The Smart Communications Podcast

Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Marcus dePaula, audio engineer, podcast producer, and consultant, as they explore what an organization needs to launch a podcast as a part of its nonprofit communications strategy. They discuss factors organizations should consider before starting a podcast series and tips for how to manage podcasts once you get started.

Join Ally Dommu, Director of Service Development, and Dr. Myriam Hadnes, facilitator, and founder of Workshops Work, as they discuss the power and importance of facilitation. Discover steps facilitators can take to harness benefits and create respectful and inclusive spaces.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Sarita Joseph, director of accounts, to discuss sharing nonprofit branding concepts and what questions to ask before inviting others to view and provide feedback on branding work in progress. Get tips on what to avoid and what to emphasize.

Join Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Michelle Flores Vryn, CFRE, head of development at iNaturalist, as they discuss how to prioritize audiences and share examples of how being more limited in your approach to audiences ties to branding and communications.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with Lisa Pilar Cowan, vice president of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, about the concepts of trust-based philanthropy, new ways some funders are working with nonprofits for more authentic relationships, and the connection between the community's role and the donor's role in guiding an organization.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Natalie Yelton, content strategist at Kanopi Studios, to delve into content strategy and how to create an engaging nonprofit website. They share key performance indicators to use while writing new content for your site and insights on how to lead with accessibility.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Sheleia Phillips, founder and principal consultant of SMP Nonprofit Consulting, to talk about how to better position your organization to secure funding. Hear examples of nonprofits that have better positioned themselves to receive funding and find out what the shift looked like that led to their success.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with Meico Marquette Whitlock, founder and CEO of Mindful Techie, about mindfulness in the workplace and offers tips that nonprofit leaders can apply to cultivate care and resilience among their teams.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, sits down with Derrick Feldmann, managing director of Ad Council Research Institute and Ad Council Edge, who shares tips for nonprofit staff who are looking to connect awareness and action, to reach people who are hard to reach, and who want to equip trusted messengers to be amplifiers of their mission.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Nneka Allen, Camila Pereira, and Nicole Salmon, co-editors of Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love , a collection of lived experiences written by 15 accomplished Black North American fundraisers in the United States and Canada, to discuss how nonprofit staff can push for more honest, kind, clear, and direct conversations with their colleagues.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with Kivi Leroux Miller, founder and CEO of the Nonprofit Marketing Guide, about the latest nonprofit communications trends, including hot topics like AI, brand archetypes, and the structure of communications teams.

What is most important, the message, the channel, or the mindset of the audience you are trying to reach? Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Ryan Gerhardt, copy director, discuss how we think about segmentation and messaging, the differences between organizational and persuasive messaging, and more.

Effective research begins with clear objectives and choosing methods aligned with your audience to answer key questions. Farra Trompeter, co-director, sits down with senior strategist, Menaka Chandurkar, to talk about the benefits research provides to in-house communications teams and how research connects to issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA).

Join Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Jennifer R. Hudson, president of Think Beyond Public Relations, as they discuss how nonprofit staff can create messaging that gets people to engage with that organization's mission. Together they discuss important frameworks on developing messages that bring in perspectives of all stakeholders and offer tips about training others and operationalizing core val...

Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Funmilayo Brown, founder and CEO of Layo Philanthropic Partners chat about redefining philanthropy for people of color and how nonprofits can effectively use communications to attract and engage their donors.

Farra Trompeter and Liz Ricca, co-directors, explore the emotional nuances of changing a nonprofit's name and break down six highs and lows of the journey.

Farra Trompeter is joined by Kerry Thompson, senior advisor for inclusion and accessibility at the Disability Rights Fund and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, to discuss the significance of incorporating accessibility and inclusion in your nonprofit communications and sheds light on how she is designing DRF's internal processes, policies, and practices to serve as an example for other organiza...

Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Dr. Ashutosh Nandeshwar, senior vice president of data science and analytics at CCS Fundraising to talk about how nonprofits should approach AI, various use cases, and practical tips that nonprofits can use to determine how it can work for your organization.

How do you hire for a strong communications team? Co-directors, Farra Trompeter and Elizabeth Ricca zoom out and talk about communications in general, why nonprofits are investing more now in how they structure their communications teams, and talk through four questions to guide your next communications hire.

What's your next move on social media? Farra Trompeter is joined by Julia Campbell, author, speaker, and host of the Nonprofit Nation Podcast, who shares four pillars of social media management as well as three insightful questions to help your nonprofit effectively leverage digital storytelling.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, and Abby Jarvis, Senior Content Marketing Manager from Neon One discuss the history, the challenges, and the opportunities of GivingTuesday as a global generosity movement.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with Rob Acton, founder and CEO, and Erin Pierson, director of strategic growth, from Cause Strategy Partners to discuss how to engage board members in marketing and communications from recruitment through board service to alumni status.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, sits down with Mara Mintz, consultant, and account lead, and Caitlin Corda, head of marketing, brand, and business development, from Blue Beyond Consulting to discuss the importance of change management for nonprofits, especially those going through branding, major campaigns, or strategic planning.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, chats with Alyssa Wright, founder and principal of Wright Collective, about what and who is a major donor and encourages organizations to have deeper conversations with donors about the diverse ways they contribute to nonprofit missions.

Farra Trompeter, co-director, welcomes Tania Bhattacharyya, founder of Lumos Marketing, to discuss maximizing LinkedIn for nonprofit staff and the power of personal branding. Get tips for how your organization can use LinkedIn more strategically, including the importance of sharing compelling stories on LinkedIn.