The Smart Communications Podcast

Feb 05 2025 178 ep. 18 mins 221
The Smart Communications Podcast artwork

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.

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Episode 179: How can a language guide help your nonprofit?

Feb 05 2025 17 mins  
Language shapes how nonprofits connect, engage, and drive impact. Ally Dommu, director of service development, and Ryan Gerhard, copy director, explore why a language guide is helpful, how it differs from a brand guide, and the steps needed to create one.

Episode 178: How can values strengthen your organization?

Jan 22 2025 19 mins  
Is it the right moment to update your organization's values? Brenda Perez, Senior Account Manager, and Claire Taylor Hansen, co-director, explore how values can unify teams and organizations, guiding both internal culture and external communication. They share tips to create meaningful values that reflect your mission and spark alignment, whether you’re in a nonprofit, worker

Episode 177: How can you engage your community with campaigns?

Jan 08 2025 20 mins  
Farra Trompeter, co-director, talks with Nicholas Bruneau, communications consultant and author of Engage with Impact. Together, they explore how nonprofits can use the AGILE framework to create effective campaigns, deepen community engagement, and drive real-world change. They share actionable tips for nonprofits to foster collaboration, and turn social media followers into active

Episode 176: How do you plan and communicate about leaving an organization?

Dec 11 2024 22 mins  
Is succession and continuity planning a standard practice in your organization? Farra Trompeter, co-director, joins Sarah Durham, founder of Big Duck, to explore why it’s smart for executive directors and senior leaders to plan their eventual departures. They discuss the key factors that influence decisions to leave, strategies for communicating exit plans effectively, and how to

Episode 175: Should the media be an audience for your brand?

Nov 26 2024 21 mins  
Media coverage can expand a nonprofit’s reach, but with limited resources, it can be hard to know where to invest. In this conversation, Ally Dommu, director of service development, and Michelle Behar, senior strategist, explore practical tips for nonprofits to evaluate if media outreach is worth the investment and share strategies on building relationships with journalists, meas

Episode 174: How can nonprofit leaders build strong organizations?

Nov 13 2024 15 mins  
Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by David Rhode to discuss his book, Passion Isn't Enough: A Practical Guide for Nonprofit Leaders. They explore strategies and actionable steps that executive directors, CEOs, senior staff, and board members can take to strengthen and grow their organizations.

Episode 173: How can you use AI for strategic communications?

Oct 30 2024 22 mins  
How is artificial intelligence reshaping the nonprofit landscape? Alexandra M. Merceron, executive vice president at RUBENSTEIN, joins Farra Trompeter, co-director, to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on nonprofits. They discuss emerging themes, risks, ethical concerns, how to navigate AI’s challenges, available safeguards, and three key implications AI has on nonpro

Episode 172: What is the role of fundraisers in creating social change?

Oct 16 2024 20 mins  
What lessons do fundraisers need to learn and unlearn? Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Mari Eva Mendes, chief development officer at LEAP and founder and principal of MEM Consulting, to discuss the role of fundraisers and the need to challenge problematic practices. They also explore how to partner with donors to honor their investments and ensure that their resources ar

Episode 171: How can you start treating donors as partners?

Oct 02 2024 15 mins  
Fundraising can involve communicating to people with wealth or power with uneven dynamics. Farra Trompeter, co-director, is joined by Emily Bishop Runeari, founder of EBR Consulting, about how to shift conversations with donors to a more partnership-oriented approach, and ways you can educate groups of prospects and donors.

Episode 170: How can you conduct marketing and fundraising ethically?

Sep 19 2024 33 mins  
Doing fundraising and communications work more mindfully requires us to move at a slower pace, ask multiple people for feedback, and truly listen to what's being shared. Farra Trompeter, Co-Director, is joined by Karen Lundgard, Interim Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts of Greater New York, Lindsey Cosgrove, Chief of Staff at Greenwich House, and Sasha Prado, CFRE, Senior