4 Tips for Turning Your Customers and Donors into Passionate Fans

If you haven’t heard of Change the World By How You Shop, you’re in for a real treat! LeeAnne McCoy has been a member of the Signify community since the early days, and I can testify that she and her ethical shopping guide are dedicated to helping people find products that they’ll not only love, but allow them to make a difference.

And in the course of researching brands to include in her guide, LeeAnne has had dozens of conversations with makers and founders, and has unique insight into why some brands can turn their customers and donors into passionate fans while others simply sell their goods.

I’ve asked her to share those differences with you in the hopes that you can also make the leap from store to sensation. Because when you can successfully turn customers into advocates, you’ll be able to take your mission to a whole new level and make a bigger impact.

A few months ago, one of Mercy House Global’s homes for teenage moms in Kenya burned to the ground. And in a passionate response to the tragedy, I watched the bars quickly fill up on their online fundraising campaign. Within a matter of hours, they raised thousands of dollars—enough to replace all the items lost in the fire including clothes, beds, and more for the young moms and their little ones.

And recently, Shelley, founder of Papillon, was visiting Haiti. She shared with her Facebook followers some of the medical needs of the artisans who work for her. Before she got on her flight home the next morning, she was able to tell her employees that people they had never met had donated enough to cover all their medical expenses. 

These kinds of stories are actually common for these two nonprofits. Not only do they quickly raise funds for their needs, but they also frequently sell out of newly released fair trade products. Why? 

They both have a very loyal following of customers and donors who are as passionate about their mission as they are. 

So, how can you turn your customers and donors into fans as loyal as those who follow Mercy House Global and Papillon? Below are four ways nonprofits and social enterprises turn followers into passionate fans.

1. Be Real

Lauren, owner of the small ethical online boutique Naupaka, is not afraid to admit her mistakes. As a one-woman-show, she sometimes sends out newsletters twice or sale notices on the wrong day and then sends a funny apology email with the correction.

Her transparency makes shopping from her online store feel like shopping at your local brick and mortar.

Shelley from Papillon is also very transparent about her challenges in running a nonprofit, as well as her relationships with her employees. She recently posted a live cell phone video on Facebook of the Papillon workshop in Haiti. Watching the banter, the smiles, and even those who ducked down because they were too shy to be on camera was like being there in person. This did far more to inspire support for Papillon than any professionally recorded video could have done.

Your supporters are inundated constantly with advertisements and requests for donations, but a sense of authenticity can make your requests stand out from the crowd. 

2. Be Personal

Because of the pandemic, connecting in person with your followers may not always be possible, but there are numerous ways to personally connect from a distance.

A handwritten note goes a long way. I treasure the many handwritten notes I have received from various social enterprises and artisans I support through Change the World by How You Shop. A personal email can have the same impact.

Facebook offers some great opportunities for connecting personally with your followers. Shop with a Mission has had to close the doors of their fair trade store in California all year because of COVID-19. However, they started weekly Facebook live shows where they laugh, tell jokes, host giveaways, and show off products. By watching the live shows, both local and out-of-state followers get to connect personally with the owners and employees.

Several other fair trade shops have utilized Facebook to introduce international artisans via live video. Others, like Mercy House Global, have created an “insiders” group which invites a small group of their fans to be a special part of their mission. Shelley from Papillon goes one step further and “friends” customers and donors on her personal Facebook page.

People are more likely to support organizations they have a personal connection to. Thus, the common joke about “Mom is my biggest fan.” Whatever method you employ, keep looking for ways to help your followers feel like they are personally invested in you and your mission. 

3. Be Specific

Recently, I purchased a basket from Eternal Threads, a nonprofit fair trade organization. Beautiful as the handwoven basket is, I bought it not just for its beauty or because I wanted to support a generic cause such as fighting poverty in Africa. I bought it because it was Rosemary’s basket. From following Eternal Threads, I had learned Rosemary’s story, how she lost both her parents and was raising her younger siblings and selling baskets to pay their school fees. I bought her basket to remind me to pray for Rosemary and because she inspires me. 

Even when you cannot share names or pictures, you can still be specific: 

Likewise, Papillon recently shared that one of their employees’ sons was HIV positive. Because of the stigma around HIV, they could not share names or pictures, but they shared enough details of the story to inspire many to donate.  

