforced my decision to find a job. Between all the different healing avenues I’d taken, I’m guessing the costs totaled about $10,000. And, as a reminder, I’d been dealing with chronic health issues for almost nine years, so this was just additional debt to stress me out.

So, during the fall I networked, applied for a couple of jobs, had a promising interview, and continued my client work. However, the meds had kicked in at this point, so at least I felt more clear-headed, which was a huge blessing.

Oh, and of course, a vaccine was just around the corner!

November: THE BIG CHANGE

The first person I reached out to about a job had been a client for about a year, Vector Global Logistics. The founder, Enrique Alvarez, and I got along swimmingly. We had very similar business philosophies and believed in the power of business for social impact.

We were always trying to find ways to work together, and I thought this might be the next step. Luckily, he thought so, too.

It took us a while to work out the details, but I officially started working part-time for them—with benefits—in November!

I’m happy to announce that I’m the VP of Sales and Marketing for Vector Global Logistics.

Basically, Vector gets the products people care about from Point A to Point B. They provide commercial shipping and logistics services. So, they don’t ship you the new shoes you bought off of Amazon, but they do ship the containers of shoes just like them that came from far off places. Well, they do a lot more, but that’s the gist.

Plus, the reason they exist is to change the world. Because the supply chain affects so many aspects of our lives, they see it as a terrific opportunity to do good. They love giving back and do it every chance they get. Obviously, I can get behind that.

And this still allows me to work part-time on Signify as well. I’m deeply grateful, and have really enjoyed working with them over the past two months. They are an incredible and talented team, and I have to admit, it is nice to be working with a team again!

(I will take a moment to give a huge shout-out to all my previous interns, though, who have really helped shape Signify over the past few years. Plus, they have been a blast to work with!)

December

The most difficult aspect of joining the Vector team has been figuring out how to juggle my new responsibilities with my client work while still growing Signify. (And writing content like this!)

I’m a pretty organized person, but I’m definitely still figuring things out. I imagine it’ll be months of working through this process.

I love starting and building things, though, so working with Vector is a really fun and unique opportunity. It is an amazing company.

I’m excited for the future of what we can do together, and how it will effect Signify (and vice versa.) They are very supportive of my work for both companies, and I’ve got big ideas for both!

Overall, the end of 2020 worked out pretty well for me. It was certainly rough at times, but I clung to my word of the year, TRUST, and came through okay.

The Moral of My Story

Here’s the paradox of 2020 for me: I actually made more money than in any other year, whether as an entrepreneur or a full-time employee. But with the stress of the year, my ongoing (and new) health issues, the new debt, the forced isolation, and another uncertain year ahead, I decided to get a job.

Weird—the watchword of 2020.

I tell you my story not just to say “woe is me” or get your sympathy. I’m sharing what happened to me because it’s probably not all that uncommon and I wanted you to know that you’re not alone.

As the founder or leader of a nonprofit or social impact company, you’re always in a battle for better.

You want to do good and by working on behalf of a cause, you’re always sacrificing something of yourself. It could be your time, money, resources, or any number of things. It’s not easy, but you know it’s worth it. I do, too.

While I strive to be a genuine and authentic person, I admit that I’m not always an open book. I do keep things close to my chest because that’s just the way I operate and internally process. But I wanted to share my difficult decision with you because I know you get it.

You may not have been in the same situation as me, but you know how hard it is to run an organization and what you might have to do or give up as a result, both personally and professionally, to see your mission move forward.

Let me remind you, though, just like in 2020—and just like in your work—there are always bright spots in dark times.

How to Find the Right Social Impact Job for You

There are lots of websites, blogs, podcasts, and more that tell you how to find a great job you’ll love. But let me share two pieces of advice that really helped me last year.

• Create a great network. When you find yourself with some sort of need, you need a great network to turn to. Cultivate relationships with lots of amazing people, in life and in work. Be generous with your time and resources because it’s the right thing to do, but also because those wonderful people will return the favor. When I was looking for a job, I wasn’t doing it in a vacuum. There were a few amazing friends and peers who were looking out for me, too.

