What a great journey it was to process all my work, my research & observations, and all I’ve learned from Nonprofit Champions. I’m thankful, excited, and feeling good!
“Great leaders must have two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate that vision clearly.”Simon Sinek
Communication is a basic element of your success.
Think about your heroes. What do they all have in common? They speak, they tell stories, they get your attention through words.
Throughout history our most respected and memorable heroes are great orators, or great writers, or both. Whether they are founders, philosophers, politicians, scientists, leaders in religion, the art, or business, the most influential are also the best communicators.
From ancient Greeks to hip-hop artists, great communicators get attention!
Today, among your personal heroes may be an elected official, a speaker with a motivational podcast, or an inspiring author. They have a voice and they use it to connect.
That’s what great communication does.
Why does this matter to you?
When you become a strong communicator you have the power to influence people. You make connections.
As a nonprofit leader at any level, your communications will win advocates, donors and volunteers. They will make you and your organization stronger and more influential.
✔️Use your words to build a bigger, better organization.
✔️Use your words to attract donors.
✔️Use your words to make the world a better place.
Communication is a key to success. Start with a clear vision for a quick connection. The rest is magic.
Merle Benny, author of Sparkle!, writes and speaks to inspire Nonprofit Champions. The discovery that happy healthy nonprofits raise more money and grow faster (and, in turn, make the world better) is the result of a lifetime of service to nonprofit organizations. Merle has raised millions, been the voice of numerous organizations and continually brought innovation to the sector. Merle is a developer and presenter of the Nonprofit Consultants Institute.
You need money. You need time. You need people.
You need me.
For over 20 years I’ve worked with nonprofit founders, leaders, boards, and dreamers to build stronger organizations, create memorable brands, increase funding, and become Leaders @ the Center™.
Build a stronger nonprofit, one that is ready for the future. Sharpen your vision, hone the message. Retain and inspire employees. Build strong, collaborative networks including funders.
This morning I read, on social media, a plea for donations. The cause? To help the nonprofit survive!
Here is an organization, with a long history, that has lost its way and doesn’t know what to do about it. Instead of telling a story of hope and possibility, they cry and ask to be saved.
Yes, the intentions are good, but the result won’t be.
Nonprofits succeed when they create an ever-growing base of support and love. Yes, they need to be loved.
Nonprofits exist to make our world a better place. Every single organization – and there are 10 million in the United States alone – is created to solve a problem.
Creating, maintaining, and growing a network of support and caring is the only way a nonprofit can succeed.
Yet, many fundraisers and development professionals put their energy into activities that divert their attention. I’ve seen it too many times. Employees spend months planning a gala. Yet their mission is to feed the poor or shelter the homeless. That’s a disconnect and a misuse of resources.
Begging for survival doesn’t work. Galas aren’t sustainable. But building a strong network of caring – and GIVING – people does.
This blog is an exploration of how to empower everyone in the organization to contribute to the growth, opportunity, and possibility for your nonprofit.
Merle Benny, author of Sparkle!, writes and speaks to inspire Nonprofit Champions. The discovery that happy healthy nonprofits raise more money and grow faster (and, in turn, make the world better) is the result of a lifetime of service to nonprofit organizations. Merle has raised millions, been the voice of numerous organizations and continually brought innovation to the sector. Merle is a developer and presenter of the Nonprofit Consultants Institute.
You need money. You need time. You need people.
You need me.
For over 20 years I’ve worked with nonprofit founders, leaders, boards, and dreamers to build stronger organizations, create memorable brands, increase funding, and become Leaders @ the Center™.
Build a stronger nonprofit, one that is ready for the future. Sharpen your vision, hone the message. Retain and inspire employees. Build strong, collaborative networks including funders.
I read about a 3rd grade teacher, I’ll call her Ms. Smarts, who took an unusual approach. At the start of each school year she put aside the lesson plans. She ignored the usual curriculum.
Instead, for the first three months she worked at nurturing her students.
Ms. Smarts cared about her students self-esteem, teamwork, and potential. She wanted to give each of the students an opportunity to explore and experiment without grades or tests. She wanted learning to be fun, not intimidating.
