The Smart Communications Podcast

Claire Taylor Hansen, Big Duck’s Creative Director, helps nonprofits answer the age-old question: Do we need a new logo? She discusses signs that a logo might need to change, the power of using visual elements—typography, colors, patterns, and more—consistently and well, and shares a simple exercise in-house teams can do to assess whether their nonprofit’s materials align with communications goals. If you want more resources to help you ensure your nonprofit’s brand is understood and applied consistently, download our free ebook, Brand stickiness: Building, integrating, and managing your nonprofit’s voice so it succeeds.

Christine Hughes, Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Burke Neurological Institute, is a world-class fundraiser and scientist with extensive experience in the biomedical field. Christine is in the process of building the Burke development and communications departments—and their pipeline of donors—from the ground up using precision communications. By applying this strategy, she’s built a lean and efficient in-house team with a passionate network of consultants to fill in the gaps. Tune in to hear how she did it and for tips on building a team from scratch.

Stephanie Paul, Vice President of Marketing and Development at the American Parkinson Disease Association, sits down with Sarah Durham to discuss her experiences creating PSAs and shares lessons learned along the way. Tune in to learn how APDA uses their PSAs as tools to raise awareness, reach new audiences, gather stories, and change perceptions about Parkinson’s disease.

George Weiner, Founder and Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, a social impact tech company, sits down with us to discuss all things data—why it matters for nonprofits, what data to pay attention to, how to visualize and share it, and how to get started with Google Analytics. This is a must-listen if you’re a nonprofit communicator responsible for collecting and measuring data related to your mission, or a nonprofit leader looking to foster a more data-driven culture at your organization.

Farra Trompeter, Big Duck’s Vice President, and Dan Gunderman, Big Duck’s Creative Director, have successfully facilitated many nonprofit name changes throughout the years. In this episode, they discuss reasons why more nonprofits are changing their names, what it takes, and lessons they’ve learned that may help organizations thinking about evolving—or radically changing—their name.

Suzanne Shaw is Director of Communications at the Union of Concerned Scientists and has over three decades of expertise in nonprofit and private sector marketing and communications. She restructured her communications department with the intention to build in-house capacity, increase efficiency, bridge “channel-silos,” and measure marketing efforts more effectively. Tune in to hear how she did it and get tips for deciding what a nonprofit with a small communications team should take on in-house vs. outsource.

Marcus dePaula, co-founder of Mixtus Media and producer of this podcast, is an expert in online content creation. In this episode he breaks down creative commons licensing, explains the ethical (and credibility) issues in grabbing images from Google for fundraising appeals or marketing communications, and shares resources for great, free photography and music every organization can use.

Nonprofit leaders must make their vision clear and get everyone—staff, board, and other stakeholders—aligned and motivated to work toward it together. For Wayne Ho, President and CEO of CPC (Chinese American Planning Council), this means communicating effectively with over 4,000 employees. In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, Wayne shares three essential rules that guide all of his internal communications. Want to learn more about how Wayne encourages all 4,000 of his staff members to be effective brand ambassadors? Listen here.

Vince Warren reflects on his twelve years (and counting!) as Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Over the course of his tenure, Vince has built the organization around its potential—and his vision of what it could become. Tune in to learn about his, and the Center for Constitutional Rights’, journey. Want more on the Center for Constitutional Rights? Read all about our branding work together in the case study, or listen to a conversation we shared with Chandra Hayslett, the Center for Constitutional Rights’ Communications Director.

In this episode of the Smart Communications Podcast, two members of Big Duck’s strategy team, Laura Fisher and Gil Mejia, define strategy, unpack the differences between strategic goals, objectives, and tactics, and offer tips for nonprofit communicators looking to develop their strategic thinking. If you want more resources on strategy, download our free ebook, Achieve more: Putting strategy to work for your nonprofit.