Good Marketing Unplugged – Details, episodes & analysis

“You need to be debriefing fast and often. What is working? What is not working? Why? How do we stop doing what's not working, or scale up what is? I think that's both an internal conversation as much as it is valuable to be having with your agencies.”

In this episode of Unplugged we’re joined by Tobes Kelly, former VP of Digital Fundraising and Marketing at UNICEF and founder of the substack Some Personal News (SPN). Tobes offers guidance on prioritizing retention, cultivating community, and leveraging brand partnerships. You’ll walk away with practical advice on balancing acquisition and retention, asking the right strategic questions, and focusing your resources on the right audiences rather than channels alone. This conversation provides a roadmap for sustainable growth through changing times. You don't want to miss it! 🎧

Episode Highlights

• Tobes shares his career journey from media agency to UNICEF and his current work today (1:00)
• Trends for nonprofits to watch in the new year: retail media networks, brand IP partnerships, shoppable TV ads (6:00)
• Advice on building a strategic growth plan: look outside your sector for inspiration, debrief fast and often (10:00)
• The importance of experimentation and embracing disagreement within teams (14:00)
• Balancing acquisition and retention investments, with a focus on retention in constrained times (20:00)
• Shifting from a channel-first to audience-first mindset in planning (26:00)
• Leveraging social proof, ratings, and reviews to build trust with communities (32:00)

About Tobes Kelly

• Tobes formerly served as the VP of Digital Fundraising and Marketing at UNICEF, and is the founder of the Substack, Some Personal News or "SPN" where he’s discovering how to leverage digital tools, platforms and ecosystems to drive incremental revenue and customer growth.

Guest links:

Tobes’ LinkedIn

Additional links:

Some Personal News (“SPN”)

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr (https://www.feathr.co/).

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

Special thanks to our producer, We Are For Good Studios, and to Feathr’s very own Max Anderson, who wrote and performed our theme song.

“I do always think that there is room to amplify the voices of the people that you serve and center those voices. One great way is to set up focus groups as much as you can to get those ideas and voices. To show them what you've been working on, and what you made before. And then ask them, “What do you think? What are your ideas? If you could make a campaign for this organization? What would you do?””

This week in the studio we’re joined by Kate Lord, Director of Advocacy and Communications at She's the First. She discusses the innovative Girl Activist Fellowship program launched last year that empowered 30 girls to create and lead four advocacy campaigns for the organization. Kate shares details about the campaigns around poetry, children's books, art shows, and interviews. Tune in for powerful conversation about how to create campaigns with blended outcomes across programs, communities, and donor engagement. You’ll hear best practices for designing community-driven campaigns that achieve mission impact at scale through grassroots leadership and partnership.

Episode Highlights

• Kate’s journey to the work she is doing today + an overview of She’s The First (1:00)
• Overview of the four campaigns led by Girl Activist Fellows (10:00)
• Metrics and impact of the poetry social media campaign (16:00)
• Lessons learned from this year’s campaigns (18:30)
• How this year’s unique art show campaign engaged donors and communities (22:00)
• Learning to expect your communities to propose bolder ideas than you could ever imagine (24:00)
• Kate’s best practices and lessons learned for community-driven campaign design (26:00)

About Kate:

• Kate is a social media strategist, photographer, and videographer based in Carrboro, N.C. From local newspapers to The Wall Street Journal to New York University, her career has taken her all over the globe to tell stories in newsprint, on news websites, and on social media.
• In 2022, she earned my M.A. in Digital Advocacy and Brand Communication from New York University. She believes that nonprofit organizations can tell stories that lead with their values, preserve the dignity of their communities, and raise money.
• She serves as the Director of Advocacy & Communications at She’s the First, a nonprofit that teams up with grassroots, women-led organizations to ensure that girls everywhere are educated, respected, and heard.
• Kate has shared, “I believe that there is a better, more inclusive way to communicate about our campaigns. It is possible to successfully raise money for a cause while keeping the focus on the needs of local people rather than the needs of donors. We can, as nonprofit communicators, create marketing that doesn’t exploit. We can include our clients in the storytelling process from beginning to end. “

Guest links:

Kate’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelord

Additional links:

She’s The First

Kate’s Website

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr (https://www.feathr.co/).