• Make a list of what you want. I didn’t want just any job. I knew exactly what I was looking for and I went in search of it. I made a list of all the tangibles and intangibles that wouldn’t just give me a paycheck, but a career, and some place I could really contribute to. Near the very tippy top of that list was a strong culture. I wanted to go somewhere that I would feel encouraged and supported, and everyone else felt the same. Vector checks almost every box on my list (and it’s a long list!). Of course, I’d also had the privilege of working with them for a year, so I knew they walked the walk. I was fortunate in that way, but a good network will also know other good people, so that reinforces the first point as well.

So, there you go! That’s my story of 2020. Now you know the most difficult decision I had to make last year—and know that I’m here for you in your difficult decisions as well.

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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

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How To Overcome Scarcity Mindset As A Social Impact Leader

The last time Daron Dickens appeared on this blog, it was to talk about how to make self-care regular and intentional. Today, I’m calling on his expertise as a marriage and family counselor to talk to us (me included!) about how to overcome scarcity mindset as a social impact leader.

I was chatting with a friend the other day about the fact that entrepreneurship, and leadership in general, magnifies our strengths and weaknesses, confidence and insecurities, gifts and shortcomings. It can be the highest of highs and lowest of lows. And it’s hard enough for an individual, but then throw a team into the mix, and you’ve got a constant mirror for self-reflection.

And here’s the reality: Your scarcity mindset affects your social impact.

There’s a direct correlation because our organizations reflect us as leaders.

Hopefully, you’re constantly trying to improve yourself as you improve your nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business. That includes sharpening your skills and your thinking patterns. As you evolve, so does your organization.

So, if you also struggle with a scarcity mindset, but strive for a growth mindset, I think you can learn something from Daron’s advice. I know you probably feel like there’s never enough time, money, and resources, but if that’s where you focus your thinking, that may always be the case.

There are already enough challenges in your work. Don’t let your mindset be one of them.

What is a Scarcity Mindset?

“Only two left.”

“Act now—supplies are limited!”

“You don’t want to miss out! This opportunity won’t last long.”

These are just a few common messages we hear every day in the world of sales; a world that is perfectly designed to elicit thoughts and feelings of scarcity.

Scarcity is the idea that there’s a limited amount of resources. If we don’t act quickly, we will be on the outside looking in, unable to access valuable resources, money, deals, or opportunities.

In short, we will miss out.

These are a few common (and sometimes silly) examples, but they can still cause us to have real feelings of anxiety. They can cause us to spend money that we don’t have, and buy things that we don’t need. If you’re like most people, you’ve experienced this sometime in your life—and have some object in your house as a reminder.

As harmless as these situations may often be, they are just small examples of a greater mindset that can cause a much larger struggle when it comes to trying to live a healthy, connected life. And isn’t that what we’re all striving for?

Forms of these messages can show up, not only at Walmart, Amazon, or on eBay, but in our politics, our global economy, our societal interactions, or even in our social impact organizations. Certainly in us as leaders.

The scarcity mindset can erode the very things that we hold so dear, and keep us from living out who we really are.

our brains in a Scarcity Mindset

The mindset of scarcity, or the feeling that there’s not enough, especially when it comes to resources, registers in the brain as a threat.

Often when our brain identifies a threat, we slide from the frontal lobe to the lizard brain. The frontal lobe is the area that allows us to problem solve, to access creativity, to connect relationally, and to see things from many different sides.

The lizard brain, as you probably know, is only concerned with eliminating the threat, usually through flight, fight, or freezing. Most of the time, this comes in the form of a ”us versus THEM” mentality.

Essentially, the lizard brain skews data and causes perception to overtake reality.

Meaning, it may have you thinking things that simply aren’t true. (But they feel true.)

Abundance and Scarcity: A Complicated Relationship

Here’s the truth; the reality of things, if you will: In the United States, we live in a time where abundance is at an all-time high.

