Blog Post By: Kim Perry

A Pop Quiz

It’s March 13^th, 2020, and your company is kicking off spring fundraising event season with an event in Chicago. All of a sudden, a national pandemic is declared forcing events to be cancelled indefinitely. 

Not knowing what the future holds, you decide to: 

1. Hide in your closet with a bottle of wine 
2. Spend your life savings on Amazon Prime  
3. Buy a year’s supply of toilet paper 
4. Take 34 events virtual in the next 8 months 

For our team at STUDIO 4Forty (and pretty much everyone on the planet), 2020 proved to be the ultimate test – albeit in the form of a merciless gut punch – with everyone searching for answers. How long will this last? What do we do now? Where do we turn? With a pandemic bringing the advent of spring fundraisers to a screeching halt, our world as we knew it hinged on an action plan for our nonprofit partners. The question was, just what was our plan going to be?

We needed to quickly assess, evaluate, and advise over 50 nonprofit teams hosting our events across the country on next steps now that the rug had been pulled out from under our heels. Goals had been set and funds had been budgeted. As our clients turned to us as their trusted advisor, the answer to this challenge became crystal (and painstakingly) clear: it was time to embrace technology as our universal tool. (Cue the universal “ugh” moment we had all been dreading.)

But let’s be brutally honest. When it comes to technological trailblazers, the nonprofit industry isn’t exactly brimming Silicon Valley engineers and savvy software skillsets. In fact, if we learned one lesson over the course of countless conversations with new nonprofit teams seeking our advice, it was how unapologetically antiquated systems and routines had become (i.e. yellow legal notepads ferociously guarded by stubborn, “but this is the way we’ve always done it,” leadership). Suffice it to say, fundraising had been on cruise control until March 2020 and it was high time for a wake-up call for everyone on auto-pilot. We’re not going to sugar coat it – some of the largest nonprofit organizations in the country were running their development departments like a DOS computer system begging for an overhaul courtesy of the Apple Genius Bar. COVID-19 had ultimately proved to be a catalyst for change the nonprofit world didn’t know it needed, the proverbial blessing in disguise and silver lining that would catapult causes into a new arena.

Without blinking a laser-focused eye, our team guided 34 nonprofit groups in taking their events virtual and making technology their new BFF (not without some kicking and screaming along the way! Yes, change is hard, but the challenges we dread the most often provide the greatest rewards). We took it back to the fundamental basics: take a PAUSE, make a PLAN, choose a PLATFORM, and create a PROGRAM – carefully alerting our clients that their mission moment was happening in real time and their donors needed to feel connection. Immediate communication was essential and time was of the essence. As coaches in this new arena, we needed to provide our partners with a new tool belt and, more importantly, the unwavering support to use it effectively and efficiently.

From virtual cash calls to online auctions, we helped our nonprofit partners chart the course in a new frontier of fundraising by confronting change enthusiastically, thereby reminding us all:

True magic happens the moment we leave our comfort zone.

Blog Post by: Sarah Obialero

Graphic design dates back to the beginning of our very existence – when humans carved simple images on cave walls as a way to communicate a message, often a VERY important one. Now, fast-forward to today. Graphic design has evolved into the ultimate powerhouse of persuasion.  It encompasses everything from advertising to fine art, logos and branding, photography, typography, digital animation, video and beyond. Good graphic design rapidly affects our emotions, greatly affects our decisions, and in turn, our actions, which are all vital players in the nonprofit fundraising world. 

To put it in perspective, visual graphics are processed by the brain 60,000 times faster than text and get etched into our long-term memory faster than we can say, “Wowzah!”

So that begs the question: in a world dominated by visual communications, how can having good design, good branding, and good visuals make or break you?

To start, let’s work through how design affects one’s emotions, decisions and actions. Since visual content is processed by our brains as fast as a lightning strike, our emotional response is the first to react. We see something – a logo, a email, a mission video, an event invitation, a social post, and within split seconds know how it makes us feel. If it’s something we like or don’t like, if it makes us feel happy, sad, excited, interested, or nothing at all. It’s that emotion that leads to the next step – the decision.  

Once we’ve established how we feel, our decision-making kicks in. We decide whether it’s worth our time to keep our attention, to continue reading, watching, or listening. We decide if what we see can be trusted and if we should do something about it.