Finally, once they were ready, she began the required lessons.
They soaked them up!
This story has always stuck with me. I wonder what would happen if we treated new employees, volunteers, and board members the same way.
What if we started with exploration and teamwork?
What if we allowed them to discover and share the vision of the organization?
Marshall Ganz, of Harvard Kennedy School, worked with the young campaigners for Obama in his first run for the presidency. He challenged them to explore three stories: the story of self, the story of us, and the story of now. This exercise prepared the recruits to go out and campaign, fully prepared to share compelling stories.
Like the 3rd grade students, the Obama recruits had the opportunity for self-discovery and teamwork before they went to work.
You already know the outcome of the Obama election.
Guess what happened with Ms. Smarts students…They came out ahead at the end of the school year! They achieved higher scores on the standardized tests and they were fully prepared to move onto 4th grade.
You can adapt these approaches to fit your organization, here’s an Onboarding Action Plan to get you started (btw, this works for forming teams of existing employees and volunteers too):
Share the vision. Give employees and volunteers a big picture view so they see where they fit today and also where they may go in the future. Encourage possibility. This is especially important for workers who may not be in the office or may be siloed in a department.
Encourage gathering. Make teamwork part of the onboarding process, allowing time to get to know each other and encouraging sharing throughout the organization. Allow new recruits to use their voice and be part of exploratory conversations. Great ideas and tools are available at Liberating Structures (download the app).
Create your story library. Know and share the founder’s story and other essential tales of your organization’s founding and growth. These shared stories are the basis for a common knowledge, understanding, and commitment to the founder’s dream and the vision of the organization. They might be in writing or on video to share at events and social media.
Collect stories. Create a way for your employees and volunteers to share their successes. I call them Minor Miracles, the little things that happen but might be overlooked. A mental health organization gives everyone an opportunity to share their miracle of the month. These add to the library, ready to be shared.
Listen. Every person brings something unique and special to your organization. Make sure you hear what they say and honor their stories. Discover the unique qualities of everyone so you can identify how they fit in and enhance the organization.
Facilitate connection. As you get to know your new employee, board member, or teammate, you will find lots of opportunity to make connections. As each person is enabled to build a network, the organization as a whole is strengthened. Network Weaver is a great source for resources and tools.
Every employee and volunteer has potential to contribute to your organization’s growth. It’s up to you to show them the possibilities. Creating a culture of sharing, storytelling, teambuilding, and connecting will build an organization ready for the future.
Merle Benny, author of Sparkle!, writes and speaks to inspire Nonprofit Champions. The discovery that happy healthy nonprofits raise more money and grow faster (and, in turn, make the world better) is the result of a lifetime of service to nonprofit organizations. Merle has raised millions, been the voice of numerous organizations and continually brought innovation to the sector. Merle is a developer and presenter of the Nonprofit Consultants Institute.
Nonprofit Champion is more than the name of the business I run. It’s even more that the work I do every day, supporting nonprofits.
It’s the result of a lifelong dream.
It started when I was a Brownie (that’s a young Girl Scout). I was in the second grade and my mother was the troop leader. I wasn’t very good at crafts, failed at selling cookies, and couldn’t carry a tune to save my life. I had skipped kindergarten, so I probably didn’t know a lot of important life lessons.
Then I heard about Juliette Low.
Learning how this woman (a bit eccentric but I didn’t know that yet) had started an organization just for girls was eye opening. It was not just my little troop, but there were other Brownies in other schools all over the country. Wow. That was impressive to my little beanie-wearing self.
Juliette became my idol. She taught me that girls matter. She taught me that you could create a movement and that movement was called a nonprofit.
I went on to learn a lot of things as a Girl Scout. Many of them impacted my life but nothing was more important to me than the simple lesson I learned from the Juliette Low story: If you have a vision you can create something much bigger than yourself.