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

Special thanks to our producer, We Are For Good Studios, and to Feathr’s very own Max Anderson, who wrote and performed our theme song.

Nonprofits often tell their supporters and community how important their involvement can be. But it’s an entirely different thing to create environments and events that make supporters feel their impact — like their time, money, and efforts really matter.

Jonathan Meagher-Zayas has been in the nonprofit and fundraising space for over ten years, and he’s seen a recurring theme within many nonprofits he’s worked with: “A lot of times we just want resources. We want support. We want more amplified engagement. But what are we doing so people actually feel like they’re a part of something bigger? How do we create these meaningful experiences where people feel like they’re a part of something bigger?”

Creating spaces where people feel empowered and know that their input is making a difference is essential for taking engagement to the next level. Audience engagement shouldn’t just be a set of data points. It should be a real, meaningful relationship with the people in your community.

Bio:

Jonathan is a Queer Latinx millennial nonprofit management strategist dedicated to advancing equity, building capacity, motivating new impact leaders, and getting stuff done. A fundraiser for over ten years, he has helped local organizations raise over $9 million through major gifts, corporate relations, special events, foundation and government grants, and annual giving initiatives.

Jonathan has extensive experience managing leadership development programs and advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives. He also has experience with community engagement and communications by managing and enhancing social media, digital communications, newsletters, public relations, and marketing campaigns for various nonprofit organizations.

Guest links:

• Jonathan’s LinkedIn profile
• Jonathan's Awesome Nonprofit Solutions

Additional links:

• Julia Campbell’s podcast
• Nonprofit Marketing Guide

Playlist:

• Physical by Dua Lipa
• Moscow Mule by Bad Bunny
• Telephone by Lady Gaga (feat. Beyonce)

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr.co.

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

“In our work, it is also about how do we scale empathy in this moment? And especially right now. What is the story that we can tell that brings folks along? We really begin at a human centered approach and community centered approach. What is the story that they want us to tell?”

This week's episode of Good Marketing Unplugged is all about community-centered communications! Jazmin Chavez, VP of Innovation, Equity and Communications at Hispanics in Philanthropy, joins us in the studio to discuss how to use storytelling, digital strategies and inclusive design to further your mission (and scale empathy!). She shares how each step of her journey has shaped her understanding of using digital tools in narrative building and community organization. Tune in for inspiration on how to effectively mobilize communities, measure impact, and center equity and inclusion in your marketing and communications.

Episode Highlights

• Jazmin’s background and journey from law school to a career in communications (1:00)
• An overview of Hispanics in Philanthropy's mission (7:00)
• How Hispanics in Philanthropy uses digital strategy, communications and storytelling to further their work (11:00)
• A highlight on HIP’s COVID relief fund that raised over $2 million for communities across the US and Mexico, with a hyperlocal volunteer strategy and digital trainings for organizations (13:00)
• Jazmin’s for measuring impact beyond just impressions and engagement metrics (20:00)
• How HIP stays innovative in its digital marketing approaches in a fast changing world (24:00)
• Jazmin’s tips for mobilizing community to help expand communities (28:00)
• The importance of centering equity, inclusion and communities in marketing and communications efforts (35:00)

About Jazmin:

A lawyer by trade, Jazmin brings over 11 years of experience in online strategy for nonprofits, social justice campaigns, online fundraising, & campaign analytics. With 14+ years experience in community organizing, advocacy, and strategic outreach in underrepresented communities, she has utilized communications and legal theory to examine new tactics for digital mobilization and movement building, using social media platforms and narrative power analysis as it relates to Latino outreach strategies. As the former Deputy Director of Public Technology and Digital Strategy for Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the New York City Council, Jazmin focused on access, inclusion, and innovation across platforms to advance the Speaker and Council’s work.