That leads us to the final part – action. Whether that’s clicking through to a webpage, purchasing something, donating time or money, responding to an email, sharing a post, asking a question, etc.  The action your audience takes is ultimately the end goal of having good design. 

Graphic design is largely the way in which we combine text and images or video together. It seems so simple. Yet even back to the beginning of human existence, the importance of having good imagery and messaging often resulted in one’s very survival. 

So, a word to the wise – don’t dismiss the look and feel of your communications as an afterthought. Take the time, energy and effort to invest in polished branding and graphic design. It can quite literally be a driving force to your bottom line!  

Blog Post by: Ashlee Meier

Nonprofit writing is a unique beast that can make or break your ability to capture and keep current and potential donors’ attention, and ultimately move them to action…or not. It requires a certain finesse that doesn’t translate to big words and complex sentences, but places a higher value on the kind of polish that sparkles. Your selection of words must shine, so they jump off the page and grab your readers’ attention, then quickly and efficiently hook them emotionally.

Data and statistics will always have their place, and can be incredibly powerful in the right circumstances, but a perfectly positioned plea can’t feel like a term paper. To be effective, your content should be a delicate balance of persuasive storytelling and evidence of impact, with a side of cheerleading.

Easier said than done, right? My teammates at STUDIO 4Forty have lovingly dubbed me, “Glitter Sparkles,” in a nod to the success I’ve found pouring my passionate personality into nonprofit storytelling. While there is no guaranteed recipe, I’ve found the following to be profoundly useful when approaching content creation: 

• Always tell a story and sometimes tell YOUR story
  • The work you are doing is unique and your audience wants to hear about it firsthand. Share the positive impact of your agency through a protagonist, or multiple aligned protagonists, who can paint the picture of their experience.
  • Sometimes the most powerful and authentic story to tell is your own. Yes, YOU! Surely you didn’t just stumble upon this organization and decide fundraising sounded like a fun career path. What brought you here? Why this nonprofit? What makes you so passionate about your role? Why are you proud to be a part of this work specifically? To be here, you must care deeply. Let it show!
• Use powerful verbs
  • While there is no need to be overly verbose, choosing powerful verbs with an active voice can make the difference between your audience simply hearing and truly feeling your story. For example: 

Version 1: Sally walked to the river.

Version 2: Sally skipped towards the restful river. 

Can you feel Sally’s playfulness and picture the lazy blue water? Don’t you want your audience to be able to do the same, envisioning the good work your organization is doing? Bonus: take the time to get creative – the words, “incredible,” “amazing,” and “awesome” can only be used effectively so often.

• Be donor focused 
  • While you may be telling your story, we know it’s really all about them! Consider the purpose of your content and keep that at the forefront of your mind, focusing on how to speak to the needs of the specific segment you are addressing.
  • Here is where the cheerleading comes in. A doomsday approach centered on crisis communication can be the opposite of motivating to supporters. Instead, ensure you share how their previous contributions have helped those in need or site-specific benefits their potential contributions will provide. Help them feel confident that their resources will be stewarded wisely and hopeful that they will personally bring positive change.
• Call to action 
  • Once you’ve totally knocked telling your story out of the park, don’t miss out on a single opportunity to capitalize on it. A weak request to consider participating in some way at some time won’t cut it!
    • Tell your audience what you need. Don’t make them read between the lines or toss out several vague options. Be specific. Be bold.
    • Give them easy to follow action items. They have read/listened to your story, they might be misty eyed, or heartbroken but hopeful, or the right kind of mad that motivates them to make a commitment – give them clear, easy to follow instructions for next steps so they take them immediately.

So, what’s your story? Don’t forget to bring the sparkle!

Blog Post by: Jennifer Downes

In a world where you receive constant communication about a variety of topics, how do you ensure your message is being heard by your donors and community? Whether you’re discussing an upcoming event, a new program your nonprofit is launching, or a simple thank you, coming up with unique ways to capture your audience’s attention is vital now more than ever.  

Here are a few PR & Marketing techniques to take into consideration the next time you need a message to be heard by your donors and community. 

