, ,

Advice for Nonprofits

Getting Along While Getting Stuff Done

I have some advice for nonprofits. I have been creating websites and assisting with marketing for nonprofits for most of my career. I have worked with large national organizations and small community groups. Some are official 501(c)(3) organizations, some aren’t. I have found no matter the size, they all have one thing in common.

Nonprofits have to work together, despite different backgrounds, personality types, education, geography and skills.

Sounds like a typical workplace environment, doesn’t it? We need to get along with our co-workers and customers/clients at work and elsewhere. And when we volunteer, we have to get along with the people we are teamed up with.

Getting along with others isn’t always easy

Occasionally, one of my nonprofit clients struggles with this. Some people have very strong personalities and can be overbearing. Trying to steer every decision to their way of thinking. Volunteers can get frustrated. Arguments start, bitter emails are sent, it gets out of hand. Sometimes good volunteers leave the organization to preserve their own mental health. Afterall, when you are volunteering, who needs the extra anxiety or toxic interactions? I don’t like conflict or confrontations. I try to stay calm in these situations and work through it. I always encourage open communication and honesty. Respect and taking personal responsibility.

My job is to make my clients happy

That’s my primary goal, happiness. Yes, I want to give my clients a nice, functional website or membership system they can manage moving forward. I want the experience with me to collaborative. I want my clients to know that no question is a bad one. I’m here to answer your phone calls and emails.

Everyone learns in different ways. That’s why I provide support with written documentation, videos, zoom sessions, phone calls and in-person training. I want every client to fully understand what I created for them and how it will help their organization today and into the future. So, how can I provide happiness? By proving the following tips for nonprofits.

What’s my advice?

Here we go, it’s pretty simple, really.

1. DEFINE WHO’S RESPONSIBLE NOW and MOVING FORWARD.

Before we start working together, I want to fully understand the dynamics of the people on the team. I ask questions to determine who will be managing the website after it’s launched. For my clients who use MembershipWorks, I want to be clear who will be keeping it updated in the future, following up with members who don’t renew or helping them complete their online profile for the Membership Directory.

Many times volunteers do this work. And that’s great. Many are eager to learn what needs to be done. Sometimes I continue to be the website administrator because clubs don’t have someone with WordPress skills to take on the website management. I have several clients who ask for MembershipWorks help just once a year for an annual event.

It’s important for everyone to know what roles they will play and what the expectations are for the future. It’s best to work with a small group or one liaison when creating a new website or installing MembershipWorks. When the teams get larger than 8-10 it’s much more difficult to come to a consensus, make decisions, and set up zoom meetings that have to fit into so many schedules.

Once everyone is clear on the role they will play during the project and after, then we proceed.

2. LISTEN.

My second piece of advice is to listen. Even if someone is younger, older or less experienced, they still provide value in regards to the experience you want for your members. Great ideas come from brainstorming when everyone feels they can contribute without being judged or shot down immediately. Everyone involved has value. Sometimes you get more ideas than we can implement! That’s when I start a list for “phase 2” improvements to consider after the initial project is complete. We don’t want good ideas to be lost just because the timing isn’t right at the moment.

3. BE A LEADER.

Some of my best experiences working with nonprofits are when they have a leader who really leads. Someone who empowers others and encourages participation and input. A leader checks in with the progress, knows what’s going on, and who might need some extra support to fulfill their responsibilities. Leaders are observant but don’t micro-manage the project. They keep the overall goals and timeline in mind. I love it when the leader uses tools to create an environment where the team can stay focused and get the project done on time. Happy leaders create happy teams.

Know Your Strengths

I’ve worked with all sorts of personality types and skill levels. In fact, I often have the StrengthsFinders strengths assessment in my mind when I start working with a new group. I like to understand how people are wired and what makes them good at what they do. You can learn more about my top five strengths by reading a post I wrote on the subject. Here’s a clue, my top strength is Activator. I love getting stuff done!

In the end, it’s about happiness. I want my clients to be happy.

Please let me know if you have any questions about how your nonprofit should proceed when starting a new project with me. I’m happily available and ready to help! 🙂

Michelle Aspelin
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services, LLC
Learn more about me and read the recommendations from my happy clients on LinkedIn.

by
,

Being Effective vs Efficient

I was reading a real estate investment book recently that discussed the difference between being EFFECTIVE vs EFFICIENT. I have always expressed to my clients that I am efficient, but now I realize, I should focus on being effective. Here’s why.

The author, Brandon Turner, described the difference in this way:

  • The difference is getting stuff done right vs. getting the right stuff done.
  • The difference is watching your business vs. watching your business grow.
  • The difference is managing your life vs. changing your life.
  • The difference is looking cool on the football field vs. scoring touchdowns and winning games.

Many people focus on being efficient. They can get a lot of stuff done, they have systems and processes in place, and they maximize their schedule. I thought to myself, that describes me. But then I read more.

“Being effective, on the other hand, is the practice of continually making the right moves and accomplishing important tasks. You can be incredibly efficient, crossing off items on your to-do list, but if those tasks aren’t getting you closer to your end result, toward the goal, you are not being effective with your time. Therefore, to work less and get more done, it’s vital that you continually zone in on being effective in all that you do.”

Here’s a tip. Consider adding a block of time to your calendar three days a week to remind yourself to evaluate your actions to make sure you are doing the most important things to move closer to your goals. To supercharge your productivity, try to eliminate dead space in your schedule.

Identify your MINS

Here’s a final suggestion. The author explains that dead space is caused by one essential thing, you don’t know what the next task really is. Therefore, “the first step in minimizing dead space is to identify what your Most Important Next Step (MINS) is on your journey. What is the smallest action you can do next to move your goal forward just a bit? You’ll likely find that, surprisingly, it’s usually something quick and easy to do.” What’s your MINS? Not sure? Ask a friend to help you, join a mastermind group, seek out a mentor. Now, block off time on your calendar to do that task. Take action. Think about being efficient vs effective.

