

The Smart Communications Podcast
Big Duck
The Smart Communications Podcast helps busy nonprofit leaders build their communications skills and develop their organization’s voice. Every episode shares insights and practical tips to help you leverage strategic communications to advance your nonprofit’s mission.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 10, 2021 • 22min
Episode 82: How do you center your community as you do research?
Equity is about process and outcomes. Making sure everyone, regardless of color, has the same access and opportunity requires a skillset many of us are striving to learn. This podcast, Sponsored by Bloomerang, examines equity, issues of equity, and equity-focused research, and offers valuable insights for nonprofits looking to make research practices, and their organization more unbiased.

Feb 24, 2021 • 11min
Episode 81: How can you facilitate meetings better
Active listening and research. These are just a couple of key facilitation skills shared in this episode of The Smart Communications Podcast with Ally Dommu, director of strategy, and Sarah Durham as they discuss how to facilitate meetings and why it’s so important.

Feb 10, 2021 • 14min
Episode 80: How does strategic planning impact communications?
No matter what you are working towards in your organizations when approaching both strategic planning and communications it’s important to know what is unchanging, and what is variable. Ally Dommu, director of strategy, sits down with Sarah Durham to talk about developing communications in connection to a bigger organizational vision in this episode of The Smart Communications Podcast.

Jan 27, 2021 • 14min
Episode 79: How do we communicate without communications staff?
Staff cuts and running an organization on a skeleton crew have become an unfortunate effect of the difficult times we have been facing. Sponsored by Bloomerang, here’s an inspirational boost and re-air of one of our most popular podcasts from the Spring of 2018 with Wayne Ho, President and CEO of the Chinese American Planning Council, about how he manages he manages without a communications staff.

Jan 13, 2021 • 23min
Episode 78: Marketing versus communications: what's the difference?
In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham sits down with Samantha Campbell, marketing and communications expert and former Director of Marketing, Communication and Sales at the Apollo Theater, to examine the differences between marketing and communications.

Dec 16, 2020 • 20min
Episode 77: How can your values help during challenging times?
Does your organization practice it’s values in tangible ways? Listen to this podcast to gain insight from NTEN’s CEO, Amy Sample Ward, on how to center your strength using your values during difficult times.

Dec 9, 2020 • 23min
Episode 76: How do you convert crisis donors into regular givers?
Is your organization looking for innovative ways to convert crisis donors into regular givers? This podcast explores how to attract and retain new donors.

Nov 25, 2020 • 18min
Episode 75: Do robots make bad fundraisers?
Do robots make bad fundraisers? In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham chats with Steven Shattuck, author of the book, “Robots Make Bad Fundraisers” and Chief Engagement Officer at Bloomerang, about ways to apply time-tested principles of philanthropy to the modern technology available to fundraisers.

Nov 11, 2020 • 17min
Episode 74: What tagline works??
A good tagline can inspire you to think, feel, maybe even react. In the episode of The Smart Communications Podcast, Sarah Durham and Big Duck Copywriter, Ryan Gerhardt, break down three structures for taglines that can strengthen your organization’s brand strategy.

Oct 28, 2020 • 12min
Episode 73: How do you tackle a daunting project?
Ever find yourself stuck on how to approach a big project that you have to do, but you just don't see how you're going to get it anytime soon? This podcast unpacks the process of tackling projects and offers a roadmap and tips on how to get started.