Is it possible to add personality to your emails? Nate Adams certainly thinks so. However, he notes, there are ways to do it effectively and still keep your messaging sounding authentic. Nate, chair of communications for Young Involved Philadelphia, joins Beth to explore adding voice and vibrancy to email communications, training the next generation of leaders, why email is still valuable and ensuring your messaging appeals to the right audience while also relaying information.

When you're in charge of getting the word out about a global event, what should be your first steps? What tools should you use? Lizanne Pando served as director of communications for the 2015 World Meeting of Families during the papal visit in Philadelphia, and she joins in to discuss the role of social media in the endeavor. She and Beth explore how public relations and social media intersect, how to include more than one language in your communications, and much more.

This week, author Dorie Clark joins Driving Participation to talk about personal branding—on an individual level as well as for an organization. How does a leader's personal brand align with the impression of an organization as a whole? Can they be separated? Dorie and Beth dig into what personal branding actually means, how it can impact your reputation, and how—or if—your personal brand changes as you choose different career paths throughout your life.

Julia Campbell has two pillars to her content strategy. Julia, an author and nonprofit consultant, joins in to talk about the elements that make up a sustainable content strategy and how social media plays into it all. She shares the three things that you should be using your digital marketing for, how social media has “revolutionized” human communication, how to post more provocative content beyond just news and announcements, and much more.

Monica Montgomery helps liberate organizations from what she sees as limited thinking. She should know a thing or two about creative thinking as the founding director of the Museum of Impact, which is a social justice museum that is completely mobile. She joins Beth to talk about the mentality of scarcity and how that translates to limitations in thinking, as well as how to create "irresistible" experiences for your audience and why you shouldn't be afraid to use the word "agenda."

When RoiAnn Phillips became the communications director for HealthConnect One, a newly created position, she had some questions to work out. Namely, what will that mean for the organization? What value will this role bring? She joins Beth to discuss her new position and how she got there, even with an unconventional background as a theater major. They explore the questions you should be asking yourself about your organization, misconceptions about what marketing means, and more.

Using a donor's first name on a donation receipt. Making the "donate" big and easy to find. These seemingly small changes make a big difference in not just improving your organization's donor conversion rate but also the donor’s experience of giving to your cause. Abby Jarvis, contact director at Qgiv, joins to explore the small changes that lead to big results when it comes to donation pages. Abby shares how you can make the experience as simple and meaningful as possible for a potential donor.

How do you go about planning a virtual conference? Arianna Rehak brought together speakers and professionals for Surge, an entirely virtual summit spread over the course of a few days, that allowed attendees the chance to join in on educational sessions about topics they care about—without having to go anywhere. From the technology behind the summit to how she measured its success, she talks about the logistics of creating a free virtual summit and why the event goes beyond just being a list...

When you know who is really coming to your events, it can change everything. Not just your message and marketing, but the event itself. After attending our Master Class on Audience Focus, Chris Blockus used what he learned to completely transform the "Girls' Night Out" event hosted by the Downtown Somerville Alliance — and participation jumped by 50%! Listen as Chris talks to Beth about how he applied the techniques he learned to create a great experience for the attendees, the vendors and...

Are you using LinkedIn to its fullest? Mike Kirby, vice president of business partnerships at Within3, joins in to talk about how to use LinkedIn to its full potential. From advice about targeting potential connections and leveraging your contacts, Michael shares his favorite approaches to communicating on the social platform and the messaging that works. He and Beth explore the steps to take when making a LinkedIn connection, how to use LinkedIn for research and much more.

The concept of peer-to-peer is nothing new, but it has certainly changed over the years with the advent of technology. Dorene Ocamb, senior director of integrated marketing at MADD, joins this session to explore what peer-to-peer really is (it's simpler than you think) and how technology has offered new ways for constituents to engage with your organization and spread your mission. She describes what she sees as a "renaissance of participation" and how younger generations are changing the...

As we head into 2018, Beth wanted to know: What tactics or strategies are you letting go of? She gathered responses from past Driving Participation guests. From foregoing massive website launches to leaving phonathons in the past to changing up social media habits—maybe even letting go of Facebook altogether—listen in to hear what some in the community are leaving behind in the new year.

Mike Lenda has experience in both the for profit and nonprofit world through working previously in marketing at Starbucks and now mobilization at Compassion International. He joins in this week to share some practices he learned at Starbucks and how they could—and should—be applied to nonprofits. From staying true to your mission—know your story and know your why, Mike says—to making your audience feel like partners in your organization, Mike shares what Starbucks has learned that nonprofits...