We live in a time where you can buy almost anything you could ever imagine cheaply, and with a click of a button. If that weren’t enough, strolling through the aisles of your neighborhood megamart can satisfy almost any whim you might ever experience. Not only that, but the things that we have are bigger, faster, and more sophisticated than ever before.

So what’s the problem?

Why aren’t we satisfied? And worse, why do we seem to be struggling with accumulating more and more because we feel that we have less and less?

You can blame it on marketing, or the need to create a market for things that should last much longer in a quickly-changing technological society, or a political scheme to get people more malleable, or even an overarching alien conspiracy.

The truth is more complex, though. A mix of many things from many sources. We may never find out for sure, and we certainly don’t have control over a lot of these areas.

One thing we do have control over is what we do despite the messages.

When we give in to the scarcity mindset, we tend to become more suspicious, less likely to share the resources that we have, and more likely to live a life of discontent.

• Being aware that this mindset doesn’t align with our reality can help.

• Making decisions based on your values rather than the emotional reaction of these messages you hear every day will allow you to live out who you are.

• Focusing less on where the messages are coming from, and more how to live according to your values regardless of the messages will, in turn, erode the credibility and effectiveness of the messages.

3 Tips for Beating the Scarcity Mindset as a Social Impact Leader

Here are a few helpful suggestions for living out your values rather than through the fear and anxiety of scarcity mindset.

1. Work from a realistic budget.

By using a budget you can see what you actually have and don’t have. You will be able to see what is coming in and out so that you don’t get caught up in fear and anxiety. Likewise, it will allow you to know what spending is frivolous and what spending is necessary.

Make a plan for how to scale and save when times are good, and how to cut back when times are tough. Having a plan also allows you to feel more in control, and having a budget allows you to deal with facts rather than feelings.

Also consider your money mindset. How do you feel about money? Is it good, bad, just a tool to continue your work? The thoughts, emotions, and “power” you give to money will show up in many ways, both personally and professionally, and if you don’t start building a better relationship with money, it will always seem beyond your control.

2. Work with other nonprofits and social enterprises in the same area you are serving.

Scarcity mentality will cause you to see them as the enemy. However, if you’re really working towards a common cause, they are your allies not your enemies. There shouldn’t be a market share on goodness.

Find ways to collaborate so that each of you plays to your strengths and continues to serve the community as a whole. You probably do it a little bit differently anyway, and those differences may complement one another more than you realize.

Just like there’s room for more than one Mexican restaurant in your town, there’s room for multiple people serving the same cause!

3. Generosity begets generosity.

In a world where giving or buying is essential for the survival of your nonprofit or social impact company, a scarcity mentality has no place. Generosity isn’t just for the people that you’re asking to support you, or for the people you support, but also in the way you live out your mission as a leader.

You’ll find that your work is more fulfilling, both as an individual and as a team, because you feel more aligned with your purpose. (And increased satisfaction is a remedy for burnout.) It’s also quite possible that those who benefit from your work will notice a difference, and that your reputation in the community may become more positive as well.

Live intentionally. Live with value. Be aware. Act according to who you are inside regardless of what is happening outside. Remember, we are always better together than we are in isolation.

From KP: If you’d like to continue learning, here are a two resources on scarcity mindset that I’ve come across recently:

• How to Poverty Mindset Sabotages Your Fundraising

• Why the Scarcity Mindset is Hurting Our Financial Sustainability and Social Impact

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Daron Dickens is a Marriage and Family Therapist who has practiced for 18 years. He also previously served as a pastor for 20 years. He lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, with his wife, Margaret, and his sons, Truman and Carter. He loves pie, reading, coffee, and everything baseball.

You can find him on:

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Instagram

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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

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How to Make Time for Marketing

One of the common complaints I hear from clients is that they have trouble making time for marketing. And I totally get it.

Even as a marketer myself, there are weeks when it’s a struggle for me. We are all busy people, and especially when marketing isn’t a skill you already have, it can be hard to move from good intention to action.

No matter what kind of social impact organization you lead or serve at, I know there are a lot of demands on you. A lot of people need your time. A lot of tasks need your attention. A lot of fires need putting out.