• Create a brief video (1-4 minutes in length) discussing your topic that can be embedded in an e-blast is a unique approach that will help you stand out in the crowd. This allows your audience to listen and really hear you on a more personal, engaging level. They will feel your passion, energy, and excitement through the video which will capture their attention and get them excited, as well. It allows you an opportunity to deliver your entire message instead of trying to condense it into a limited allotment of words. Don’t forget to include a call to action towards the end of your video. What do you want your audience to do? Make a donation, purchase a ticket to your event, or participate in your new program? Make sure the call to action is clear and concise and you provide clear direction on next steps!
• Once you’ve shared your video through a targeted e-blast, another great use is to share it on your social media platforms. As we all know, if you aren’t on social media, you aren’t being seen, and if you haven’t been strategically utilizing this platform to your advantage, you need to start! Create engaging, informative content that showcases your mission and helps more supporters fall in love with the work you do. Some content ideas include: creating and sharing videos of what is happening within your nonprofit, current programs or new ones you’re launching, how the community can support your organization (whether it’s by volunteering or attending an event), and why your mission is so relevant within your community. Besides videos, images are always fantastic when posting to your social media account, and don’t forget to engage with your audience online. Assigning a staff member to answer any questions that are posted on your site boosts your algorithms, which ultimately gains you additional exposure. Plus, you have the opportunity to connect with potential new donors and get them engaged with your mission! 
• Podcasts and working with influencers in your area are other unique opportunities to share your message. People of all ages are tuning into podcasts more and more these days. If you know of any local members in your community (radio stations, news anchors, etc.) that participate in or have their own podcast, ask if you can be added onto their schedule, even if it’s a 10 minute interview/segment that allows you a free opportunity to share your message to a new audience. The same would apply to any local influencers in your community. Ask to have a meeting with them to inquire if they would be interested in doing a Facebook or Instagram live with you discussing your message or to share your social media posts onto their page – in turn, it helps them create a community-conscious reputation.
• Let’s think outside the box… literally! If your organization happens to have a large box truck or similar vehicle that is utilized to transport items, consider wrapping the outside of the truck with your message. Whether it’s simple mission communication, or information about an upcoming event or program, this outlet provides a unique (and eye catching) opportunity to showcase your message around town. 
  • I personally did this when I chaired Wine Women & Shoes Vero Beach. The organization I previously worked for had a box truck that they utilized for thrift stores, and since I needed everyone in town to know about our event, I thought it was a perfect solution! For minimal cost, we wrapped the truck with our event logo, tickets on sale statement, and our event website. The truck went out every day, all around town, and it became a social media sensation. Did it work? Well, I had a sold out event that year and every year since!

Even with these unique ideas, don’t forget the tried and true ways to share your message within your community.

• Press releases are still a viable outlet, as these will appear in print and in a digital format if your paper has an online presence (the majority of them do).
• Work with your local newspapers, magazines, and radio stations to inquire if they would be interested in doing an ad or a feature story about your message. 
• Personal outreach to your donors is and (personally, I think will always be) a wonderful and effective touch point that should always be implemented. Whether it’s a phone call, personal hand written note, or a combination of both, taking the time to personally contact someone always gives the receiver a positive association to your nonprofit, which ensures your organization is at the forefront of their minds when considering who to engage with and donate to.

2021 will be a unique year for all and getting creative with unique approaches for communication will be significant! Try new things, and even if they flop, at least you’ll know you tried and have the data to move forward with on your next communication! 

Blog Post by: Krista Elmore

You’ve heard the phrase tossed around a lot, especially working in the nonprofit sector: self-care. We tell clients to practice self-care. We tell our coworkers to make sure they are taking care of themselves, too, but we often forget to do it ourselves. Yet being an employee of a nonprofit means that you have to set boundaries, you have to make yourself a priority, otherwise you may become a victim to “giving fatigue.” Giving fatigue is where you give, and give, and give of yourself, but you’re never replenishing your own cup. So, after you’ve run out of the ability to give (and even begged, borrowed, and stolen as much as you can to continue to give even when you’ve run out), you’re truly unable to provide for anyone else, let alone yourself.

As a working mother, I know this story all too well. Many of us in the nonprofit sector, whether an employee, a board member, a dedicated volunteer, or a consultant, can attest to the desire to be a hero for our clients and community. We want to take care of everything and everyone, much as you do when you’re a mother, parent, or caregiver. We want to give all of ourselves to take care of those we care about, but unless we’re taking care of ourselves, we won’t be able to provide as much as we’d like for anyone else, let alone ourselves.