On the outside, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is just a big train station. But for Sarah Davis, director of development for the city's University City District, it represents a connection to lifelong employment and exit from poverty in some cases, or the home of outdoor space The Porch, where West Philadelphians can connect over lunch from the food truck on-site. She joins this session to talk about how the 20-year-old organization revitalized an area of the city and the conversations...

Some organizations suffer from failure to see things as the donors themselves see it, notes Nick Ellinger on this week's session. Nick, vice president of marketing strategy for DonorVoice, joins in to talk about how to create a connection between development and communications, and why communications in nonprofits is often one-sided. He explains how you can get real, substantive feedback from donors—and then how to actually use it. Where can you improve in your messaging so donors feel a...

Jill Knaggs knows the perception about manufacturing typically evokes a sort of dingy image. But she also knows the industry is anything but dingy. She joins this session to talk about a campaign she coordinated as communication and marketing manager for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Manitoba to change perception and show people what the industry is. She explains how the organization incorporated hijack marketing around Canada's 150th birthday celebration.

As Jen Martindale will say, having a brand strategy in place just the starting line—not the finish line. She helped the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts undergo a total rebranding, which doesn't mean a new logo. As Chief of Marketing, she helped the organization reach a new audience in a way that worked for them and created an image and strategy that communicates who the YBCA is. She talks to Beth about the role arts and culture play in enacting change, why you should never try to replicate...

Will Dennis wants people in leadership positions to come from a place of “yes.” With a background in theater and improvisation, Will, manager of the Prep Fund at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, knows the notion of “yes” and taking a risk on an idea is paramount — and often pays off. He believes in the value of conversation in determining what drives people’s participation with an organization and creating a real relationship.

This week, Beth is back with the team from Chemical Heritage Foundation. This time, she talks with Shelley Wilks Geehr, director of the Roy Eddleman Institute, about the roles of social media and digital content for the museum. Shelley explores the various media assets of the organization, from its quarterly print (yes, print!) magazine to a podcast to weekly Twitter takeovers. She also explains the role of Wikipedia in their organization and how it has helped attract attention to the museum....

When you start a new project—like a new exhibit at a museum—you might look at what other organizations are doing, and that can be a good thing. This session is all about collaboration—both internally and externally—as Elisabeth Berry Drago and Rebecca Ortenberg from the Chemical Heritage Foundation join in to talk about how the museum worked with other organizations as it developed its newest exhibit. They discuss how they worked to personalize the exhibit for museum-goers and how they looked...

It's easy to think of branding as something superficial. But at its core, a brand is really just a relationship, as Cynthia Round explains on this week's session. A brand creates an inherently emotional connection that inspires loyalty and ongoing action. Why does your audience connect with your organization? Asking qualitative questions that seek to answer how people identify with a brand helped Cynthia in her work at organizations like United Way Worldwide and the Metropolitan Museum of...

Amanda Kaiser, qualitative member researcher with Smooth the Path, has done more than 300 interviews with members of associations to understand their worries, challenges, problems and experiences with the association to determine why they do or don't engage. In doing so, she's learned a few lessons and tips that she shares in this week's session. She explains why the new member process is upside down. Early experiences with your association—whether it's the first webinar, the first...

Are you struggling to reach your audience through email? Spencer Brooks from Brooks Digital joins in this week to talk about how your emails can be of value to your subscribers. He talks about what it takes to get your emails into people's inboxes and how to avoid the spam filter. For those dealing with low click-rates and high unsubscribe rates, he provides tips on how to clean up your list so that you are getting the best results that you can. He and Beth explore combining social media with...

Anika Rahman has worked with such organizations as Rainforest Alliance, the Ms. Foundation, and the United Nations Population Fund. She joins this session to talk about the different facets of leadership, from how leadership is different for men and women to how leaders should deal with failure. She talks about the true role of a leader when it comes to creating inspiration and—most importantly—trust. She and Beth explore the differences between a vision and a mission, how a leader can build...

What makes a good leader? Sandy Rees jumps in this week to talk about getting into the mindset of being a good leader—especially if you don't see yourself as one at first. Leaders set the tone of the organization, and Sandy gives tips about how to buy into yourself as a leader. For those starting a new nonprofit, she talks about the importance of finding staff and volunteers who believe in the organization's mission as much as you do and are willing to put in the time and talent to get the...