But I’d encourage you to make time for marketing. Why? Well, first of all, you’re already doing it in some capacity. If you have any sort of process for communicating with the people who buy from you or donate to you (like social media, email, and events), you’re a marketer. So, you might as well strive for making it more effective.

Second, as you can see from the statement above, marketing is non-negotiable. Your nonprofit or social enterprise may be sitting pretty right now, but that may not always be the case. So, strengthening your marketing muscle is worth the investment. And, just like getting in shape, you only get stronger with time and practice.

Third, and building what we’ve already talked about, if making time for marketing isn’t a regular practice, you’ll never find extra time for it. Like most everything else, something you don’t deem as a current priority will never beat out “more important” tasks. Unless there’s a crisis. So, do yourself a favor and start easing into the habit now, before you’re forced to find the time in a state of panic.

I’ve got good news, though. There are any number of ways to fit marketing into your busy schedule. Today, I’ll tell you about four of my favorites. I’ll even give you a few tools to help maximize your time, as well as a suggested “bare bones” marketing strategy.

Fitting Marketing Into Your Busy Schedule

One simple Google search will probably give you numerous other tools and ideas for tackling marketing on a weekly or monthly basis, but these are my favorites. I don’t take credit for any of them, and I’ve tried all of them. I also recommend them all on a regular basis because I think each one has a lot of value.

1) Planning Your Week in 15 Minutes - Podcast episode + Workbook

I know it sounds too good to be true, but Steph Crowder has come up with a really great process for planning her weeks. Like a lot of us, she has a schedule that fluctuates constantly, so her system accounts for that. it was a technique she developed because she couldn’t find a planner that fit her needs.

Steph’s method is a variation of the popular “rocks, pebbles, sand” illustration. You look at the immovable “rocks” in your schedule like meetings and appointments, add in the “pebbles” which are important tasks that need to get done, and then finally fill up with “sand” which are less important tasks that should get done but take up time, yet remain flexible. Hint: the “pebbles” are where the magic happens. Click the link to hear her explain the process on her podcast. It’s worth a listen whether you decide this is the right route for you or not.

One of my good friends loves this system, and uses it regularly. The other great thing about it is that you only need a sheet of notebook paper. So, you can grab one of those beautiful $70 planners if you want, but it’s totally up to you!

2) Learn Time Blocking

There are a lot of ways to utilize time blocking, which is one of the reasons I like it. You can block minutes, hours, or even days. But the point of it is to set aside a chunk of time for a specific task—and nothing else.

For example, I typically practice “Marketing Mondays” and “Follow-Up Fridays.” On Mondays, I generally write blog posts, schedule social media, create additional content, and things like that. Fridays are for wrapping up anything I need to get done for Signify before the week ends. This leaves Tuesday through Thursday for meetings and client work.

Structuring my week this way ensures I’m working on my business, not just working in it. I can make progress on moving my own mission forward outside of the deliverables I need to create for clients.

For me, it’s just easiest to have these days set aside rather than rotating them each week. That’s why this method ended up working better for me than Steph’s process. It was one less decision to make, and helped me protect my time better.

You can read more about creating themes for your days and weeks in my guest post for Orange. (I love a good theme!)

However, one of my clients sets aside 10:00 a.m. to noon each day for her marketing and meetings. Another generally works from home, so he comes to the office for focused time to work on marketing and communications. His staff knows that when he’s in his office with the door closed, he needs quiet time to get these things done.

Another extremely popular take on this is the Pomodoro Technique. Not to be confused with the sauce, this method has you work in 25-minute chunks. It’s a very hyper-focused session that can be easily replicated throughout the day. (Short attention span? This may be your best bet.)

If this is a method you’d like to test, I also recommend reading my friend Carey Nieuwhof’s post on creating an energy management list. It’s a terrific reminder to keep in mind when you personally work best, and use that to your advantage.