I’d like to say that there was a straight path from that discovery until today. There was not. I did many things in my career, including a short (disappointing) stint working for the Girl Scouts. But as I used the leadership skills I learned in Girl Scouts and became successful in my marketing career, thoughts of her never went away. I knew I still wanted to inspire possibility like she did.
That dream landed me right where I needed to be. I began working with nonprofits, using my marketing communications expertise. I realized I did not want to be Juliette Low, I wanted to create Juliette Lows.
I’m sharing this story with you because it is the reason I champion nonprofit founders and leaders. It is also the reason I believe your possibilities are endless. Juliette Low started Girls Scouts 108 years ago. Imagine the millions of girls it has served! Imagine how much the lives of girls and women have changed in that time! Yet, it, like so many great organizations, has adapted and continues to fill a need. That’s what nonprofits do.
Juliette Low helped me discover my purpose. Today as I write and speak about adding Sparkle! to your nonprofit organization, I remember the story of Juliette and all the great founders I have had the honor of knowing and working with.
Dig deep for your purpose, tell your story. You can change the world. Act like Juliette, even if you are just starting your career.
Merle Benny, author of Sparkle!, writes and speaks to inspire Nonprofit Champions. The discovery that happy healthy nonprofits raise more money and grow faster (and, in turn, make the world better) is the result of a lifetime of service to nonprofit organizations. Merle has raised millions, been the voice of numerous organizations and continually brought innovation to the sector. Merle is a developer and presenter of the Nonprofit Consultants Institute.
At one big event, I forget the words I had memorized and stood there like a dummy with my mouth open and nothing coming out. Embarrassing!
I’ve been boring, talked too fast, and read every word.
It took practice to get better. I had to take chances, get honest feedback, and seek out opportunities to speak. It was worth the effort.
You have a voice that deserves to be heard.
You have the power to recruit volunteers, attract donors, and inspire action. The better you communicate, the greater success you’ll have.
Good communication is the basis for nonprofit success.
Throughout history our most respected and memorable heroes are great orators, or great writers, or both. Whether they are founders, philosophers, politicians, scientists, religion, artist, or business leaders, the most influential are also the best communicators .
From ancient Greeks to hip-hop artists, orators use the stage and written words to get their message out.
Today, among your personal heroes may be a great conversationalist in your family, a speaker with a motivational podcast, or an inspiring author. They have a voice and they use it to connect.
Good communication is the basis for nonprofit success.
Explore opportunities to find your voice. Your organization needs you to share the dream and attract support. Practicing your communication skills is key.
You have the power to make a difference. It starts with communication. Look for opportunities to practice your speaking skills, get publicity, and spread the word. Here are opportunities to explore:
Toastmasters. Clubs all over the world give you the chance to practice and learn great speaking skills.
Podcasts. Take a look at the podcasts for nonprofits, or for your cause. They are often looking for guests! Here’s a list of popular nonprofit podcasts.
Tours. Inviting people to come, hear, and see your work is a perfect way to practice your skills while benefiting your organization. Virtual or in-person, it’s a fun, smart way to make new friends for your cause while you become a great speaker. Learning to inspire people to care by telling your story in 10 minutes or so, is the best thing you can do for your organization.
Speaking. Look for easy entry points to the speaking world. Talk to a local group about your organization. Share your own story or your founders story with a group of volunteers. Accept invitations to sit on panels.
Your organization needs you – as a dreamer, messenger, and champion.
Building an organization of communicators is more urgent every day.
There has never been more urgency for nonprofits to step up their communications. Each and every employee and volunteer should be empowered to speak for the vision and mission of the organization.
Why now? Here are four reasons why it matters every day in 2022 – on the front lines of service, in your social posts, on your website, and at your community events.
Let’s explore why that is so important right now and how you can use this moment to create an organization that continually moves closer to your Vision:
1. Diversity – There is a comfort level and a natural tendency to speak with people that look like you, as a result you continue to build an organization of like-minded people with similar world views. Additionally, nonprofits haven’t done much better than for-profits in diversifying their staffs. The vast majority of nonprofit managers and directors are white.