And when Mercy House Global started their fundraising campaign after the fire, they raised funds for specific needs, one at a time, such as mosquito nets, beds, and toddler clothes. Each individual need they posted was quickly provided for by donors who understood their mission, what was being asked of them, and what the result would be from their contribution.

4. Follow Up

Giving frequent updates on your supporters’ impact will strengthen their commitment to your mission. Papillon sends frequent updates to the donors who contributed to their employees’ medical needs. And Mercy House continues to send updates on the teen moms who lost their homes in the fire and the new homes they hope to purchase for them.

Eternal Threads, who sells Rosemary’s baskets, continues to share her story. Recently, her little brother was robbed and beaten on the way to work and his cell phone and bicycle were stolen. When they shared the need for donations to cover his medical care, it was simply one more chance to be part of an ongoing story.  The update and personal thank you from Rosemary they forwarded to donors ensured they would be quick to participate in the future as well.

Every little step you take towards having authentic, personal, specific, and ongoing communication with your followers will help build their relationship with you. And nurturing those relationships over time will turn customers and donors from occasional supporters into passionate fans who will be vital partners in accomplishing your mission.

It’s certainly worked for the organizations above. How will you make it work for you?

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LeeAnne McCoy is a mother of six young children and a piano teacher in Washington State. In her "spare time," she is also the creator of Change the World by the How You Shop, an online ethical shopping guide which makes it easy to find products from brands that go beyond ethical and fair trade to change lives around the world. Her mission is to support those brands by helping more people discover their products.

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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.

Create a Year-End Social Impact Report to Engage Donors and Customers

Can one person really change the world?

I think it depends on what you count.

Some people are only impressed by massive reputations, millions of dollars, big programs, and culture-changing ideas.

But as nonprofits and social impact companies started to release their year-end reports over the last few months, my favorite ones to read are the creative reports that:

• make tangible the intangible,

• highlight the small numbers that represent a change in heart or thought for a few people,

• share the seedlings of disruption that will shape a family's trajectory forever,

• tell the David versus Goliath stories,

• represent the optimistic beginnings of early-stage organizations,

• sound more relatable to me.

It's the idealist in me, but these reports represent hope and what could be.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly in awe of the big nonprofits and social enterprises who make an impact that I could only dream of. But I think we often forget that everyone who tried to do something great had to start somewhere, usually with meager resources.

Even on a small scale, these reports are the testimony of how you've used your resources to do something worthy of your donor or customer’s investment in you—whether that be time, money, influence, or anything else. No matter how big or how little you feel your contributions are (and theirs in you), they deserve to hear the story of what you did together.

If you haven't done so already, I urge you create your own report—and I’ll talk you through it.

Why Do You Need a Year-End Report?

Here are a few reasons why having a year-end report benefits you and your nonprofit or social impact company.

• Help your community understand what you did with their resources, which might encourage them to give more.

• Show them where you're headed in the future, and how they can be a part of it.

• Tell stories of the real lives that were affected by your mission and the shared belief that things can be different (and better!).

• Reiterate their standing as an insider that will always be kept in the loop when you've been trying something new.

• Thank your current large donors, partners, and sponsors.

• Build trust in you, your work, and your vision for a new and improved future.

We are in need of more good news than ever before . . . and you are in a fantastic position to share it!

How to Easily Design Your Year-End Social Impact Report FOR FREE

Here’s what you need to know: Your social impact report doesn’t need to be fancy. It certainly can be, but don’t let that stop you from making it happen.

Canva

Canva is the (free) tool that I use to create pretty much anything visual on this website or my social media. There are thousands of free templates to utilize for pretty much every purpose, and it’s pretty easy to get up to speed. Canva lets anyone be a designer!

People Resources

If you have a limited budget but a pair of extra hands, put them to work! It could be an intern, volunteer, board member, or peer that you can barter with.

Yearly

Yearly is a tool I only recently discovered through a friend, but it looks user-friendly and like it could create a great social impact report.

Webpage

No eye for design or short on time? Simply add a new page to your website and list all the data there. Just try to compliment numbers with stories and information that bring the facts to life.

Marketing Your Social Impact Report

Once you’ve taken the time to create your year-end report, be sure to get the most mileage of it by promoting it everywhere you can.

• Website

• Social media

• Email newsletter

• Conversations with donors and customers

• Partner and sponsorship presentations

• Direct mail

• Speaking engagements and interviews

• And anywhere else at your disposal!

