Ep 315 | Mindset Reset

Are you feeling overwhelmed as you gear up for the busy season? In this solo episode, I'm here to offer a much-needed pep talk and share some powerful mindset shifts to help you navigate the challenges ahead. As we transition from summer mode to year-end campaigns, it's crucial to approach our work with renewed focus and energy.

Embracing Imperfection in Your Nonprofit's Communications

Let's talk about the paralyzing effects of perfectionism and how it can hinder your progress. I share:

• Why minor mistakes in emails or social media posts aren't the end of the world
• How to turn communication mishaps into opportunities for engagement
• The importance of moving forward despite imperfections

Harnessing the Power of Collaboration

Drawing inspiration from recent marketing phenomena, we explore:

• Strategies for creating buzz around your campaigns through partnerships
• How to make it easy for collaborators to amplify your message
• The impact of coordinated marketing efforts in your local community

Staying True to Your Foundation

When things get hectic, it's essential to:

• Focus on consistent, foundational activities that drive long-term success
• Avoid getting caught up in the comparison game
• Remember that small, daily actions lead to significant results over time

Want to skip ahead? Here are some key takeaways.

06:22 Turning Mistakes into Opportunities Learn how to reframe communication errors as chances for deeper donor engagement.

12:15 Collaborative Marketing Strategies Discover ways to create a ripple effect in your community through strategic partnerships.

19:30 Maintaining Focus on Core Activities Understand the importance of consistent, foundational work in achieving your nonprofit's goals.

Don't miss this opportunity to reset your mindset and approach the busy season with renewed clarity and purpose. Tune in for a conversation that could transform your perspective on nonprofit leadership and impact.