The way to go beyond that is to intentionally create a more diverse organization and to acknowledge the diversity that already exists but may not have a voice. You honor and support everyone by giving them access, tools, and information needed to share the Vision.
A diverse group, with their own experiences and perspectives, will communicate the organization’s message, building a network of varying ages, races, economic standing, and lifestyles for your organization.
2. Crisis – The pandemic is a lesson in rapid change and adaptation. Communication has taken new forms as a result. The quick replacement of in-person events, from staff meetings to fundraisers, showed what could be done in ways we wouldn’t have imagined as recently as 2019.
Supervision no longer requires being in the same room, overhearing conversations, or eating lunch together. Those organizations providing emergency services, health care, and education saw frontline workers, whether or not they were prepared, become the voice of their organizations. Crisis showed you how important it is to have independent workers, able to communicate for the organization.
3. Technology – Every department and service of your organization depends on technology. Those with the skills to develop and use these tools have become critical players in every nonprofit. Whether they are using social media for marketing, online platforms for events, fundraising apps, measurement tools, customer relationship management (CRM) programs, or accounting software, it is essential that they have a full understanding of the Vision so they can support it and deliver it through technology.
4. Advocacy – Nonprofits are called on to speak for those they serve. Being advocates, in addition to providing service, has become critical for growth and success. With record unemployment, wage disparity, and health threats it is critical for many voices to advocate, not just for those you serve but for employees, clients, and the community at large.
Communicate is step one in your growth strategy. By becoming a communicator, and offering that opportunity to others in your organization, you are giving yourself, and them, the ability to lead your organization in unprecedented ways.
Merle Benny, Nonprofit Champion
Merle Benny writes and speaks to inspire Nonprofit Champions. She believes that every nonprofit is created with love and deserves to thrive. Her marketing communications expertise and years of study led her to write Leader @ the Center. Everyone has the potential to be a leader and a Nonprofit Champion.
I loved Suzi the first time I met her. She was a new employee and the youngest person in the room. Yet, there was something about her.
Wherever she was things were happening.
As I worked with her on several different projects, I began to see what it was that made her so special. Suzi is a leader.
If we limit the idea of leadership to one person at the top, we don’t make room for people like Suzi. That’s a big loss.
The traditional nonprofit model limits leadership opportunities. This has made it difficult to attract and keep a motivated workforce. It’s time to take a fresh approach and recognize leadership at every level, in any role.
When you empower employees, volunteers, and board members by giving them the tools, resources, and confidence to speak, they contribute to building a diverse, sustainable community of support.
The first step is to appreciate the value of building an organization of great communicators. Download Merle’s ebook, The Secret to Nonprofit Success, to learn why you want to communicate your vision and how to get started.
When you begin to see communicators as leaders, leadership shifts. It is no longer limited to the top. You have empowered employees, board members, and volunteers, to speak up for the cause. This is Leader @ the Center™, a new approach to empowering individuals, activating strong networks, and building sustainable organizations.
Why should you be a Leader @ the Center?
Leadership belongs to everyone who shares the organization’s Vision and builds a network.
This new leader is a connector, continually weaving a network and mobilizing an ever-growing system of support and caring.
Depending on the leader’s area of expertise and role in the organization and in the community, that network might be donors, foundations, business leaders, other nonprofits, service providers, volunteers, or any combination. The circle may also include service recipients, customers, and clients.
You, as a leader, are at the center of your own network.
Why should you encourage others to be?
The freedom that this new perspective gives to employees, board members, and volunteers is immeasurable. Now you have a large active team moving in different circles towards the same Vision. Remember, this happens simply by empowering everyone to communicate with confidence and passion about your work and the bigger dream for a better world.
This mobilization multiplies your impact. More connections lead to more contributions. More contributions lead to stronger progams. Stronger programs lead to greater outcomes.
No longer is the Executive Director going it alone. Now they are the team captain with a winning team, moving independently towards a shared goal. Leader @ the Center can exist in your current structure or be the catalyst for moving away from the hierarchal, pyramid model to a self-managed model.
