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Fresh strategies, resources, and real-world tactics for nonprofits and businesses facing tough challenges and high-stress days.
Clean Water Gets Funded. This Doesn't. | Behind the Scenes, Episode 2
There's an unspoken ranking of which causes get funded. Clean water and
photogenic places do well. Education and school supplies in South Sudan do not.
Not because the work matters less, but because it's harder to see.
This is Episode 2 of a behind-the-scenes series on raising $200,000 in 90 days for Alabaster International. The honest stuff: what's hard, what's working, what's at stake.
Paint job. No engine.
Early in my career, a mentor stopped me mid-pitch. I was excited. I had ideas. I was obsessed with making everything look sharp, the visuals, the language, the packaging. He listened, then said something I've never forgotten: "You keep talking about the paint job. I want to know about the engine."
Story Isn't Your Marketing's Finishing Touch. It's the Foundation.
There's a version of marketing that looks completely professional. The colors are right. The copy is clean. The media buy is solid. And it lands like a thud.
I saw this up close in 2009. I was doing all the digital work -- web, social, YouTube, email -- for a nonprofit in the health and human services space. A large agency had the traditional side: print, radio, billboards, buses. They managed something like 60 clients like this one.
For them, this was another account. Another campaign. Another round of assets to produce and ship.
Your Brand Doesn’t Need a Glow Up. It Needs a Gut Check
Most brands don’t need a rebrand—they need to remember why they started. If your messaging looks good but doesn’t land, it’s time for a gut check, not a glow up.