Let’s brainstorm some ways to practice self-care that are quick, efficient, cheap, and will get the job done.

1. Coffee – Let’s be real. We all have a favorite beverage that helps to prepare us for our day. For you, it could be chugging a huge glass of water right when you wake up (kudos to you! You absolutely should do this if you aren’t… reminder to self that I need to do this every day). Maybe you’re more of a tea person, or you like to make yourself a healthy smoothie. Whatever your start-of-the-day, beverage of choice is, take a moment to savor it. For me, that beverage is coffee. I love starting my day with a warm mug in the winter months or an iced coffee in the summer. Add in my favorite creamer and I’m ready to go. This beverage is absolutely my hug in a mug, my toast to the day, and then I’m ready to take on the challenges of the world… or at least my inbox and tasks.
2. Step outside – Sometimes, you just need some fresh air and sunshine to reset your brain. When I find myself overwhelmed and feeling boxed in, I’ll simply step out my front door and stand in the sunshine or check the mail to get a minute of sun and relaxation. This is a perfect reset between busy conference calls, when your brain is on word overload from the grant or donation letter you’ve been writing and re-writing, or you’re just tired of staring at your computer screen. If you’ve got more than a minute, take a short walk. We’ve all been stuck inside WAY too much in the last year, so getting out into the air during a workday feels like a gift. I recently moved across the country and into a cul-de-sac that is safe, but isolated in terms of safe locations to walk, so I just loop my cul-de-sac 6 times (approximately a mile). I feel accomplished, I feel refreshed, and ready to go back into my home “office” to knock out the rest of my to do list.
3. Mini dance party – Now, hear me out. This might seem silly, but turning up a bumpy song and dancing it out for 3 minutes can do wonders for your mood! Sometimes, you just need to move to shake out all your troubles, worries, and reset. If you’re a Grey’s Anatomy fan, you know what I’m talking about. “Dance it out,” was a phrase used in the show to help characters reset after a particularly hard day or moment in their lives. I love the basic sentiment of this. Let go of your worries, your reservations, and just be free for a few minutes! Guaranteed, you’ll feel better.
4. Connect with a coworker – No one else is going to know your struggles with work better than a coworker. Take a few minutes to vent, to commiserate, to share your struggles, and especially to share your triumphs. These moments of conversation will not only make you feel better, they will likely open up a pathway to allow them to share their struggles as well, creating the type of safe and supportive office environment that everyone dreams about. A word of caution: to vent is one thing, but what you don’t want to do is create a hostile working environment by gossiping negatively or bashing any other coworkers or clients. This would create a toxic setting that will not only make others feel unsafe, it could be detrimental to your job. If a coworker is creating this type of unhealthy environment with you, try steering the conversation in a positive way by looking on the bright side, pointing out their triumphs, or opportunities for growth within a difficult situation.
5. Meditation – Perhaps meditation isn’t the right word for you, but the basic idea of meditating is to clear your mind, reset your emotions, and find your inner peace. This could be accomplished in prayer, in visiting your favorite spot in nature, in reading a poem or passage that brings your peace, or in traditional meditation (whether guided or not). Honestly, I have done all of the above. I don’t have one that I lean on in particular, but I flow as my mood moves me. Whatever speaks to you, do it. The beauty of these practices is that they can be as short or as long as you need. An, “Oh, Lord, help me,” takes 2 seconds. A guided meditation could be 5 minutes. A short drive to your favorite local spot of natural beauty could be a 15-minute voyage. Whatever time you have, pick one and let the peace wash over you. You’ll feel better soon. Promise.

There are a million self-care articles out there, but there’s a reason for that. We’re overworked, we’re tired, we’re overwhelmed. Even if you love your job (which I do, believe me), work can still be overwhelming and we are all trying our hardest to do the best job that we can. I know in the nonprofit world, having spent 5 years working in the sexual assault/domestic violence field, that the weight of our clients can ride on us, too. We want to make sure they are safe, getting the support they need, and feeling like they aren’t alone, but if we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we won’t have enough to give to take care of anyone else.