Suzi isn’t bossy, she respects authority and understands her role, but she’s definitely a leader. She takes action on the spot. As Doug Sundheim writes in Forbes,* leadership is “critical and collaborative thinking and action given what you see in front of you.” That’s what sets Suzi apart.
You need Suzis at every level of your organization.
Here are some points to consider before moving on to creating messages and preparing Leaders @ the Center to connect. Empowering many to share the Vision addresses a range of existing problems and obstacles to success:
Capturing hearts. Getting attention, inspiring action, and driving change are fundamental roles of a nonprofit organization. Emotional connections make these happen. The more voices the better, yet employees and volunteers may not feel empowered to speak of their experiences and share their passion.
How Leader @ theCenter helps: Having many communicators in your organization captures more hearts and minds. Each brings a unique voice and experience to your message, making your appeal resonate. Multiply that by ten or twenty and you have opportunity where it did not exist before. Passionate voices lead to active volunteers, participants, and donors.
Retention. Your work is easier when turnover is low. Retention of employees, volunteers, and board members brings consistency and a strong base of support. Recruitment and training are expensive and time consuming, taking you away from your mission.
How Leaders @ the Center helps: Engagement is key to long term relationships. Creating an organization of communicators gives everyone the opportunity to engage. The feeling of belonging, being needed, and having a voice are empowering and rewarding. And they are reasons to stay.
Motivation from the start. Young, new employees bring energy to your organization. It is challenging to attract and retain them. A lack of opportunity to actively engage in the Vision causes many to turn away from the organization or nonprofits in general. They seek a position that allows them to grow, act, and share.
How Leader @ the Center helps: Giving a voice to these most enthusiastic, inspired employees and volunteers motivates and energizes your youngest, and often, most diverse workers. These may also be your most tech savvy employees, using tools to enhance the work and spread the message. The rewards are double: you keep them engaged and their voices attract a new base of support.
Demand for services. You are challenged to continually deliver an ever-expanding range of programs and services. These demands often come from funders. It becomes a Catch-22: you can’t have the money without the services and you can’t deliver the services without the money.
How Leader @ the Center helps: Your newly engaged and empowered employees, volunteers, and board members are energized and productive. Engaged employees are happy employees. They are multiplying your contacts and contributing more
Steady flow of money. The majority of nonprofits identify finding and maintaining reliable sources of funding as their greatest need. You are challenged to maintain existing funding sources while identifying new ones.
How Leaders @ the Center helps: Empowering everyone in your organization by giving them a voice multiplies your exposure while creating the momentum that produces results for you, your service recipients, and your funders. With an organization rich in resources, you are on a path to success.
Becoming a Leader @ the Center feels good! Creating more leaders is your opportunity to build momentum, reduce expenses, satisfy workers, increase productivity, and raise more money.
What can you do today to create more leaders in your organization?
Merle Benny, Nonprofit Champion.
Merle is the voice of Nonprofit Champions everywhere. She writes and speaks to inspire more nonprofit leaders in the community and world. She loves connections! Email merle@nonprofitchampion.com or follow Nonprofit Champion on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Think about your heroes. What do they all have in common? They talk, they tell stories, they get your attention through words.
Communication is the basic element of all success.
Throughout history our most respected and memorable heroes are great orators, or great writers, or both. Whether they are founders, philosophers, politicians, scientists, leaders in religion, the art, or business, the most influential are also the best communicators.
From ancient Greeks to hip-hop artists, orators use the stage and written words to get their message out.
Who are your heroes?
Today, among your personal heroes may be a great conversationalist in your family, a speaker with a motivational podcast, or an inspiring author. They have a voice and they use it to connect.
That’s what great communication can do.
Becoming a strong communicator gives you the power to influence people. It allows you to make connections. As a nonprofit leader, at any level, communication will win advocates, donors and volunteers. It will make you and your organization stronger and more influential.
Communication is so fundamental it is often overlooked as a key part of success. Yet, when you look at what nonprofits need to succeed, nothing is possible without communication. To fundraise or influence policy makers, or to recruit volunteers, you have to speak and write. To successfully serve clients or build a membership base, you must communicate.