Born in Juarez, Mexico but raised in Denver, and a former DREAMer, Jazmin remains committed to fighting for immigrant rights across the country and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Lideres Board of LatinoJustice PRLDEF and a board member of Rural and Migrant Ministry, an organization that advocates for the rights of farmworkers in New York state. Jazmin holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Most importantly, Jazmin is a proud mama and loves being married to her best friend and partner in crime.

Guest links:

Jazmin’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazminchavez/

Additional links:

HIP’s Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YouTube

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr (https://www.feathr.co/).

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

Special thanks to our producer, We Are For Good Studios, and to Feathr’s very own Max Anderson, who wrote and performed our theme song.

Courtney Bugler, President and CEO of ZERO Prostate Cancer, joins us in the studio to dive into how to create greater synergy between development and marketing within our organizations. In her former role at Piedmont Park Conservancy, she served as the Chief Development and Marketing Officer and has a unique perspective to speak on forming synergy between marketing and fundraising departments.

She says, “Marketing and fundraising are ultimately the same thing. They’re relationship building and storytelling. They just do it in different ways.”

Courtney talks specifically through strategies that she’s putting in place to increase productivity, efficiency, and revenue. But at the heart of all her plans are a deep commitment to the best for her team and her community. You don't want to miss this one!

Bio:

Courtney is the President and CEO of PZERO Prostate Cancer. She is a strategic and visionary nonprofit leader able to successfully bring organizational change, drive new partnerships, solve complex business development challenges, and manage key relationships to generate long-term growth.

She’s also a national thought leader on peer to peer fundraising with extensive experience in a 360 degree development shop. Her work combines expert strategic planning and business planning competencies with consistent success in achieving objectives, creating programs, leading employees, and consistently delivering strong and sustainable financial results.

Guest links:

• Courtney’s LinkedIn profile

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr.

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

“Successful cause marketing is always about creating memorable experiences,” said James Martin, Founder & CEO at Rally Corp. “And we do that primarily through stories. We buy into stories. We see ourselves in stories.”

James said, “There’s no better medium than mobile.” He and the rest of the Rally Corp team believe strongly that building a mobile-first strategy is essential for getting the message out. Successful nonprofits are engaging with their communities wherever they are, and now that it’s 2023, that’s more often than not on the phone.

Bio:

James Martin is a 3x tech founder and servant leader with over two decades of experience working in the social sector. As the founder of Rally Corp, he helps charities and causes rally passionate supporters with a human-centered mobile communications platform built exclusively for nonprofits.

Guest links:

• James’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjamesmartin/
• Rally Corp: https://www.rallycorp.com/

Additional links:

• Marketing Made Simple
• charity: water
• Make-A-Wish Foundation

Playlist:

• Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins
• People Are People by Depeche Mode
• We Built This City by Starship

Explaining his song choices, James said: “I like classic songs that remind me that nonprofit marketing requires taking risks and doing new things, but the more we keep it relational and human-centered, the better it feels! Or maybe it just says ‘I'm old’...”

Marketing is about making the best decisions you can with the information you have in hand. This is why marketing teams have to be comfortable, “building the plane while flying it.” Organizations change and grow, and because of this, marketers have to be ready to adapt and iterate. The best plans allow for and welcome the unexpected.

Robb Lee, CMO for ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, talks through strategies for involving marketing in larger organizational decision making.

He said, “That’s where the advantage of marketing can come in. We know all the data… And we can apply this to a business decision… This is a pathway into those upstream conversations, whether you’re invited or not.”

Bio:

As a CMO, Robb solves one primary mystery for association CEOs — how to create revenue that keeps on giving.

Capturing market share is about one ‘simply complex’ idea: creating and sustaining brand loyalty. When we deliver value better than anyone else and communicate that value through the right channels and in the right ways, people will be compelled to invest — and reinvest — in their professional future. With us.

Guest links:

• Robb’s LinkedIn profile
• ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership

Other links:

• Feathr Flight School

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr.