My hope for you in this new year is that you make yourself a priority. I’ve chosen my word for the year to be “heal.” Self-care is a big part of my healing in 2021. I happily work full time supporting nonprofits all over the US and in Canada, balancing a myriad of responsibilities and always trying my hardest to support our partners, my coworkers, and our company, while also being a wife to a full time US Army soldier Drill Sergeant, plus a mom to a beautiful one year old that needs me at my best. I juggle a lot, often putting myself last, but no more! It’s like what flight attendants say on planes (ah, remember traveling? How I miss you!), “make sure to put on your oxygen mask before helping others.” We have to take care of ourselves first before we can help anyone else. Let’s all remember to prioritize our needs so we can better take care of others. Happy New Year, fellow healers!

Dear Friends,

As we transition into a new year, you usually hear phrases like, “What a year it’s been,” or, “As one year closes, another year of possibilities opens.” We’re saying, “Let’s slam the door on 2020 and pop the champagne for 2021!”

Saying we’re thrilled that 2021 has arrived would be an understatement! We’ve struggled, wrestled, created, triumphed, and survived 2020, working diligently to serve our nonprofit partners, old and new, through our (and many of our partners’) hardest year on record. With this new year, we know we aren’t out of the woods yet, but we’re also hopeful that 2021 will bring with it healing, new opportunities, and a refresh on the world of events and fundraising.

We learned many lessons in 2020, some exciting and others revealing. We learned to adapt in a pandemic, to embrace the virtual world, to get creative with fundraising campaigns, and to embrace opportunities for progress, both big and small. We learned the importance of self-care (and how hard that is to come by when fighting to stay afloat), that family, health, and safety are truly the most important aspects of our lives, and that we can rise up to meet the needs of our nonprofit partners are they are meeting the needs of their clients and communities.

We launched E-ventful in 2020, originally an activation to help nonprofits take their in-person events online in a virtual setting, then quickly expanded to include custom campaigns. It continues to expand in 2021 with a launching of our new digital courses. In these hard times, we feel that it is our duty to share our expertise with our nonprofit friends, so in an effort to continue to share and learn together, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for current partners or not to come together and spend some time growing with us.

We’re grateful for your partnership, but we’re really grateful for your friendship. We’re so happy for those teams that we were able to help transition their event virtually in 2020 and are honored to support others with their capital campaigns. We’re excited to see what 2021 brings, and are crossing our heals for in-person events again. We miss you all and can’t wait to be back in person raising funds for a good cause!

Cheers to you and to a new year! We’re ready for it!

Heather Frank | President, STUDIO 4Forty

In response to the pandemic and many nonprofits that had reached out to Heather for advice, she decided to make this video to answer those questions and to offer support.

Transcript:

Hey everybody, Heather Frank, President of STUDIO 4Forty. I’m excited to come on today and really talk about a couple of the questions I’ve been getting lately regarding this pandemic. I’m thrilled to have such amazing, strong partners across the country who are rising up in their communities because their missions are being called to action, just like many of yours. Right now, the number one question we’re getting is, “what do we do right now?” We’re kind of frozen and we’re standing still and we don’t know what to do next. And it’s a really simple answers, which is, “lean in.” We’re encouraging our teams to lean into their call to actions and communities and finding out what they can be doing to rise up, continue to challenge their missions, and grow their depth of support within the communities they live. 

We’re also encouraging our teams to lean in to their donors. This is not a time to walk away from them and leave them abandoned. It’s a time to engage them, and support them. Some of these donors have been your friends for decades. They have supported your organization blindly knowing that the mission you’re doing is critical to the community you’re based. I would encourage you to pick up the phone and call them. Remember the 70-30 rule. Seventy percent listening and thirty percent speaking. Our donors are ready to support you right now and they are encouraged by having conversations and understanding that they are as equal in importance to you as the organization [and] the community you’re serving.

And the last thing I would encourage right now is faith in what you do. Understanding that what your mission was built for, others around are going to help provide for. It’s important for us to evaluate what we’re doing in our organizations, kind of throw out what we thought we needed to do in 2020, and realign and re-strategize as we look at the year to come. 2020 is going to be a year we never forget. It’s going to be something we look back on and say, “we survived it, we were challenged by it, we are better because of it,” not because we pivoted, but because we leaned into the idea that we could be more. We could grow, we could learn, we could support, and we could teach. You have a captive audience in front of you right now. It is your guys’ time to step up and speak up. I encourage you guys, I support you guys, and I know you’re going to do a phenomenal job. Thank you for being the leaders of your communities and thank you for supporting your missions so greatly.