If you’ve been thinking about updating your website or starting a blog, your first action step is to give me a call. I can explain how to get started.  We can talk about your new venture and get your questions answered. In addition to WordPress or Weebly websites and blogs, I also help with other marketing and administrative services virtually or in-person for my Victoria clients.

Learn more about how I work with my clients!

Browse my Services.

 

by
, ,

Email Marketing vs Social Media to Capture Clients

What do Unilever, Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Lush have in common?

In 2020 or 2021 they have all put their social media advertising on pause to take a stand against hate speech and misinformation. More recently Facebook has been under fire for it’s business practices leading some companies to close their accounts with the social media giant or pause making any posts or buying ads.

That leads me to ask you, what would happen if you decided not to use any social media accounts? How would you communicate with your clients and customers? Every company has to review their own values and the values of the providers they choose to support and then make an educated decision.

When you use social media accounts, you really haven’t captured your audience because if the platform goes away, where’s your client list? Your database of your customers, followers and prospective customers? It’s lost.

Consider Adding or Strengthening your Email Campaign System

My recommend is to look again at email marketing vs social media. Look at your email database. I always recommend businesses and nonprofits use a third party email provider so you can comply with CAN SPAM laws and allow followers to unsubscribe at any time. I am most familiar with MailChimp and Constant Contact, but there are many email providers and lots of blog posts comparing them on the Internet.

If you don’t have an account with a third party provider, I suggest you start researching which one will fit your needs and your budget as well as integrate with your website. Many times I put a button (or link) on a client’s website so anyone on their website can subscribe to their emails (capturing your prospects). To entice people to subscribe, you can offer a free gift like a PDF with tips, educational information, fun facts, do’s and don’ts list, whatever you think would be meaningful to your audience. When they subscribe, they get your free offer automatically.

When you have captured your client’s email address, you have it. You can always download your email list and upload it to another provider. They key is, it doesn’t go away like your social media followers could. In fact, your emails stay in your client’s inbox until they read them, whereas posts may be off their radar in just a few hours as they slide down their social media feed.

Something to consider

I just wanted to share this idea with you as something to consider for your nonprofit or business. If you already have a system set up, great! Take some time to review it and make sure you are keeping your subscriber list up-to-date. If you don’t have a platform to manage your email campaigns, consider adding one in December so you can hit the ground running in 2022 and share your message with your clients, customers and prospects.

As always, if you would like some help getting this implemented and integrated with your website, let me know. We can import email addresses from a database if you have one, even if that’s just your accounting software. You have to start somewhere!

Here’s a link to the Resource page on my website. I provide a little more info about MailChimp and Constant Contact and explain how they are different, costs, etc.

https://growyourmindshare.com/resources

Reach out to me with your email marketing vs social media questions!

by

Getting Started… New Blog Setup Service

As I view my LinkedIn or Facebook feed, I see lots of people celebrating their new position in their work life. Moving from one company to another in search of a better opportunity, more happiness. Are you seeing some restlessness in people being a part of a large company as well?

I see people going out on their own by working a side gig or creating a side hustle. For some, they choose to walk into a side gig that’s all set up for them, like driving for Lyft or shopping for Shipt. But there are many others who are creating their opportunity from scratch, brave enough to become an entrepreneur. They have found a way to solve a problem for themselves and now they are marketing that solution to others, solutions that add value. I just learned about a very successful businesswoman who helps people manage their curly hair. She makes over $8000 a month from her blog. I listen to a lot of podcasts about people starting their own business and I find it very interesting. People want to be creative, and they want to contribute in a meaningful way. There is so much to learn and sometimes people struggle because they don’t know how to get started. That’s where I can help.

How I got started

In 2000 I started my first side business while I was on bedrest during my pregnancy! Decided to quit my job to stay home with our baby and ended up running a fun side business that was very fulfilling. I love the thrill of starting something new and have started several businesses over the years. I started Mindshare Marketing in 2010 to help others with marketing related tasks and I got good at creating WordPress websites and blogs and now that’s what I spend most of my days working on and I love it.

How I can Help

I meet with every client to fully understand their needs before I get started. I can help get your website hosting account set up, install WordPress, help find a theme that fits your style, and install several recommended plugins to give your website or blog extra functionality. I can set up and teach you about SEO (search engine optimization), making sure your website or blog is secure, and even more complicated features like adding a shopping cart, videos and more. I can help you get started and teach you how to manage it yourself. You won’t know how successful your side hustle could be if you don’t ever start. I make it very affordable, and I teach you along with way, so you understand how it works.

Call me if you want to brainstorm ideas. If you already know what you want to do but just need help setting it up, then let’s get started! I love learning about new business, and I really love empowering my clients to do as much as they’d like on their own. They find comfort in knowing I am always available to help them if they get stuck.

Blog Setup Service

I added a new service to my website called a Blog Setup Service. It’s a basic plan to get a WordPress blog set up for $389. I offer additional services, or you can take it from there. Connect with me to learn more! I can’t wait to help you get your project implemented!

Watch this Tedx Talk

Here’s a link to a YouTube video of a short Tedx talk by Nick Loper of the Side Hustle Nation. I listen to his podcast frequently. It was recorded in 2015, but the message is still relevant. Nick explains the 3 C’s and how entrepreneurship is growing. Listen to Nick.

Michelle Aspelin
Implementation Specialist
Mindshare Marketing & Implementation Services
Connect with me
Mindshare Marketing and Implementation Services

by