And if you want to become a super time blocker, look no further than Michael Hyatt. He talks a little about his “ideal week” process in this post, among other places, but he’s one of those people who treats his week like a budget, accounting for every hour. Frankly, it was just too strict for me—but perhaps that’s also part of what accounts for the discrepancy in our incomes. ;)

3) Eat the Frog

Made popular by Brian Tracy, “eat the frog” refers to a quote by Mark Twain: “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

Tracy breaks it down here, but the gist is to do the thing you don’t want to do first thing so that it’s done and over with. Then you can move on with your day.

If you have a lot of resistance to marketing, this may be a good option for you. You can remove some of the anticipation and anxiety by sheer will.

Another option, of course, is to use this rule for your biggest and/or most important marketing tasks. Once you’ve knocked them out early on, you’ll feel a huge sense of accomplishment no matter what happens during the rest of the day.

4) Get an Accountability Partner

if you’ve been around me or this blog for a while, you already know that I’m a huge fan of having an accountability partner or group of people you stay accountable to, like a mastermind. These people have been so helpful for me, and I think everyone could benefit from this support system.

I talk extensively about accountability partners and masterminds here, but for the purposes of helping you with your marketing, the short answer is that someone else will ask you if you got it done. You might be much less likely to skip it or move it to the back burner if you know someone’s going to be checking up on you.

Which Method is Right?

Trick question! The right answer is the one that works for you. Chose one of these options and stick to it, or try them all on and see what fits best. I most often use #2 and #3 myself, but that doesn’t mean those are the best choice for you.

Tools for Managing Your Time

Here are a few tools that save me some extra time each week, allowing for important tasks like marketing:

• Acuity Scheduling: How many of us spend too much time scheduling appointments? Answer: almost all of us. Acuity lets me send someone a link to schedule when it’s convenient for them, without all the back-and-forth. (Calendly is another option.)

• RescueTime: If you are unsure where your time goes each week, this software will track it for you and send you a weekly report.

• Canva: I love Canva because it allows me to quickly create graphics for my website, blog, and social media. Once you have a template in place, it takes little time to swap out text and photos.

• Asana: I keep track of all my tasks, as well as assign tasks to my interns using Asana. It even allows you to set up reoccurring tasks, attach files, and make notes and comments.

• Smarterqueue: Social media should, of course, be social. But with limited time on my hands, I use this incredible tool to schedule and recycle content on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. (I compared 13 different software options here.)

Bare Bones Marketing

Note that this is bare bones marketing, not ideal marketing. But if you just need to find a way to make marketing a part of your regular routine, then here are my suggestions for incorporating it into your week. I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible, narrowing it to the most important tasks you can knock out in one to two hours per week.

Anything you can do on top of it is highly recommended, but this is a good place to start. These are in no particular order, except for #5, so you can move them around to fit your schedule or preferences.

And guess what? This outline also fits nicely with any of the techniques above!

• Week 1: Email your tribe - Emailing people is much more effective than social media, so be sure to talk to your audience regularly.

• Week 2: Meet with a VIP - This could include a large donor or customer that you’re wooing, a key stakeholder already involved in your mission, or a potential sponsor or partner. Don’t wait for these appointments; seek them out.

• Week 3: Be social - Pop into Facebook groups, post on social media, email people who have fallen off the radar, attend an event, and look for other ways to interact with peers and protentials.

• Week 4: Create content - If you only have an hour or two at your disposal, then writing a blog post may not be possible, unless it’s a short one. But other doable options in that time frame might include a Facebook Live, “mini blog” on Instagram or Facebook, or time set aside to work on a larger content piece or campaign. You could also include being interviewed for an article or on a podcast here. I’m including this item because it’ll give you new things to talk about and promote on a continual basis to your donors, customers, partners, and fans.

• Week 5: Your choice - Obviously, not every month has five weeks. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t capitalize on it when you get the chance! Use this week to go the extra mile on one of the above items. Alternatively, this could be an hour you set aside to regularly reflect on how your marketing has gone, and what should improve, continue or change. But I’m a big fan of reflecting more than once a year!

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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

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