Full Transcript

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern] I had an episode all ready to go out this week and we went in to edit it and my audio went out. No audio for me. So that was fun. And you know, technology is just a thing and it sometimes doesn't work the way that we want it to. But don't worry, the episode will eventually come out. We will rerecord and get it to you all. But for now, I'm going to do a solo episode and I'm excited. I haven't done one in a while and there's a few things that have come up that I've just kind of wanted to chat with you about. Anyway, so this episode is going to be a little bit more about mindset and kind of ways to reframe and rethink things, especially as we start to go into busy season. It's the middle of August, schedules are shifting. You might be getting kids back to school. Your team schedules might be shifting out of summer mode. We're gearing up for year end campaigns and year end giving. So you know all the things. So I just want to make sure that we're moving forward with our best selves, that we're shaking off and letting go some of the things that don't matter. And so this is kind of a pep talk. I've done these before, but it's been a minute and so I'm excited to be here with you today. So before we get into this episode though, and the pep talk, it is brought to you by Do Good University, we are partnering. The first click is partnering with Do Good University on a new AI summit. This takes place starting September 22, but you can get on the web wait list now atonlinefundingsummit.com we are going to be teaching you all the ways that you can use AI to streamline your business, get things done faster, more effectively and at higher quality. How can you use AI to kind of be that next team member for a fraction of the cost? So that is what we're doing for that week with you and some amazing guest experts. So you'll definitely want to get on the waitlist again. You can do that Online Fundraising summit. Com. Let's get into the episode. You're listening to the Digital Marketing Therapy Podcast. I'm your host, Sami Bedell Mulhern. Each month we dive deep into a digital marketing or fundraising strategy that you can implement in your organization. Each week you'll hear from guest experts, nonprofits and myself on best practices, tips and resources to help you raise more money online and reach your organizational goals. So the first thing that I really just want to talk to you about is perfectionism. And this has come up in so many conversations with so many clients of mine lately where they're really struggling with hitting that publish button, pushing out the new version of the website, rewriting language, putting out communication to donors, or being worried or upset if communication isn't perfect. And I get it, but we need to just keep moving forward. Things are always evolving and always changing. Now. Let me give you an example. You know, we have a friend of ours who sent out an email with the wrong link to a replay from one of his webinars that he did. And, you know, I was talking to him on the phone and he's like, ugh, like, this is so frustrating. And I get it. It sucks when things like that happen. Things like that happen. I have typos in my email all the time. But I said, take this as an opportunity. Resend the email with the new link and you'll get in front of new people and you'll get in front of more people. But what happened was he got flooded with people before he did that, saying, hey, the link doesn't work. I want the link. The link doesn't work. So what does that do? Number one, it allows him to have a conversation now with all of those people to say, oh, no, I'm so sorry. Here's the new let me know. Like, just kind of open the doors for communication. It also shows him that people are really interested in the content that he's sharing and validates that. And people aren't going to be mad about it. They're not going to be upset. He also, and I, he'll not mind me sharing this. Also sent out an email the other day where the headline was misspelled. And again, tons of responses from people saying, hey, did you know there's a typo here and it sucks and it's yucky, whatever. But people are not going to judge you for a typo here and there or a miss a missed link, people. It happens all the time. Instead, we want to kind of like reset our mind frame to say, okay, this is an opportunity for me now to have conversation. I know these people are reading my emails. I know these people are engaging. So these are people that I want to connect with. So following up, it's the same on social media when people come out with a negative comment or a negative statement. It's an opportunity for you to have a conversation and kind of explain and share what you're doing. It's not a bad thing, but we have to give ourselves just that 30 seconds to go, ugh, feel gross, be upset, and then we just move on. We move on with our day and we keep doing our thing. It's all great. And I think the other thing that we really have to remember is that one comment or that one person who responds with something negative can make us feel like it's everyone can make us feel like everyone thinks that we're doing a bad job. And that's just simply not the case. You know that you're doing a great job. You know you're doing the best that you can and you're kicking butt. So just keep doing the thing that you're doing. We can't make everyone happy and that's okay. So again, use it as an opportunity. What could I have done better? How could I, you know, what ways would you like to be communicated with? How can I engage with you differently? Use it as an opportunity to make it about them and ask how you can support them. They'll love that. It's a great way to just build deeper relationships with the people that are in your network. Okay, so that's one of the things that I wanted to talk about. The other thing that I wanted to talk about is mindset around creativity and branding and collaboration. Now, if you're a swiftie, or even if you're not, it's probably been all over your social media that launch of her new album. Now here's the thing that is magical and whether her PR team was behind it or not, they might have partnered with specific collaborators to give them heads up. But your feeds on a few days ago were probably all covered with brands posting orange glitter posts or changing their branding or something in honor of Taylor Swift. Now, she is a powerhouse. I don't think I've ever seen anybody that has been able to pull something off like that with so many brands. But once a bunch of brands started, you know the rest of them want to be in on it, right? So it's that connection, that emotional connection and understanding that the brands want in on it because there's enough Taylor Swift fans that it's going to help give them a lift also if they're seen supporting her. Now, we are not all billionaires with huge teams with massive followings selling on arenas everywhere, right? So how do we scale this kind of thought process down into our own piece of the world? So just remember that collaborations are a great way for you to connect and a great way for you to build trust. So thinking about in your local community when you're getting ready to launch an event or you're getting ready to launch a campaign, who are the partners that you can go to that will kind of help you go, quote, unquote, viral. Viral doesn't have to be millions of people. Think about it. Within your audience size, viral could be 100 people, viral could be 10 people. Just depends on what you're trying to accomplish. And make it easy for them. Let them know, hey, this is what we're doing. Here's the branding, here's the Canva graphic that you can share, share it on this day. Here's the language. Will you help us champion this thing and have a big push on one day? Think about how you can get creative and get engaging with your local community on certain things in a concerted effort. Because that's really the main thing. You know, she doesn't just throw things out there, she plans things sometimes years in advance. So how can you put your thoughts around how can we make this bigger? Not just by talking to people, which that also really helps, but also how can we build momentum, engagement and excitement through other collaborators, other influencers, other partners of ours in a concerted marketing push? So it's not just you out there by yourself doing it, but again, remember, you need to be specific. Here's the graphic because the thing that's beautiful is every time you're scrolling through and you see that, you know that's Taylor Swift, you see the orange, you know that's Taylor Swift no matter what the brand is. So thinking about that. So if you have all these sponsors, hey, we want you to all post on open registration day or opening day for our ticket sales. We want you all to post this graphic with what you can manipulate it however you want, but this is the color scheme, this is the thing. And make sure our logo goes on it so that when people see it in multiple places, they tie it all back to your organization and your event. So just a way to kind of think about how we can use our network in a way to help benefit us that really doesn't require them to do much work. And if they're already donating, if they're already sponsoring, they're already part of your non profit community. It's a great way for them to support you additionally without having to spend extra money. It's just a little bit of time and if you feed them everything, they'll say yes, they'll make it happen, they will get it done. So that is kind of the second thing that I wanted to talk to you about mindset wise. And finally, I just want to say, always go back to the foundation. When things get crazy and we are trying a bunch of different things, things aren't working. We're losing momentum here. We're not getting momentum here. Somebody said to do this, somebody just remember to go back to the foundation. What are the things that, you know you need to do? The little steps that we take today are going to create big results in the future and we have to play the long game. If we are consistently doing the things that we know we need to do, if we are consistently following up with donors, we are consistently stewarding them. We are consistently having 10 phone calls with new people every week. We are consistently posting on one social media platform. We are consistently publishing a blog, whatever it is. The foundational things that, that you know you need to do, you're sending an email every week. Keep doing those things and know that the momentum is building even if you don't feel it right now. And if you keep doing it, it's going to pay out big dividends in the future. And I get that there's times when that urgency is more important and feels bigger, but you still need to keep doing those foundational things because that's what's going to help get you out of the hamster wheel in the future. So when you're feeling burnt out or you're feeling like you're struggling, or you feel like you can't do it all, just take a deep breath and work on your calendar and say, okay, I'm going to block off 30 minutes a day and that's when I'm going to do these consistent things. You know, I'm going to build in time to do these things that I need to do. This is a season that I'm in. This isn't how it's always going to be, right? Especially as we go into year end campaign. So just keep that in the back of your mind, keep focused on the prize, drop the comparison game, just do the foundational things that you know are going to work and sustain your organization long term. Okay, so that is my short and sweet little mindset thing. I hope that you liked it. I would love for you to head on over to this video on YouTube at digital marketing Therapy and drop in the comments a motivational phrase or something that you do, an affirmation that might help someone else. I would love to see those and connect with you there. But whatever you do, subscribe wherever you listen and make sure you check out the show notes at the first click.net315 I'm glad you hung out with me for this solo episode. We'll be back next week with some more interviews, but for now, thank you so much for listening and I'll see you in the next one.