Communication drives success
Every relationship begins with communication. That communication may be equally what you see and what you hear. As you meet someone new, or simply speak in front of someone, they get feelings about you based on your eye contact, movement, and, of course, what you say and how you express it.
Your audience, of one or many, detects your mood, your emotions, and your interest.
Body language starts with your eyes and continues down the body. To gain attention, respect, and interest, you can practice your smile and posture. You are aiming to communicate curiosity and respect. Your audience reflects your mood. If you are bored, they will be too.
The sparks that start a relationship are well known in dating: “we locked eyes across a crowded room.” Sparks also fly in the office, at networking events, even in virtual meetings.
Words matter
A great smile is an icebreaker, but words matter. We have tens of thousands of words to choose from and millions of combinations. How do you find the right ones?
The Nonprofit Champion journey begins with Communication. You will discover how to find your words and your voice, and to use them to connect and grow. To be a winner.
This is a game plan to take you and your organization from where are you now, to where you want to be.
Remember, as you dig in and get started, that every conversation matters. The world is full of opportunity for you and your organization, don’t let any of that pass you by.
A note to nonprofit champions (you):
This post is an excerpt from my book, Leader @ the Center. I hope it inspires you to go out and start a conversation today. You never know!
Merle Benny writes and speaks to inspire Nonprofit Champions. She believes that every nonprofit is created with love and deserves to thrive. Her marketing communications expertise and years of study led her to write Leader @ the Center. Everyone has the potential to be a leader and a Nonprofit Champion.
Stories are magical. Everyone is hard-wired for stories, you enjoy them, you are influenced by them, and you react to them. When you become a great storyteller (and I’m about to give you the secret formula), you get more of what you want.
Nonprofits have many stories to share. In fact, you are making new stories everyday. Your treasure trove of stories should include your Founder’s Story, your own story, and the stories of those who benefit from the work of your nonprofit organization.
I heard a founder’s story when I was seven years old and it has impacted by whole life!
When I was in the 2nd grade I became a Brownie. We made crafts, sang songs, and sold cookies. I wasn’t very good at any of those things. But then I heard about Juliette Gordon Low.
Merle & her sisters
I was fascinated! She was the founder of Girl Scouts. She lived a bit of a whacky life and she created an organization for girls to do things they had never done before. And, as a result of her passion, I was a Brownie, one of 1000s all over the country.
Without this founder’s story I wouldn’t have stayed in the Girl Scouts through high school, or worked for them, or been a leader.
That’s the power of a story.
When you want donations, volunteers, clients,or love, stories will help you getthem.
Stories do their magic because they stir up emotions. The emotions can be happy, sad, funny, or any mix of feelings. Think about a sitcom. It’s a story. The bible and koran are full of stories. When you read or hear story, it clicks, your brain lights up, you are paying attention. Just what you want from your audience, virtually or in person!
Keep your stories simple. You want them to be sticky. If they are easy to remember, they are easy to repeat. That means other people start doing your work for you by repeating your story!
Finally…here is the magic formula for your stories
Yes, it’s really as simple as a fairytale. As you are thinking about the story you want to tell, try this easy, memorable formula. Just like Sleeping Beauty or Hansel and Gretel, your story opens by setting the scene.
But something goes wrong! You’ve added some suspense to the story and now you’ve got their attention. You may be describing the unfortunate circumstances of a child or family.
Next, the hero comes along – this could be you, your founder, your organization, or a donor. Through this vivid, descriptive story you have shown the listener how important your work is and got them interested in helping.
Ah, happily ever after.
Speaking of happily ever after, Juliette Low’s story was powerful enough to motivate me as a 7 year old. It still moves me now.
You can become a great storyteller. Just follow the simple formula and you’ll be ready to speak to a person or a group, in person or via social media. Make stories the focus of your marketing, community building, and fundraising.
Juliette became my idol. She taught me that girls matter. She taught me that you could create a movement and that movement was called a nonprofit.
If we limit the idea of leadership to one person at the top, we don’t make room for people like Suzi. That’s a big loss.