Pssst—You can also promote it more than once! For example, you could even promote it to new donors and customers as they begin to interact with you over the course of a year.

Examples of Year-End Social Impact Reports

After everything we’ve discussed above, would you like to see some impact reports from small nonprofits and social enterprises like you?

Atlanta Dream Center (now Frontline Response)*

This incredible organization has been doing good in Atlanta and beyond for a couple of decades now. So, they have some pretty great numbers to tout. However, one of the things I love about their social impact report is their vision for the future. At the end they show a photo and blueprint for their new headquarters as well as the budget they need for it. This allows their current donors to understand future needs and make the investment.

Gifts for Good

When you don’t have a designer on standby, you can follow Gifts for Good’s example and simply add a new page to your website with all the relevant stories and stats. A few of the creative stats they included were hours of employment, gallons of water save by using recycled materials, and chemo rides for cancer patients.

Refugee Coffee Co.*

My friends at Refuge got super creative in 2020 by telling their story through the lens of a fairy tale. If you have talented artists at your disposal, this is a fantastic way for their skills to intersect with your mission. You’ll see that they included cups of coffee served, hours of training, mentor/volunteer hours, and reiterated that their customers and donors helped them fight injustice.

Love Not Lost

My friend Ashley and her team at LNL had a heck of a year trying to help us all process grief in the midst of 2020. But they showed up in the ways that only they could, and loved on their community at a safe distance. Their report is a terrific example of what happens when you don’t make your goal. They were honest, upfront, and showed their donors and supporters their vision for 2021 with gusto! I know anyone who received this wasn’t disappointed—only proud to be a part of their community.

Kula Project

My friends at Mad+Dusty created this beautiful report, and the design was inspired by the founder’s quote about seeing the light and continuing to follow it. As you can see in this piece, they kept written content to a minimum but used the opportunity to show off the amazing photos of their work in action.

Goshen Homes

Another Mad+Dusty special, this one isn't quite an impact report, but it is still certainly a great model. Even without the beautiful design, you’ll see the testimonials scattered throughout that reinforce the importance of their work. And I love that it also shows you clear steps to getting involved.

Partners International

A huge kudos to Partners International for including a video with their annual report! It’s really the icing on the cake, and sets the stage for their work and impact. And for those who don’t like to write or don’t think you have much to say, note that their report doesn’t actually include a lot of words, but still does an excellent job of communicating what happened through powerful language and a beautiful layout. You’ll also notice that they include the donate button right after the report, which is another great move!

Conscious Capitalism

I love that this report starts off with the title, “A Pivot Toward the Future.” It’s hopeful, shows they are still standing strong after a hard year, and points to their work moving forward. I also like that they counted the attendees for their online gatherings as a stat. Finally, I love that they dedicated several pages to thanking their major partners, event donors, board of directors, and team. You can never thank people enough!

To The Market

This report stood out to me for several reasons. First, I love that they reinforced their work with stats about why their mission matters to the public at large. Second, they showed their growth very simply and in a straightforward way on page 5. (And yay for utilizing interns!) And, third, you’ll notice that their case studies are short and so is their social impact report. This is a terrific example of how you can communicate impact in a compact way.

Bi-Bett Corporation

Full disclosure—I wrote this report! Bi-Bett is a substance use treatment center in California, and they’ve been doing incredible work for over five decades. However, this was their first impact report so they wanted a hefty mix of stories, hard stats, creative stats, and showing their gratitude for everyone who contributes to their success. I loved the way we ended up quantifying some of the more emotional parts of their work such as safe nights spent in their care, observations by staff, days people felt supported, and people who turned their lives around. They have a lot to be proud of!

Signify’s 2020 Social Impact Report

I’m one person, so my stats are meager at best. But, again, that’s not the point and hopefully you’ve seen that by now. I show mine to you not to say, "Hey, look at what I did!" Instead, I show it to you in the hopes that you'll create your own and share it with your community.

I really do believe that one person can change the world—when you know what's important and what to count.

You're the one.
Get out there.
Create your impact.
Share it with the world.

PS: Have your own awesome year-end report to show off? Link to it in the comments!

* Past or present Signify client

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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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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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Top 5 Blog Posts Of 2020

2020, am I right?

Whew. It’s been a year for the history books. Between the pandemic, racial injustice, natural disasters, presidential election, and more—we’ve survived a lot in the last 12 months.