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

John Walsh, director of annual giving at St Vladimir's Seminary, had a response ready when asked about his marketing motto; “Test it.” It’s always better to take a solid swing, to click send on that email, and then be ready to learn from how your audience responds.

Because every nonprofit’s audience is unique, there isn’t a best practice that works 100% of the time. But not every test is equal. Knowing why you’re testing what you’re testing and knowing what you can replicate are essential before hitting send.

Bio:

John Walsh is the Director of Annual Giving at St Vladimir's Seminary. He is responsible for the management and implementation of digital marketing, fundraising, and donor relations.

Guest links:

• John’s LinkedIn account
• Nonprofit Campaign Lab
• St. Vladimir’s Seminary

Additional links:

• Retention Fundraising by Roger Craver
• Andrew Olsen's LinkedIn account
• David Schwabb's LinkedIn account
• Jordie van Rijn's LinkedIn account

Playlist:

• Ants Marching by Dave Matthews Band
• Under Pressure by Queen
• Piano Man by Billy Joel

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr.co

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

“Our best job as nonprofit marketers is understanding there's a world full of people who are looking to make a difference. They just need to know how and where. And so our job is to connect them with the how and the where.”

This episode of Good Marketing Unplugged features Cindee Starkie, VP of Marketing and Communications at Starlight Children's Foundation. Cindee discusses Starlight's focus on outcome-based storytelling and how simplifying their messaging led to a 50% increase in website conversions. (mic drop!) We explore their shared, earned, paid, and owned channels and how to leverage them collectively for maximum impact. If you’re looking for the emerging trends around digital marketing, this episode is for you.

Episode Highlights

• Marketing and communications strategies at Starlight Children’s Foundation (2:30)
• Storytelling and donor engagement in non-profit marketing (13:00)
• Nonprofit marketing trends, AI, and donor alignment (16:00)
• Shared, earned, paid and owned channels + how to leverage them collectively for maximum impact (23:00)

About Cindee:

For more than 20 years, Cindee Starkie has been a strategic professional in the non-profit and for-profit sectors. Currently serving as the Vice President of Marketing & Communications for Starlight Children’s Foundation, Cindee leads a marketing team to create strategic positioning through storytelling. With experience in corporate development, marketing and communications, Cindee has a proven track record of engaging donors and advocates to fuel brand growth and awareness.

Guest links:

Cindee’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindeestarkie

Additional links:

Starlight Children’s Foundation

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr (https://www.feathr.co/).

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

Special thanks to our producer, We Are For Good Studios, and to Feathr’s very own Max Anderson, who wrote and performed our theme song.

"You've gotta take a pause for a second and make sure your foundation is solid before you start stacking things on top of it!" In this episode, our guest Nicole Rodriguez stresses the importance of learning to pause and calibrate your work with the goals you're working toward. She also shares insight on the value of taking the time to learn to do something the right way from the start.

Bio:

Nicole Rodriguez is a people-loving marketing professional who has worked in just about every industry and marketing role. She has found her place in the association space, thriving in roles on small, scrappy teams. Currently a marketing team of one, Nicole is responsible for everything marketing and communications; from brand management to promotion of her organization’s programs and events. Nicole enjoys mission-driven work, spending time with her family, and volunteering in her community. When not wearing her marketing hat, she’s wearing a hard hat—currently restoring a 1957 home in South Florida.

Guest Links:

• Nicole's Linkedin profile
• American Epilepsy Society

Additional Links:

• State of Nonprofit Marketing report

Playlist:

• Now That We Found Love by Heavy D
• The King of Wishful Thinking by Go West
• Anything by the Backstreet Boys

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Hosted by the brilliant team at Feathr.

Feathr is the nonprofit marketing platform designed to help mission and member-based organizations build purposeful connections with their community to grow impact with confidence.

Special thanks to our producer, The Good Podcast Co, and to Feathr’s very own Max Anderson, who wrote and performed our theme song.