And as nonprofit and social enterprise leaders, this year has also been a strain. Many small businesses (and large ones) have closed their doors and many nonprofits have lost significant event revenue and donations.

Despite it all, though, there are some silver linings: GivingTuesday was a smash, people have learned more about their priorities, and masses have supported racial justice as well as small and local businesses. Those are all things to celebrate.

We’ve also learned a few things (I know I have). You can share in that some of that knowledge in the blog posts below. These posts are what Signify readers found most interesting and helpful this year, and I hope you find them valuable, too.

So, as you usher in the holiday season, the most magical time of the year, take this opportunity to educate yourself—and then let’s show 2020 the door!

1) 29 Sensational Nonprofit and Social Enterprise COVID-19 Success StORIES

You don’t have to look far to see the devastating effect that the coronavirus is having on small businesses and nonprofits. It’s very scary out there. But, in the midst of all the bad, there are nonprofits and social enterprises that have found success during COVID-19. They are proof that, no matter your mission, people are still buying and donating.

These scrappy, cause-focused organizations have exercised creativity despite the constraints. They are an example for all of us to follow as we pivot in the short-term in order to be around in the long-term.

The nonprofits and social impact companies highlighted in this post are just a few examples of what your future could look like. Theses mini case studies are meant to serve not as a blueprint, but as a jumping off point. I hope you see yourself in their stories.

Read the full post . . .

2) The Ultimate Guide to Social Impact Websites

Outside of your people, your website is your nonprofit or social enterprise’s greatest marketing asset. It’s also one of the most important tools you have to help you make a bigger social impact. In fact, it’s so important that we’re going to look at it from just about every angle.

From what you should do before you create or update your website, to writing and designing it, to how to promote it after going live, this is your ultimate guide to social impact websites.

It’s time to build and engage a larger audience, increase your sales or donations, and do more good. This is one tool to help you do just that.

Read the full post . . .

3) COVID-19 Resources for Nonprofits and Social Impact Companies

There’s no question about it: Our world has changed. As we grapple with the reality of COVID-19, we are all struggling to keep up—not just as individuals, but as nonprofit leaders and business owners.

Fear and anxiety are high. Supplies feel scarce. Distraction is in overdrive.

And yet, our world needs your work more than ever.

According to the Small Business Administration, 99% of businesses in the United States are small businesses, and this includes nonprofits. Of those, 88% have less than 20 employees. In fact, small businesses employ almost half of the private US workforce.

This means that nonprofits, social enterprises, and social impact companies are vital, not only to our lives, but our culture. So, during this challenging time, how can you succeed when on some days, the odds may feel stacked against you?

Read the full post . . .

4) Racial Justice Resources for Nonprofits and Social Enterprises

As a leader of a nonprofit or social enterprise, some form of justice is already at the heart of your work. You’re fighting for a cause because it’s worthy of your attention and your voice. It’s true, it’s right, it’s just.

So, if you aren’t already involved in the conversation regarding racial justice, now is the time to join in—no matter what issues you’re already working on. Racism is a virus, and each of us is susceptible.

You’ve, of course, seen overt and horrific examples played out on a national stage, but the real work—the hard work—begins in ourselves, our homes, and the places we work.

Even as a cause-focused organization, it’s possible that you may need some assistance in this area. We can all lose perspective when it comes to our own work, and even ourselves.

As an advocate for justice, inequality is your adversary. And it’s time to pick a fight.

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5) Why Your Social Impact Mission Isn't Enough

Have you ever read an entire nonprofit or social enterprise website, only to find yourself still wondering what they actually do?

Have you ever had a fantastic conversation with someone about their mission, only to find that their website lacked the same passion?

Have you ever seen an organization use different styles and tones across their social media, website, blog, and even when they speak in person?

If you’ve seen any of these issues in action, you’re witnessing a lack of clarity and consistency in the nonprofit or social enterprise’s brand message or brand voice.

With a strong brand message and brand voice, people will know what you do, why it matters, and how they can be a part of it. Without it, people could be left confused or even apathetic to the incredible work that you’re trying to do.

Read the full post . . .

Looking for more popular topics? Here are some of my readers’ all-time favorites:

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PSST: Don't forget that you only have a few more days to enter to win a Communications Audit and Strategy Session, valued at $750! Resolve to have a stronger marketing strategy.

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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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